by Krista Lakes
Nathan felt like an idiot. He was the one who’d suggested the mountaintop restaurant. He looked over at Holly, seeing her well-worn sweater and lack of jewelry for the first time. Her jacket wasn’t designer. Her snow-pants had a tear in the knee and didn’t really match the jacket.
“Here’s that hot chocolate,” the waitress said, setting down a steaming cup of delicious liquid in front of him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Holly shy away, doing the mental math in her head at the cost.
“The lady needs a hot chocolate,” he told the waitress. “And we'll each have the special with soup.” He looked over at Holly’s wide eyes. “I’m paying.”
Holly sat with her mouth hanging open.
“I’ll be right back with that,” the waitress replied, taking their menus.
“You don’t have to do this,” Holly stammered. “Really, it’s not necessary.”
“I’m paying for lunch,” Nathan said firmly. “I suggested it. My treat.”
“It’s so much,” she whispered, looking down at the table. “You really don’t have to.”
“I want to. Besides, I get a discount here.”
She looked up at him, her face still saying she was unsure about accepting his offer. He could understand her hesitance. It was a lot of money to her, but hardly anything to him. She didn’t know how much he made.
“Are you really sure? Because I’m impressed enough already. You don’t have to spend two weeks’ pay on lunch.”
Nathan’s eyes widened slightly. Two weeks’ pay? Just how little money did she make? How was she skiing at Blue Aspen? She’d said she was a teacher, but he’d assumed she worked for a college or maybe as a private tutor.
A private tutor made sense. She would come with the family on a trip like this, but wouldn’t have much money of her own.
“It’s no problem,” he assured her. “I can take it as a business expense. Please, let me buy lunch.”
She sighed, chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment. “Okay. I just don’t want you to regret it later.”
He chuckled. There was no way he would regret this lunch. The only thing he would regret is that he didn’t offer to pay for it in the first place. He found himself wanting to give Holly everything. It felt good to give her things.
“It’s my pleasure,” he told her. He pushed his untouched drink in front of her. “Here, try it.”
She checked his face once more before hesitantly reaching for the drink. She checked in again with him before taking a sip.
“Oh, wow.” She took a deeper sip, sighing with pleasure. “You weren’t kidding. That’s amazing.”
Nathan grinned, leaning back in his chair. He liked seeing her smile and sigh like that. Her shoulders relaxed and she no longer looked like she might be sick. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Thank you.” Her green eyes met his and he felt a sizzle of desire sweep through him. Her smile warmed him. It made him wonder what she would look like in his bed. Would she blush just like she was now?
But a restaurant was not an appropriate place for a thought like that. Despite the storm, there were still a few other guests enjoying their lunches. Luckily, the waitress returned with a cup of hot chocolate for him. He sipped at it, trying to steer his thoughts away from the way her curves would feel under his fingers.
“Have you ever been to New York at Christmas time?” Nathan asked her. “You said you love Christmas. New York is famous for their Christmas spirit.”
“I’ve actually never been to New York,” she admitted. “I’ve seen a lot of the Midwest, Disneyland and Disney World, and I went to Mexico during college.”
“Spring break?” He liked the idea of her in a bikini drinking to much tequila.
“An immersion class,” she replied. “Although I did get some beach time. But, mostly I just walked around trying to get my verb tenses right.”
“Do you speak Spanish?”
“Not as well as I’d like. I can sort of hold a conversation, but I’m working on it. Do you speak any other languages?”
“I’m trying to work on Mandarin,” he said. “It’s a tonal language, which makes it hard.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, leaning in and looking interested.
“In English, you indicate that you’re asking a question by raising your pitch at the end of the sentence,” he explained.
“Like this?” She exaggerated the pitch change.
He nodded. “Exactly. In Chinese, that’s part of the words themselves. It’s not just the sounds, but the way the sounds are heard that's the language.”
“Give me an example.”
“If you say ‘ma,’ flat like in English, it means ‘scold.’ But, if you say ‘ma?’ Like you’re looking for your mom, then that means ‘rough.’ But, if you say it up and down like you’re whining, ma-a-a, that means horse. If you say it ‘ma-a,’ dropping pitch on the second part, it means mother.”
“That sounds confusing,” Holly said, shaking her head. “I would end up calling my mother a horse. A lot.”
“You don’t even want to know some of the things I’ve accidentally said.” He chuckled. “I’m just glad my investors found it amusing that I tried. Luckily, the grammar is very easy.”
“So how do you ask a question?” She smiled. “I ask, using the rising question tone. You wouldn’t be able to use the upwards tone to ask, since that would mean a different word.”
“You simply add the question sound to the end.” He grinned at her. “It’s ma.”
“Oh great. Another ma.”
She laughed and grinned at him, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. It was then that their food arrived.
“This looks amazing,” she told him. She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”
“Want to hear more about Chinese?” he asked her.
“Definitely,” she replied, picking up her fork. “Tell me everything you know.”
Chapter 10
Merryweather
Merryweather frowned up at the mountain. Things were going well, but they needed more time.
