Chapter Twenty One

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I gaze out of the back door of the cafe and shiver, drawing my arms across my chest and hugging them together for extra warmth. The wind is howling, whipping up the snow on the deck outside. As blizzards go, I’m glad I’m not out riding in it. Watching the true power of what weather can do makes me feel very small and insignificant, particularly if I’m standing on the top of a mountain and can’t see my hand three feet in front of my face.

‘Jeez… look at this snow!’ Terry whistles, standing next to me. ‘You wouldn’t know there were mountains out there. No wonder they’ve closed the top bowls.’

‘Yeah,’ I nod. ‘I guess the avalanche risk is just too high. But I would have thought this was pretty normal weather for the average hardy Canadian?’

Terry laughs and shakes his head. ‘You make us sound like a kind of plant! This is something that doesn’t happen every season. Some might say you’re pretty lucky with the snow this year, compared to last. It rained so much.’

‘There are going to be some sweet powder days once this stops.’ I grin.

When they open the mountain again.’ He reminds me. ‘The patrol team will want to make sure everything is safe before they let anyone ride near places like Snake Glades anytime soon. That mountain might look like a playground, but it can be dangerous as hell sometimes.’

We move away from the door and I go back to the menus. The café is finally beginning to bring in some money, so Terry’s installed a beautiful old oven in the corner, next to the wood burner, to put the coffee pots on top. Now customers can help themselves to four different blends and pay at the counter, which is proving to be really popular and cuts down on the waiting time. We had a meeting last night after closing time and decided to improve the menus as well as the interior, so Jenn suggested I draw the new menus out because she likes my handwriting, so I’m carefully laying out the master version. I did offer to make a professional version using my PhotoShop skills but she’s decided she prefers the home-spun look. I sit down at one of the empty tables and carry on writing out the menu, checking that I’m not making any mistakes. A cold blast of icy air shoots through me as the cowbells on the door jangle furiously. I hear muted voices while Jenn talks to whoever has just walked in but I don’t look up to see who it is, too engrossed in my work.

I hear an awkward cough, and look up to see Rick standing next to the table, his perfectly symmetrical face looking down at me with an expression that can only described as awkward.

‘Hey.’ he says.

I stand up, wondering why he’s here. ‘Hi…’

‘Um… I’ve come to say sorry... about the party.’ He tries for a weak smile.

‘You don’t have to apologise to me.’ I shrug.

‘Think I do...’ he replies, rocking on his heels. ‘It would be great if we could, you know, wipe the slate clean, as it were?’

‘Really, it’s fine. No big deal. I’m really glad you and Emily got together. She’s liked you for ages.’

‘Lexie…’ He puts his hands down on the table in front of me ‘… I don’t even like Emily. She kind of jumped me when I had a few too many beers, so…’

‘I’m sure she’d be thrilled to hear that. And you don’t have to explain anything.’ I reply curtly. I’m not exactly enamoured with Emily right now either, but Rick’s really proving to be a snake in the grass.

‘Aw, c’mon. I’ve seen you checking me out!’ he says, opening his arms and gesturing with his hands. ‘Maybe we could try again – go on a proper date this time? I really like you. Emily’s just… well, she’s kinda young.’

My face must be a picture because he suddenly backs off.

‘Are you serious?’ I ask, feeling the anger creep over me. ‘You really think I’m interested?’

I stop for a moment, taking a breath and trying to calm down. ‘Emily hates my guts because of you. And I haven’t done anything wrong!’

I’m almost impressed with myself. Go Lexie, I think.

‘I thought you’d left!’ he replies, almost grovelling. ‘The party, I mean. I only did what any red-blooded guy would do in the same situation! It was New Year’s Eve! And it was only a kiss…’

‘I really don’t give a monkey’s that you kissed Emily!’ I exclaim, meaning every word. ‘Read my lips: I-do-not-want-to-go-out-on-a-date-with-you. Christ, you’re arrogant! I think you should leave.’ I sigh, not quite believing that Emily has so eagerly kicked our friendship to one side for this waste of space. She must have been a seriously over-competitive child.

He stands defiantly and folds his arms, not making any move to go.

‘Seriously, Rick. I’m not about to get into this with you here. This is where I work.’ I reply, looking down at the menus and sitting down, pretending to be engrossed with them again.

‘Jeez, you British girls are so uptight!’ he exclaims, throwing his arms up in the air.

Terry walks over, giving Rick a hostile look. ‘Everything okay?’ he asks.

