Cassie’s eyes widened. “Mayor Morell? Are you sure?” The sixty-year-old mayor did not strike Cassie as a thrill seeker. He didn’t even ski. “Our mayor—the grandfather of six and wearer of Donald Duck slippers around his prestigious office—you’re telling me that mayor jumps out of planes?” Montana must have her information twisted. Mayor Morell was one of the strictest, most rule-enforcing mayors Wild River had ever had. He was the one who shut down the former jump site ten years before. Cassie didn’t have her hopes up about this meeting.
But Montana was nodding. “Yep. Mrs. Kim from the post office said that Mayor Morell’s sister, Mrs. Carlisle, who owns the convenience store on Jasper, said that it’s his secret passion.”
“Obviously not so secret,” Cassie muttered. Small town and gossip. Clearly, Montana had been accepted with open arms by everyone in town if she was now privy to the gossip chain.
“Not much is around here. You wouldn’t believe the stories I’ve heard this week. Small towns.” Montana smiled as though she found Wild River charming.
Cassie squirmed in her seat.
“Okay, so Mayor Morell might skydive, but BASE jumping is different and he is the same mayor who shut down the last legal site.” Could they convince him that this site was different? Safer? Appeal to his thrill-seeking nature to at least give them a chance to plead their case?
Seemed to be Montana’s angle going in.
“Trust me, once we describe the location to him and show him those pictures and videos you captured, his eyes will light up like cop car lights on a high-speed chase.”
Did Montana realize most of her analogies included breaking the law?
“Well, I guess we will find out...”
“Cassie and Montana, come on in,” Mayor Morell said, appearing in his office doorway.
Cassie followed behind as they entered the office and took a seat next to Montana. She folded her legs at her ankles and clasped her hands together on her lap. “Thank you for seeing us.”
“No problem at all. I trust business is going well after that Slush Cup performance? SnowTrek Tours was this year’s winner, I understand,” he said as he sat behind his desk.
“Well...” Cassie started.
“Business is not as good as it could be,” Montana interjected. “But we have just the plan to change that.”
The mayor met her determined gaze straight on. “By reopening the world’s third legal BASE jumping location here in Wild River.”
Cassie’s jaw dropped. Montana’s reaction was more subtle, but she was clearly derailed. She sat back slightly and crossed her legs. “Yes. Exactly.”
How the hell did he know? They’d kept their plans hush-hush.
Erika had known.
Well, that mystery was quick to solve. Had Reed and Tank gotten involved, as well? Maybe the three of them had reached the mayor first in the hopes of shutting the idea down...
No. Reed and Tank would never dare mess with her plans, but Erika had bigger balls than her brother and the man she was in love with, apparently. Cassie should never have allowed her to drag the information out of her. Her friend was a doctor and had never been particularly into athletics. Naturally, she wasn’t exactly on board with some of the more dangerous sport ideas.
“I’m sorry, ladies, but I can’t approve something like that,” Mayor Morell said, and he actually did look sorry. Maybe the rumors Montana heard were true.
“You’re the mayor. You can approve anything you want,” Montana said.
Mayor Morell laughed. “Flattery will not work, Montana. The power trip of this position evaporated a long time ago. You two have no idea how much red tape we’d need to cross for something like this to get approved. There’s stacks of paperwork just to initiate the process and I fear it would be just a waste of time and resources. Too many accidents happened in the past.”
“My own included—yes,” Montana said somberly. “Absolutely, it’s a big ask, but a lot of those accidents occurred illegally on the unsanctioned launch zone once the legal site was barricaded.”
True, a lot of jumpers hadn’t been willing to accept the fact that they could no longer jump and instead took to launching off a few miles south, narrowing the length of free fall time, resulting in more injuries and several arrests. Cassie vaguely remembered the news stories about those injured and convicted. She’d thought the whole thing was insane.
Yet here she was now, supporting a new legalized site? Depending on one?
“Cassie and I have found a new location. It provides a longer free fall and the area is remote enough that it doesn’t attract the casual hiker. It is accessible by foot and SnowTrek Tours would operate as the only company providing access for jumpers.”
The mayor turned to Cassie. “You realize the liability that would be involved with something like this?”
Yes, but maybe not as much as she should have, which was why she’d agreed to it. Cassie nodded. Best to let Montana do the verbalization of their thoughts.
“BASE jumpers realize the dangers of their sport. There will be required waivers to protect SnowTrek Tours from any possible—though highly unlikely—injuries that should occur,” Montana said confidently, reassuming the driver’s seat.
“Financial liability and moral liability are two different things. Cassie, I know your company has a fantastic reputation for safety. Do you want to jeopardize that?”
No. Not at all.
“She wouldn’t be. The clientele would be vastly different and the BASE jumping community is... Well, let’s just say it prides itself on protecting the sport.”
“As in the brutal way they warned you to not get caught for illegal jumping, after you were released from the hospital?”
Montana wasn’t the only one who’d done their research. She visibly faltered. Slightly. “That is how we deal with things—yes. But legalizing the zone would give jumpers another location here in the US, and it would help to reduce illegal jumping and injuries...and consequences to those who might be tempted to break laws.”
