Page 25 of Fresh Tracks
“You ready for a break?” Josie says between labored breaths at the bottom of the run, near the chairlift. She props her goggles on the brim of her helmet and skis over to me. “I could eat and maybe a bio break.”
I pull my neck warmer down under my chin and prop my goggles up like hers, savoring the feeling of the crisp, cool air against my skin. “Yeah, I packed lunch but I wouldn't mind going inside for a bit.”
I turn for the lift line and gesture for her to follow along.
We shuffle toward the chair before we’re scooped up and on our way to the mid-mountain lodge.
Josie bites down on the hose of her hydration backpack. A moment of silence passes and I can feel her eyes on me while she takes a long drink. “So when do I get to meet Hot Boss? Oh. Or is he more of a HotDaddyBoss?”
I turn and level a glare at her. “Don’t call him that. I'm trying to take this seriously. It’s really a good opportunity.”
“Don’t call him which one?” She smirks before shrugging and shamelessly taking another loud slurp from the hose. “You can take it seriouslyandstill call him Hot Boss. They aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“Look at you, busting out the big words,” I tease.
“Hey!” She slaps my thigh with her gloved hand. “Believe it or not, I did pay attention in school and I’m an entrepreneur. I know things.”
I smirk at her, knowing that as fun and crazy as she might be, she’s hyper -intelligent. On top of being a faceless cam girl by night, she knows how to hustle, market, and manage herself to make it into a successful way to fund her life.
“OK. How about you don't call him Hot Boss or Hot DaddyBoss?” Bleh. It feels cringy just saying either of those out loud. But she’s not wrong, my new boss is pretty fine.
Alright, he’s hot. TJ is rockstar hot. That’s just a fact.
And he’s going to be my boss starting tomorrow, which is another fact. But the two aren't related, at all.
Worst case: I help him find some charities he likes, then we part ways and I have a cool new bullet point on my resume all while keeping my family off my back for a little bit.
Best case: maybe this could be something amazing. If he's serious, I’d have a chance to make such a big impact on even more people. I think about what donations like his could have done for Wasatch Wishes.
I lock eyes with Josie. “I mean it. I’m actually excited about this. I really think something good will come out of this,” I say with far more conviction now.
She gives me a look of understanding that feels reassuring. Then, I watch the corner of her mouth pull up into a smirk. “Yeah, you'll be coming if Hot Daddy Boss crosses his arms and looks at you likethatagain.”
I glare at her, but that doesn’t change the fact that I can feel my cheeks heat against the cold air. I only told her about that an hour ago and I already regret it. But there was just something about his presence, his calmness, that stuck with me.
“Josie! Don’t go there,” I warn.
To be fair, she wouldn’t know the first thing about having a boss. Yes, she has to have boundaries with her subscribers, but she doesn't have to see them in person and be in the same room as them.
“Fine, I’ll stop. But if you get the chance to introduce us, I want to meet him. I’ve never met anyone famous before.”
I shake my head at her — trying to show my irritation — but I can feel the wide smile that crosses my face despite my protest. I missed seeing my best friend more than I realized.
“We’ll see. I’ll be sure to mention it to him first thing tomorrow.”
“Wow,” she says, raising her eyebrows. “Diving right into it Monday morning after you just told him ‘yes’ yesterday? I guess he's not big on foreplay.”
I throw my head back and cackle. “I guess I was channelling my inner-Josie, because I told him the same thing.”
Our laughter is drowned out by the chairlift cables whirring overhead, pulling my attention to the lodge coming into view.
As our ride comes to an end, she leans closer to me, wrapping her arm around me, resting her helmet on my shoulder. “You know you’ve got this, Grace. All of it. Working for TJ, telling your family, just life. I know you’ll be fine.”
The sense of warmth and relief I get from hearing that from my best friend is everything.
I have to admit, a morning like this with Josie is exactly what I needed. Honestly, I needed every minute of these last couple weeks, taking some time for myself back in my hometown. Somehow, talking with her always helps put things back in perspective. Throw in the powder day — skiing run after run in fresh snow — as the cherry on top, and now I feel like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.
I can take some time for meandstill make a difference the way I want to.
