As it turned out, skiing wasn’t nearly as hard as Greg made it out to be. By the end of my first lesson, I’d fallen on my ass seven times, but I finally made it down the run in one shot.
“Okay, we’re scheduled for tomorrow at four, right, Aubrey?” My ski instructor, Tag, lifted his reflective goggles and perched them on his forehead.
“That’s the plan. Thanks for the lesson today.” I took off my skis and smiled. “I think it went pretty well, right?”
“You’re a natural. Now, your ski pass is good for the whole week, so if you want to try it on your own, I say feel free.” Tag nodded at me and clapped me on the shoulder. “Have fun, Aubrey.”
“Thanks, Tag.” I watched as he skied off toward the lifts, then I headed back to my Subaru.
As I got into the car, my cell phone rang. I looked at it, and when I realized it was Caroline, I answered it. “Hey, Care.”
“Hey! How’s it going? How was your flight? How’s Aspen?” She sounded excited.
I hadn’t been able to muster much enthusiasm. But fake it until you make it, right? “It’s going okay. I got to the chalet, and it’s so beautiful. I even made it through my first ski lesson alive.”
She laughed. “Girl, what I wouldn’t give to see you on a pair of skis.”
“I’m not that bad. Tag says I’m a natural.”
“Oooh, Tag. Potential sleepover for a night?”
“Uh, no. He’s probably around twenty-one, but it would be like inviting a golden retriever back to my place.”
“Aubrey, you don’t sound like you’re embracing the fun. What are you up to tonight?”
“I don’t know. My lesson was the last thing I really had planned.”
“You can’t just go back to your rental and hide out all night. Have you even explored the town?”
I sighed. “No. But the chalet’s so great. I’ll just find somewhere, get some takeout, and read my book. I bought a couple romance novels at the airport.”
“Aubrey, you can’t just spend all your time in the rental. You’re on vacation.” She sighed. “Have you thought about just going out to dinner? Maybe there’s some hot guy waiter who would take you home and rock your world. Why go read about romance when you could just be out there living it? Or at least the fun vacation fling type of romance?”
I glanced at the Aspen map lying on the seat next to me. “I don’t know about finding some man, but maybe going out to dinner might not be such a bad idea.”
“Good! Have a drink. Have dessert. Make out with a hot waiter, maybe take him home.”
“Care, I just told you, I’m not finding a guy. I literally just got out of a relationship. One that was going into marriage yesterday.”
“Okay, okay, Aub. But, girl, you really should try to find something fun to do.”
“Skiing was fun.”
“Really? Because when you talked about it, it sounded like you were doing your taxes.”
I put the car into gear, driving toward a restaurant I picked at random, The Oak Barrel. “I didn’t think I’d like it, but it really wasn’t bad. I’m going to try it again tomorrow.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I’ll check in with you in a couple days, okay?”
“Care, you don’t have to check on me. I really am okay.”
She sighed. “I’m not checking in with you because I’m worried. You’re one of my best friends, Aubrey. I just want you to be happy.”
“I will be, Caroline. I promise.”
We said our goodbyes as I pulled into the parking lot for The Oak Barrel.
The host sat me at a tall bar table near the middle of the restaurant. Not at all where I would’ve picked to sit, but it was so busy, and there were so many people moving around, I didn’t feel like anyone noticed or cared that I was sitting all alone.
“What can I get ya, darlin’?” A server walked up, wearing a tight tank top and a short skirt.
“What’s good here? I’m not from around here.”
The server, Sheila, smiled. “You a beer drinker?”
“On occasion.”
“I’ll bring you a flight to start with, and let you look over the menu. Everything’s good here.” She smiled and pointed out a couple things. “Those are my favorites.”