‘He’s leaving.’ I reply, grateful for the backup but equally mortified that my boss has watched all of this happen. He turns quickly on his heel and wrenches the door open, letting in another blast of icy air and snow before slamming it hard.

‘I’m so sorry!’ I say quickly. ‘I promise that won’t happen again.’

Terry only shrugs, obviously not that bothered. ‘Are you okay? You look really pale?’

‘I’m fine.’ I reply, but I’m trembling. ‘He, on the other hand, is a total prick.’

****

I tell Taz what happened as Travis drives us up to the ski hill.

‘What a moron!’ he laughs, dropping down a gear as the Honda makes a wheezing noise, shuddering up the road.

‘What a total asshole…’ Taz adds, shaking her head. ‘Poor Emily… I hope she knows what she’s let herself in for. Maybe we should tell her?’

I snort. ‘Yeah, right Taz! Because that went so well last time! I’m not trying again. She’s old enough to make her own mistakes.’

I don’t care if I sound unsympathetic because I can’t wait to get out in the fresh air and pound the snow for a few hours, hoping that a day of riding hard will clear my head. Yesterday’s storm blew itself out in the early hours and it’s a perfect Bluebird day, not a cloud in sight. With a thick layer of sparkling new snow draped over everything, the landscape is instantly purified, like it’s never been touched before. I doubt my problems with Emily will be as easy to clean up.

Travis takes the narrow, icy road up to the base of the mountain slowly and carefully but we’re still early, not wanting to miss any of the freshies the first lifts will offer. Taz has got a rare day off with near-perfect conditions and I don’t want to waste a second.

‘Today is the day we do all those crazy things we don’t usually try.’ Taz declares, urging Travis to coax the Honda into going a bit faster. ‘We’re definitely doing that cliff-drop under the Glades, Lex.’

I’ve been eyeing up the small jump she’s talking about for a few weeks, thinking that I’m probably confident enough to tackle it now. Then again, if Taz is going to make me hurl myself over scary shit all day, I’m not that eager to get to the front of the lift line. Joe would be so proud.

‘If you do fall over, it’ll take you about twenty minutes to dig yourself out!’ Travis grins, pulling into an empty spot. The parking lot is already filling up with a steady stream of trucks and cars so we get ready quickly with no messing around.

‘So much for being first up the mountain… We’ll be about ten chairs back at this rate.’ Taz groans, dropping her board down on the snow as we join the back of the line at the Cedar chair. ‘Where did all these people come from?’

‘Better than being twentieth chair back.’ Travis replies, in his usual optimistic way, giving her a cuddle. ‘There’ll be enough snow to go around, hon.’ he smiles, releasing her and giving her shoulders an affectionate squeeze.

A flurry of snowballs fly into the air as people jeer and shout towards the front of the line. I crane my neck to see what all the excitement is about, spotting three patrollers taking a chairlift up and waving cheekily back at the crowd.

‘Lucky bastards. That reminds me…’ I sigh. ‘I haven’t seen Aaron since the party and I need to apologise.’

‘I’m sure he’ll be cool.’ Taz replies, putting on her gloves. ‘If you do see him, ask when they’re going to open up more of the back bowls.’ She gestures towards the large piste map with all the runs listed. All but four have large red CLOSED signs next to their names.I gaze up at the mountain range that has come to be so familiar to me, scanning the slopes that make Fraser such a magical place. Joe was right – Fraser is definitely a hidden gem. It might seem busy to someone like Taz, but she’s never experienced a lift line in France, where you have to sharpen your elbows and battle it out to get on the mountain. I’ve noticed that even when there’s a wait, people here are super polite.

‘I guess they’re being extra careful.’ Travis says, fiddling with his goggles. ‘Those large headwalls are always dangerous when there’s a ton of snow.’

‘Yeah, but the back bowls’ll be epic when they open them. We’ll need snorkels, the powder’ll be so deep.’ Taz grins, her eyes shining with excitement.

‘Okay, okay. I get the point.’ Travis smiles, giving her a kiss. ‘But I’m not ducking the ropes.’ He adds. ‘That’s just crazy after the dump we had yesterday. We’d lose our season-passes quicker than you could say ‘avalanche!’

‘God, don’t even joke about it.’ I shiver, as everyone in the queue starts to shuffle forward.

I’m completely covered in white and a small trickle of icy water is moving down the arch of my back, aiming for my already soggy knickers. Far from feeling cold and uncomfortable I have to admit I’m buzzing, even if the muscles in my legs are burning after a morning of riding in thigh deep powder. I try and dig myself out of the large crater that formed around me when I landed arse-over-tit in my first attempt at the cliff-drop Taz was so determined to try. She nailed it first time, naturally.

