Bear’s car, although he’d now made some repairs, and had changed the oil twice.
He could just add Hank’s truck to the long list of confusing, half-decided things in his life. It wouldn’t even make the top ten.
Before walking into the corporate offices at the ski hill, Bear braced himself, just in case. Seeing Stella always hurt. Whenever she caught sight of him, a look of irritation crossed her pretty face. Stella’s discomfort was one of the thornier problems in his life. He had no idea how to get their friendship back to a more normal place. Every time he walked into the office building, he was reminded of how badly he’d failed his friends. Both of them.
He pushed the door open and went inside, glancing around. Half the cubicles had bodies in them, even on a Saturday. Autumn was the busy season at a ski resort. Because, as Anya always put it, the seven thousand seasonal workers they needed each winter didn’t hire and manage themselves.
A quick glance into the corner of the room revealed that Stella’s chair was empty. Thank you, Jesus .
“Hi, handsome.”
Bear turned to find Anya watching him. “Hey, lady. I got your message.”
She tipped her chin toward Stella’s desk. “She’s not here today. So you can relax.”
He opened his mouth, but then shut it again. Arguing with her would only make it more obvious she’d caught him worrying.
“I don’t know what’s the deal with you two. But maybe you should figure out how to get past it, preferably while I’m still young.” She batted her eyelashes at him in an exaggerated, comical way.
Again, Bear had no answer. He’d love to know how Anya knew he was uncomfortable. And what Stella had ever said about their unfortunate encounter at Lake Tahoe. Though he didn’t really deserve to know unless he could somehow find a way to discuss it with Stella himself.
Then again, they were never having that conversation unless she stopped sprinting out of rooms when he walked into them.
“Where’s this camera you want to move?” he asked.
“It’s time to take a hike,” Anya said, leaving her desk.
“That’s what all the girls tell me,” he said, and Anya laughed.
Three hours later, Bear descended the Blue Spruce ski trail for the second time, while the sun beat down on his back. He dropped his tool box outside the office door, then went inside to find Anya.
“How did it go?” she asked, hanging up her phone.
“Fine, I think. But now we have to check the video feed to see if I’m right.”
“Pull up a chair, hottie.”
Ignoring her cheeky compliment, Bear dragged an office chair over from an empty cubicle. Anya passed him the keyboard. He logged into the video website, where camera number two was now showing video of an empty grassy slope.
“Hey!” She clapped her hands. “It looks good, right? Viewers will be able to see skiers as they jump that cornice.”
“Yeah. The camera angle looks good. But if it slips or something, just give me a call.”
“This is great! I’m glad we moved it. In the old spot, we just saw a bunch of people getting off the chairlift on Upper Hazardous. That’s not nearly as interesting, except when they fall off. It was like the blooper cam.”
Bear chuckled. “That could be fun, though. You know, when you’re training lifties, you should show them some of that footage. There are plenty of ways to fall off a chair lift. You could show them all of ‘em in a ten-minute period.”
Anya sat back in her chair. “Holy crap. That’s a good idea.”
Bear shrugged. “Only if you still have the footage.”
But Anya was already punching buttons on her phone. “Hey, Toby! Yeah, I know it’s Saturday. You know Bear, right?”
They knew each other. The older man was the head of the ski patrol, and Bear had worked for him a couple of seasons when he was a teenager.
“In the staff meeting last week, you asked if we could make you a training video. Bear is going to help you with that, okay? And he has
He could just add Hank’s truck to the long list of confusing, half-decided things in his life. It wouldn’t even make the top ten.
Before walking into the corporate offices at the ski hill, Bear braced himself, just in case. Seeing Stella always hurt. Whenever she caught sight of him, a look of irritation crossed her pretty face. Stella’s discomfort was one of the thornier problems in his life. He had no idea how to get their friendship back to a more normal place. Every time he walked into the office building, he was reminded of how badly he’d failed his friends. Both of them.
He pushed the door open and went inside, glancing around. Half the cubicles had bodies in them, even on a Saturday. Autumn was the busy season at a ski resort. Because, as Anya always put it, the seven thousand seasonal workers they needed each winter didn’t hire and manage themselves.
A quick glance into the corner of the room revealed that Stella’s chair was empty. Thank you, Jesus .
“Hi, handsome.”
Bear turned to find Anya watching him. “Hey, lady. I got your message.”
She tipped her chin toward Stella’s desk. “She’s not here today. So you can relax.”
He opened his mouth, but then shut it again. Arguing with her would only make it more obvious she’d caught him worrying.
“I don’t know what’s the deal with you two. But maybe you should figure out how to get past it, preferably while I’m still young.” She batted her eyelashes at him in an exaggerated, comical way.
Again, Bear had no answer. He’d love to know how Anya knew he was uncomfortable. And what Stella had ever said about their unfortunate encounter at Lake Tahoe. Though he didn’t really deserve to know unless he could somehow find a way to discuss it with Stella himself.
Then again, they were never having that conversation unless she stopped sprinting out of rooms when he walked into them.
“Where’s this camera you want to move?” he asked.
“It’s time to take a hike,” Anya said, leaving her desk.
“That’s what all the girls tell me,” he said, and Anya laughed.
Three hours later, Bear descended the Blue Spruce ski trail for the second time, while the sun beat down on his back. He dropped his tool box outside the office door, then went inside to find Anya.
“How did it go?” she asked, hanging up her phone.
“Fine, I think. But now we have to check the video feed to see if I’m right.”
“Pull up a chair, hottie.”
Ignoring her cheeky compliment, Bear dragged an office chair over from an empty cubicle. Anya passed him the keyboard. He logged into the video website, where camera number two was now showing video of an empty grassy slope.
“Hey!” She clapped her hands. “It looks good, right? Viewers will be able to see skiers as they jump that cornice.”
“Yeah. The camera angle looks good. But if it slips or something, just give me a call.”
“This is great! I’m glad we moved it. In the old spot, we just saw a bunch of people getting off the chairlift on Upper Hazardous. That’s not nearly as interesting, except when they fall off. It was like the blooper cam.”
Bear chuckled. “That could be fun, though. You know, when you’re training lifties, you should show them some of that footage. There are plenty of ways to fall off a chair lift. You could show them all of ‘em in a ten-minute period.”
Anya sat back in her chair. “Holy crap. That’s a good idea.”
Bear shrugged. “Only if you still have the footage.”
But Anya was already punching buttons on her phone. “Hey, Toby! Yeah, I know it’s Saturday. You know Bear, right?”
They knew each other. The older man was the head of the ski patrol, and Bear had worked for him a couple of seasons when he was a teenager.
“In the staff meeting last week, you asked if we could make you a training video. Bear is going to help you with that, okay? And he has
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