“Hey,” I said, walking through the kitchen and dining room to the living room, where both the guys stood.

“Hey.” Oliver shot me a huge smile, which sent my stomach into a cartwheel.

Taking in Oliver made me gulp audibly. He looked good. Like really good. His hair was pushed back, but a few waves hung by his eyes and the ends curled up by his shirt collar. He wore a flannel button-down that made me want to tuck right into him. His jeans fit him perfectly and ended in his brown boots he always wore anytime I saw him off the ski hill.

“Sorry, I would have been up earlier, but Mattie didn’t tell me you were here.”

“I got distracted,” Mattie said sweetly. “Silly me.”

I desperately wanted to shoot her a glare but didn’t want Oliver to see.

“You ready?” Oliver asked.

“Uh-huh.” I walked over to him, stopping a few feet short. Was I supposed to hug him?

“Ladies first.” He waved his hand in front of him.

I stepped toward the door, grabbing Mattie’s green coat off the hook and slipping it on. “See you later,” I said to Giles and Mattie.

“Don’t wait up,” Oliver teased, winking at me.

I nudged him in the chest, and a sliver of my nerves were eased. Although a different kind of excitement brewed in my gut at the innuendo of staying out late with Oliver.

Oliver’s idea for a date turned out to be some sort of ice sculpture park. Apparently, it closed tomorrow and he had been meaning to check it out.

We had to take a gondola up the mountain to get to it, and the ride itself displayed some of the most breathtaking views I had ever seen. My nerves hadn’t completely gone away, but I was momentarily distracted as I pressed my face up to the glass and took it all in. Mountains, rolling in the distance for as far as my eyes could see. The surrealness of it all hit me on the ride up. There I was, sitting with a guy who was my opposite in so many ways, in the most picturesque setting I could ever imagine.

The layoff had felt like the worst thing imaginable, but could it have been so bad if it had led to this moment?

When we arrived at the top, Oliver placed his hand on the small of my back, letting me exit the gondola car first. It was somehow like twenty degrees colder up here, and I was grateful for the thick sweater and wool coat I’d chosen to wear.

There were a few small warming huts. One said Tickets above it and the others looked like food vendors. Snow sculptures and large castles were carved into the snow. Some lit up as people wandered through the mazes of structures. I was immensely grateful he hadn’t picked an activity where I would likely embarrass myself within the first fifteen minutes. Walk around and marvel at intricate ice carvings? Even I was capable of that.