Page 34 of 2204 Hunter Lane
Hunter shrugged off the comment, shoving change in his wallet. “Yeah, she looks like a lot of things.”
“Girl must be a good boarder if you’re takin’ her to Avalanche.”
This remark, Hunter smirked at. “The best.”
I stared at him suspiciously but he didn’t meet my gaze, giving the bald man a firm handshake before walking through the fenced entrance.
Scurrying after him, I took in the aroma of hot chocolate and mulled wine, kids in snow pants and trinket stands.
Off in the distance, I watched a dozen ski lifts carrying people to the slopes; some big, some tiny and some so steep they blended into the mountains.
“Who was that?” I asked Hunter, finally maintaining his pace.
“Who?”
“The guy at the booth, the bald guy.”
I swear he smiled, I swear. Or maybe it was my wishful thinking knowing what I knew about his past. I wasn’t sure if Payton told him that I was aware of everything, but it didn’t matter. Regardless of his knowledge, I had some of my own. And I wanted to be nice, for both our sakes.
“Bernie’s been workin’ here since I was a kid. Surprised he’s still kickin’.”
“His hair isn’t.” I teased, but he didn’t look at me. He didn’t even move a muscle.Oookay then.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, we reached a booth that read:Board Rentals.
A wide array of different snowboards hung behind the young teenager working the stand, his brown hair hidden beneath a bright orange beanie.
“Hi,” I nodded at the boy, surveying the boards on the wall.
A bright red board caught my eyes, brimming with gold and silver stripes.Ou, I love that.
“It’s gon’ be forty-five for the day ma’am.”
I zipped open my purse and pulled out my wallet, pointing to the red snowboard I had my eyes on.
“Can I get that one?” I asked.
He nodded, taking it off the wall and setting it to the side.
“Just tap here.”
He clicked a few buttons then handed over the card reader. But just as I was about to lay my credit on the scanner, Hunter snagged the machine and paid with his own.
“Why the red?” He questioned, his eyes facing the screen.
“Um,” I swallowed, squeezing my unused card in hand. “It matches my coat.”
He glanced up at me, those icy eyes giving my red puffer a lookdown before handing over the machine to the boy.
“That it does.”
Before I could respond, the worker asked me to come around the booth to adjust my bindings which we did while Hunter scoped out a scarf booth.
“You not from around here, are ya?” The boy asked, measuring the length of my boot.
I looked down at him in his dark blue parka and worn out gloves, pressing my lips into a smile.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