I watched her leave, and then scanned the room. There was a big round table in the corner full of a boisterous group of people, laughing and joking like they’d known each other for years. I wondered what it would be like to be that close to people. The closest I had was Caroline, and I couldn’t even invite her to be my maid of honor, because Mom thought Mindi would look better in pictures. And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I’d agreed with her. What the hell had I been thinking? Was I really such a spineless wimp?
Sheila returned with four small glasses of beer and poised her pen over a pad of paper. “You know what you want to eat?”
I looked at the menu again. “How about the fish and chips?” Margie had turned me on to the world of deep fried and I wasn’t going to let her down. At least not for the duration of my vacation.
“Great choice.”
“Hey, who are those people over there?” I pointed at the rowdy table, under a sign that reader: “For the owner’s family or God himself.”
“Oh, those are some of Zane’s siblings. Zane’s the owner. He’s got a huge family and tons of friends, and they’re always stopping in. He keeps a section reserved for them.”
“They’re really supportive.” I’d never seen a family like that before.
“Oh yeah. Zane is always trying to give them free beer, but they always pay. And tip well to boot. The Wrights are a good family.” Sheila tilted her head. “You okay, honey?”
I managed a weak smile. “Yeah, it’s just been a hard couple of days.”
“Keep your chin up, honey. What goes around, comes around.” She patted me on the shoulder and went about buzzing from table to table like a bumble bee.
I watched the Wright family again for a while, sipping one of the beers. For some reason, the restaurant felt more like home than anywhere I’d ever eaten in New York.
5
Chuck
The morning air was cold and crisp as I rode the chairlift up the mountain, my snowboard strapped to my feet like an extension of my body. Even just the ride up the lift held a sense of exhilaration I hadn’t found anywhere else, and the closer I got to the top, the more excited I became.
As I jumped off the chair and started flying down the mountain, I could’ve easily let out a holler of joy. The whip of the wind rushed through my hair, each bump and swerve of the run felt as near to soaring as I could get.
“Get out of the way!” A terrified shout came from behind me, and I swerved to the side to avoid the panicked owner of the voice.
Coming to a stop, I pulled my goggles up to see what was barreling down the mountain toward me.
A blonde ski bunny who was clearly unstable on her skis was not only coming at me, but she was headed right for a thatch of trees. I’d barely slow her down unless I grabbed her.
Without another thought, I reached out and caught her, falling backwards on my ass to keep her momentum from carrying her any farther. “You okay?”
She lifted her head, snow-covered goggles looking back at me. “You can let go of me.”
I smirked and released her from my grip. “First time on skis?”
She pushed away from me but couldn’t quite figure out how to get back to her feet. “No. But I’m definitely not a professional. I should never have let Tag talk me into this.”
“Tag likes to think everyone can ski like a professional.” I hopped back up onto my board and grounded myself before I reached out my hand to help her up.
“I can do it.” She struggled to try to push herself back up but couldn’t quite manage to get her feet under her with her skis still attached. She let out a frustrated grunt.
“Come on.” I gave my hand a little shake.
Frowning,
she took my hand and let me help her to her feet. “Thank you.”
She finally pulled off her snow-caked goggles and knocked them against her leg, and then replaced them. But it gave me enough of a peek to see the beauty beneath. Snow bunny was hot.
“I’m Chuck.” I grinned and held her hand a little longer than necessary.
“Hi, Chuck.” She pulled her hand away from me and looked around, one ski pole missing. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, but I wondered if a little bit might be from embarrassment.
I spotted the pole in the snow not far away and scooted over to grab it. “Looking for something?” I dangled it in the air in front of her.
She reached for the pole. “Uh, thank you.” Her green eyes flickered to mine and just as quickly flitted away. Was she shy?
“Don’t let it get to you. This whole skiing thing is easy for those of us who ski every year. But trust me, I’ve had my fair share of falls. Most of them, way less pretty. One year, my siblings and I ended up in a pile because I lost my footing.”
