An Alaskan Christmas

by Jennifer Snow

  “I knew what you meant... I think,” Cassie said, looking over her shoulder as she changed lanes.

  Other than the fact that her friend’s blond hair was now shoulder-length and not hanging down her back, she looked exactly the same as she had when they’d graduated high school. At five-two, Cassie had always had a petite, athletic figure... Erika had always envied her friend’s perky B cup boobs and muscular body. Erika had skipped training bras and gone straight to double Ds the moment she hit puberty, and without the stress of her job and her too-busy-to-eat schedule, she’d be two hundred pounds. All she had to do was think about eating a stale donut in the hospital staff room and she’d gain weight.

  And unlike the dark circles Erika tried desperately to cover with concealer, Cassie’s skin was still smooth and wrinkle free. If running her own company was stressful, you couldn’t tell by her friend’s relaxed, easygoing demeanor.

  “Is the company busy this time of year?” she asked. With the holidays approaching, the mountains would soon be bustling with families enjoying the Christmas festivities. Wild River boasted the best year-round ski resort in Alaska. Unfortunately, their five-star lodge was completely booked until New Year’s.

  Cassie nodded. “Summer and fall are our busiest. Winter months tend to be slower because families are here mostly to hit the slopes, but we still keep busy with snowmobile and snowshoeing tours.” Her expression clouded slightly.

  “You okay?” Years might lie between them, but she could still read Cassie’s face.

  “Yeah, I’m fine...now. There was just a rescue last night for a little girl who’d gone missing on a snowshoe tour a few days ago.”

  Instantly Erika was yanked back in time to her own misadventure in the mountains, being lost overnight...with Cassie’s brother, Reed. She shivered even now just recalling the incident she usually refused to think about. That day had been one of the worst days of her life.

  “She’s okay. They found her,” Cassie said a little harshly when Erika was silent.

  “Right...that’s great. A relief,” her voice trailed off. This reunion wasn’t going well. How she’d expected them to just pick up where they’d left off, she didn’t know. Why had she come here by train? She should have driven so she wouldn’t be stuck here, at the mercy of the train schedule.

  Though that was precisely why she’d done it.

  Noticing Cassie’s wrist tattoo—the word Best visible beneath the sleeve of her coat—she decided to try again. Their tattoos had been more than just words at one time and their shared history had to mean something. “So...your company—how many employees work for you?”

  “I have a team of six tour guides during the busier seasons and four during the winter.”

  “Do you have an office?”

  “Yes, on Main Street.”

  “What’s the name of the business?”

  “Snow Trek Tours.”

  “Right. The logo on the door...” Opening the search engine on her phone, Erika typed in the name.

  “Don’t believe me?” Cassie asked, glancing at the phone as the company’s professional-looking website appeared.

  Erika closed it down and shook her head. “Sorry. Research is a habit of mine, that’s all.” Though maybe she should have researched her friend’s Facebook page a little more. Or reached out to her before now. But she was genuinely interested. “Other than snowshoeing and snowmobiling, what else does the company offer?” Snow Trek Tours couldn’t possibly survive on those activities alone and Cassie said summer was a busy time.

  “Winter camping is popular this time of year, before the temperature drops in the negative... Also corporate events—we host a lot of executive team-building trips.”

  Erika nodded. “I can imagine there’s a lot of liability insurance needed...” Her body jerked forward as Cassie stopped the truck abruptly at a stoplight.

  “This is starting to feel a little like an interview,” she said.

  “Sorry.” Socially awkward was a term that readily came to mind when she described herself. She’d always struggled to fit in with other kids, and based on her lack of friends now, that trend had continued into her adult life. Despite her professional success, or maybe because of it, Erika had a hard time relating to people and having a conversation that wasn’t work related.

  Much of her identity was wrapped up in her career, and outside the comfort of the operating room, she wasn’t quite sure who she was.