Mayor Morell shook his head. “I’m afraid my answer is still no. Wild River is a family ski destination. We are a popular resort town. We don’t want to bring any negative attention to these mountains.”
Montana switched gears. “Yet you approved the big chain store to move onto Main Street, driving small local companies like Cassie’s out of business.”
“Well, I hope that won’t happen,” Cassie said quickly in an attempt to soften Montana’s new angle. Strong-arming the mayor wouldn’t work.
Montana shot her a look. “It’s inevitable.”
Was it?
“North Mountain Sports Company is a legitimate business and they will bring more tourists here...in a safe way. Sorry, Cassie. I know the impact on your company may be significant, but the added value they bring was something the committee couldn’t deny. The added jobs for the community alone outweighed many negatives to them owning real estate in town. We voted as a committee and it was unanimous that North Mountain Sports Company was a good idea for Wild River.” He turned back to Montana. “BASE jumping is illegal for a reason.”
Montana sat back in the chair and a warm smile spread across her face. “Okay...obviously, your mind can’t be swayed.” She paused and everyone could tell there was more coming. “But before we go...”
Ah, there it was.
“I have to ask, how was the free fall over the Grand Canyon?”
The mayor’s eyes widened. “How do you know about that?”
“Wild River is a small town, but don’t worry, we won’t continue to spread the word. Although I don’t know why you want to keep your amazingly cool hobby to yourself.”
“People like to know their mayor has his feet firmly planted on the ground, that decisions—like the one you’ve presented me with—are not made based on my own personal preference.”
<
br /> Point delivered, but Montana wasn’t deterred.
“Really though, I bet it was breathtaking.”
Mayor Morell sat back in his chair. “Look, I get it. You think appealing to my kindred spirit will help your cause, but as I just said, my own extracurricular activities don’t affect my decisions.”
“All we are asking is that, before you make your decision, please just come see the jump zone for yourself.” Montana was definitely persistent. Easy to tell where Kaia’s determination came from.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve given my decision—twice,” Mayor Morell said, but Cassie could see that he was tempted.
She’d stayed quiet long enough. Montana couldn’t carry the entire meeting. This was an attempt to save her company, after all. “It really is a beautiful sight, Mayor Morell. I’d never hiked that section of backcountry before Montana brought me there.”
“It’s accessible when you know it’s there, but the average hiker won’t be going near the site, which will keep it pure and serene... We will cherish and preserve the area.” Montana paused. “Jumpers are nature lovers...like skydivers.”
He hesitated, but Cassie knew they’d succeeded in at least getting him out of the office and up on the mountain and from there, it would be a lot harder for him to say no. “For the sake of dissuading you both from trying again, I will check out the location,” he said.
Montana shot a grin at Cassie and Cassie tried to conceal her excitement.
“But,” the Mayor continued, “I can’t see anything changing my mind on this.”
Montana’s wide smile said We’ll see.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“FORTY-EIGHT, FORTY-NINE...FIFTY.” Tank burpee’d his body off of the floor and rotated his arms, the stiffness and creaking of joints reminding him of his age. He’d always been active, and weight training had been another outlet for his aggression as a teen, but the last few years, it was tougher and tougher to keep up the intense routines.
Pulling a T-shirt on, he followed the sound of the microwave chiming into the kitchen. A frozen dinner sizzled inside. He couldn’t remember the last time he had one, but without Kaia to cook for that evening, he was going to see if they were as delicious as he remembered.
Taking the tray from the microwave, he grabbed a fork and napkin and carried it into the living room, where the latest gory thriller movie sat paused, ready to start, on the television screen.
Balancing his dinner on his lap, he hit Play.
This was good. The first night to himself in a while. Food he wasn’t allowed to eat when Kaia was home, a movie he’d never get a chance to watch with her and the day off work the next day to sleep in. Shit, maybe he’d even call for an Uber Eats delivery at three a.m. The sky was the limit on his bachelor night.
Alone.
Peeling back the plastic, he nearly dropped the tray as steam burned his hand. “They should definitely have a warn...” He stopped, seeing the words CAUTION: HOT written on the side of the tray. Right.
Well, the brownie was a little overcooked. At least, what used to be a brownie. Now it was a thick, gooey brown mess, singed around the edges.
The meat on the tray was a little harder to cut than he remembered. He bit into the steak, slathered in a thick dark gravy, and chewed the cold-in-the-middle meat. And chewed. And chewed. Okay, so it wasn’t Meat & More Steakhouse quality dining, but it was good enough. The important thing was that there was no one to tell him how unhealthy the fatty slab of meat was. He was the boss of his stomach that evening.
A forkful of mashed potatoes scalded every inch of his mouth and he inhaled sharply. “Hot, hot, hot...” Kaia would have thought that was hilarious.
Focus on the movie. Don’t think about Kaia. Across town at Montana’s new apartment. She was fine. He’d checked out the place himself. He’d insisted on dropping her off that evening, and he’d been surprised to see Montana had put together a great bedroom, opting for the pullout sofa herself. A single bed with light sky blue bedding—Kaia’s favorite color. All of her favorite snowboarder pics decorating the walls. She was even thoughtful enough to put a picture of him and Kaia that she’d snapped a few days ago at the station with Diva on the bedside table.