The woman smoothed her hands down her front. With the ski poles, it was more than a little awkward. She was clearly uncomfortable and unsure. I wish I knew what she was thinking. She didn’t say much. But for some reason, I wasn’t ready to just leave her alone. There was something in her eyes, an uncertainty and a loneliness I understood a little too well.
“I can help you get to the bottom of the hill. Maybe I could buy you a drink afterward?”
“No, thank you.” Her voice was small. She dug her poles into the snow and pushed off, steering erratically.
“Let me at least help you down the run. It might not be your first time on skis, but I definitely don’t think you should be on a double black diamond.”
“A what?” She looked over her shoulder and almost managed to fall again. Her eyes widened further, and her arms flailed until she centered herself again.
I pulled my goggles over my eyes again and slid toward her. “A double black diamond? Tell me that hack instructor told you about the different runs and what each one meant?”
“Of course, he did. I clearly just picked the wrong slope.” She dug her ski poles in again and frowned. “Okay, you can help me down. I don’t want to be a menace.”
“We’ll go slow, I promise.”
She had more skill than I initially gave her credit for, but the curves and bumps of the double black weren’t meant for beginners. We made it down the run slower than I’d ever skied in my life, but she reached the bottom without complaint and started heading toward the lodge.
“You sure I can’t buy you that drink?”
“I appreciate the help, but I think I’m going to call it a day.”
She pushed off in the direction of the lodge.
Part of me was tempted to go after her, but I didn’t want to be a pest.
Besides, the mountain was calling me, and I wasn’t going to give up a day on the slopes for a woman who clearly wasn’t interested.
6
Aubrey
How could I be so stupid? Of course the slopes were labeled. And sure enough, the one I just got off of was marked as two black diamonds, the hardest run on the hill. Frustrated and embarrassed, I pushed myself back to the lodge. I popped the button to release myself from my skis. Skiing had been a lot easier with Tag’s instruction. I should’ve given him another day or two before opting to just do it by myself.
I tied my skis to the roof of the Subaru and grabbed my cell phone, texting Tag to let him know I needed to cancel my lesson that afternoon. I didn’t want to get back on the slopes anytime soon. I didn’t even wait for his response. All I wanted was to get another bottle of wine, relax, and read my novel until I needed a meal. Hell, I thought about just ordering delivery and not leaving the chalet for the rest of the day, or possibly for the rest of my vacation. Being somewhere like Aspen, Colorado made it hard to be happy and single when everything from the snow-covered houses to the twinkle lights hanging over streets screamed romance.
Doing everything alone was tedious.
On the drive back to the chalet, I stopped to get coffee, and allowed myself to get tempted into a pastry I would’ve never eaten with Greg. To have dessert the night before and a cherry Danish this morning would’ve been paramount to treason, for the sheer number of calories and carbs involved. But I figured, why not? It wasn’t like there was a man waiting for me, and I highly doubted it would be anytime soon before I got naked in front of one again. Then I picked up a bottle of red wine from the liquor store across the parking lot and headed back to my private oasis.
Once I got back to the chalet, I changed into my flannel pajamas and slippers, and started up the gas fireplace, looking to make the living room as cozy as possible for a day of reading and lounging around. It was too early to crack into the wine, but the sweet cherry Danish mixed with the bittersweet mocha almost counteracted the sickly romance I was reading. Why didn’t I get something a little darker, like a murder mystery or even a horror novel? Caroline would’ve stopped me from picking up the sappy books I brought and steered me toward something a little less “happily ever after”.
After about an hour of trying to get into my novel, I sighed and put it down, carefully marking it with a business card from the welcome packet.
Not only could I not enjoy the characters or the plot, but my legs were stiff. I was about to head to the master bedroom when I glanced out the back door and saw the hot tub. Grinning to myself, I headed out to the balcony, my slippered feet scuffling slightly on the wooden deck, and pushed the cover off the top of the tub.
