Annihilate Me 2: Holiday

by Christina Ross

  “And you’re just digging for another promotion.”

  “She is not,” Brock said. “Because you do look great.”

  “I remain unconvinced.”

  Did she really dislike the suit, or was she just creating a moment of drama because she was Blackwell? I could never be sure when it came to her. “But Madison and I thought that you loved the suit…”

  “Look, it will do,” she said, holding up her Chanel goggles and placing them on her face. “Especially since I can hide behind these. But you have to admit that this particular shade of red is the color of blood. If Alexa would hurry up, get dressed, and get her ass down here, she’d tell me that all of this was a sign from the universe. And that the moment I take to those slopes, I’ll be the one who’s going to be covered in blood. If that’s the case, I want no part of this.”

  “You are going to be fine,” Cutter said.

  “Says the ex-Navy SEAL who already has been boasting about his skiing abilities.”

  “Jennifer and I are going to ski alongside you. I’ve already looked at all of the trails online, and the easiest one is called ‘the Birches’. It’s designed for beginners. I also checked out a few videos of it online, and even young children were conquering it with ease. It’s a very gentle slope. Will it take you a bit to learn how to ski? Yes. But once you learn a few tricks that Jennifer and I will show you, I think you’ll find out that it’s easy and fun.”

  “And if you get hungry, you can eat some snow,” Madison said. “The alternative to ice!”

  “Oh, aren’t you clever,” she said. “Beware of my wrath, girl.” She turned to Alex, who, like Brock and Cutter, was wearing a snug-fitting black ski suit that hugged his ass in ways that I thought were rather appealing. “What about you?” she said. “You’re awfully quiet. What do you think about this?”

  “Your suit, or the drama you’re creating?”

  “How cheeky of you. How quick. How off the hip. Naturally, the former.”

  “I agree with the others.”

  “Well, then it’s done,” she said. “I’ll carry on looking like a goddamned blood bank—and in the meantime, I plan on beating those slopes.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Alex said. “Remember, we’re here to have fun.”

  “I don’t even know what that is.”

  “Why do I believe that?”

  “Because you’ve known me since you were a child?”

  “Anyway,” he said, “how about if we remind you what fun is?”

  “At the potential of risking my own life? Why not? But I will tell all of you this—that mountain isn’t going to beat me. I can promise all of you that.”

  “I totes see you slamming head-on into a tree,” Daniella said. “And that’s why I’m skiing with you, Jennifer, and Cutter. If you think I’m going to miss this shit, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  At that moment, Alexa walked into the room.

  “Sorry to be late,” she said.

  When everyone turned to face her, Daniella’s breath was the first to catch in her throat, followed by Blackwell, who lifted her goggles and covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

  And it was clear why she did.

  Alexa was wearing a white-and-black Fendi fur collar ski jacket that I’d considered buying myself before we left, so I knew it had cost over five grand. It was fitted to her body and it was beyond chic, as were her black, slim-fitting Fendi ski pants, which revealed her curves in ways that I was still getting used to since she’d only first revealed them to us last night. A white headband held her dark hair back, and she wore just enough makeup to make her face look fresh.

  “Alexa,” I said. “What are you doing to us? You look lovely!”

  “Thank you, Jennifer. But just so all of you know, I haven’t sold out, nor will I ever sell out. The fur is faux and I’m wearing a cashmere roll neck jumper beneath my jacket, which is made of natural materials, as is the rest of my outfit.”

  “And which, by the way, has ‘Fendi’ spelled out in massive letters on your damned left arm,” Daniella said. “When you entered your hippie phase a couple of years ago, you said that you were ‘beyond labels.’ That ‘labels didn’t define’ you. And yet here you are now—a walking label. You’re a fraud.”

  “Actually, I’m evolving.”

  “Whatevs.”

  “I think she looks great,” Cutter said.

  And when he said that, Daniella just looked at him. “Seriously?”

  “I do. She does.”