Why couldn’t things ever be simple?
Merryweather rubbed her hands together and thought of snow. She started to smile. Snow was the perfect answer for a winter love story.
Her sister would be so impressed. And probably a little envious, too.
The snow was just going to be so good.
Chapter 11
Holly
Lunch was amazing. And not just because of the food.
While the food was delicious, it was the company that made it spectacular. Holly found herself laughing and smiling while she ate. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
If this were a first date, she’d be inviting him up to her room for a drink.
“I’m really sorry to bother you,” the waitress said, standing at their table. “But, we need to close. The snow’s coming down too hard for us to stay open much longer.”
Holly glanced outside through the huge window. White, fluffy flakes floated down and swirled around like the inside of a snow-globe. Already it looked like there was several inches of fresh powder.
“Of course,” Nathan replied. He looked over at Holly. “You interested in doing a couple more runs? Or we could go to the hot-spring. I have a private pool reserved for the weekend.”
“That sounds tempting.” Holly bit her lower lip. A hot spring with Nathan? Nathan in a swimsuit? She wanted it.
“We could skip the skiing,” Nathan offered. “What else are you doing tonight?”
“I actually have this party tonight.” She glanced down at her watch, hoping that maybe she could fit in the hot-spring before her hair appointment.
In fact, way more time had passed than she thought. If she flew down the mountain, she might be able to make the appointment in time. She thought about canceling it, but she’d already paid. It was a lot of money.
“I’m actually late for my hair appointment,” she groaned. She scrunche
d her face into an unhappy frown.
“Are you going to the Educator Award Fundraiser?” Nathan asked. They both stood from the table and went to retrieve their snow-gear.
“I am,” Holly replied with a smile. “It’s why I’m here this weekend.”
Nathan nodded and looked like he’d just figured something out. She assumed it was why she was skiing at Blue Aspen and yet unable to afford lunch. She still felt a hint of embarrassment at not being able to pay for the meal as promised.
“Then go to your hair appointment. And I’ll see you at the party.”
“You’re coming?” she asked, suddenly even more excited about it than before.
“I am,” he replied with a smile. “And I expect the first dance with you.”
“Done,” she promised.
And maybe after we can go to the hot-spring, she thought to herself. The image of Nathan in a swimsuit beckoning her into a steaming pool was just too good of an idea to pass up.
They put on their winter gear and pushed open the wooden doors to go back outside. It took both of them pushing to get the door open. Snow had drifted against the door and the wind howled. Holly pulled her scarf up high around her nose.
Their skis had a couple of inches of snow sitting on them. Nathan laughed as they brushed them off, but Holly began to wonder if she would make it home tomorrow. This seemed like a lot of snow, even for the mountains.
The last run down the mountain was Holly’s favorite. Thick snow coated the trails and she was able to swoosh and spray snow with every turn. With her fancy skis, she felt like a photographer should be following her.
But the bottom of the hill meant that she had to leave Nathan. Even though she knew she’d see him in just a couple of hours, she didn’t want to be separated from him. The time they’d spent together today had been wonderful.
“You aren’t going to ditch me tonight, are you?” she asked him as they skied into the basin and toward the ski rental return area. She clicked her skis from her boots and leaned them up against the side of the building.
“Not in a million years,” he promised. He put a hand on his heart in promise. She felt a little better, but wished that it was already time for the fundraiser to start.
“Okay.” She stood there awkwardly for a moment. She wanted to kiss him, but they both still had their helmets on and that had already failed once today. A hug? A handshake? A wave?
She went for the hug, wrapping her arms around him. Their bulky jackets got in the way, but it was still a decent hug. It was way better than a wave, at least.
“See you soon,” he told her, giving her one last squeeze before letting her go. “Do you need any help carrying these inside?”
“I got it,” she replied, regretting it instantly. If he helped her, she could spend a couple more minutes with him.
“Nathan!” a deep male voice called out.
Holly turned to see a giant of a man heading toward them. He didn’t have a jacket, but snow already covered his dark hair and the tops of his shoulders.
“Yes, Gregory?” Nathan turned and faced him.
“You have a phone call,” the man informed him. Nathan sighed and looked at the man. The man grunted. Some more silent communication went on between them. Holly wasn’t sure who Gregory was, but Nathan seemed to know him.
“Fine,” Nathan said after a moment. “I’ll be right up.”
Gregory gave a curt nod and headed back to the hotel.
“Go answer your phone call,” Holly told him when Nathan looked back to her. “I’ll see you at the party.”
A smile crossed his face. He stood before her and she wondered if he was going to attempt another kiss. She was willing to risk it if he was.
But then he simply smiled one last time and turned away. She hoisted her skis up on her shoulder and headed inside the rental building, giving one last glance at Nathan. His dark form disappeared into the heavy snow.
“There you are,” Merryweather said as soon as Holly walked in. “I was afraid you were going to be late.”
“For returning my gear?” Holly asked, handing the skis, poles, and helmet off to Merryweather.
“No for your hair appointment,” Merryweather replied. “I’m managing a couple of stations today. The snow has us a little short-handed.”