Instead of the steam I expected to feel coming off the tub, the water was freezing. I checked the knobs Luke instructed me to use, but neither of them seemed to control temperature, just the amount of jets and bubbles. Still, I turned them, just in case, but all the jets seemed to do was add froth to the freezing temperatures.
Frustrated that clearly nothing could go right today, I went inside and found the phone number for the rental agency.
“Hi, Ms. Jones, this is Luke. How can I help you?”
“Hi. I’m having some trouble getting the hot tub to work.”
I could hear the faint clicking of fingers on a keyboard, then he said, “Can you tell me exactly what the problem is with the jacuzzi, so that I can send someone out to take a look?”
“It’s cold. The water is icy, and all the jets do is slosh it around.” I barely resisted the urge to tap my fingernails on the counter in the same exasperated way my mother would. I really didn’t think it was Luke’s fault my tub didn’t work, but everything today seemed to be going sideways. Ever since that man had been in my way on the slopes.
Of course, he probably saved my life. I hadn’t missed seeing the trees I was headed for. But how embarrassing. And the guy was a mountain of confidence. I just ended up feeling small and stupid. Poor city girl doesn’t know the difference between a double black diamond and the kiddie slopes.
“I’ll get someone out right away to take a look. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience, Ms. Jones. Please, let me send over dinner, compliments of the agency, for the trouble.”
“No, that’s really not necessary. I’m sure your maintenance team will get it up and running.” There was no reason to get bent out of shape over such a minor thing.
He promised again that his best guy would be over shortly, and then hung up.
Without the hot tub, I considered going for the oversized bathtub and the jets in there, but knowing my luck, the minute I really relaxed, the doorbell would ring, or there would be a knock, and I’d have to let the maintenance guy in wearing nothing but a towel. Instead, I went back to the couch and picked up my book, hoping the plot would suck me in just enough to distract from the fact that one more thing was going wrong in my life today.
7
Chuck
The whistling of the wind as I rushed down the mountain was almost enough to drown out the ring of my cell phone. Almost.
Scowling, I steered off
to the side of the run and tugged my glove off to pull the phone from an interior pocket. Luke’s name lit up the screen, and my scowl deepened as I answered. “Dude, it’s my day off.”
“I know. I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t an emergency.”
I sighed. “The chalet?” We were finally solvent enough to hire some part-time help during the busy season, but our regular maintenance man was out with the flu, and if it was the chalet, the last thing I wanted was for the cursed property to affect someone else. “What is it this time?”
“The lady staying there says the hot tub is, well, not hot. I’m sure it’s just a valve or something that needs to be turned, but you’re the handy one.”
“And you’re the numbers one. I know, I know. How quickly did you promise someone would be over?” I stared longingly at the ski lift, taking cheerful tourists up to dizzying heights before they flew down again. Fleetingly, I hoped he’d given me an hour or two before I had to shift gears, and I could get another few runs in.
“As soon as possible.”
“Okay. Let me get down the mountain. I’ve got some jeans and a clean t-shirt in the Jeep. Let me change and I’ll head over. I’ll let you know before I get to it.” I hung up and tucked the phone away again before I shifted my board and finished my run, ending up near the parking lot.
With one more longing look, I glanced back at the ski lift, hoping Luke was right and it was just a valve or something, an easy fix that would allow me to get back on my board before the end of the day.
But with the chalet, I knew it couldn’t be that easy.
I pulled my toolbox out of the back of my Jeep and walked past the Subaru in the driveway to make my way to the front door. I shook my head at the haphazard way the skis were tied to the roof, still there despite the fact that the inch or so of fresh powder betrayed how long they’d been left.
Vowing to come back and get them properly stored in the garage before I left, I knocked on the door and waited for Mr. or Mrs. Gregory Simmons to answer. Most couples who only listed the man’s name on the reservation tended to be older, and stuck in the 1950s, and I doubted very much that this situation was any different.
Seducing the Runaway Bride (The Wrights Book 1) Page 4
