Page 2 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty

I glance at Rosie. “Cabins?”

She nods, glancing around the room like she’s taking it all in for the first time, her eyes wide and her hands on her curvy hips. “Oh, yeah. You share a cabin with three other people. They’re hidden back in the woods so the rich people at the resort don’t see them.”

“Or so they can’t find us to bother us on our days off,” a man says from my other side, giving me a wink. “Ryder.”

“Mia.”

Rosie rolls her eyes. “Don’t let him charm you, Mia. He’s slept with half the women here, and I’m sure his goal this year is to sleep with the other half.”

“Always have to ruin a good time, don’t you, Rosie Posey?” Ryder crosses his arms over his chest. “You should stick with me, kid. I know this place like the back of my hand. Know all the good spots to hide from ol’ Jerry too.”

Jerry, as if summoned by Ryder talking about him, looks straight at us. “Your cabin assignments are on the wall. And even though most of you are still young, I expect you to behave in a way that would be considered respectable.”

Ryder groans, his head falling back. People around us laugh, indicating that there’s no chance any of them are going to behave. Not that I’m surprised. I’m sure most of them are accustomed to running wild at night.

At least, they are if half of the stories Mom used to tell were true.

Jerry gestures to the desk he’s standing on. “If any of you have a problem, come and speak with me directly. I will be near this desk most of the time. If I’m not, have whoever is standing here call for me, regardless of the time of day.”

Murmurs go through the crowd before Jerry claps his hands together. He hops down from the counter. “Now, the seasonal manager, Steph, is going to take it from here.”

Rosie snickers and leans over to me. “I’m going to my cabin. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“You don’t want to stay here through this?”

“It’s the same every year. You should stay, though. Some information might be useful.”

Rosie turns and takes off, following behind a few other people filtering out of the room. I shift and look around at those who stayed, seeing the man with the dog in the corner.

Maybe I should go over and introduce myself.

It couldn’t hurt to have at least one person to get through the orientation with. I sidle around the edges of the room as Steph, a blond woman with big blue eyes, climbs on top of the desk, ready to give the rest of the speech.

I step beside the man, smiling when his cerulean eyes lock on mine. My gaze roams his face for a moment, taking in the black lip ring at the corner of his mouth, accentuated by his scowl.

“I’m Mia.” I hold my hand out as Honey starts to sniff at me. “Beautiful dog. I’ve always wanted one, but living with my mom and traveling a lot made it hard to get one. Never seemed to be enough time in the day.”

He grunts, shifting away from me.

“How old is she?” I run my fingers through her silky fur, smiling when her fluffy body collides with my legs.

“Three.” His jaw tightens. “Is that all?”

My mouth goes dry. “Excuse me?”

He gives a sharp nod, not saying anything else as he pats his thigh and strides out of the room, the dog trotting behind him.

I sink down against the wall, staring at the bags in front of me, wishing I could go back in time. It’s only been an hour, and I already feel like I don’t belong. Rosie was nice, but I don’t know if she’s going to be around much.

And if anyone else here is like the dog’s owner, then I doubt I’m going to have a good time.

There’s no way that everyone is like him, though. Maybe he isn’t like that normally either. I might have just caught him in a bad moment. I can’t imagine that anybody is at their best after traveling to get to Aspen.

I traveled for hours. I don’t feel my best right now. Though I may not be up for snubbing people, I’m still not in a great mood. I’lltry speaking to him again later, maybe apologize for bothering him.

Steph claps her hands together. “This is going to be a long winter, people. We’re booked out through the next couple of months, and there will be high-class guests here who expect only the best from our staff. There are going to be mandatory training sessions for staff tomorrow and the day after.”

With a sigh, I keep staring at the bags in front of me, wishing that I could go find my cabin and settle in for the night.

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