“Oh.” Holly nodded as she sat down on a small wooden bench and took off her boots. She groaned with pleasure at the sensation of loosening the boots. They fit perfectly, but they were still ski boots and made to keep her ankles immobilized. It felt good to move them again.
“Come with me,” Merryweather said, motioning Holly to just leave the boots on the floor. “I’ll take you up.”
Holly slid on her regular snow boots from the small storage area and followed Merryweather into the lobby. They went past the check-in desk and up a wide staircase. The hotel was quiet.
“What do you think of the snow?” Merryweather asked as they walked. “The weatherman is saying it’s the storm of the century.”
“It’s that bad?” Holly looked over surprised.
“We’ve gotten nearly a foot and a half since lunch,” Merryweather said, sounding almost proud. “And it doesn’t show signs of stopping.”
Holly paused, wondering just how she was going to get home tomorrow. The ski towns were all used to heavy snows, but this sounded like more snow than usual. She and Aliyah were supposed to leave tomorrow. What if the roads weren’t clear?
“Don’t you worry about the roads,” Merryweather said, as if reading her mind. “The hotel has a policy for things like this. You’ll stay in your room, free of charge until the roads are passable.”
“Oh, that’s good to know.” Holly felt relief go through her. She wouldn’t be stuck paying for a hotel room she couldn’t afford because the snow was too deep for her ancient car.
“Here we go,” Merryweather announced as they reached the salon. She pushed open the beautiful glass doors for Holly to walk through. “Oh, and this may seem odd, but do you have a dress for tonight?”
“My friend is letting me borrow one,” Holly replied. It was an old bridesmaid dress, but it was formal and pretty enough that it didn’t totally look like a bridesmaid dress. It had a designer label, which seemed important for tonight. “Why?”
“The hotel boutique got a couple of gowns in the mail yesterday. They didn’t order any gowns, and the designer can’t figure out where they came from. We’re trying to find people to take them off our hands. I think one might be in your size.”
“I can’t afford a designer gown,” Holly told her. “But thank you.”
“Oh, I didn’t explain that well. The boutique is giving the dresses away. The designer doesn’t want to pay for return shipping and since the boutique didn’t technically pay for them...” Merryweather glanced around like she was giving away a big secret. “It’s a liability thing, apparently. Taxes or something.”
“Well, I guess if it’s free...” Holly shrugged.
Merryweather clapped her hands together gleefully. “Excellent! I’ll have them brought up to the salon. You can try them on with your hair all done up.”
“Okay. Thank you,” Holly said. She couldn’t believe her luck. Maybe the dresses wouldn’t fit or be the right color, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. They would probably be better than a hand-me-down bridesmaid dress.
The salon smelled of lavender and eucalyptus. Peaceful. Tranquil. Expensive.
Holly introduced herself to the front desk and they quickly whisked her away into the back. Holly sat in a traditional hair-salon chair in front of a giant floor to ceiling mirror. The front desk woman took Holly’s ski-pants and jacket to hang and dry in the front. Holly felt a little silly sitting in the beautiful salon wearing long underwear and an old sweater.
“Hi Holly, I’m Flora.” Her hairdresser stepped out from behind a doorway and greeted her. She had long hair the same color as Merryweather's and the most amazing blue eyes Holly had ever seen. They were so blue, they looked like the
y might be contact lenses.
She came over and ran her fingers over Holly’s hair. “Up-do?” she asked, taking out the rubber band holding Holly’s ponytail.
“Yes, please,” she replied. “I just want it to look amazing. You’re the stylist, so I’ll go with your opinion.”
Flora grinned. “I’ll make you look like a princess. Do you mind if we listen to some Christmas music instead of the spa stuff?”
“Sure. I love Christmas music.”
Flora flashed another grin at her before hitting a button on a big silver cart. The tranquil sounds of rain and Himalayan singing bowls disappeared, replaced with the sound of Alvin and the Chipmunks singing about hula-hoops.
“Oh shoot.” Flora quickly pressed the button again. The music changed to a more tranquil rendition of “Silent Night.” “It can still be peaceful music,” she said.
Holly relaxed in the chair as Flora worked her magic. She had to be the best hairdresser Holly had ever had. Flora never pulled. She never snagged her comb in Holly’s ear or sprayed water on her face. The hairspray didn’t turn into a giant cloud around Holly’s head, and the bobby-pins didn’t pinch. If anything, Flora’s fingers felt good on Holly’s scalp.
“Do you mind if I text my friend?” Holly asked Flora.
“Of course not,” Flora replied. “Just as long as you hold still.”
Holly carefully pulled her phone from her pocket and texted Aliyah.
Hey. How are you feeling? You coming to the party tonight?
Hardly any time passed before her phone chirped with a new message.
Better, but I think I’m staying in. My stomach still feels like it might explode if I move to fast, so dancing is a bad idea. You okay by yourself?
Holly grinned. She was doing way better than just okay.
Yeah. Remind me to tell you about the guy I met. You’d be proud of me.