Chapter 15: Lake Tahoe l

-- FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2007 --

Almost lazily, I guided my super-macho, super-cool navy blue with beige interior Toyota Sienna XLE minivan (with Sport rims!) around the winding mountain roads. I let my gaze drift out to the rows upon rows of verdant redwoods that lined my path to either side of the two-lane road as far as the eye could see, their bases buried beneath thick sheets of white snow. The sun was setting and the sky darkening fast, but the road itself was clear, a wide band of black asphalt well-illuminated by my headlights. So I drove without fear and roughly followed the tail lights of the Honda Pilot SUV in front of me as we wound our way down Route 267.

Presently, Route 267 dead-ended at Lake Boulevard, the road that circumnavigated Lake Tahoe itself. Turning left, I smiled knowing that our destination was only a few minutes ahead, and I sat up a little straighter in my seat, relieved that our nearly four-hour drive was nearing its end.

At the next stoplight, I flicked on my map light and consulted my Mapquest printouts to double-check how to get to our rented cabin, which really didn't fit the term "cabin". Adrienne had spared no expense in getting us a luxury 4-bedroom house overlooking Crystal Bay in North Lake Tahoe. Officially, the place could sleep twelve people and must've cost a thousand bucks a night, but we didn't have anywhere near twelve people coming with us on this trip. In fact, we were down to only seven.

Although this pre-Christmas Lake Tahoe excursion had originally been Adrienne's idea, and she'd even gone so far as to book and pay for the rental house itself, she and Sasha weren't coming. Too many emotions, too many complications, and with everything going on in our relationships, it was easier for them to bow out and take an impromptu vacation somewhere else alone. In fact, the two of them had flown out to Hawaii yesterday, swapping snow and ice for sandy beaches. Even more depressing was Adrienne's decision to STAY in Hawaii for Christmas itself instead of coming home. Personally, I think she simply didn't want to face my parents at Christmastime so soon after ending our engagement. It seemed a fairly typical Adrienne move: avoiding the situation and kicking the can further down the road. But I wanted to believe that when she was ready to deal with it, she'd come home and we'd work things out.

Without them, the rest of us had all crammed into my minivan rather than drive two cars. I missed glancing to my right to see Adrienne snoozing beside me in the shotgun seat, but Dawn was a more than adequate replacement. Dayna and Brandi took the two bucket seats behind us, and DJ, Brooke, and Brooke's boyfriend, Andrew, squeezed into the back row. Kim and BJ were spending the entire week at her father's house. And Eden and Emma had already planned to spend these first few days of their Winter Break with college friends.

Dawn helped me navigate to the house, and we arrived to find the lights on and waiting for us. I pulled into the driveway and announced, "We're here!"

"Thank GAWD," DJ groaned. "I need to get out and stretch."

Everyone chuckled at that, and the seven of us quickly evacuated the vehicle. Cold Sierra winter air quickly chilled our bodies; this late at night and at this elevation, every breath created visible clouds in front of our faces. I glanced back across the hood and asked, "Sure you wouldn't rather stay inside the van?"

"Shut up and open the front door," Dawn growled at me, hugging herself and shivering already.

I'd already started walking up the sidewalk to the front door with everyone else in tow. Having memorized the lockbox combination, I quickly punched it in to retrieve the door keys. And a minute later, we all walked inside to find the entire house heated to a very pleasant 72 degrees.

"Ooh, this place is gorgeous," Brooke breathed as she snuggled herself against Andrew's side. Her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her and patted her shoulder.

Dayna sighed as she glanced around. "Makes me wish Adrienne and Sasha had still come."

I nodded, wishing that myself, but first things first. "You all get settled in. I'm going to open the garage and pull the van inside. And Andrew, I'll need your help unloading all the girls' luggage."

"Right." Andrew pecked his girlfriend on the crown of her head and followed me down the hallway and into the garage.

A minute later, I drove the Sienna in, Andrew lowered the garage door, and he joined me at the back of the van. Neither of us said anything as I held down the trunk button on my remote to let the automatic liftgate raise up on its own, nor did I initially feel the need to; guys are perfectly comfortable working to unload a van without needing to talk. But I realized that Andrew and I hadn't really spoken much over the past few months, and here was an opportunity to at least strike up a conversation. Most Friday evenings he and Brooke went out while I played basketball with the others. I'd spent a lot of my time in the Berkeley house having sex, and I usually went back home by Saturday lunchtime. Our only real opportunities to interact had been a few Saturday mornings over breakfast, but I'd been rather too preoccupied with the girls to really spend much time asking Andrew about his history.

Mentally, I flipped through what little I knew about the guy: Barb Hemingway's little brother; Brooke's annual boyfriend for the summer at Morris Camp, in a way not so different from Dawn and me; worked as a programmer in Emeryville; originally hailed from Oregon.

"So," I began conversationally, "Have you done a lot of skiing and snowboarding where you're from?"

Andrew chuckled and replied, "Of course. Skiing, snowboarding, camping, hiking, fishing. My family is big on experiencing the Great Outdoors. It's why my parents made a point of spending all those summers at Morris Camp."

I nodded. "Mine, too."

"Lucky for me." He smiled broadly. "I got to keep seeing your sister year after year."

I thought about me and Dawn again, and how much I looked forward to seeing her year after year, and I nodded my agreement. "I know the feeling. The excitement, the anticipation... 'Are we there yet?'"

Andrew laughed. "To a little kid, those three hours felt like an eternity."

"Three hours?" I glanced over at him while stepping underneath the raised liftgate. "Try an eleven hour car ride."

He raised his hands up. "Granted, my drive was nothing compared to what your family went through. But for me at least, it wasn't the hours themselves so much as the yearlong wait to see her again that felt like ... well ... an 'eternity' doesn't even cover it."

Smiling, I said again, "I know the feeling."

Andrew grinned at me. "I'm sure. You and Dawn were certainly the 'it' couple of Morris Camp, at least for everyone around my age range. We all looked up to you two, saw the relationship you two had, and dreamed of one day finding a special love like that for ourselves."

I arched an eyebrow. "You DO realize Dawn and I aren't currently IN a relationship, right?"

"Well, not officially. But she still rode shotgun in the van, didn't she? And it's not like I don't know whose bedroom you sleep in when you stay overnight on Fridays."

"Touché." I waved him off and finally reached into the trunk to grab the first suitcase. After hoisting it up, I turned and handed it off to Andrew.

"Anyway," he continued while pulling up the telescoping handle on the suitcase and setting it off to the side, "whatever your 'official' relationship now, back then you two were the gold standard for teenage summer romances: inseparable, affectionate, so obviously in love ... and sneaking off to your own private hideaway every morning. Much as I might have wanted it, I never imagined I could feel that kind of love for myself. Not until..."

