Page 6 of A Secret Chance
Baxter prided himself on being a fair boss, and his team was ready for this project. He didn’t expect any major road bumps, with the exception of the conservation authority lawyer, which he figured they could easily ‘out lawyer’ with the Caldwell pocketbook. “Come on then.” He waved to Thomas.
The two of them pulled on their boots and Canada Goose coats and trudged through the early season snow to the base of the mountain. The dreary morning clouds had broken, and the afternoon sun warmed their faces as they jostled for a place in the crowd where they could see the action.
Rider after rider, the tricks seemed to get harder and higher; the crowd either screaming in awe or gasping as one of the young athletes crashed into the tall walls of the half-pipe. Baxter had to put his mitten to his ear every time one of the local riders dropped into the half-pipe. The snowboarder’s fan base could rival that of any boy band, and the screams of the girls pierced into his brain.
“This is a bit much,” Baxter whispered to Thomas.
“Ha, you can tell you don’t have kids,” Thomas shouted over the screams of the young crowd. “You get used to the constant chaos and noise,” he smiled and shrugged.
Baxter looked around at the fans. The parents were standing back and chatting with each other, seemingly oblivious to the debauchery in front of them. He liked his quiet and organized life. He couldn’t imagine having to deal with the constant whining and screaming of kids, especially the girls. “If we stay here, I’m going to need to get a hearing aid,” he laughed.
Thomas checked his watch, “We should get into town soon anyway.”
They slipped out of the crowd and headed to the brick walkway in front of the lodge.
“Heads up.” Thomas threw his arm in front of his boss’ chest as the door swung open and a woman dressed in heels marched out, a young boy in tow, who was literally digging his heels into the snow. The woman seemed oblivious to the fact that she had flung the door right into their path, stopping them dead in their tracks.
“I want to watch the contest,” the boy whined.
“Tough luck,” the woman hissed. “Pick up your feet.”
Baxter raised his eyebrows at Thomas. “Remind me again why you have kids?”
The woman had dragged her squirming kid out of earshot, but Thomas whispered, “That one looks like a handful.”
“Which one?” Baxter laughed, “The mom or the kid?”
“Both,” Thomas smiled wryly. “Let’s go.”
But as the four of them moved to walk forward, the door swung open, again just missing them, but this time, a gorgeous woman with silky black hair burst out in front of them. “Did you see a woman head out of here?” she asked, leaning out into the cold. “Lots of makeup, fake tan,” she prodded.
“She went that way.” Baxter pointed to the parking lot.
“Good,” the woman said and stepped back into the chalet.
“Wow. Let’s get out of here,” Baxter whispered. “I know a catfight in the making when I see one.”
Nicole rolled her eyes while Barry and Thomas laughed. “I’d put my money on the brunette.”
“I don’t know,” Baxter said. “That blond looked pretty damn scrappy.”
“You should’ve gotten her number,” Thomas said as they reached the car. Thomas was happily married and was constantly pushing Baxter to meet women, but Baxter had been focused on business for as long as he could remember. He dated women from time to time but found that it usually took a lot more effort than the orgasms were worth. That, and he had no desire to settle down and live any kind of domestic life anytime soon. “She looked like a handful,” he joked, knowing that Thomas meant the very attractive brunette, not the trashy blond.
“You’re here for a month, find some ski bunny and have a little fun.” Thomas elbowed him.
“We’re here for business,” Baxter said. He opened the car door and hopped into the passenger seat. The rest of the team took their seats in the back.
“Where to?” Their hired driver, a local man named Al, asked.
“O’Hare Realty,” Nicole piped up from the back seat. “It’s on Main Street. The number is—”
“I know where it is.” Al smiled and put the car in gear.
As they wound their way down the switchbacks of the mountain road, leaving the gleaming modern multi-million-dollar mountain homes behind them, the quaint and colorful mining homes of Chance Rapids came into view across the river.
The team was chatting in the back, but Baxter couldn’t concentrate. There was something familiar about that dark-haired woman. He wondered if that could be the girl he met years ago. He didn’t think that he’d ever forget her face, but it had been over ten years. Could it have been her?
