Just Perfect Read Online Free PDF Page A

to, really, just not today. Can I take a rain check?”
    “Absolutely.” He straightened and didn’t look the least discouraged, thank goodness. “Take that hot shower you mentioned and some ibuprofen for your muscles. Then get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water.”
    “You sound like a doctor.”
    “Just looking out for my student.” He shouldered his skis and poles. “See you tomorrow. Same time, same place.”
    “I’ll be there.” Watching him stride away, she fought the urge to dance in place and shout Yes! Surely her dating drought was about to end.
    After a quick shower, Christine pulled on worn jeans and a faded orange sweatshirt with her college logo—a white longhorn—emblazoned across the front. Her mind raced, trying to compose an e-mail to her friends that would win their approval as she hurried down the stairs that led from the loft outside the guest bedrooms to the condo’s main room.
    Like most of the building in Silver Mountain, the street level was full of shops and restaurants with condos above. The wall of glass across from her opened onto a sundeck and offered a spectacular view of the mountains.
    Her laptop waited on the coffee table, atop last night’s pizza box. Coffee first, though, she thought, and veered toward the kitchen. The machine had finished brewing while she’d been in the shower, so she searched for a good-sized mug. Unfortunately, the cabinets held nothing but wimpy bone china cups with fragile handles. Resigned, she filled one, then carried it into the living area.
    While the condo wasn’t as formal as the Ashtons’ main residence in Austin, the decor struck her as more appropriate for an English tearoom than a ski lodge, but that was her mother’s style.
    Stepping over the shoes she’d kicked off last night, she flipped a switch on the wall, which ignited the gas fireplace. Instant flames popped up through the fake logs, all of it carefully sealed behind glass. She thought of Alec Hunter at this very moment sitting before a real fireplace in a crowded pub, surrounded by friends and laughter, with the scent of wood smoke and fried food filling the air.
    If the next few minutes went well, she’d be joining him tomorrow.
    Determined, she sat on the sofa and opened her laptop. Now, what to say?
    The time indicator on the screen read four fifteen Austin time, which made it three fifteen Mountain Time. Perfect. Since Maddy had moved to Santa Fe, they’d fallen into the habit of all three being online this time of day. Amy would still be at her desk managing her Traveling Nannies franchise, a business that placed temporary nannies with the vacationing wealthy and even some celebrities. Maddy was usually ready for a break from working on her art, and, until recently, Christine would just be waking up and getting ready for her night shift at the hospital.
    E-mail might not make up for the girlfriend lunches and movie days they’d enjoyed during the ten years after graduating from UT, but it was the next best thing. After a little more thought, she decided to start with something that was sure to get a positive response. She typed
I did it
! into the subject line.
    Message:
I rode the chairlift! Three times
!
    Maddy was first to respond:
Woo-hoo! Now give us the details, woman
.
    Amy was quick to follow:
I knew you could do it. I’m so proud of you
.
    Christine worked on her response, wanting to get it just right before she hit send. She started with:
Actually, it wasn’t as bad as I feared after the first ride. Mostly because of my ski instructor
.
    There, that was a good opening. Now what else to say? She typed:
He’s so cute
! Then groaned and hit the delete key to erase that line. Any time she started , with a physical description, her chances of winning approval took an instant nosedive.
    She pondered the screen, then flexed her fingers and tried again:
In fact, I really like this guy, and think you will too. His name’s Alec Hunter, and he’s very professional