Page 45 of Stuck on the Slopes

“I spend almost all day every day with him, and I thought it could be nice to have a spare of whatever it is he takes in my emergency kit.”

“That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard! And since you don’t need any medical reason yourself, I can absolutely help you with that.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I have no idea how any of this stuff works.”

“What’s your name, by the way?”

“Rachel.”

“Rachel. I’m Scott. Since it’s your first time, Rachel, I get to hook you up with a fifty percent discount today and for your next visit. What’s the box say on that picture?”

I slid my phone across the counter. “I think it says it’s a one-to-one ratio?”

“Oh, yeah, we have that here. Give me one second.” I watched as Scott turned around, opened a drawer, and then grabbed a small rectangular box. He printed out a sticker and slapped it on the bottle before bagging it up. “Now, the expiration on that is about three years from now. It’s not that it’ll go bad or anything, it’ll just be weaker at that point. The fresher the better, you know?”

“Got it. Thank you.”

“With your fifty percent off, that comes to thirty bucks.”

“Wait, seriously? That’s it?” I fished for the cash in my wallet and handed it to him. “Those CBD gummies my mom likes are a fucking scam. Holy shit.”

Scott laughed. “Oh, yeah. Those things are so overpriced. Let us know if you need any more help, alright?”

“I will. Thank you!”

As I left, I made my way to the next stop on my errands list. The small village on the other side of the mountain was a short chairlift ride away from the lodge. Since Juniper got that operational as of last week, I’d opted for it instead of subjecting an Uber to driving up the snowy mountain. Even though I got a car lease after I moved here—it was cheaper than outright buying—I hadn’t felt confident enough to tackle that myself yet, since I hadn’t ever driven in the snow or up and down a mountain before. The idea of practicing on a mountain at this time of year felt less than ideal.

The shops here all shared a small street, forming a line of brick, stone, and saloon facades in varying shades of earth tones. As I passed out some business cards, I admired the snow topping all of their roofs. One of them had an American flag whipping in the wind, but most had Christmas decorations already on full display. The holidays would be here before I knew it.

I passed a couple sitting on a wood and iron bench, each holding cups with steam rising from the top. They waved at me and called, “Hey, Rachel!”

I recognized them but couldn’t remember their names. “Hey, good to see you guys!”

Thank God there was more than one of them. They’d never suspect a thing. Though I had to admit, it did feel good to have people recognize me. It made me feel less alone—like it wasn’t just me, Juniper, and Edgar up on this mountain.

“Nora’s got complimentary coffee today,” the woman said. Her knit beanie covered her hair.

I smiled as I continued on. “Music to my ears.”

Nora’s happened to be my next stop, and the coffee sounded tempting. I stepped into the bakery, its architecture looking like a small German cottage, and enjoyed the smell of freshly baked pastries and bread wafting through the air. The shop owner, Nora, was behind the counter tending to a customer who left as I stepped up to the register. She’d tied her gray and brown curls back into a bun on the top of her head.

“Rachel! Good to see you again.” Nora smiled at me, her brown eyes squinting as she did. Her voice was warm and thick, like fresh honey. “The usual?”

“Hey, Nora. You know me well.”

Nora wiped her wrinkled hands on her apron and grabbed me a loaf of challah as I looked at what was inside the counter, seeing what she’d baked this week. Her selection had some staples but was never exactly the same from day to day.

“Say, Nora, can you add a few of those lemon muffins?”

“Of course! That’s pistachio on top of the glaze. You’re not allergic, are you?”

“Nope, all good.” Since I had every intention of sharing, I made a mental note to ask Juniper if he had any allergies later while I paid and thanked Nora.

“Are you in a rush, honey?” Nora asked.

“No, ma’am.”

“Oh, please, don’t call me ma’am. I don’t like to think I’m that old.” She winked. “You’re living up at that ski lodge, right? How’s everything going up there?”

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