I shot him a smirk and finished for him, "Not until Brooke." And then I handed him the second suitcase.

He took the suitcase, set it down, and pulled the telescoping handle. "At first, I thought she was just messing around with me, having a casual summer fling soon forgotten. But then a year later, she seemed just as excited to see me as I was to see her. And then a year after that ... and the year after that..."

"You didn't get forgotten." Third suitcase out.

"Nope. Lucky me."

"You even had a long-distance thing for a while there, didn't you?"

Andrew nodded. "We were 'officially' together starting from camp before my sophomore year at U.O. until winter break. But yeah ... the long-distance thing for the semester didn't really work out."

"But you met up again."

"Well she had a summer internship that kept her from coming back to camp that year. But then the summer of last year..." Andrew's voice trailed off as he got a faraway look in his eye.

He didn't have his hands ready, so I set fourth suitcase back down in the trunk instead of dropping it on his feet. Even though we would only be here for four days and three nights (the longest trip we could fit between the end of Cal Berkeley finals and Christmas back home with our parents), it seemed like every girl had packed a full-size bag. I thought it a minor miracle everything had fit into the trunk, and there was a lot more luggage to go, but I wasn't in any hurry.

Still staring off into the distance, Andrew murmured almost dreamily, "Best damn weekend of my life."

I chuckled. "Must've been, to get you to move all the way down here just for her."

"She was all I could think about for the entire following year. My friends told me I was being crazy. They even set me up on a couple of dates, but I couldn't get Brooke out of my head. My sister ... no my whole family ... used to give me so much crap about it, too."

"'Brooke and Andrew, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S... '" I teased. "Brooke used to do that sort of thing to me all the time. Little sisters..."

Andrew chuckled. "Well, nothing like that. Barb is older than me, at least. But yeah, my whole family still teased me. I put up with it in the belief that she'd come back again and we might pick up where we'd left off. But then she didn't come back. Internship again. I was ... I was crushed. She had been all I could think about for an entire year, and it was like having Christmas cancelled forever. I couldn't deal with it. That's when I knew I had to go get her. So I quit the job I'd only just started, told my friends and family I had to at least try, and I packed up and left."

"Just like that?"

Andrew grinned. "Just like that."

"How did you even know she was available?"

"Well your parents and the twins were still at camp, even if Brooke herself didn't come. I went and found your mom to say I was in love with her daughter."

My eyes popped open wide and I whistled while folding my arms across my chest and leaning back against the frame. "Seriously?"

"You don't already know the story?"

"Didn't know you walked up to my mom to more or less ask permission, no."

Andrew grinned again. "She pulled me into the cabin and grilled me for almost an hour. Asked me some ... delicate ... questions. Some of them I didn't really want to answer, but she has this way of just sorta ... staring ... at you ... until you find yourself rambling and telling her things you didn't plan on saying."

I laughed and nodded my head. "We called it the Mom-Lie-Detector-3000."

Andrew shook his head ruefully. "She wasn't detecting lies so much as extracting information. Even got me to say Brooke got my virginity right here at camp when I was seventeen."

I held my hands up and waved them. "I'm a big brother. Don't remind me about that part."

Andrew chuckled. "Sorry, man."

"Just kidding. No worries."

He smiled. "Anyway, I must've passed, because in the end she gave me her blessing to move down and start 'courting' Brooke, as it was. That's when the twins showed up."

I arched an eyebrow. "What do the twins have to do with my mom's interrogation?"

"Not the interrogation part. Everything that came after. We didn't even have to explain the situation to them. They saw me talking to your mom and put two and two together right away. Started hopping up and down in excitement about setting us up together. Emma even volunteered to go undercover and do some 'research' to confirm whether or not Brooke still had feelings for me."

"Which she apparently did."

Andrew nodded. "Eden gave me her cell phone number with instructions to call as soon as I got moved into town."

"Ohhh ... so that's how the dinner thing got set up," I remarked in sudden realization. The rest of this story I knew: After the twins moved into the Berkeley house, they'd insisted on a 'Sisters Night Out'. The girls got all dolled up in nice dresses and went out to a fancy restaurant to celebrate. But when the hostess escorted the three of them to their table, Andrew had been waiting for them dressed in a nice suit and holding a big bouquet of Brooke's favorite flowers. To say Brooke had been shocked would be putting it mildly, but she'd been shocked in a good way. The twins giggled and left, quite pleased with themselves, and immediately started calling Brandi and DJ to let them know how things had turned out. I, of course, wouldn't find out for two more DAYS.

Andrew grinned. "Matchmaker twins. I have to admit: having Brooke's little sisters in my corner definitely made the whole thing a little less nerve-wracking."

"But you still had no idea how Brooke herself would react."

He nodded. "I only said 'less' nerve-wracking."

"I'll bet. And it was still quite the big risk, moving after graduation to different city, a different state – all for a girl, not knowing if things might work out."

"Brooke was well worth the risk. And moving was really the only chance I had. The long-distance thing I already knew wouldn't work. It was all or nothing. I had to at least try." Andrew stared off into the distance again, his eyes unfocused, so I let him be for a moment. But then realizing he'd spaced out, he blushed at me and said sincerely, "I mean it. Brooke is ... She's..."

"She's special," I finished for him before standing up straight and waggling a finger at him. "She's also my little sister. Don't you ever forget it."

Andrew held both his hands up and laughed. "I'll treat her right, I swear."

"Damn straight you will." With that, I hefted the fourth suitcase that had never gotten unloaded and thrust it right into Andrew's chest, perhaps a little more forcefully than necessary.

But Andrew grinned, the message received. Together, we unloaded the van quickly, and three minutes later, everything was in.

Our group of seven separated into each of the four bedrooms to unpack. Dayna and Brandi called dibs on the master bedroom due to their seniority, and also because Adrienne and Sasha weren't around to take it. Brooke and Andrew got bedroom #2, and Dawn and DJ officially took bedroom #3. I say 'officially' they took bedroom #3, because that left me alone in the adjacent bedroom #4, and nobody seriously thought I'd be sleeping alone.

In any case, that was the order in which we unpacked our stuff, and since I didn't bother to do anything more than place my suitcase, fully-closed, onto the luggage rack in the closet, I was the first one back out in the house's big living room starting up the fire and checking out the linen cabinet, pantry, and fridge. I discovered that while we were well-stocked with towels, utensils, and cookware, there wasn't any food or drink in the house, not that I'd expected to find any. We'd packed some breakfast items and nonperishables, but anything that required refrigeration would need to be purchased here. And as the girls started to come back out from their bedrooms, I grabbed my keys and announced that I was heading out for our planned grocery run.