He hadn’t been able to find fault in the setup at all. Not that he was looking.
I’m not forcing this. We will take it slow, she’d said when she’d first arrived in Wild River.
It seemed hella fast to him.
Though it had been Kaia’s idea, not Montana’s, and they’d agreed to go at the little girl’s speed. Move forward as she was ready. He hadn’t expected her to be ready for sleepovers so soon.
The first head exploded on the screen and he set the food tray aside. Maybe watching the movie and eating at the same time wasn’t the best option. He barely had an appetite anyway.
And the food was disgusting.
He checked that his cell phone volume was turned up as he settled back against the cushions. But he doubted he’d be needed. Montana had said they were having a girls’ night in, so there was nothing to worry about. She was cooking dinner and they were doing face masks and manicures or some shit.
What if she forgot to turn off the stove?
He needed to turn off his brain.
Being in the house without Kaia always sucked and that night it was even worse than normal. It didn’t feel like his home without her there. Even when she was just hanging out in her bedroom or had a friend over, ignoring his corny jokes, at least she was there. He knew she was safe.
She was safe with Montana. This wasn’t like before...
The call from the state trooper’s office that horrible day ten years before had him running barefoot out of his house. He hadn’t felt the ice and snow as he jumped into his truck and headed to the police station. Five minutes had never felt so long, yet he drove in a hazy trance, blowing red lights and stop signs. When he entered the station and saw Kaia in the arms of Mrs. Kelsey, the station’s administrator, unharmed and safe, he finally took what felt like his first breath in minutes.
“She’s okay,” Mrs. Kelsey said as she’d handed him the baby.
His little two-month-old baby girl smiled as she’d reached a tiny hand up to touch his cheek. A lump in his throat had nearly strangled him. “Where’s Montana?” He looked around the station but didn’t see her.
“We haven’t located her yet,” Trooper Johnson had said, coming out of his office with a stack of paperwork. “Her car was parked in the Whole Foods lot. It was still running...”
Thank God. She’d only been gone an hour, but Kaia could have frozen to death... He shook his head, his anger at Montana combating with his concern. She’d said she was okay. She’d said the doctors said she was okay. She’d said her MRI the day before had come back negative for any signs of concern. He’d believed her. Trusted her to take Kaia to the grocery store four blocks from their condo.
Where the hell was she?
“We have two troopers looking for her. And in the meantime, I hate to do this to you, Tank, but here’s some paperwork that needs to be filed. I assume you won’t be pressing charges...”
He swallowed hard. As much as he wanted to blame Montana, this was his fault too. He never should have agreed to let her take the car or Kaia alone. Her attempt to prove to him that she was fine could have ended so much worse... What if there had been an accident? What if she’d parked the car somewhere that no one would have noticed the baby still inside and called the state trooper’s office?
Never again. “No...she’s not well.”
“We know about the head injury and I’m sorry about all of this, Tank. But I would suggest reconsidering leaving Kaia alone with her anymore.”
“I understand.”
Never again.
Until that evening.
Turning off the movie, Tank lay back against the throw cushions, th
e memory of that day stealing any ability he had to turn off his worry and relax. They’d found Montana four hours later, wandering in a Walmart in Willow Lake. She had no memory of how she’d gotten there and the incident had frightened them both. She’d cried and apologized about putting Kaia in harm’s way and Tank had realized that her injury was more serious than either of them had wanted to admit.
Montana’s parents had arrived in Wild River the next day and she’d moved back home to get the medical attention she needed.
Tank stood and carried the tray of food to the kitchen and tossed it into the garbage. Then, turning off the lights, he headed upstairs. He hadn’t gone to bed before nine p.m. since he was eight years old, but sleep was better than the alternatives.
Pausing at Kaia’s bedroom door, he struggled with the sadness overwhelming him at the sight of her empty bed.
It was just one night. He could survive one night.
* * *
CASSIE CLIMBED THE stairs to Reed’s place and knocked. She needed to talk to Erika. She appreciated her friend’s concern, but interfering the way she had wasn’t cool. Just because they were all close didn’t mean they didn’t need to learn to mind their own business sometimes.
“Hey...what’s up?” Reed asked, answering the door.
“Is Erika here? I went by the hospital, but they said she wasn’t there.” Her workaholic friend never took a day off, so Cassie hoped she wasn’t sick. Giving her heck while she was under the weather wouldn’t be considerate.
“No. She’s in Anchorage at a medical conference this week. Giving a big presentation about the success of the clinical trials for the antirejection drug.”
The one Erika and her dad had discovered to help treat organ donor patients six months ago. “Oh right... I forgot that was this week.” She’d meant to tell Erika good luck before she’d left, but she’d been too preoccupied with her own issues. She hadn’t even remembered to text her.
“Want to come in?” Reed asked.
“Just for a minute...” She entered the condo and saw all of Reed’s personal belongings from their mother’s house. “You get invited for dinner too?”
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