Holly head Slopes

Chapter twenty-eight

ABI'S POV

My body had bounced back super speed. I should thank my Mum for nagging me to take my vitamins. Mason snuck me back to my house before the craziness had begun. We both wished I could have stayed longer, but we had things to handle.

Mason's house was beautiful. It was smaller than his family home, which made it feel welcoming. It was minimalistic, but it suited his lifestyle. It had become apparent that Mason's life didn't revolve around the most expensive art or décor he could buy. He was self-made, after all; there was no nepotism in sight despite what I first assumed.

We spent the night snuggled up and enjoying our reunion. Despite being told I needed to rest countless times, Mason happily distracted me by keeping the fire alive. We were too comfy to move upstairs, and being curled by the fire was the best recovery. Besides, it was the calmest I had ever seen Mason. This seemed like the place he felt himself.

My hatred of wearing Mason's clothing had well and truly gone because his extra thick hoodie was softening my achy body. I sat at the kitchen counter, trying to compose myself from the twenty-four-hour rollercoaster.

"Oh, honey. I haven't seen you in days." My sweet Grandma said as she walked into the kitchen. I took a deep breath before she faced me and flashed her a smile. It was strained and sore and wasn't convincing enough to satisfy her. "What happened to your eye?"

Sadly, the bruises on my eye hadn't healed overnight. In fact, they looked worse. I was sporting a beautiful purple shiner.

"I went a bit hard on the slopes. I'm fine, though. Just a bit sore."

She narrowed her wrinkled eyes that held a hundred memories and said. "Tell Mason to keep his top student safe. My grandbaby shouldn't be black and blue."

It killed me not to spring into action and help with breakfast. Cooking with Grandma was my happy place, and after a week of drama, I'm sure it would heal part of my heart. However, the limited movement of my body ruined that chance.

"Do you know what?" Grandma asked, suddenly pausing her fruit cutting. "We haven't had any quality time together all break. Why don't we have a coffee morning and let the others fend for themselves?"

My eyes widened at her suggestion. Grandma was insinuating, playing hooky on our family breakfast.

And I loved it!

As we drove towards the mountain in my Grandpa's truck, we felt like naughty school kids. I briefly remember driving a similar way last night when I was dizzy in the back seat of Mason's car.

The mountain was its usual busy self. I recognised some people from the party who had decided to keep skiing and let the mountain air sober them up. They smiled sheepishly at me as we passed. I hadn't thought of the reaction I would get from being lifted from the mountain. I would once again be the talk of the town.

The familiar queue met us at the entrance, along with the gorgeous freshly baked muffins I ordinarily missed. I grinned, thinking of my family's confused faces when their chefs were nowhere to be seen.

My favourite sofas were free, which meant things were looking up. We took our hot drinks and muffins to the corner and started our much-missed gossip.

"So, honey. Spill the tea."

I choked on my hot chocolate. Who the hell taught my Grandma that?

"Don't look at me like that." She laughed. "I keep up to date with the lingo. Those Netflix movies you recommend keep me young. So, spill."

I smiled at her. Knowing she watched the movies I sent her made me happy. I found it hard not seeing her every day because of college, but at least the movies kept us connected.

"Well, it's been the weirdest winter break of my life, but it's been amazing."

"You've certainly come out of your shell. I know you're living your wild college life, but you've blossomed here."

Making her proud was the best feeling. "Three weeks has felt like a lifetime here. I wished we came here more often."

"That will delight your Grandpa. He's wanted to come here for years. We waited because you and Jordan were finishing high school, and the twins were so young it would have been chaos. But we figured we're getting older, and the slopes only get harder. We didn't want to sell the cabin unless this trip was a disaster."

They were thinking about selling the Hughes house? I wish we had tried to visit more now.

"Well, I've fallen in love with this place. I thought I'd spend my days here reading or at home cooking and trying to forget the boring accounting world I am returning to. But I've loved exploring and meeting new people."

She rolled her eyes as she sipped her hot latte. "I wish you'd change your course. Accounting makes you miserable; you should do what you enjoy. You thrive in the kitchen."

"Yes, but accounting is practical. Mum and Dad worked hard to get me to college; I need a solid major."

"Your parents are the most understanding people in the world. You act like you enjoy studying around them, but they aren't blind. Nobody will be mad at you for following your heart."

That was food for thought. I wonder what it's like waking up excited to start a new day of college education. Walking into a kitchen would be more thrilling than a stuffy lecture hall full of future medicated accountants.

"Speaking of following your heart. How is Mason?" She grinned. Grandma is a sucker for love. Jordan had to recite how he met Ruby for a full hour.

"It's been rocky, but I think he's good. He was distant because of family stuff, so it's been complicated."

"I like the boy from what I've seen, but always put your peace first. You're too young for complicated situations. Young love should be playful and light, not secrets and being shut out."

The brutal reality sounded sweeter coming from her. Grandma knew what she was talking about; after all, she'd been with Grandpa most of her life.

"But if he makes you happy, those rocky times will be worth it."

We spent another hour talking about anything and everything. I'd missed a few phone calls during the stressful weeks of exam season, so we had to catch up. We also shared Christmas gifts for the others. We both impressed each other with our out-of-the-box thinking.

She suggested we start making a move when I noticed Myles walking in. I was torn between ignoring him and attempting to clear the air. I assumed he would blame me for the ear-bending he got from Mason on the mountain, and I didn't want an enemy if I was going to spend more time in Holly head.

I excused myself to go and talk to him, and when I reached him, my jaw dropped. His entire face was bruised and swollen. I thought my eye was bad, but he could hardly see out of his.

"What happened?" I asked with great concern. I hadn't heard about another accident, so it must have been something else.

"Nothing." He bluntly replied as he tied his apron.

"Did someone do this to you?" I asked as he continued to avoid my gaze.

"Stay out of it, Abi."

I sighed at his rudeness. I am so done being told to back off and mind my business. "We're friends, Myles, and I care about my friends, especially when they're hurt."

"We aren't friends." He snapped. "Not anymore. You have enough friends."

"Did this happen because of last night?"

He scoffed. "What do you think?"

His tone was unnecessary, but he looked in pain, and I know what that feels like. "Well, if this has anything to do with me, I knew nothing about it. Last night wasn't your fault. I'm sorry you got caught up in it."

"Of course, it was about last night." He sarcastically replied. "Just do me a favour and stick with your inner circle." He told me before leaving the counter and walking away from me.

It was so obvious who was the culprit. You're in so much trouble, Dugray!