"I'll come with you," Dawn volunteered as she grabbed a thick North Face jacket and a pretty blue and green scarf. She also popped on a light blue beanie that brought out the color of her eyes, while leaving her sunny blonde hair loose and flowing out from beneath it, and with a smile she followed me out into the garage.

Once we were buckled in, I started the van, backed out, hit the garage remote, and turned out onto the street. Adrienne had understandably elected to prioritize privacy and an amazing lakefront view over convenience, so our luxury house was a good ten minutes away from the nearest grocery store, and I knew we'd have a little bit of time alone before getting back.

"Did you text Nick yet to let him know we've arrived?" I asked without taking my eyes off the road.

"I did, actually," Dawn replied. "Right before we pulled up to the house."

"And?"

"He said 'great' and that he'd see us in the morning."

I arched an eyebrow and risked a glance at her before turning back to the road. "In the morning? It's been forever since you saw him last. You didn't want to meet up with him tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"We just got here. Everyone needs time to unpack and unwind. It makes no sense to drag them off to someone else's cabin to visit without letting them settle in. And if you're thinking about inviting Nick and his friends to our place, we should've planned that out ahead of time instead of springing it on them OR us last minute."

"I didn't mean trying to get both groups together tonight; you're right, we would've had to plan that out ahead of time. I was thinking you and I could detour to their place for a quick visit. You said they're staying in Incline Village, right? So we'll be in the area anyway."

Dawn glanced over at me right as I glanced over at her. She mused on the idea, but replied, "Everyone's waiting back at the house for us to return."

I shook my head. "Nobody's waiting up for milk and eggs. I'll bet that by the time we get back, they'll have already fired up the hot tub and opened the alcohol we brought with us. I'm serious, we can afford a ten/fifteen-minute visit."

"Why are you so insistent that I see Nick again?"

"I'm not insistent. I just ... well..." My voice trailed off as I heard Dawn shift in her seat, and I glanced over to find her giving me a look of comprehension.

"You want to see Nick tonight for some weird reason," she stated knowingly, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

I sighed. "I'm curious, alright? This guy was your boyfriend and meant so much to you during a really intense period of your life. You said you broke up with him – broke his heart, really – at the end of your ranch hand program, and yet he kept visiting you off and on for almost a year despite having supposedly moved on with his new girlfriend."

"He did move on. Those visits were little more than weekend booty calls. And emotionally, he accepted long ago that we weren't meant to be together."

"So he says."

"So he did," Dawn insisted. "Maybe the first few visits he harbored some spark of hope that we might rekindle our old relationship. But since then we've seen each other often enough and talked regularly enough for me to be able to tell he's moved on."

"A phone call every few weeks or so, right? That's how you found out he and his friends were planning their own trip up here to Lake Tahoe, and coordinated things so that you'd get the chance to meet up."

"Right. We still talk, but that doesn't mean we haven't both moved on."

"Still, I'd like to meet him. I mean, I know we've met, when the three of you drove down from your ranch hand program and walked in ten seconds after I proposed to DJ. But that wasn't exactly a good time for us to get to know each other, you know?"

"So?"

"So I'm curious. I want to meet him for real and find out what he's like, and I'm sure he'd like to find out, in person, what I'm really like. I'm a little anxious about that part, actually. And it occurred to me that it might be easier to meet him tonight, with just you by my side, instead of tomorrow morning at the ski resort with everyone else around us."

"Anxious? Why?"

"You told him you were breaking up with him because of me. He's bound to hate my guts for that."

"He doesn't hate you. And I didn't break up with him because of you."

"You told me you'd told him that he, quote, 'wasn't me'."

"I didn't want to string him along like I did to Ryan. I didn't love him like that."

"Not like you love me?"

"No."

"Even though we're not boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"We don't need to be."

"I'm not sure he sees it the same way. It'd be one thing for you to break up with him and become my girlfriend. From a guy's perspective, I'd at least understand that. But if I were in his shoes right now looking at your relationship with me, thinking that I'm engaged to Adrienne instead of dating you, I'd think that this 'Ben' guy wasn't treating you right."

"So what are you suggesting? That you and I get back together as boyfriend/girlfriend just so Nick will feel less weird about losing me?"

"Well not JUST for Nick's sake. Fact is: I AM without a girlfriend at the moment."

Dawn glared at me in silence, and she kept up the glare long enough for me to look over and see it before returning my attention to the road.

"I didn't mean it like that," I muttered. "I wasn't trying to pick you up as a fallback or rebound or anything like that."

"We're better as best friends and you know it. Besides, the world still believes you're engaged to Adrienne."

"I know, I know."

"You don't seem to be so sure about how much you know it, though."

"I'm reeling from having all three of my girlfriends dump me and you're the one who said at Morris Camp that you were still in love with me and still wished you could eventually become my wife. If I hadn't proposed marriage to Adrienne that day, I wonder where you and I would be right now."

"We're not getting into hypotheticals right now. We're best friends, and we're leaving it at that."

"I know, I know."

"There's that phrase again."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested we get back together at a time like this ... for any reasons."

"It's okay. You're just being you. When you feel lonely and abandoned you tend to say these melodramatically mournful things and latch onto anyone you can."

"You're not just 'anyone'. You're My Dawn."

"And you're My Ben."

I turned into the Raley's parking lot, found a spot, and pulled in the van. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I turned off the engine and looked over at my best friend. "I'd like to meet Nick tonight, but if you have no interest, then of course we don't have to."

"No, no. I'd actually love the chance to see him and Deedee again; I was just suspicious of your motives." Dawn sighed. "If you want, I can text him right now, see if they're available, and ask for their address."

I thought about that and shook my head in the negative. "Actually, why don't you call him? Much less impersonal than a text, and you're not stuck waiting to find out if he actually received it or not. I'm sure Nick would love to hear your voice; I know I would. Meantime, I'll head into the store and start collecting food."

"Um, okay. You sure?"

I held up the grocery list. "I'm sure I can handle it, yes. Just meet me inside when you're done."

"Okay." Her phone was already in her hands.

I smiled and got out of the van.

Dawn actually never met me in the store. I went around collecting all our groceries, paid for them, and returned to the van to find her still chatting on the phone. I hit the button for the automatic sliding door, stashed everything on the floor behind the driver's seat, and then got in. Getting Dawn's attention, I asked, "Are we on?"

Grinning ear-to-ear, she smiled at me and nodded in the affirmative.

