Page 41 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty

When we get back to the staff cabin two days later, all I want to do is turn around and run back to our private little haven.

Rosie glances at me over the back of the couch as I lug in the bags. “Where’s Aiden?”

“He had to run to see Carter. Something about some hikers getting injured near the search and rescue station and needing to bring them back down to the resort.” I set the bags inside the door.

She nods to my room. “There’s a letter in there for you. Arrived yesterday.”

“Thanks.” I kick off my things and drag the bags into the room before turning and seeing the letter on the desk.

My heart stops in my chest at the return address. My hands are shaking as I slip a finger beneath the seal and open it up, pulling out the sheet of paper.

Dear Miss Kirk,

We are thrilled to offer you the position of kindergarten teacher at Southwood Elementary School. Please find enclosed the paperwork we need you to fill out and submit to us by the end of the month.

We are overjoyed to have you join us at Southwood Elementary. We know that you’ll be a great addition to the team. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Ava Ness

Southwood Elementary Principal

I read the short letter a couple more times, flipping through the stack of papers in the back. My contract isn’t long, but the salary listed is enough to make my jaw drop. I hadn’t hoped for something so good when becoming a teacher just out of college, but there’s the number — a high enough salary to sustain me for the rest of the year if I choose to go back home.

My phone starts ringing, and my heart drops to my stomach.Please don’t let it be Aiden.

June’s name flashes on the screen as I pull my phone out of my pocket. I slide my thumb across the screen, wondering what I possibly forgot for her to be calling me on my first day back.

“Where are you?” June asks, her voice shrill. “You and Rosie were supposed to be at work ten minutes ago. When I granted you time off, I didn’t think that it was going to come to this.”

I tossed the letter back on the desk. “Shit, I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’ll grab Rosie too. I’m so sorry.”

June sighs. “Hurry up.”

We hang up, and I rush to the living room, hauling my boots back on and grabbing my ski coat and pants from beside the door. “Rosie, we’re late.”

“Shit!” Rosie tosses her popcorn bag to the side and springs up from the couch, flying to the door, pulling on her ski pants and stomping into her boots. She hauls on her jacket, and we hurry out the door.

Figuring out what to do about my teaching job is going to have to wait until later.

CHAPTER 16

AIDEN

Isigh and shed my gloves and coat, hanging them by the door. It’s been a long day of convincing several different resort guests why they can’t ski a black diamond trail when they’ve barely been skiing for a month. All I want to do is crawl into bed with Mia and maybe watch a movie or two.

Or maybe I could take her out. I don’t know what we’d do if we went out, though. The wind is howling today, and the snow is falling in thick sheets. When we wake up tomorrow morning, it’s probably going to look even more like a winter wonderland than it has the rest of the season.

And then there’s the thought that maybe I should take her out to dinner. I know the restaurant in the resort is putting on a fancy steak dinner with lobster bisque as an appetizer. She’s mentioned before how much she loves steak and lobster.

Maybe I could take her out to dinner, and it would be time to tell her how I feel about her, even though I don’t really know what that is. I do know that I don’t want to leave this season without her, though.

If that means that I have to move to her hometown, find a little place for Honey and me, and figure out where to go from there, then that’s what I’m going to do.

Ryder stands in the middle of the kitchen, stuffing a handful of cheese puffs in his face. “Looks like it’s getting bad out there.”

“Yeah,” I say as I open the fridge and grab a bottle of water, cracking it open and taking a long sip. “They closed the slopes early. Everybody’s been sent back to their rooms, or if they’re staying out, it has to be on the resort grounds near the building.”

He makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Guess that means it’s going to be an earlier morning for me, with more people at the restaurant for breakfast.”

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