I reach for it. I’ll open it myself and spoil her fun. Except Brent is too fast, taking it from her and opening it capably over the sink. I swear I see him standing a little taller as he hands it back. I watch him watch her hunt for glasses. Not jealous exactly. More . . . curious? Heather brings out a side of him that someone like me never would. I’d rather die than ask someone to help me, guys especially—it’s a sign of weakness—yet here’s Heather deliberately making herself look weak and somehow putting Brent under her spell in the process.

Until Dale comes in, breaking the moment.

Brent and I return to our patch on the carpet. Saskia and Julien have squashed back on the sofa next to Curtis and Odette, who are deep in conversation. Is Curtis interested in her? I don’t see any signs of flirting, but my encounter with Heather has shown me how little I understand about men.

“Have you ever tried a Haakon flip?” Odette asks.

“No,” Curtis says. “Have you?”

“Haakon flips?” Julien says. “Zey are so easy.”

Odette rolls her eyes but doesn’t comment.

“I do zem all zee time,” Julien adds.

Saskia pulls the throw from the back of the sofa and drapes it over their laps, and Julien seems to forget what he was about to say. Thank God for that.

Dale hands out glasses of champagne. “Anyone hear what the weather’s doing?”

“It’s going to dump tonight,” Curtis says.

“Awesome,” Dale says.

“Oh, zis is nothing,” Julien says. “You should ’ave been here last winter.”

Everyone rolls their eyes this time. Someone shut this guy up, please.

Julien opens his mouth again. And closes it. Saskia is pressed up next to him, with her right hand below the blanket. She’s not . . . Is she?

I catch the movement of her arm.

She is.

Right there in the middle of the room. The nerve of her. The others are glued to the telly and nobody except me has noticed. I can’t decide whether to be shocked or impressed. This girl is shameless.

Her eyes roam the room and lock onto mine. A tiny smile tugs at her lips.

My insides twist, though I can’t work out why.

CHAPTER 19

PRESENT DAY

When I wake in my chilly, damp dorm, my eyes go first to the door to check it’s still locked, then around the room to make sure nobody else is in here. Just in case, I scramble out of bed to check the bathroom. My limbs are stiff with cold.

Glad I won’t be spending another night in this place, I pull on every sweater I packed, zip my snowboard jacket over the top, and cross the room to the window.