"Address?" I reached into the door pocket and unfolded the Rand McNally map of the Incline Village area. Dawn switched on the map light for me, and she relayed the address and directions to me until I got a good sense in my head of where to go.

Only two minutes after that, I pulled up outside a cluster of two-story condominiums, each building looking virtually identical to a dozen others just like it nearby. "839?" I asked.

"839," Dawn confirmed. She tightened her scarf around her neck and opened the passenger door. I followed suit and circled around to join her. Automatically, I found myself slipping my hand into hers as we approached the rental condo; she glanced down at our joined hands with a mirthful smile on her face, but she didn't let go. She actually gave it a couple of squeezes instead.

The front porch light was on and I rang the doorbell. Moments later, the door opened and a gorgeous blonde with big, round hooters making large, obvious dents in the front of her sweater squealed with delight. "Dawn! So good to see you!" Deedee thrust her arms open and practically jumped through the doorway for a hug.

Dawn let go of my hand to warmly return the hug. A moment later, Deedee stepped back and waved us in. "Come inside, come inside. It's freezing out there."

We walked in and Deedee shut the door behind us. Nick stood just inside the doorway. 6'2" and thick, the guy looked like a linebacker and had the muscles in his arms to match – clearly he wasn't "Fat Nick" anymore. While not as trim or as movie star handsome as Dawn's ex-boyfriend Ryan, Nick was still a well-built, good-looking guy who fit right into her usual physical "type".

Of course, Deedee was exactly my physical type as well: 5'8" or so, blonde hair, blue eyes, and really big tits. She reminded me of Dayna, actually, although her cheeks were a bit rounder, her eyes a little narrower, her hair a shade darker and also several inches longer, and her nose different enough that anybody could tell that she wasn't related to the Evans sisters.

The two of them were the only ones in the condo. I stepped forward to greet them, hand extended. "Hi, Nick. It's been a long time. Nice to see you again."

"Ben," he replied a little stiffly. "Likewise."

I maintained my smile and released our handshake, not sure what to say after that. In the meantime, Deedee came to shake my hand as well, and then Deedee and I both stepped back to watch Nick and Dawn.

Neither of them moved toward the other. Nick stayed rooted in his spot, breathing deep breaths and staring at Dawn with a look of mingled affection and regret. For her part, Dawn looked guilty, a little unsure of herself. She glanced at me once or twice in the awkward silence, which made me think it wasn't seeing Nick again that made her nervous, but rather it was my presence (and present observation of them two together) that was doing so.

You sure they've emotionally moved on?

Shut up. Not now.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Deedee finally groaned as she stepped between the two and grabbed each of them by the hand. She physically yanked Nick forward and guided Dawn in as well. And then pressing on both of their lower backs, she shoved the ex-couple into an awkward hug.

Both Nick and Dawn were stiff at first, but a moment later Dawn sighed and turned her head to press her cheek into his broad chest. Nick's shoulders relaxed, and he tightened his arms around her into a bear hug before picking her up off her feet and gently swaying her side-to-side.

Dawn giggled and looked up at him with a fresh smile. That got Nick to smile as well, and he set her back down on the floor. Blushing, Dawn swept a lock of hair behind her ear and glanced up at him coyly. "I miss those hugs."

"I miss giving them to you."

"Just means we all need to visit more often than once every six months!" Deedee chirped while wrapping her arms around both Nick and Dawn and pulling them into a three-person hug.

Nick chuckled, Dawn laughed, and the three of them squeezed each other tight. I began to feel like an outside intruder, but a moment later they let go and Dawn backed up beside me. She glanced around the condo and said, "Nice place. Where's everyone else?"

"Still down at the bar," Nick explained. "We left to come back here when you called me."

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "We didn't mean to intrude on your evening."

"Don't be," Deedee replied, wrapping her right arm around Nick's waist and extending her left to Dawn, who took her hand but stayed next to me. "I can hang out at a bar and get drunk any night, but visits from Miss Dawn Marie Evans are rare and far between."

Dawn blushed and glanced over at me. I slid to her side and wrapped my arm around her waist much the same way Nick and Deedee were doing.

"Speaking of drinks, where are my manners? Can I get you anything?" Nick asked, gesturing back into the condo. "Please, come sit down."

"Not for me," I replied, guiding Dawn forward as we followed Nick and Deedee over to the living room. "I'll have to drive us home pretty soon."

"Understandable. Dawn?"

"No thanks," she replied, waving him off. "We can't stay long."

"But don't refrain on our account," I added. "I still feel bad enough for taking you away from your friends at the bar."

"I don't drink anyways," Nick replied with a shrug.

"Means I get to drink for both of us!" Deedee said cheerily. I got the impression that she was pretty buzzed already. But rather than head into the kitchen or anything, she stayed with us in the living room.

Nick took a seat on the couch and Deedee settled in close to him, their thighs touching and her hand on his knee with his arm still wrapped around her shoulders. There wasn't space for two to sit together anywhere else, so Dawn and I each took an armchair.

"So what's new?" Deedee asked immediately. "We have soooo much to catch up on."

"It hasn't been THAT long since we last talked," Dawn replied, laughing. "Less than a week!"

"Whatever. That call was mostly about organizing this trip. C'mon, I want the juicy stuff!"

Dawn shook her head. "We really CAN'T stay very long. We've got perishables in the car and our family is waiting for us."

"Pssht, your car is as cold as a refrigerator by now. Ten minutes. Gimme ten minutes, please?"

"Fine," Dawn agreed. "Not like there's much to say. Boring life of a college student trying to make it to graduation. Ten minutes."

Deedee squealed excitedly and cuddled in closer to Nick.

Thirty minutes later, Dawn and I finally walked back out to the van. Brandi had texted me, asking, "Where R U?" I now replied back that we would be home soon.

"Deedee's quite the chatterbox," I commented as we got into our seats from opposite sides of the van.

"Yeah, sorry. Sometimes she gets on a roll and we just lose track of time, especially when she's buzzed."

"No need to apologize. It was nice to see you catching up with your friends. You looked happy."

"But I know you were bored."

"Not at all. I learned a lot about all three of you and your relationship. You certainly enjoyed yourself, and it's obvious how much they still care about you." I started the engine and began backing out. "If anything, I sorta wish I hadn't been there."

"Why not? Were you bored?"

"No, not what I meant. I wish I hadn't been there because my presence was making Nick nervous. He clearly wanted to talk to you more, but he just as clearly was more reserved and quiet than he would have been had I not been there. I feel like my presence deprived you both of a real reunion."

"Nick will come around. I noticed that you were more quiet and reserved than you'd usually be, even amongst strangers."

I shrugged. "The topics were all about you and them, not about me."