‘Oh God!’ I cry, breathing hard. ‘It’s impossible!’ I desperately try to get some leverage to wiggle out of the snow-pack, but all I can do is laugh, getting a fit of the giggles.

Taz is waiting patiently for me, having given Travis permission to race off and make the most of the fresh lines before the whole world and his wife carve up the untouched slopes.

Taz grins up at me. ‘Come on, love. Push!’

With one final shove I bring my legs up and over my head, doing a small backwards roll. There is definitely a lot of snow down my pants now. I shake myself like a wet dog before I ride over to where she sits.

‘Maybe going through the trees was a bad idea.’ I pant. ‘I’m terrified I’m going to smack into one any second!’

She grins. ‘Remember: Don’t look at the tree. Look at the gap.’

Sage advice. ‘Can I just have a minute to get my breath back?’ I ask, hoping she agrees. ‘I’ve told you before, you can go off on your own if you want.’

‘Don’t be daft.’

‘But you’re missing all the fun, waiting for me!’ I feel guilty, knowing the golden rule – no friends on a powder day.

‘You’ve been waiting for me too! There’ll be other days, Lex. This is what it’s all about – riding with your friends, having fun.’

‘Okay… if you’re sure?’

‘Positive. Now come on… last one down buys the hot chocolate!’

Having managed to negotiate a clear run down to the base of the hill without hitting any trees, we get comfortable in the DayLodge, sipping our drinks and giggling like over-excited schoolgirls.

I spot Dan walking in and wave. He comes over and slumps down at our table, looking thoroughly depressed.

Unbelievable!’ he cries. ‘Don’t even tell me about the morning you’ve had… I can only dream about days like this. While you were ripping into untouched powder, I was doing ‘bend zee knees’ on the bunny slopes with a bunch of twelve-year olds. It’s so unfair!’ He gets back up and stomps off to the tea machine with a scowl etched on his face.

‘Mine’s milk and two sugars!’ I call after him, getting two fingers stuck up at me in return.

‘Charming!’

‘Now that’s why I’m glad I got the day off.’ Taz smirks, gesturing at all the sullen-faced instructors and lifties who are trooping in for a lunch break.‘If I had to stand at that chairlift this morning, I would have cried. It’s even worse when people float past and tell you they just had the best run of their lives.’

‘I’m beginning to see why people get so obsessed with this.’ I reply, watching tourists and locals alike hustle past with happy, flushed faces. ‘That whole morning was just the best. My ribs are hurting from laughing so much – usually they hurt because I’ve stacked it so many times.’

I’m try and stop myself from counting the days I have left in my head. ‘I might venture up to the park this afternoon.’ I add, fiddling with a packet of sugar. ‘You’ve got me in the mood to try some challenging stuff.’

‘Cool. Glad to hear it. I might ride with Travis. D’you mind?’

‘Of course not! You guys need to make the most of any time off together.’

‘You sure?’

I nod. ‘Absolutely. I might try and find Aaron after we finish these drinks. I haven’t seen Mojo in forever and if I go into the office, I can make a fuss of him. I’ve saved a bit of cheese from my sandwich, see?’ I pull the wrapper out of my pocket while Taz rolls her eyes.

‘You and that bloody dog… It’s love!’

Dan smacks his tray down on the table and plonks next to me. ‘Well, I’ve got yet another lesson after lunch, so you’ll have to count me out of any fun today.’ He grumbles, before taking a large bite out of his burger.

I squeeze his arm. ‘Think of the money. And the tips.’

‘I know, I know… but sometimes I hate my job.’ he mumbles, his mouth full of meat.

‘It’s better than sitting in an office, mate.’ Taz says.

‘I reckon.’ he nods, looking mollified.

‘So, are you going to be alright on your own, Lex?’ she asks. ‘We could meet back here at four and get Trav to give us a lift back?’

‘Sounds like a plan. If I’m not there by ten past, go without me. I’ve either left early or I’ll get a lift with someone else, okay?’

I bounce up the icy wooden steps to the patrol hut two at a time and open the glass door at the top. The man at the counter smiles warmly at me as I walk in.

‘Hi. Is Aaron around?’ I ask.

‘Hey, Pierre!’ he yells across the room to another Patroller, sitting in the corner next to Aaron’s desk. ‘Is Aaron working the day shift?’

There’s a slight pause as the other man looks at a large whiteboard on the wall.

