Page 4 of High Side
“No, but I do have a snowmobile in the garage up there.” Those blue eyes lit up with Kylie’s happy grin.
“Cool. Must be nice to be…settled.”
Kylie snorted. “You mean old.”
“Huh?” She widened her eyes to try to look innocent. “No way. I just mean you don’t have to share a shower with ten other people.”
“I did it for years. So yeah, it’s a good feeling.” Kylie led her behind the front counter. “This is the waiver for the trip we’ll go on. This is the eligibility to work, says you’re a citizen and all. And this is the medical form. Once you sign on, we’ll need your social security card and driver’s license, that kind of stuff.”
“Got it. So, you lived here at the bunkhouse?”
“Here. Idaho Springs. Glenwood. Durango. Gunnison.”
“Oh, wow.” So this one had the kind of life she aspired to, really. “Did you go to Western State too?”
“Mesa State, so close.”
“Ah. Cool. Both schools have come a long way. Or at least that’s what my gran says.”
“Mine too.” Kylie grinned at her. “She’s over in Olathe.”
“No shit. Mine lives in Hotchkiss.” They probably had relatives who knew each other.
“So we’re probably related by some weird thing. You know how those ties go.”
“I do.” She scrawled her name on the forms. Her mom had drilled into her that a person signed things in cursive, not print, so she’d learned.
“Good deal. You want that tour now?” Kylie had an amazing smile, warm and welcoming and hot.
“I do.” Hell, yes. She would spend all her time listening to this woman talk, given half a chance.
“Cool. Come on. This is the locker room area.” The place was rustic, but brutally clean. “It’s coed, so if that’s an issue…”
“No. No, it’s fine.” They all spent so much time on the river together that if they had an issue, it would come out long before something happened in the dorm.
“Yeah, I’ve never had anyone balk. We’re on the river all the damn time.”
“I bet. This looks like a big outfitter.”
“Growing all the time. There’s an outdoor shower here for after the river.” There were three, actually, and they had real showerheads and concrete. She’d worked in a place that had a tarp on the ground and a big water barrel on a rope. “Back here is the staff parking, and the dorms are back across here.”
The dorms were low and square, meant to be unobtrusive and used hard. Just like the rest of the facilities, they were clean as a whistle, and there was a super comfy-looking lounge area with a big screen TV, a kitchenette, and hallways that led off in either direction.
“Nice.”
“Yeah. There’s four to a room, so it’s not too bad. There’s lock boxes at the foot of each bed, and the closets are all sectioned off into fours.”
She peeked into one of the bedrooms, which was a crazy mismatch of stuff, clothes strewn all over. “That looks more like a bunch of college kids live here.”
“Yeah…those four are permanent residents. You’ll meet them.”
“No shit?” It popped out. “Sorry.”
“For what? As long as you’re careful around the guests, I’m not going to push you about it.” Kylie winked. “And back here there’s a patio area with a grill and a hot tub.”
“Oh, my God. A hot tub? How many does it seat?” She headed out to look. At least eight. Hallelujah. That was a wondrous thing, even in a town that had a hot springs pool.
“Everyone is crazy good about cleaning it. Mama Lupe can befierce.”