"Except for Deedee asking about you and your supermodel fiancée."

"Everybody asks me about Adrienne."

"But you were pretty closed-mouth on the subject. Awkward, one-word responses? Even if I didn't already know the truth, I might've guessed that your relationship is on the rocks."

I frowned. "I did not do anything to suggest that my relationship with Adrienne is on the rocks, and Deedee can't read me the way you can. It's not like anyone else could sense I hated the ending of I Am Legend without ever having seen the movie herself."

Dawn snorted and chuckled at that. Changing the subject, she began, "So ... what do you think of Nick?"

"Hmm?" I glanced over at her, found Dawn giving me an impish smirk as she waggled her eyebrows, and returned my attention to the road.

"You said you wanted to visit so you could meet him, evaluate him ... scrutinize my ex-boyfriend and determine for yourself how much you should hate him for having dated me and compare and contrast yourself against him to try and figure out in what ways you're better than him and in what ways he's better than you."

"I didn't say any of that. And I did NOT go over there to... 'scrutinize' him."

"Oh, please. It's only natural. We girls do it all the time, too. I know you and Nick well enough to know you were BOTH evaluating each other. That's why you both were quiet and reserved: because you were too busy checking each other out."

I rolled my eyes. "I was not 'checking him out'."

"Wrong phrase, but my point stands. So..." Dawn grinned as she repeated, "What do you think of Nick?"

I sighed. "I don't hate him for having dated you, and I think he's a genuinely nice guy. Like I said: he obviously still cares a lot about you, he values your happiness, and I do believe he's accepted that he's had to let you go. I appreciate that, since it's much better to have an ex that's moved on than an ex that's still pining away for you. If anything, I go back to feeling guilty for taking you away from him. If not for me, you two might've still been boyfriend/girlfriend today."

"Never happen. He lives in LA, and I'm not doing the long-distance thing again."

"So what, if he lived close by you wouldn't have broken up with him? You said he'd have moved to the Bay Area to be near you if you'd asked."

"He did, but that's not the point. You and I have been over this already: I broke up with him because of me, not because of you. I don't love him: simple as that."

"But you still obviously care about him. You're glad he's got Deedee. If not, you'd be feeling a lot guiltier about dumping him."

"Of course I would. And I'm happy for them both. They're very good together."

"And they were very good with you as well." I glanced over at her, paused for a moment, and added, "If you want to hook up with them again this weekend, you know I'll be fine with it."

That took Dawn an extra second to process. "Wait, what?"

I glanced over again, and this time found her gawking back at me. "You, Nick, and Deedee: if you want to hook up with them, I'm fine with it."

Dawn gave me a skeptical look. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Because you're you. Because you felt the need to hold my hand when we walked up to the condo. Because you're not very well known for being willing to share your toys."

"You're not my toy, and you're not even my girlfriend."

"But still." Dawn took a deep breath. "I know we haven't really talked about it, but I assumed you expected me to be monogamously faithful to you, at least as far as men are concerned."

I frowned and shook my head. "By what right would I have any reason to expect that kind of fidelity from you? Again, you're not my girlfriend. You're my best friend, my ... my sister. And I'd never have a problem with one of my sisters hooking up with a guy."

"But I'm not actually your sister. Of course you'd never have a problem with Brooke or Brandi hooking up with a guy – they're your blood sisters. But I'm not your real blood sister. I'm your lover, no matter what label we put on it, and you've had a habit of expecting exclusive monogamy from your lovers."

"DJ and I are lovers, but I have no expectations of exclusive monogamy from her. I know full well that she's started joining Brooke and Andrew from time to time in the last couple of months, but that stuff goes way back to Morris Camp trips when they were teenagers."

"But I'm not DJ. I'm your Dawn. And it's not about rights, it's about history... our history ... MY history ... of being unfaithful. DJ never cheated on you before, but -I- did."

"I didn't forget."

"Then how could you possibly be okay with me sleeping with another man? Let alone my ex-boyfriend?"

"I ... huh..." My voice trailed off, I took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Dawn waited me out, letting me collect my thoughts.

How COULD you okay with her sleeping with another man? She's YOURS. She said it herself: she assumed you wanted monogamy from her, and she's kept herself faithful to you all on her own initiative. Why the fuck are you trying to mess with that?

"Because..." I began aloud. "Because ... Because now I've met him. Because now I've met them, and I've seen Nick and Deedee with you. The three of you together just seems so natural. You haven't seen them in more than six months, but after you got past that first bit of awkwardness – awkwardness that felt like it was more about ME standing next to you than about seeing THEM again – the three of you fell right back into old habits and comfortable familiarity."

"That doesn't mean I need to have sex with them."

"Of course not. But at the same time, if you want to ... I thought I should let you know that I'm cool with it."

Dawn still looked thoroughly confused.

I smiled. "I get it. We never talked about fidelity, but I'll admit that I would have gotten quite upset had I found out you slept with any other man but me in these last few months."

"See."

"But I wouldn't have forbidden you from finding a new boyfriend. I would have accepted it if you wanted to have sex with another man, and had come to ask my permission in advance. Not that you necessarily needed my permission, that I would have had any right to ... Well ... Point is: I would have appreciated you asking me nonetheless."

"And you'd have said 'yes'?"

"Of course ... Probably ... Maybe..." I sighed. "Okay, it's hard for me to say for certain. Maybe it would have depended on the guy in question, if I knew him or had gotten the chance to meet him first. And I'd probably have gotten quite angry if you told me after the fact; I can be possessive like that. But the fact remains that you're NOT my girlfriend and I have no right to demand monogamy from you."

Dawn shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Rights or no rights, you wouldn't have liked it for me to sleep with another man, and I value our relationship too much to mess with that. I can't lose you again, and if that requires becoming a one-dick woman, that's something I can accept."

"But you don't have to. I've thought about THIS situation at least, with THIS particular guy, and I'm telling you I'm okay with it. I've now met the guy, and I don't get any weird vibes or have any alarm bells going off in the back of my mind. Nick cares about you, and you still care about him. You're still close friends, you still talk to him regularly, you've been intimate before, and it's not like you'd be doing something you haven't already done with him. Sex is a part of your relationship, and whether you sleep with him or not, you'll still be my best friend."

Dawn stared at me like I'd grown a third eye in the middle of my forehead. "You're actually serious," she remarked, dumbstruck.

"I am." I nodded and took a deep breath, my mind still churning. "Tell the truth, if you wanted to get back together with him, as a boyfriend, well ... I think I could handle that, too."