  “What about me? Don’t I look great? I’m wearing a damned Sonya Chodry Anya ski jacket with a Rex rabbit fur collar for God’s sake. Do you have any idea what that cost my mother? Or the time I spent making myself up for you—I mean, for today,” she said, quickly correcting herself, though entirely too late. “Because I can tell you this, Cutter—I put some serious effort into this.”

  “That’s too bad,” Alexa said. “I barely put any effort into what I’m wearing.”

  “The hell you didn’t—you’re late for a reason. You’ve probably been in that bathroom trying to figure out how to put on makeup. That’s what took you so long.”

  “Sorry, but all I’m wearing is a light foundation from Aveda and a bit of mascara. That’s it. Nothing more.”

  “Who are you?” Blackwell said.

  “How many times are you going to ask me that?”

  “Until it makes sense.”

  “I’m your daughter. And by the way, Mom, love the suit.”

  “You’re unrecognizable to me.”

  “Just to reassure you, you did give birth to me. And, you know, also to the demon spawn turning bright red over there.”

  “Whatevs, Alexa.”

  “I’ll second that.” She clapped her hands. “So,” Alexa said. “Shall we ski? Because I’m ready to rock the slopes!”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Since we were renting our ski equipment at the lodge, all of us were able to fit into one of the massive black SUVs Alex had rented for us. Cutter drove. Alex sat next to him. Blackwell and the girls were in the second row, and I sat in the back with Brock and Madison because I wanted to spend some time with them.

  “You look pretty sweet,” I said to Madison. “I love your blue coat—it looks so warm. Where did you get it?”

  “Macy’s,” she said in a voice so low only Brock and I could hear it. “And thanks for the compliment, Jennifer—but I’m here to tell you that this is far from Fendi. Or Sonya Chodry, for that matter—whoever she is. I just can’t compete with any that.”

  “There is no competition taking place here,” I said—and then I checked myself. “Well, that’s not really true, is it? Clearly there’s one going on between Alexa and Daniella right now, but that’s their issue, not ours. And I really don’t care to even discuss it. Those girls are lucky to have what they have. I grew up poor. So did you. Whenever I hear them behaving like that, I just want to scream. But I don’t because I know that it will only make matters worse.”

  “I’ve only just met them,” Madison said. “But five grand for a ski jacket? Seriously? I can’t even wrap my head around the idea of spending that kind of money. But I have to say that it is cutting-edge. I mean, talk about style,” she said. “But frankly, it should be stylish for that price.”

  When she said that, I saw Brock reach over and squeeze her hand. And that touched me. They were young and in love, and it emanated off them in ways that were palpable. For a moment, I recalled what it had felt like when I’d first decided to give my heart over to Alex—it had been terrifying, exhilarating, humbling and profound. Just looking at Brock and Madison now, I knew that on some level, they were feeling what I had felt when I first fell in love with the love of my life.

  “How about you, Brock?” I asked. “It’s been so insane since we got here, we haven’t had much time to chat. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “What Alex and you have done for all of us is beyond gracious,” he said. “I can’t thank each of you
enough. I mean, look at today’s breakfast alone—it was amazing, and Alex got up early to do that for all of us. That’s the cousin I love and remember.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “That’s Alex—just one of the many reasons why I love and adore him.”

  “It’s also one of the reasons why I’m grateful that we’re closer now than we’ve been in years. He’s always been ridiculously generous. I haven’t had a family for a long time, Jennifer, but I feel as if I’m part of one now. I can’t tell you what that means to me. If you knew my parents, I think you’d understand what this means to me.” He furrowed his brow at me. “I have told you about my history with my parents, haven’t I?”

  “You have. Several years ago, you decided to separate yourself from them.”

  “I had no choice. My father is and always will be overbearing. He was trying to control my life so that it would mirror his own life. And because of that, I knew that I needed to make it on my own, so I put myself through Wharton without his help. And then Alex decided to give me a shot and offered me a job at Wenn. I want Alex and you to always know just how much it means to me that you’ve given me a chance.”