Oui! He is around, somewhere. Shall I give ‘im a message?’ he asks, in a strong French Canadian accent.

‘Would he be on the mountain?’ I ask, looking past the reception area and spotting a familiar black shape in Mojo’s dog basket.

‘Yes. Probably patrolling near the Cedar chairlift. Try ze hut there.’

The man at the desk seems more helpful. ‘But I can radio through to him though, if you like?’ he adds.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll try and find him.’ I smile.

‘No problem.’ he winks. He’s about to turn away but I decide to ask another question.

‘Um, sorry.’ I take the packet out of my pocket and extract the bit of cheese I was saving. ‘Would you mind giving this to Mojo for me?’

‘Give it to him yourself if you like… C’mere Moje!’ He shouts across the room and the dog raises one ear, looking over at the desk. He spies me and struggles to his feet, before bounding over and jumping up, putting his paws on the counter.

‘So you know this nice lady, eh?’ The man asks, looking at Mojo and stroking one of his ears.

‘Ah, we go way back.’ I smile, giving Mojo the cheese. He takes it very gently as I stroke his head, giving him a kiss on the nose and narrowly avoiding a face-full of Labrador slobber.

My solo afternoon of riding is good fun, and I stick to a couple of easy blues that I love to carve down, feeling the wind in my face as I zoom down the slope, completely in control. This is the life. I’m so busy enjoying myself that I don’t notice it’s getting near to 4pm and the lifts will be closing soon. I’ll miss my ride with Travis if I don’t get a move-on and trying to find Aaron has proved to be next to impossible – I might as well try and find a needle in a haystack as he could be anywhere.

I’m tired and the light is fading anyway, icing up the snow and making it crunchy under my board. Having ridden all morning in deep powder, I know it’s a bad idea to carry on when my body is telling me to stop. The curse of calling “one last run” comes to mind as I strap in at the bottom of the lift and glide to the loading area. I’m just about to hop through the last barrier when I take a quick glance to my left.

‘I hear you’ve been looking for me?’

I feel a large hand in the small of my back, pushing my forward as the chairlift swings around and picks us both up. My travelling companion is pulling down the safety bar before I even have a chance to reply.

‘Aaron?’ I ask, hardly able to see much of the man’s face underneath the black helmet and goggles, as well as a fleece neck liner, hiding most of his skin from the elements. I spot the white cross on his breast pocket so it must be him.

‘Yeah, It’s me.’ He nods. ‘I got a radio message from Pierre. Apparently, an attractive British girl was feeding Mojo bits of her sandwich. Didn’t take a genius to figure out who that was. I’ve been trying to find you for ages. Kinda hard when you blend in with the rest of the crowd. Do you know how many ladies there are wearing black North Face jackets on this mountain?’

‘Lots?’ I ask, shooting him a weak smile.

He shifts his weight, leaning back and moving his ski poles to his other hand, placing his right arm on the back of the chair behind me.

‘So, Happy New Year.’ He says, pulling down his neck warmer so I can see his face a little better. ‘Didn’t get a chance to say it at the party. How’ve you been?

‘Um… about that…I owe you a big apology. I’m so sorry I got so drunk.’

I can’t tell if he looks annoyed or not because I can’t see his eyes, but his voice is friendly.

‘Are you serious? All you did was a few too many drinks. We’ve all been there!’

I sigh with relief. ‘I’m so sorry I nearly threw up on you too.’

‘Lexie, don’t even worry about it. Everyone let’s loose once in a while. I know you well enough by now.’

‘Hah!’ I laugh. ‘Not at my age. I should know better.’

There is a slight tilt discernable at the corner of his mouth, hinting at a smile underneath the beard. He shifts his weight again and I’m suddenly aware that his rock-hard thigh is pressed tightly against mine. My waterproof trousers suddenly seem paper-thin. It’s a four-man chairlift but for some reason we’re squished together in the middle. I remember the twinkle in Dan’s eye when he backed up Taz’s theory about Aaron liking me.

‘Exactly how old are you, if you don’t mind my asking?’ He asks.

‘I’m 31 in August.’ I reply. ‘Why – how old did you think I was?’

‘I had no idea you were in your thirties.’ He says, a note of surprise in his tone. ‘We never really talked about how you ended up here in Fraser. Most people our age tend to be settled by now… you know, husbands, wives, kids…’

I look down at my board and let my un-strapped boot dangle off the footrest. ‘I know, I’m a complete failure…’ I chuckle.

He pushes his goggles up

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