Dawn recoiled and frowned at me. "Okay, now I KNOW you're not being serious. Is this a test? You're holding out some kind of temptation trying to see if I'll break? Because it's not gonna work. I realize you have trust issues with me – once a cheater always a cheater – but I wouldn't do that to you. I didn't spend all this time trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together after falling off the wall just to intentionally jump off the wall with both feet."

I sighed and arched an eyebrow. "So you're saying you don't want to sleep with them?"

"I'm saying the thought never crossed my mind." Dawn sat up straight and nodded her head, just once, very firmly. "I'd already assumed you wouldn't like it."

I chuckled and shook my head. "This isn't a test. I'm not trying to set you up for failure. And I was 100% serious about saying I'd be okay with you and Nick ... at least as long as you didn't become monogamous for him or something. If you got back together with him as boyfriend/girlfriend and stopped having sex with me ... well ... no, I wouldn't be happy."

"I wouldn't ever--"

"I'm sure you wouldn't," I cut her off. "I believe you. And look, I'm not saying I'd be okay with you fucking just anybody, and I'm certainly saying I'd much rather prefer you TELL me about any guys you're interested in BEFORE you screw around with them. But as long as you and I stay best friends ... well ... I think I'd surprise you with how much I can handle."

Dawn still looked doubtful. "I can't lose you again."

"You won't."

"It really never crossed my mind to have sex with them again."

"I believe you, but it's crossing your mind now. You're a sexual creature, much like me. You've had to consistently share me with seven other women, and I know for a fact that you're not getting laid nearly as much as you did when we were together."

"I'm fine with what I get from you."

Smirking, I began, "I never liked this word 'fine'. It--"

"I'm not covering up any resentments," she interrupted. "I'm really fine-fine with what I get from you."

Blinking a couple of times, I flicked on the emergency lights and slowly pulled over to the side of the road. After putting the van in park, I turned in my seat to give Dawn a serious look. "If you're really fine-fine with what you get from me, that's great. And look, I'm not TELLING you to go sleep with them. I'm not ASKING you to do so just so I can see how I react once you do. This isn't a test, and if you don't want to do it, I'm not pressuring you into it. All I'm trying to say is that if the opportunity comes up, if you want to do it, I'm okay. Seriously and for real ... I'm okay. I trust you."

Dawn stared straight at me, scrutinizing my face. Eyebrows furrowed, she turned to look out the windshield, lost in thought. She glanced back at me once, then twice, and finally a third time before she said another word. And when she did, it was to mutter in a tone of mild disbelief, "Alright, I'll take you at your word. I'm not saying that I'll do it, and I'll repeat that I never thought about it until YOU put this idea into my mind, but I'll think about, alright?"

I shrugged and shifted the van back into drive. "It's entirely up to you."

"They're back!" Brooke hollered from the kitchen as Dawn and I walked through the door. She was dressed in a bikini plus a towel wrapped around her waist and holding two glasses of some pink concoction in her hands, making it clear that I'd been right about the group opening the alcohol and firing up the hot tub during our absence.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked.

My little sister shrugged. "Been in the tub for at least thirty minutes. I think I'm still sweating. Hurry up and put that stuff away so you can go change. We're having fun but without you two, we've felt ... incomplete."

Dawn laughed. "You mean you girls have been cooking up something inappropriate and probably sexual but couldn't implement it without Ben's penis."

Brooke frowned. "We don't have to have an orgy every time a group of us gets into a hot tub."

Dawn grinned. "Yet it seems like you always do."

"Not tonight. Andrew and I are close, and we've shared a lot with each other, but not the brother-incest part. Not yet."

"I haven't forgotten," I said. "There have been precious few opportunities this year for you and me, little one."

"Doesn't mean I don't love you." Brooke leaned in and gave me a tender kiss on the cheek. She also slid her hand down between us to caress my bulge, making sure to position herself to shield her hand from view. "Or that I don't miss this."

"Maybe you shouldn't have brought your boyfriend on this trip," Dawn said with a chuckle.

"Actually, I'm rather glad he's here," I said with a sigh. "Gives me an excuse to take a break and relax for once without worrying about how I'm gonna satisfy every woman in the house."

"Whatever. I only really care about you satisfying ME," Dawn mused while rubbing her hand along the back of my shoulders.

"What, you weren't satisfied enough Wednesday night after my Holiday Party?" I turned my head to follow her as she continued past me from behind, opened the refrigerator, and put away the groceries in her hand. I followed after and did the same with my bag.

Spinning around, Dawn snaked her arms behind my neck and pulled me to her for a fierce kiss. It was our first since leaving the Berkeley house nearly five hours ago, and she put a lot of passion into it.

The kiss kept going on and on, long enough that when she finally pulled away and I opened my eyes, I found that we were alone in the kitchen. Brooke had already gone back outside. "That was nice," I murmured, leaning in to peck her nose as well.

She sighed and gave me a frank look. "I appreciate what you were trying to do in the car, telling me you'd be okay with me and Nick. Again, I'm not saying that I'll do it--"

I covered her mouth with my fingers. "You don't have to explain yourself."

She pulled her face free of my hand. "The point is: whatever happens this weekend, I want you to know how much you mean to me, how much I love you, and how devoted I am to you even though I'm not your girlfriend. We've agreed to not become romantic about it, and we've agreed that we're better off as best friends, but that doesn't mean you don't mean EVERYTHING to me, alright?"

I nodded. "I feel the same way. Especially now."

Dawn frowned and her eyes dimmed. "You mean I'm all you have left now that your girlfriends have dumped you."

I shook my head. "I mean that you've become my rock. You're my best friend, and I think any guy would lean a little more on his best friend in the aftermath of a bad breakup."

"Well ... okay maybe ... I just want to make sure you're not gonna try and latch onto me as your next girlfriend."

"Friends, even lovers, but not romantic."

"Best friends," she stated resolutely. "Eternal best friends. No matter what."

"No matter what," I agreed.

Dawn took a deep breath, kissed me again, and finally pulled away. "Well, we'd better get changed and go out there. We've kept them all waiting to the point that they might actually be sick of the hot tub and ready to come back inside. Who knows how antsy Brooke and Dayna have gotten waiting to spring whatever harebrained scheme they've cooked up tonight, even with Andrew out there?"

I gave her a wry grin. "It really IS the two of them who are always scheming, isn't it?"

"Well, them and Adrienne."

I deflated a little at the mention of Adrienne's name.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought her up," Dawn said immediately, her tone contrite.

"It's okay. I'll be okay. If anything, you've hit on exactly why I don't really feel up to playing Brooke and Dayna's hot tub sex games tonight. This isn't just like any other winter break trip. This isn't Thanksgiving at your parents' house. It's hard for me to throw my cares aside and mess around for fun when I'm reminded that Adrienne and Sasha aren't here with us. Quite frankly, I'm not in the mood."