  “Maybe we should be thanking you, Brock. I believe it was you who nailed down five acquisitions for Wenn over the past six months that will net us hundreds of millions in profits. You did the research and made the recommendations to go after those companies, and just look at how well we’ll prosper because of your efforts. Don’t ever think that Alex or I believe that you coming to Wenn has been anything less than a gift, just as it has been with Madison.”

  “I appreciate that,” he said.

  “So do I,” Madison said. “You have no idea.”

  “What both of you always need to know is that we’re lucky to have you. But enough talk about business—let’s move on. Who’s skiing with whom?”

  “Well, since this is Blackwell’s first time on the slopes, I think that Madison and I will be skiing with you,” Brock said. “We decided this morning that we kind of need to see what comes of that. Where is Alexa going?”

  “She hasn’t said yet. Let me ask.” I leaned forward. “Alexa,” I said.

  She turned around and looked at me.

  “Which team are you skiing with today?”

  “Oh, come on. Do you really think that I’m going to miss out on my mother tackling these slopes? I’m with you, Cutter, and Daniella. I skied throughout college, so I think at the very least that all of us can help Mom.”

  “I don’t need your help,” Blackwell said. “Because I’ve done my own research before we even came here. I have watched a wealth of training videos on UsTube.”

  “That would be ‘YouTube,’ Mom,” Alexa said.

  “Whatever. Just know that I’ve seen enough to know how to ski properly. It can’t be that difficult. Mere children were mastering those bunny slopes. So, bring it on,” she said.

  And when she said that, I heard Madison say beneath her breath, “Oh, dear…”

  “Oh, dear, what?” Blackwell said.

  But before Madison could answer her, Alexa interrupted. “Skiing isn’t all that easy, Mom. I mean no disrespect, but you need to get your legs beneath you before you tackle even something as simple as the bunny slopes. We’ll show you a few tricks before we go down the mountain. You know, things like how you can slow yourself down simply by turning your skis inward. When it’s best to cut from left to right. That sort of thing.”

  “The bunny slopes,” she said. “Ha! They have nothing on me. You’ll see. I will claim them for my own.”

  “Alrighty, then. Does everyone have their cell phones on them?” Alexa asked.

  Everyone did.

  “Good,” she said. “Because we’re all going to need to have access to a phone in case we need an ambulance. When it comes to my mother, I think we all know that she’s sometimes a little too confident for her own good, and in this case, that might not be a good thing.”

  “The hell it won’t.”

  “That’s fine,” Alexa said. “And I like your confidence. But I still think that you’re about to get schooled.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The Whiffletree chair lift is a four-passenger, high-speed quad design that was manufactured to lift its patrons 1,100 feet to the top of the mountain. It is located on the mountain’s east side, which Blackwell, Daniella, Alexa, Cutter, Brock, Madison, and I moved toward after we’d been fitted with our gear and had said our farewells to Alex, who wanted to take one of the mountain’s more challenging trails.

  “These skis,” Blackwell said as she slid unsteadily along the flat, snowy grounds that led to the lifts. “Already, I can appreciate them. When you think about it, with these on my feet? It’s as if I’m a goddamned supermodel in one of Uncle Karl’s runway shows and that I’m simply sporting a ridiculous pair of five-inch heels. Naturally, I can do this. Obviously, I was born to do this. I just need to put my poles in the snow like this—and look at me! Off I go!”

  “Oh, this is so not going to end well,” I said to Madison.

  “I think she might be a little over-confident…”

  “When isn’t she?”

  “Come on,” Blackwell called out to all of us as we trailed after her. “I’m not going to freeze my ass off out here all day. Let’s move it!”

  Perhaps because of the pending holiday, the lines to board the lift were practically nonexistent. With Christmas so close, it was as if we had the mountain to ourselves. In this case, that meant about a five-minute wait to get onto one of the lifts. From my college days alone with Lisa, I could remember coming here and waiting at least thirty minutes for a lift. A five-minute wait was unheard of to me.

