Page 69 of Stuck on the Slopes

“Wait. What?”

Now that I’d started, the words spilled freely, as if they’d waited for this very moment to leave my mouth all at once. “Guess I never told you. Four years ago, when I got in my accident? Well, my then-girlfriend and someone I thought was a close friend took photos of me in the hospital and sold them to the paparazzi.”

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“Where are they? Listen, I’m not afraid to become the next Florida woman headline.”

To my surprise, I laughed. “They got together not long after that. To be honest, I think they were together before that, too, but that’s beside the point.”

“Shit. That’s awful.”

“It’s fine, really. What’s in the past is in the past.” I swallowed. “But those photos made the media frenzy around my accident so much worse than it needed to be. And I just… I felt so violated.”

Rachel craned her neck to look at me, amber eyes wide. The bubbles from the bath covered her body in splotches as I moved my hands down to the spot between her spine and shoulder blades. “That’s awful. You’ve been through so much, Juni.”

“Yeah, well, that’s why I don’t bother talking to them. Every single time they run an article about me, this fucking photo of me high as a kite on pain meds in nothing but a hospital gown shows up. It makes me want to vomit.”

“I’m glad you told me.” Rachel didn’t look away from me as she asked, “Do you trust me?”

Without hesitation, I said, “You’re the only person I trust. Well, you and Sasquatch.”

“I worked my magic yesterday with them. I’m confident it worked. Let me do my thing and go into marketing mode, okay? I can spin this into something beautiful. No more hospital photos involved.”

I knew without a shadow of a doubt she could. For someone who went from normal life to fame by association overnight, she was handling it with a grace I couldn’t comprehend. Not only had she struck back with a diversion that subtly reminded everyone who she was at the lodge, but she even trolled the tabloids with that Halloween photo, getting them talking and overthinking. How she didn’t panic, I didn’t know. I envied her ability to not give a shit, to roll things off without a care, and to act instead of becoming paralyzed with fear. She’d once told me that being here and surrounded by nature instead of cubicle walls and computer screens allowed her to return to her true self.

If she could do it, I could, too.

“If anyone can, it’s you.”

She smiled as she faced forward again, allowing herself to relax into the massage once more. “It’ll all work out. They’ll learn quickly they won’t have access to anything if they run that photo.”

“And what about you? Are you worried about what they’ll say?”

“Not at all. Let them call me your ski bunny. It’s kind of cute.”

“That’s usually not the intention.”

“Well, it all comes down to what we make of it. If I say it’s cute, it’s cute. If they’re gonna get all misogynistic, then we don’t wanna work with them, anyway.”

“Are you sure it doesn’t bother you?”

“I’ve got you, Juni, and I love this place. I’m sure.”

Her words sent something through my chest—pride, admiration, love, I wasn’t sure.

“I couldn’t do this without you, Rachel. Any of it. I hope you know that.”

“So, you’re going to stop acting all aloof with me now, right?”

“You got me there. But I mean it.”

“I know. That was a cheap shot. Sorry.”

I chuckled as I moved my hands forward, fingers creeping toward her chest. As they rested on her ribs, I asked, “Want me to make it up to you?”

Once she nodded, I cupped her breasts in my hands, lifting and kneading them in a massage. She hummed as she leaned back against me, sliding a bit in the tub so her head could rest against my shoulder. “You don’t realize how much your boobs hurt your back until all the weight gets taken off your shoulders.”

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