Anger made his skin flush at the mention of the previous ski director. Hal had been promptly fired when his grandmother discovered what the man had done—had been doing for far too long. The Elk Lodge was a favorite resort of celebrities and wealthy visitors, and unfortunately, Hal thought they wouldn’t notice if he lifted a piece of jewelry here or some money there. The man had set up a whole system around it, creating pockets of time in the schedule where he could go through the guests’ belongings while they were out on the slopes.
The local news station had a field day with the story. His grandmother had gone into damage control mode to protect the reputation of the resort.
“Jonas doesn’t need my help,” he said automatically. “He’s the one who’s great at the resort stuff. I’d be in his way. Besides, I’ve got physical therapy appointments in Salt Lake City.”
“I disagree, and we have physical therapists here in Colorado.” His grandmother picked up her pen and ran it through her fingers. “We got more external applications than I expected. Many more. Jonas needs help weeding through them, and you’re the man with all the experience.”
With being an athlete, he wanted to say. With going through the motions. But how could he say that? She could be dying. He pasted a smile on his face, the way he always had when he got to the bottom of the slopes and met the press. “Fine. I won’t let you down.”
“It would be nice to hire a replacement before the lawsuits wrap up,” she said dryly, a smile playing over her lips. “I’m glad you’re going to help.”
She pulled the ledger back in front of her, and Chase got to his feet. He’d been dismissed from her office a million times in his life. Most of those times, he’d wanted to stay and talk to her, but he knew it was better to hide his storm of emotions behind a smile.
He kept it together until he was out of sight of her office, then dropped down on an overstuffed sofa in one of the less-traveled hallways of the lodge. God, he was a wreck. The past year had really roughed him up. And now he had a brand-new goal that he didn’t want—to work at the lodge and help his brother fix the mess Hal had left.
Chase stared at the ceiling. The thing was, he didn’t need the money. He’d saved and invested enough from his endorsements as a pro athlete to be set for life if he was careful. But he did not want to be so close to the ski industry. That would only be a daily reminder of everything he’d lost. More than daily—hourly.
But that same nagging question came back—what else could he do?
Leave. It was more than an idea. Brad, a friend of his, had only just last week invited him to become a partner in his winter sportswear startup company. Win-win, he’d claimed. Chase’s name attached to the deal would give the company credibility and cachet, which in turn, meant the media would be all over it. Brad had offered him a pretty sweet deal—one that deserved serious consideration.
Still...the idea of being treated like a show pony left a bitter taste in his mouth. Especially knowing that working in the industry would put him in direct contact with people involved in the skiing world again.
As much as he wanted to leave the lodge behind, it just wasn’t the right thing to do. He let out a heavy sigh and took out his phone. His grandmother had been right. The family needed to face her diagnosis together. It meant acknowledging, even though it hurt, that every moment with his grandmother was newly precious. Walking away now would be the biggest mistake of his life.
Chase pulled himself upright and tapped out a text to Brad.
Chase: I’ve been thinking about your offer. Not ready to decide just yet—need to focus on family right now.
The three dots indicating a reply popped up almost immediately. A flash of anxiety ran down the back of Chase’s neck. If Brad cut him loose right now, the loss of his backup plan would strip him of what little confidence he had left. He shouldn’t be relying on Brad to give him that, but that’s how it was. At least for now.
Brad: That’s fine. I get it. Need to know where you stand soon. By Christmas at the latest.
Brad: This is a great opportunity for you, man. You could show the world that you’re stepping up to the challenge of the new chapter in your life. Let everybody know that nothing gets you down for long.
The truth banged against Chase’s heart, loud and insistent. None of his plans—working in Salt Lake, ignoring any place with mountains, putting his finger on a map and moving there—were as good as what Brad had in mind for him.
This gig at the lodge wouldn’t last forever. It couldn’t, because Jonas wouldn’t want him there. His oldest brother wanted to step into his role as the leader of the resort without his brothers getting in the way. Nobody truly needed Chase at the Elk Lodge except for his grandmother. His stomach twisted painfully again as the horrible anticipation of losing her resurfaced.
Get it together. He had to have somewhere to go when things at the lodge reached their natural conclusion—and they would. There was no doubt about that. And being the face of Brad’s company wouldn’t be nearly as bad as staying here to be pitied by his family.
The business opportunity would give him something to do. It would be something he could look forward to through all of this. And in the end, it would give him something he could say he’d accomplished.
Something that would be worth it.
Right?
Chase: I’ll let you know.
2
Tana Birch stood tall on her skis at the top of the bunny slope, her students arrayed around her in a ragged semicircle. The clear, sunny day made everything look like an ad in an adventure magazine. The bunny slope might not be an adventure to her, but it sure would be for the kids in the Beginner 5–7s.
“Okay,” she called, watching five pairs of eyes snap up to meet hers behind goggles in a rainbow of colors. Green. Red. Pink. Blue. It was a sight to see against the white snow. “Let’s remember to do big curves on the way down,” she said, demonstrating by moving her hips side to side. “If you want to slow down, what do you do?”
“Make a pizza!” The children shouted out the answer with a wild enthusiasm that made her heart beat faster. A few of them pointed the tips of their skis together to show her.
Giving them a thumbs up, she knew they were ready to go. “That’s right. Let’s head out.”
Tana waited for the gaggle of children to get level with her before she tipped forward and pushed off with her poles. They were catching on quick, but not too quick. One of the girls shot out ahead of the pack and Tana reacted without thinking. She straightened her skis and sped down the hill. It was a very long hill—the longest bunny slope she’d ever seen—but the first lesson she tried to teach the kids was to stay in control.
She came up alongside Sadie, who didn’t look uncomfortable in the least. Her poles were pointed straight back, and with a perfect bend in her knees, the girl continued down the hill.
“You’re doing awesome, Sadie,” Tana called. “Now show me your side-to-sides.” She took a deep breath to calm herself. “If you ever race, you’ll have to know how to do the slalom. Side to side.”
It worked.
The little girl slowed her pace and made a wide loop to the left.