  “Barbara,” Cutter said. “This is what I need you to do right now. See those people ahead of us? Watch how they enter the lift. Pay attention—do you see how it’s done? Do you see how they sit down the moment the lift nudges against the back of their knees? That’s what I need for you to do. Just put yourself into position when it’s our turn, let the chair catch you before you sit down, and then either Jennifer or I will pull the bar over us so we don’t fall out.”

  “Fall out?” she said. “We could fall out?”

  “We’re not going to fall out—that’s what the bar is for. I’m just talking about the process.”

  “All of this is a non-issue,” she said. “I’ve conquered mountains higher than this in my lifetime. Bring it on!”

  “Oh, shit,” Daniella said. “She’s being way too cocky. I smell disaster…”

  “I didn’t hear that, Daniella!”

  “Mom, I’m happy that you’re doing this, but skiing is going to take some getting used to. I’m worried about you. Just go slowly, OK?”

  “Slowly?” she said. “Look at how fast those chairs are fleeing those people away from us. This is no place to be slow. One must be on their game—and I can assure you, Daniella, that I am on my game.”

  When Blackwell said that, a striking man in his mid-fifties with dark hair graying at his temples turned around to look at Barbara. He was standing just in front of her, and when he looked at her, he lifted his goggles onto the top of his head, revealing eyes that were as blue as the sky. He was about Alex’s height—tall and lean—with a dimple in his chin, and what clearly would have been a heavy beard if he didn’t shave.

  “Good morning,” he said to Blackwell.

  “Excuse me?” she said, surprised to hear a stranger speak to her, which rarely happened in Manhattan, but was the norm at a friendly ski resort in Maine.

  “I said, ‘good morning.’ It sounds as if you’re ready to ski.”

  “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”

  He smiled when she said that, and when he did, it lit up a handsome face that was tan from perhaps too much time on the slopes. And yet for his age, which was damned close to Blackwell’s, he was nevertheless well preserved, much like Barbara herself.

  “You don’t know me,” he said. “But maybe we could meet?” He extended his h
and to her. “I’m Marcus Koch,” he said.

  “You’re Marcus what?”

  “Koch,” he said as she lifted her hat over her ears so that she could hear him better. “You know, as in ‘Coke’.”

  “Oh!” she said. “Well, what a relief! I thought that you said—well, let’s just say that it’s best if it’s left unsaid.”

  “Oh, my God,” I heard Daniella whisper. “She thought that he said ‘cock’.”

  “With this hat over my ears, I thought I heard something entirely different,” Blackwell said. “How embarrassing. How deep into the basement of me. It’s too early in the day to hear something like that.” She shook her head as if to shake off the course the conversation was taking and then took his hand in hers. “Barbara Blackwell,” she said. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Koch. Are you here to ski?”

  “Am I here to what?”

  “Oh,” she said. “How silly of me. Of course you are. We are, after all, standing in line to board the lifts. And you are, after all, wearing a ski suit and skis. And other little ski bits…like your goggles and gloves, and that sort of thing.”

  Was this man rattling Blackwell? Could she, in fact, be attracted to him? I’d never blame her if she was—regardless of his age, he was hot. I couldn’t imagine what he must have looked like in his youth. But since I’d never seen her interact with a man her age who appeared to be single and who was singularly good looking, I had to wonder whether she was indeed attracted to him. Because when did Blackwell ever stammer?

  “Let me guess,” he said. “You’re new to this?”

  “New, but nevertheless determined.”

  “You’ve never skied before?”

  “Never. First time. Typically, I try to eschew the snow,” she said as the line nudged forward.

  “And yet look at you—completely prepared for the snow. I have to say that that’s some suit you’re wearing.”

  “You think? I wasn’t sure. When I put it on, I was riddled with doubt even though it is Chanel.”

  “Where are you from?” he asked.

  “Manhattan.”