Dawn nodded, looking thoughtful. "New plan: Why don't you and I skip the hot tub entirely tonight? Let's just get undressed, take a shower together, and crawl into your bed to keep each other warm. No games. No harebrained sister-schemes. Just you and me tonight, alright?"

"Sounds perfect. But won't the others get upset if we don't join them?"

Dawn shrugged. "You got dumped by all three of your girlfriends within the last few days, plus Brandi. You've got a free pass to be emotional and moody all you want. They'll understand."

I smiled and kissed her again. "Let's go."

Dawn was right: they understood. Nobody disturbed us. Nobody came knocking at the door cajoling us to join them outside. All night, our friends and family left us alone.

Thirty minutes after entering my bedroom, my sperm soaked into my best friend's womb as we cuddled together naked beneath the covers, her head on my chest and my arms wrapped around her body. And together, we surrendered to the blissful relief of sleep.

-- SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2007 --

While nobody disturbed us last night, DJ did come wake us up in the morning. Instead of sleeping all alone in bedroom #3, she'd joined Brooke and Andrew. But she still roused me with a morning blowjob, climbed aboard, and rode herself to a satisfying orgasm, all while Dawn continued to slumber beside us having a pleasant dream to our moans. After that, I rolled onto my best friend and woke her up with a dick in her cunt, fucking Dawn to a satisfying orgasm of her own before the girls teamed up to make it a full-on threesome that ended with me filling DJ up with a creampie and Dawn sucking it out so she could snowball my load back to her little sister.

The three of us emerged to find that we were the last ones up. The others had gotten started on breakfast already and we scrambled in catch-up mode to get back on schedule.

Miraculously, our group of seven made it to the ski resort parking lot only five minutes after our originally intended arrival. None of us owned our own gear, so we all queued up to get our rental equipment, with the plan to meet up with Nick and Deedee's crew at the Main Lodge to introduce everyone before heading up the mountain.

As it turned out, we seemed to have beaten the other group there. Once all seven of us had our gear, Dawn texted Nick and got a reply that he and his friends were just finishing up their own rental process.

"But he also said that some of his friends own their own gear and are already at the rendezvous point," Dawn added, looking up from her phone and glancing around for any familiar faces. "Kenzie, Miguel, and--"

"Jared?" Brandi suddenly exclaimed from my right. Her ski boots, even unbuckled, were far clunkier than my snowboard boots. But that didn't stop her from toddling forward, arms open and an expression of elated surprise on her face.

"Holy shit, Brandi?" A ruggedly handsome Asian man with dark hair and a matching beard of scruffy three-day growth stood up from a bench not ten feet away from us. He wore snowboard boots and had a much easier time closing the gap between himself and my sister.

The two of them crashed together in a fierce hug, Brandi exclaiming, "Oh my gawd this is incredible! How have you been? It's been what, three--"

"Four years," Jared finished for her, his eyes wide as he stared straight at my sister as if nobody else in the world even existed anymore. "It's been a long time, but ... wow ... you look amazing! I can't believe it's you!"

A female voice wondered aloud, "Ben? Is that you?"

I turned in surprise toward the new voice, not immediately recognizing the speaker, although there was something definitely familiar about her face. I readily noticed that she was a smokin' hot redhead, of average height and quite top-heavy with really big tits for a girl with her slender frame, but it was her pretty blue eyes and strong cheekbones that jogged my memory. With my mind already racing in overdrive at the surprise arrival of Jared, the guy Brandi had a one-night stand with on New Year's Eve four years ago, the identity of the smokin' hot redhead suddenly clicked for me, and I exclaimed, "Kenzie! You changed your hair!"

The bodaciously busty ex-blonde sashayed up to me with an impish grin and her hands planted on her hips. "My natural color, actually. I just went blonde for a couple of years after college."

"I'm glad you changed back," I replied. "There's a shortage of smokin' hot redheads in this world." She was already coming to me for a hug, so I opened my arms and welcomed her.

The girl literally purred as she pressed herself against my chest, ducking her nose down into the crook of my neck and nuzzling it before abruptly stopping herself and taking a step back, an expression of surprise on her face that she'd just done that. "Um ... sorry," she muttered sheepishly. "Just kind of came over me."

"Don't worry," Dawn said lightly as she stepped alongside me. "He can have that effect on a girl."

Kenzie's eyes bugged out. "Oh, I am sorry," she hurriedly apologized. "I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay, it's okay," Dawn laughed, gesturing with both hands for Kenzie to calm down before extending her right one for a handshake. "Ben and I are just friends. I'm Dawn."

Kenzie's hand stopped just short of meeting Dawn's, and her eyes bugged out again. "You're Nick's Dawn."

My best friend shrugged. "Yup, that's me."

Kenzie blinked twice. "Which means you're her Ben."

"Uh, well yeah."

"This is one helluva crazy coincidence. But you say you're just friends?" She looked genuinely perplexed.

Simultaneously, both Dawn and I explained, "It's complicated." In surprise at the synchronization, we both glanced at each other and started chuckling.

"Jinx!" Brooke called from behind us.

I glanced back. "You're not twelve anymore."

"So I take it you and Ben know each other?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Uh, sorta," Kenzie muttered. "I guess it's been four years. We ran into his family down at Snow Summit in Big Bear. Jared and Brandi really hit it off ... kinda like they're doing right now."

We all turned to look over at the cute couple, even if they weren't actually a couple or anything yet. But from the way Brandi and Jared were standing close together, still smiling and laughing and completely ignoring everything and everyone around them, it was obvious that the two of them were well on their way.

"They invited us to a New Year's Eve party at their rental house," I explained. "Kenzie and I ... We ... uh..."

"We just hung out for a couple of hours, really," the busty redhead clarified. "Ben was very serious about looking after his big sister."

Dawn frowned, her eyes clicking back and forth between me and Kenzie. "So you two ... you never..."

"No, no. Nothing like that," Kenzie interjected, doing her best to look innocent. "Ben was a proper gentleman."

I smirked. "Well I wouldn't say that."

Kenzie bit her lip, staring at me with her pretty blue eyes sparkling. "Let's just say he left me wishing we had more time."

Dawn smirked at me and muttered, "I'll bet..."

"ANYways..." I began, eager to change the subject. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? What are YOU doing here?" Kenzie exclaimed. "Seriously, this is one helluva coincidence."

"I'll say," Dawn commented. "So you're Nick's cousin? The one who lives in San Francisco? He said you'd invited him and Deedee to come along on this ski trip."

