Page 13 of Snowbody

I just wanted to spend time with her.

She was smart and fun, and I liked being around her.

But if she was avoiding me on purpose, I didn’t want to overstep and scare her off.

My chance came one day when I had a gap between lessons. I took the time to catch up on some little repairs around the lodge. While my main job was teaching snowboarding, I did a little repair work from time to time. It put a little extra money in my pocket and kept us from having to call repairmen for something I could fix with a hammer and some nails.

But then I saw her.

And she was with another man.

Unexpected jealousy flared up inside me. Why was she talking to another man? Why had she been avoiding me so long?

I put down my work bag and crossed the grounds, approaching her. She was deep in conversation, chatting animatedly and pointing toward some different spots outside the lodge.

“Maddy!” I called. “Hey, you got a sec?”

She turned, looking at me with wide eyes.

The guy she was with turned toward me, too. “Holy shit, are you Jacob Reed?” He laughed, shaking his head. “I knew you worked up here, but I never thought I’d get a chance to meet you!”

Maddy’s cheeks went red. “Jacob, this is Andrew Lowe from Channel 2 News. He’s up here to film a spot about the resort.”

I glanced warily at Andrew, then looked back at Maddy. “Oh, okay. Cool. Uh… should I…?”

I hoped she wouldn’t make me do anything.

To my relief, Maddy shook her head. “Nope. I got this one. Like I said, we’re refocusing the marketing.” She smiled. “Can you give me a few minutes, and then we’ll talk?”

I nodded. “Yeah. That sounds good. I’ll, uh. I’ll wait over there.” I pointed to a spot that was far enough away to keep me out of the frame, but close enough that I could hear what she said.

“Sounds good! Andrew, I think we’re ready?” She smiled.

I stood back to watch.

To my surprise, Maddy was a natural in front of the camera. She spoke about the resort with a lot of obvious love, sharing a few of her own memories as she spoke about the views, the opportunity for winter sports, and the updates to the lodge that had been done over the off season.

She didn’t mention me at all.

I needed to thank her for it.

And I wanted to kiss her again.

Maybe she was worth it. Maybe I just needed to get over my fear of her dad and pursue what I wanted, not what somebody else told me to want.

I hung back until the camera was off and being packed away.

Maddy turned to me and smiled shyly. “How did I do?”

“You were great.” I assured her. “Really passionate and informative.”

“Good! That’s what I was hoping for.” She laughed almost nervously. “Um… you said you needed to talk to me?”

“Yeah, uh… You know that cabin out back? Well, that’s where I stay. Can you meet me out there tonight? Around, I dunno, nine?”

Maddy blinked but nodded. “Of course, yeah. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Just… y’know. Trying to stay away from your sister this time.”

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