  But this was Cassie—her best friend...or at least she had been. She could relax. She could be herself...or at least the closest version of a normal person she could muster.

  But Erika couldn’t think of anything else to say and a moment later, Cassie reached forward and turned up the volume on the holiday music station playing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

  Right.

  Erika glanced out the window as they drove along Main Street, the late afternoon sky casting a beautiful glow over the town, already decorated for the upcoming season. Lights and garlands were wrapped around the streetlight poles and the storefront window displays competed to be the most elaborate. They held a contest every year and visitors could vote on their favorites. When Erika was a kid, her mother would bring her to Main Street for a shopping trip the week before Christmas and they always agreed that the secondhand bookstore—Wrinkled Pages—had the best display. They’d drink hot chocolate and shop for a new train set for her father at the Hobby Shop—he’d collected miniature sets back then—and she’d looked forward to his fake surprise when he’d opened the gift every year. Christmas when her mom was alive had been something to celebrate, and the traditional shopping trip was etched in her memory.

  The season in Wild River was magical and the sights outside the window reminded her that this was the season of miracles. If she survived medical school, she could survive a vacation.

  But her friend was quiet.

  Was Cassie contemplating ditching her on the side of the road?

  She released a slow, steady breath before asking, “Is there a bar nearby?” It was before five but it was already getting dark, daylight growing shorter this time of year, so drinking was acceptable, right? It might help her relax a little. Anything to help her vacate her life.

  Cassie nodded emphatically, as though she, too, had come to the conclusion that alcohol might be their only savior that week. “I know just the place.”

  * * *

  “DON’T EVEN THINK about turning down those drink offers.”

  Reed laughed. “If you’re cool with a drunk-ass bartender this evening, I’ll toss them all back.” The outpouring of congratulations was the same after every successful rescue, but yesterday’s rescue had everyone breathing a deeper sigh of relief. Rebecca had suffered a broken tibia and femur and frostbite to her fingers on her right hand, as he’d predicted, but she’d been released from the Wild River Community Hospital that afternoon.

  The bar’s owner, Tank—affectionately nicknamed for his six-foot-five height and two hundred and seventy pounds of solid muscle—hesitated, then shrugged before heading toward his office in the back of The Drunk Tank. “I don’t care. Just don’t forget to lock the place up.”

  “You’re leaving?” Reed asked, twisting off several beer caps and setting the bottles on the bar in front of Wade and Tyler—two other rescue team members who’d been on the search the night before.

  Tank turned and held out a shaky hand.

  Reed nodded. “Got it.” Tank was a support member on the search and rescue crew, had been for far too long. He should have applied to be a full member by now, but he couldn’t get past the lingering anxiety after the rescues. Admittedly, the ones that hadn’t gone successfully left their scars and took some time to bounce back from, but the successful ones left Reed pumped.

  Tank—the biggest softy on the planet—had a tougher time. Especially when kids were involved. A si
ngle dad, last night’s emotional reunion between Rebecca and her parents had Tank ditching the scene immediately.

  Reed worried about Tank being on the team when he had so many other responsibilities, namely Kaia, to take care of, but they each had their reasons for being on the crew. And they certainly needed the members.

  “Okay, grab your backpack, let’s go home,” Tank said, reappearing with his coat.

  Kaia climbed down from the barstool and slid into her coat, tucking her dark hair into her hat and grabbing the Wonder Woman backpack that was a million years old but she refused to part with. “Bye, Reed. Thanks for the chocolate milk.”

  “Anytime.” He waved as they left, turning his attention to Wade and Tyler. “You guys good?”

  “Yeah. I mean, last night was brutal, but it ended well. That’s what matters,” Wade said.

  “Do I get promoted to lead now?” Tyler asked, leaning an elbow on the bar.

