Page 19 of Stuck on the Slopes

I watched Juniper instead, taking note of the small details of his face. He was so beautiful it wasn’t fair. Juniper turned his head, just enough to catch me staring, and his smile froze for half a second before curving into something slower.

“What?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

I shook my head, the corner of my mouth tugging up. “Nothing. Just… your commentary is better than the movie.”

Her eyes narrowed, playful, but there was something else there—something that made the air between us feel electric. Juniper shifted slightly, his leg brushing mine.

“Careful,” he said, voice low. “Keep talking like that and I might think you actually like having me here.”

My breath caught, and I tried to play it cool, leaning back into the cushions. “Sasquatch is still my favorite.”

His tongue darted out, wetting his bottom lip. “Naturally.”

On screen, an ambulance crashed, snapping us out of the moment. Mentally, I cursed Mia Farrow, even though she was to thank for bringing us together like this in the first place. At the corny scene, Juniper chuckled. “Oh, man, this is so lame.”

I nudged his side with my elbow. “Yeah, but you’re laughing.”

When we first met, it seemed Juniper was as icy as his light blue eyes and the snow already on the ground. But now, as our eyes met, I could have sworn he and his gaze thawed. “I suppose I have been, huh?”

As I nodded, I was glad I hadn’t called him an asshole to Sarah earlier. After tonight, I felt like I’d seen a whole new side of Juniper. While he hadn’t fully opened up by any means, I had a better understanding of him now that he actually spoke to me beyond work tasks. Before, I found him to be an insufferable drag, but now I saw the traumatized spirit beneath. Just like I’d once taken a leap by going through sorority rush week, he was taking a leap by being on this very couch with me, chowing down on watermelon sour candy, and giving me a look behind the curtain of his life.

No way would I take this moment for granted.

Before I could say anything else, Juniper said, “You were right. This was fun. Maybe we can include Sasquatch before he crashes for that other one you were telling me about.”

“Hell yeah! And if you want, we can let Netflix auto-play these tonight. I don’t mind staying up late. Not a traditional Halloween, but whatever.”

To my surprise, Juniper said, “As long as I’m not keeping you up and my constant creaking and cracking doesn’t bother you, I’d like that.”

A warmth blossomed in my chest that I tried in vain to ignore. “It’s not bothering me. I’d like that too.”

Chapter 6

Juniper

Movienightwentbetterthan expected. It had been the first time I was sure I’d heard Rachel’s authentic voice, no persona attached. Maybe socializing more wouldn’t be the death of me as I thought.

Once the delivery of skis and assorted equipment arrived the following morning, I knew I’d need help. Sasquatch was ready to go in his vest, but this would require all three of us, so I made my way to Rachel who was organizing foam noodles near the indoor pool. As I approached, I could hear her on the phone as she shuffled the noodles into their storage space. I stopped in the doorway, not wanting her to catch me eavesdropping. If she did, she’d likely ask why I was listening in and to that, I didn’t have an answer.

“Falling apart without me? Come on, that sounds a little melodramatic, don’t you think?”

She spoke with a light tone, her last sentence a gentle teasing more than a harsh criticism. As my lips scowled, whether I wanted them to or not, I couldn’t help but wonder who she was talking to. An ex-partner, perhaps? Rachel had been here two months now, and yet, I hadn’t bothered to ask her what she’d left behind in Florida.

Maybe it was time I did.

“Listen, I don’t think there’s anything you could offer me that would bring me back.”

Rachel went to say something else, but whoever was on the phone with her must have cut her off without realizing it. As I waited for her to say something back, anything to help me better understand the context of the phone conversation—even though I had no right to be listening—I became hyperaware of my breathing. To calm myself down, I focused on the pool. The water distorted Rachel’s reflection, but I could see her curls tied back in a ponytail today, making room for her dangling earrings. When I looked away from the water and dared to peer around the archway, I saw today’s pair were lucky cats.

“So you’re telling me you’d be willing to give me a $10,000 raise and a stake in the company, plus cover relocation expenses to bring me back?”

Her old job.

A part of me felt relief it wasn’t an old flame, but I brushed that aside. I had no right to feel that way about her: I barely knew her. But the realization of the offer they made her dawned on me, and that tendril of possessiveness wrapped itself around my brain and heart.

I couldn’t lose her. The ski lodge couldn’t lose her. We were just getting started, and maybe I’d spent too much time being a guarded porcupine. Maybe—

“I’m sorry, but my answer is still no. You know, if you valued me that much, then where the hell was all of this at my performance review over the summer, huh?”

---