“Only way down is straight,” I said calmly. “It’s not as bad as it looks. Watch.” I started down the hill, leaning on my heels to slow myself down. “You can start with just standing up and leaning back.”

It was challenging not to laugh as Frankie stood up. She kept her butt as far back as she could, but her entire torso was bent over with her hands straight out in front of her. She moved the tiniest inch forward before letting out a squeal and abruptly sitting back down.

I covered my amused expression with my mitten. “Great start.”

She let out an aggravated huff. “Can you stop being so annoyingly patient?”

I shimmied forward and dropped to my knees in front of her. “What can I say? I used to teach kids. This reminds me of that.”

Frankie glowered at me. “Hilarious.”

My smile stretched even further as I gripped the middle of her board. “Alright. Let’s try that again.”

“I told you.” Frankie shot me a look that was equal parts misery and blame.

The strong smell of antiseptic surrounded us while we waited in the ski hill’s cramped medical room for the nurse to come take a look at Frankie’s wrist.

“Mattie is never going to let me live this down,” she groaned.

I ran one hand through my hair and watched as she cradled her left wrist in her right hand. The lesson hadn’t lasted for much longer than an hour before Frankie had fallen forward and caught herself with her hand. Even though her cry of pain had seemed a touch dramatic, I’d still insisted on taking her to the medic to get it looked at.

“Hopefully this won’t ruin your promising career as a professional snowboarder,” I joked.

“Very funny,” she deadpanned.

“Scootch over,” I said.

The thick white paper covering the bench crinkled as I squeezed in next to her and slung my arm over her shoulders. “I still maintain you were doing okay before you fell.”

She snorted and shook her head, her eyes facing the wooden door with a large anatomical chart of the human body affixed to it. Except this one was a skier, and all of the arrows pointed to the most common injuries.

“I sucked and you know it.”

She had spent more time on her butt than riding down the mountain, but that was typical for a beginner. And even through all the complaining, I had been able to see the determination in her eyes. Like a spark that couldn’t be put out. Typically, teaching beginner lessons was painfully boring. But I’d had more fun this morning than I’d had since I arrived in Key Ridge.

“I mean…I didn’t say you were a natural,” I said.

That got a breath of a laugh out of her.

Frankie’s weight shifted slightly into me. Everything about the simple gesture grounded me in the moment. Her body pressed against mine felt like the most natural thing in the world.