  Only the third time he’d asked that day. “You’ve been on the team a year. Stick it out, keep proving yourself and you’ll be bossing the rest of us around soon enough,” Reed said. Tyler was one of the best S & R members he had, definitely one of the hardest working. But he was also young and impulsive, and Reed couldn’t fully trust his decision-making. However, he knew the guy also had different aspirations. He’d applied to become a volunteer firefighter in Wild River. If Reed didn’t help promote him to lead soon, he might move on. Reed would hate to lose him. Good, qualified team members were hard to find and even tougher to keep. The team was lucky—they were all as close as family. They looked out for one another on and off rescues.

  “How’s Cassie?” Wade asked.

  “She’s okay. Rebecca’s family reassured her that they don’t hold Snow Trek Tours responsible. They had gone against Mike’s advice.” The family’s assigned tour guide had suggested a different trail because of the unpredictable terrain, but they’d insisted on the more experienced trek. They took full responsibility for what happened. Still, he knew his sister had been just as stressed and worried as everyone else during the rescue hours. Her company had an amazing reputation in Wild River and he knew it was because she always put the safety of her clients and employees first.

  Seeing her enter the bar now, he nodded and smiled.

  But his smile faded when he saw she wasn’t alone. He squinted in the dim lighting of the bar.

  No shit.

  The girl who’d crossed his mind just the night before was walking toward him with his sister. Unfortunately, she was hardly a girl anymore. Dressed in a red-and-black-checked cashmere coat, cinched at her tiny waist with a leather belt, a red hat covering her mocha-colored hair and three-inch, impractical yet sexy leather boots, she was definitely not a little girl anymore.

  What the hell was she doing here?

  Tyler and Wade gave up their barstools to the women, waving as they headed toward a booth.

  “See ya, guys,” he said. Then, turning to his sister, “Hey, Cass, who’s your friend?” He wiped the bar in front of them and set down two new coasters.

  His sister shot him a look that resembled a plea for help...or for something strong. Obviously this visit was as much of a surprise to her. He reached for the top-shelf premium vodka and held up the bottle.

  She nodded, removing her scarf and coat. “Make it a double. This is Erika... You remember her, don’t you?” She placed her coat over the stool before climbing up.

  Erika was still scanning the bar as though she hadn’t decided yet if she was going to stay.

  “Um... Erika.” He pretended to think. “Right, yes, I remember—how’ve you been?”

  She finally looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “We’ve met?”

  Unbelievable. He’d only held her in the woods overnight so she didn’t have a panic attack.

  “You have to remember my brother, Reed,” Cassie said, motioning for him to be quicker with her drink.

  Erika’s mouth gaped slightly.

  There you go. He knew he’d changed over the years. In high school, he’d been tall and lanky...skinny was a better term. Food wasn’t always plentiful at home and being active in every sport that he could play for free had him burning energy faster than his body could keep up. Luckily, he’d discovered weight training. “Hard to believe this hunk is the same guy, huh?” he asked when she continued to stare.

  Her look of disbelief was quickly replaced with a disapproving, incredulous one. “Do you own this place?”

  “Nope. I’m just here to encourage copious amounts of alcohol and misbehaving,” he said, his jaw tight. Within seconds, she had him feeling like the teenage kid who wasn’t sure he’d ever amount to anything. Over the years, his confidence had grown along with the size of his biceps. Very little shook him, so how this woman he hadn’t seen in years had him agitated, he didn’t know. No doubt, their history was part of it.

  “He makes the best cranberry martinis in Wild River. Have a seat,” Cassie said, gesturing to the barstool next to her.

  “Or don’t.” Reed shrugged when Erika hesitated.

  She ignored him as she examined the barstool. Picking up a napkin, she wiped the seat before removing her coat and sitting, folding the coat over her legs. Ready for a quick exit if needed.

  “Wow,” he muttered, pouring alcohol into the shaker.

  At Cassie’s desperate expression, he poured a little longer. Reaching into the fridge, he ignored the opened carton of cranberry juice and grabbed a new one, irritated by his desire to please Ms. Better Than Everyone with fresh juice. “So, Erika, how’ve you been?” Second and last attempt at polite conversation.

