Page 44 of Stuck on the Slopes

“Okay, that is not as salvageable as I thought it would be. Instead of sweet, now it’s sweet and salty.”

Sweet and salty. Her word choice was not helping my dirty mind. “My bad. I haven’t been on my A-game lately.”

“Stressed about the opening?”

By some miracle, she didn’t suspect a thing. “Something like that.”

“Well, we’re in this together, so let me know what I can do to help.”

There was plenty she could do, but I didn’t dare voice a single one of those suggestions.

“On the bright side,” I said, “all that’s left are the cabins. Mid-January feels ambitious, but also doable, so I’m trying to not overthink things. Also, trying not to wonder what will happen if people hate it here.”

“I doubt that’ll be the case, but I’ll handle all that. Don’t worry about reviews.”

“Thank you. Seriously, you do so much. I should change the name of the lodge and name it after you.”

“Unnecessary, but if you insist, I’ll compromise with a ski run.”

“Consider it done.”

My deadpan tone must have caught her attention because she looked at me with soft, wide eyes as I took a bite of her mashed potatoes, the butter and chives settling on my tongue. They were, like everything else she touched, perfect.

“Wait, you’re serious.”

I nodded as I swallowed. “Yeah. Maybe one of the more difficult ones can be called Rachel’s Revenge.”

She raised a brow. “Revenge for what?”

“For all the times I was a dick to you.”

“Come on, Juniper, you can’t still be hung up on that.”

“Alright then. Revenge for all the work I made you do.”

“That I signed up for and get paid to do.”

“Revenge on your old boss, then?”

“Okay, I can live with that.” She winked at me. “Sasquatch should get one, too. Maybe one of the easier trails. Search for Sasquatch?”

“I like that.” Sasquatch perked up and prodded over at the sound of his name. “I’m sure he does, too.”

Chapter 13

Rachel

WhenIwalkedintothe dispensary, its classy lobby pleasantly surprised me. Instead of colorful bongs lining the walls with obnoxious pot leaf cartoons like I saw in the movies, the cream walls had artwork that looked like a Rorschach test, but with subtle leaves interwoven into the gray designs. The actual shopping room they called me back to wasn’t much different, either. There was nothing outlandish about the bongs and vape pens on display, though the “budtender” behind the counter did have pins on his lanyard of childhood cartoon characters smoking weed. There was a faint skunky smell that lingered in the air, but there was a subtle sweetness to it, almost like citrus. I’d caught a whiff on Juniper’s breath before.

“How can I help you? First time in?”

“It is, actually! And, um, I’m not even sure if I’m allowed to do this, but I’m here for someone else.”

I pulled out my phone and swiped through the photos until I landed on the one I’d snuck in Juniper’s suite. When I was searching for ways to save the mac and cheese, I’d stumbled upon his medicine drawer and snuck a picture when his back was turned, working on some other sides.

“So, my boss is a customer here. His name is Juniper Hart. Maybe he’s in your system?” I didn’t wait for him to check, but he started typing something into the computer. “Anyway, I’m his assistant, sort of? And I always like to have an emergency kit in my bag.” I gave my front pack a pat. “Ibuprofen, antacid, Band-Aids, protein bars, you name it.”

The budtender smiled and nodded. At least he wasn’t looking at me like I was a complete lunatic as he said, “Okay,” urging me to continue. I noticed some more marijuana-themed pins attached to his snapback which hid a head of sandy blonde hair. He looked like he could be related to Edgar.

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