Page 10 of Stuck on the Slopes

Becausethatwas why I felt off. It had nothing to do with the way his tongue poked out to lick the syrup off the lips that spoke so harshly. There was a sick sort of irony to it, I was sure of it.

Juniper wiped his mouth with his napkin, pulling my attention away from where it never should have been in the first place. “Well, I’ll be sure to start you easy, then. Let you ease into the swing of things.”

“Thanks. But like I said, I’m sure I’ll get used to it quickly.”

There were a few things I wasn’t sure I’d get used to if I was being honest. Beyond the cold, it felt strange jumping from corporate politics to whatever this conversation was. But we’d finished our food, the perfect segue out of this disaster. Juniper seemed to sense it, too, because as we set our napkins down, he asked, “Ready to keep moving?”

“Sure.”

Instead of stopping in the lobby on the way back, Juniper continued down the long hallway. Sasquatch looked back at me as if to encourage me to follow along. If only the dog was my new boss. The thought of him wearing a little tie instead of a collar made me smile.

When we got to room 104, Juniper reached for his wallet and grabbed a key. His room looked more or less the same as mine, the suite style made it bearable to live in without feeling entirely like a hotel. To my surprise, there wasn’t any sign of his former life as a professional snowboarder.

“To be completely honest with you,” Juniper said as he tossed his wallet haphazardly on the coffee table, not even stopping to look at it as he continued toward the bedroom, “I have a few pieces I never wear anymore you can have.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. These closets only fit so much, you know? And besides, it’s not like they sponsor me anymore, so I’ve got no obligation to keep anything.”

There was no mistaking the bitterness in his tone for anything else. I wasn’t sure if I should ask him if he wanted to talk about it or if I should even let him know I’d done some reading after I first met him. Most of what I’d found online was tabloid bullshit, so I’d stuck to ESPN and the local news, but the picture was still clear. Juniper had been a way bigger deal than he’d led on, a bright flame in the snowboarding world once thought to be the next Shaun White or Terje Håkonsen. But the accident and his radio silence snuffed his career out faster than a birthday candle, despite speculation of him potentially returning to the Olympics.

So, all I said was, “Well, if it’s going to make its way to the donation bin anyway, I might as well.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Part of me wondered if he was glad to rid of them and the memories they held.

“Here, take these. They’re kind of boxy, so they should fit despite our different body types.” He grabbed a few jackets from his closet and shoved them at me. I tried to wrap my arms around them, but a few of them slipped beneath my grasp. Juniper didn’t even bother to look back as he thumbed through his racks, leaving me to scramble and pick them up alone.

It was hard to get a good read on Juniper. On one hand, he couldn’t bother to be nice. While I’d prefer honesty over having to dance around each other with words we didn’t mean, he also wasn’t putting in any effort to be kind or welcoming.

But on the other hand, here I was, juggling a bundle of snow coats and gloves. While he sounded like he didn’t give a shit, I wouldn’t be standing here if that was the case.

“That should get you through the winter.”

“I appreciate it. Thanks.”

Once I got back to my room, it took a few minutes to try them all on. Juniper had been right: thanks to the jackets’ shapes, they fit me well, and they were all still in great condition. I caught a faint whiff of pine and cinnamon on the jackets. As soon as I realized it was Juniper lingering on the clothes, I prayed I didn’t blush. Once I had hung everything up, I grabbed my laptop, and the business card LeAnn Weiss gave me the day before. Once I entered her email into the address field, I typed the message out and prayed for the best.

Subject:Upcoming ski lodge from Juniper Hart

Hello Ms. Weiss!

It was a pleasure meeting you yesterday. I want to apologize again for our rough start. I haven’t known Mr. Hart long, but he strikes me as the private type.

While we currently do not have any opening news or a tentative date (nor do we even have a name yet!), I’ll send any future updates your way as soon as we have them. Let me know if there are any other colleagues I should include in future communications.

Wishing you the best,

Rachel Friedman

Assistant Resort Manager

LeAnn’s reply came only a few minutes later.

Subject:Re: Upcoming ski lodge from Juniper Hart

Hello again, Rachel!

---