Page 9 of You, Me, & Après-Ski
“Cool. I’ll see you soon.”
The shrill ring of my phone saved me from looking like a complete idiot as I waved goodbye to him, answering on the fourth ring.
“Hello?”
“Valeria.” A harsh voice blasted into my ear like a burst of wintry wind.
“Who’s this?”
“Cyrus Keller.”
“Cyru—Mr. Keller! How are you!”Híjole, how did you get this number!
“How I am is irrelevant. I’m calling to hear your plans for my son’s first day at Hale’s Peak. I want regular progress reports from you. Where you go, what you do, any ideas he might bounce off of you.”
That’s a little weird.My mouth went dry and I coughed. “About that. I met with Nolan yesterday and he said he would not be requiring my services.”
A chilly silence ensued.
“I see.”
I wanted to die. Mortified, I started rambling. “I’m so sorry. I could try talking to him again and—”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Okay, but—”
He disconnected.
Mierda. Did that mean I was really, trulyfiredfrom my job? Or just fired from being Nolan’s babysitter? I had to find Tess. She’d know. Heading outside, I went toward the rental shop, huddling into the hood of my parka. To minimize my time in the cold, I detoured through the lodge. Once I stepped in the lobby, my phone rang again and I fished it out of my pocket, answering without looking at the screen as I narrowly avoided careening into a guest.
Maybe Cyrus Keller decided to give me a second chance.“Yes, hello?” I said, breathless.
“Hi, Val!”
My heart warmed at the sound of my little brother’s voice.
“Juanito!Cómo estás, hermanito?”
“I’m good! I wanted to tell you that I got an A-plus on my spelling test yesterday. Miz Brown told me I got the highest grade.”
I could envision my little brother bouncing at the kitchen table, a toothy grin on his face. “You’ll be valedictorian of the third grade in no time,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“It means you’re the smartest one in your class.”
“Oh yes! I want to be that. Valley-dicktian.”
I chuckled. “Hey, let me talk to Diego.Te quiero, little dude.”
“Te quiero, Val. Bye.”
Some shuffling as he handed the phone to my older brother.
“Hey, how was opening week?”
Man, I didnotwant to talk about that. “It was good!” I cut to the chase. “Did you get the last deposit I sent? It should be enough to cover Juanito’s prescriptions this month and maybe next.”
