Page 3 of Stuck on the Slopes

I grit my teeth, trying not to take it too personally—after all, he was right, but I didn’t want to draw attention to it and botch the interview. With his bored tone, it was hard enough to tell if it was going well or horrifically.

So, to put a positive spin on the slight dig, I said, “I’m confident my corporate experience can help once it’s time to launch, so that way the lodge is a smash hit. Thanks to that, I’m used to managing multiple resorts’ marketing campaigns at once, so I look forward to seeing what I can do when dedicating all of my time and resources to one.”

“I cannot stress this question enough. Even if that comes with a massive risk?” His voice still held that edge, and it was sharp enough to make me feel as though he could see right through my soul without even being in the same room.

“I’d say so.”

“I believe you, by the way, about what you could do for marketing this place. Your resume is admittedly really impressive.”

Maybe this wasn’t going as horribly as I thought. I could salvage this. “It’s why I have so much faith that this will be a worthwhile risk. And either way, I’m looking forward to the change of pace. My career’s gone fairly stagnant in my current position, so tangible growth will give it a nice refresh.”

“You’re in Orlando, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“When were you looking to relocate?”

The question surprised me, only because I wasn’t expecting him to ask so soon. Ever the people pleaser, I said, “I can be flexible.”

“Well, I don’t expect you to uproot your entire life in a few short days. We’re about a week into August. Would September first work for you?”

My apartment had little in it these days; I’d sold a lot of my nice-to-have luxuries in attempts to scrape together extra change. “Yeah, I can make that work.”

“And don’t worry about living arrangements. I’m not sure if I remembered to include this in the job listing, but if you want, I can set one of the suite-style rooms aside for you. I’m staying in one myself. They’re pretty nice.”

His lack of enthusiasm didn’t convince me, but a lack of rent payment sure did. “Oh! That’s very kind of you. That would be great, actually. Would that come out of my salary, or...?”

“What? No.” He sounded offended, the most emotion I’d gotten out of him the entire call. “Speaking of which, does $80,000 a year sound good for you to start?”

My blood went cold. That would be a $30,000 raise, and I hadn’t even mentioned my current salary. Not wanting to push my luck, I swallowed the urge to squeal with delight and said, “Yeah, that works for me.”

“Great. I’ll email you the paperwork. Is the one on your resume good?”

“Yes, it is.” I was still in a trance at the idea of free rent and a decent pay bump. I should have rage applied to jobs years ago.

“This is my personal number, so if you have any questions, feel free to text or call. Assuming you sign, see you on the first.”

“Thanks so much, Juniper. I’m looking forward to it!”

When I returned to my desk, all the good vibes I’d been hoping would kick in from the massive intake of caffeine this morning shot through my system. My hand shook as I scrolled through the paperwork, shameless about viewing it on my work computer.

A lot could go wrong if I e-signed that bottom line. But on the other hand, at this rental rate, I wouldn’t have a place to live for much longer. So, I drew my signature for the documents, submitted them to Juniper, typed up a two-week notice letter, and then knocked on my boss’s door.

“Rachel! Come on in.” He ran a hand over his gelled-back blond hair. “What can I do for you?”

“I have some news. I wanted to tell you and hand you this in person,” I said as I slipped the letter across his desk. “It’s my two-week’s notice. I’ve received a unique opportunity I’m afraid I can’t pass up.”

“Oh!” With a slight slack in his jaw and his eyebrows raised, he looked genuinely surprised. “Well, congratulations. If this is about yesterday, Rachel, would you like to talk about it? I’m sure we can work something out.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Thank you, though. I’ve learned a lot over the years here and I’m grateful for that.” Not a total lie, but a carefully worded version of the truth. “My next opportunity is taking me to Colorado.”

Saying the words aloud made it all feel real somehow. After I walked away from his office, I didn’t bother working for the rest of the afternoon. I simply scrolled through Instagram, browsing the location markers and hashtags of the ski lodge I’d be stepping foot in next month. As I went starry-eyed over the photos and videos of the mountains, I hoped this adventure would do me good.

Chapter 2

Juniper

Despiteherresumebeingnothing short of impressive, I still had my reservations about Rachel Friedman. But no one else with any sort of experience was exactly banging down the door trying to get the gig, so she was my best bet.

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