Kenzie nodded. "Nick's dad and my dad are brothers. The whole Campbell family is down in SoCal, but I got a job with a solar power company in San Mateo. So Jared, Miguel, and I got a place together in The City and we come up to Tahoe pretty often every winter."

"That explains you guys owning your snow gear," I commented.

Kenzie nodded. "Except for Paloma – that's Miguel's new girlfriend. She's getting rentals with Nick and Deedee."

"I see." Dawn shook her head in mild disbelief. "Well after Nick and Deedee made plans to join you on this ski trip, he called to tell me they'd be in the area in the hopes we might be able to meet up. And Ben's girlfriend had already arranged for all of us to make our own Tahoe trip, so after that, it seemed a no-brainer to coordinate things together."

Kenzie's face fell as she looked at me. "Your girlfriend ... riiight..." She glanced behind Dawn, first at Brooke who was quite obviously with Andrew, and then over to DJ who was chatting with Brooke, and finally to Dayna. "Is she ... uh ... is she one of them?"

"Uh ... no," I began before taking a deep breath to collect my thoughts. I didn't necessarily want to lie to Kenzie, but the world did still believe Adrienne and I were engaged. Finally, I settled on, "It's a long story, but the point is that she didn't make the trip."

Kenzie read the tone in my voice and frowned. "I'm sorry. Is everything okay between you?"

"It's fine, we're fine." I shrugged her off. "Bottom line, I'm glad to see you. And ... well ... it looks like Brandi is REALLY glad to see Jared."

All three of us looked over. Dayna and Miguel had joined the other two, the four of them chatting animatedly together, but it was obvious from the sparkle in Brandi's eyes and the way she kept glancing at Jared that she was quite smitten with him. And from the way Jared kept looking at her, it was obvious that the feelings were mutual.

"Um, Jared doesn't have a girlfriend, does he?" I asked worriedly.

"Not right now he doesn't," Kenzie replied with a delighted twinkle in her voice as she elbowed me in the ribs. "Three-year relationship broke off a couple of months ago. He's been taking it pretty hard, but right now I think he's completely forgotten. Um, please tell me Brandi doesn't have a boyfriend either."

"Nope," I replied, elbowing her right back. "Completely free and single and eager to get back in the race."

"Good timing."

"Excellent timing."

Kenzie turned to me with a sigh. "Well, good timing for them but bad timing for me."

Dawn stepped in, smirking as she looked back and forth between both of us. "Maybe not as bad timing as you might think."

"What are you doing?" I asked tiredly, feeling the sudden acceleration beneath my butt as the high-speed chairlift whisked me and Dawn up into the winter air.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Dawn answered with a shrug, glancing at me before turning her attention down to the ski slopes beneath us.

"It looks like you're trying to set me up with Kenzie."

"So you've noticed." Dawn grinned at me. "Good."

I sighed. "Now is not an ideal time for me to be thinking about any new relationships."

"Who said anything about a relationship?" Dawn folded her arms across her chest and arched an eyebrow. "We're only up here for a couple more nights. She's clearly into you. 'Adrienne's beard' or not, you really don't have a girlfriend."

"She doesn't know that."

"Whatever. You can tell her you're in an open relationship or something, and if she really gets hung up about it, you can even tell her the truth. Bottom line: there's nothing stopping you from fucking her pretty brains out, enjoying this little vacation from the real world, and heading back home for Christmas without a backwards glance."

"This isn't a one-night stand."

"Two-night stand."

I frowned. "Did you not notice the way Brandi and Jared are into each other? They live in San Francisco. How much you wanna bet this isn't just a two-night stand for them? My money is on them being a committed couple by Christmas, which means we're probably going to be seeing a lot more of Jared's friends after we get back home, including Kenzie."

"So maybe your two-night stand becomes something more as well. Would it really be so BAD for you to find some chemistry with her and see where today takes you?"

"You do remember that she's Nick's cousin, right? Doesn't he have enough reason to hate me already?"

"You worry too much about what Nick thinks of you. This is about you and Kenzie, and not about Nick. Besides, she obviously isn't worried about what Nick will think of this."

I sighed. "Why are you pushing so hard for me to hook up with Kenzie?"

"Why were you pushing so hard for me to hook up with Nick and Deedee last night?"

"Because I want to see you happy."

"And you don't think -I- want to see YOU happy?"

"This is different."

"Tell me you're not attracted to Kenzie."

I exhaled and muttered, "Of course I am."

"Tell me you wouldn't LOVE to fuck her pretty brains out."

"That doesn't mean I should--"

"Oh will you get your stupid brain out of your own damn way? She likes you; you like her. She wants to fuck you; you want to fuck her. This isn't rocket science."

Seconded.

I took another deep breath. "Wouldn't you rather spend the next two nights in my bed? This is your vacation, too. And you've complained already about not getting enough time with me as it is."

Dawn shrugged. "I value your happiness over me selfishly attempting to maximize the amount of time I get with you. Besides, for all we know she's into girls, too; you DO have a miraculous ability to find girls like that. Who knows, all three of us may end up spending the next two nights in your bed. Maybe even DJ too, if you play your cards right."

I pursed my lips and shook my head. "I dunno."

"Look, I'm not trying to force you into fucking her. All I'm trying to say is that if you want to, I'd be fine with it." Dawn raised both eyebrows challengingly.

I scowled at her turning my own phrase back against me. "You're doing a little more than passively allowing Kenzie and me to get together. You've been pretty actively trying to set us up, like that bit with the 3-person chairlift seats on the last run."

"And it would've been a bit with the 2-person chairlift seats on this run, if you hadn't bailed at the very last second." Dawn head-nodded forward, to where Kenzie had wound up sitting all by herself on the chair immediately before us when I'd backed out just as the chair had swung around. Almost on cue, Kenzie turned around and waved to us.

Dawn and I waved back until Kenzie turned to face forward again. Her lift exit was coming up.

Sighing, I glanced over at Dawn. "Fine, I'll see where this thing with Kenzie is going under one condition."

"What's that?"

"You leave us alone, and let me and Kenzie figure this thing out for ourselves."

Dawn made a face. "Where's the fun in that?"

"AND," I continued, "you go hang out with Nick and Deedee the rest of the morning and see where today takes you."

"You said you had one condition."

"I changed my mind. Now it's two."

Dawn frowned and gave me a funny look while searching my eyes. "You really ARE okay with me hooking up with them, aren't you?" She seemed genuinely surprised.

I shrugged. "They're your friends ... intimate friends. I want you happy."

"And I want YOU happy."

"Then we're agreed."

"Guess so."

Together, Dawn and I prepared to get off the lift.