  She unwrapped her red scarf but left it dangling around her shoulders. The contrast of the red scarf against the white cashmere V-neck sweater pulled his gaze downward to her chest. The swell of her soft-looking, full breasts spilled slightly over the top and he remembered summer days when his gaze, hidden behind sunglasses, had been on nothing else. She’d always been a pain in the ass, but her body had been rockin’ even back then. Apparently, she still had an effect on him. The front of his jeans was uncomfortably tight.

  “I’m a surgeon now,” was her reply to his question.

  And modest. He grinned, feeling his semi disappear. “Impressive. That’s like a doctor, right?”

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  He shook his head as he tossed ice in the mixer and shook. “Not at all.” He grabbed two martini glasses from the back wall and inspected them just to freak her out a little. “Clean enough,” he said, pouring the red liquid into the glasses. Grabbing several lime wedges, he attached one to Cassie’s glass.

  Erika held out a hand. “None for me, thanks. People sneeze and touch the garnishes left on bars,” she said. “So many germs.” She shuddered.

  “Nah... These have only been sitting out for a week, tops,” Reed said, attaching the lime slice to her glass and handing it to her.

  Her mouth opened then snapped shut again, as though she were biting back a smart retort of her own.

  Too bad. He’d like to see what she was made of. She had to possess more than this frosty exterior...though he’d only ever gotten evidence of that once, and only briefly.

  Next to her, Cassie removed the lime wedge and took a long sip of her drink.

  “What brings you to Wild River?”

  “A vacation,” she said tightly. Her eyes scanned the bar and he’d never been so proud of the tacky holiday decorations. The look of disgust on her face when her gaze landed on the Santa figurine peeing in the snow that was attached to a beer tap was worth every penny the thing cost.

  “Most people find those fun,” he said, sliding a bowl of bar nuts toward his sister.

  “Really? I can’t imagine why,” Erika said, sipping her own drink.

  He waited to see if she liked it, annoyed that it mattered, but she left him hanging, turn
ing her attention back to her surroundings. She glanced from side to side over her shoulders toward the back.

  “Bathroom’s in the far corner, past the pool tables on the left.”

  “I’m fine.” She crossed her legs to sit awkwardly on the stool.

  Right. Germs. “How long are you staying?”

  “Two weeks.”

  Cassie’s drink flew out of her mouth, showering him with sticky cranberry juice. He reached for a napkin and wiped his forearm, handing her one for her face.

  “Two weeks? Wow,” Cassie said, grabbing a handful of bar nuts and stuffing them into her mouth.

  Erika nodded. “Or not... I don’t know yet.”

  Holy awkwardness. Obviously his sister and her former best friend were learning quickly that sometimes friendships didn’t last into adulthood.

  “Was that a little girl I saw leaving before we came in?” Erika asked.

  “That was the owner’s daughter,” he said, glancing at his sister. As suspected, the mere mention of Tank and Cassie’s thoughts were written all over her face. His sister and his friend had been doing this protracted dance around one another for years now. He wasn’t sure what was going on, except that Cassie got flustered and flushed whenever Tank was around. She often babysat Kaia for Tank and the two had been friends for years. He suspected the man’s single dad status might be the main reason the two hadn’t hooked up yet.

  “He brings his daughter in here?” Erika sipped her drink again.

  “Until the bar starts to get busy, yeah.”

  She shook her head.

  “You got an opinion on that, Ms. PhD?” He leaned against the bar. She was there five minutes and had succeeded in insulting the bar, the bar’s owner and him. She had a knack for putting people off. Always had, but for some reason, it irritated him more now.

  Before, she’d had a reason to judge them. They were poor, living in a shitty part of town, wearing hand-me-down clothes from kids they went to school with. Wild River was small enough that everyone knew everyone else’s business, so trying to hide how much they struggled as kids was impossible. But he and Cassie had both come a long way.