Annihilate Me 2: Holiday

by Christina Ross

“Same here,” he said. “But I have a home here, so when the season is ripe for it, I come to ski whenever I can.”

  “How outdoorsy of you.”

  “You could put it that way, I guess.”

  “You live in Manhattan?”

  “Live and work.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I’m a hedge fund manager.”

  Oh, shit, I thought. This guy is totally loaded…

  “Which fund do you hedge?” Blackwell asked.

  “Too long to go into that now,” he said. “It looks as if I’m up next. Will you be at the lodge later tonight?”

  “At the what?”

  “There’s a bar in the lodge,” he said. “You know, in the building just behind you?”

  “We only just arrived yesterday and this is my first time here. I haven’t been to the lodge yet. Is the bar worth a go?”

  “It is,” he said as he slid away from her and claimed one of the lifts for himself. “So, you know, if I see you there tonight, I’d be happy to buy you a drink. Have fun, Barbara.”

  And then he was off.

  “What in the fresh hell was that?” Daniella asked.

  “A spark!” Alexa said.

  “Hardly,” Blackwell said.

  “Oh, please,” Daniella said. “You actually stumbled over your words—and when do you ever do that?”

  “I only stumbled because I couldn’t believe that a stranger actually spoke to me. And with what I initially thought was a vulgar-sounding last name.”

  “That’s enough of that,” I said. “We’re up next. Let’s go.”

  I took Cutter by the arm and lifted my lips to his ear. “She’ll sit in the middle. You take one arm. I’ll take the other. Does that work for you?”

  “We’ve got this.”

  And surprisingly enough, when we positioned ourselves in front of the lift with Blackwell locked in our embrace, there were no issues. We all sat down, Cutter closed the bar over us, we held onto our poles—and off we went as Daniella, Alexa, Brock, and Madison followed behind us in a separate lift.

  “Well, that was an interesting exchange you just had,” I said to Blackwell.

  “Please. It was nothing short of a fleeting moment.”

  “Really? Because he straight out asked you if he’d see you at the lodge tonight. I’m pretty certain that he’s hoping that your ‘fleeting moment’ together won’t be that fleeting at all. I mean, come on—he was clearly coming on to you. All of us saw that. And he lives in Manhattan. And he’s a hedge fund manager, for God’s sake, which we all know means that he’s practically printing money. And by the way, did you have a good look at him? He was beyond handsome.”

  “I see handsome men every day in New York—so what else is new? And I could care less about his money, assuming he has any.”

  “Hedge fund,” I said.

  “Fine. But what about his name? Koch! I thought for sure that he’d said something else. Something…subversive. But that was my mistake—and as embarrassing as it was, I’ll own it. When he first introduced himself to me, I couldn’t hear him with the lifts running and with my hat pulled over my ears. I’m sure that I looked like an idiot, but what am I to do about it now? Nothing. So? Onward.”

  “We are so going to the bar at the lodge tonight,” I said. “He’s going to be there. I know it.”

  “But to what end? Jennifer, I have zero interest in men at this point in my life—especially after what Charles did to me. I’m perfectly happy living my life with my friends and with my girls. I love my life as it is right now. Zero complications. I’m through with men, so can we just move beyond this? I mean, look around us,” she said as we took the six-minute ride to the top of the mountain. “Even I have to admit that that the views are lovely. While I’ve certainly never been known as a snow bunny, I can tell both of you this—I might become one. At the risk of sounding like Alexa, just breathe in the fresh air right now—nothing like Manhattan. And take in the scent of the evergreens—nothing like Manhattan. And look at us—high above the tree line. It really is quite something—unlike this year’s fall/winter collection, which was a goddamned disappointment.”

  “You are so deflecting.”

  “So what if I am? It’s my choice to do so, and I won’t hear another word of it. He simply engaged me. Am I supposed to react to a mere smile and a handshake? A flash of his bluer-than-blue eyes? Please. At this point in my life, I’m beyond that.”

  “But why not be open to it?”

  “I’ve already told you why.”

  “All right,” I said. “Fine. But I think you might be missing out on something here.”

  “On what? A chance greeting that took all of three minutes? I am not Daniella. I’m also not looking for someone to spend the rest of my life with. That part of my life is over with, and I’m fine with that. So, please—enough.”

  For now, I decided to let it go.

  “Are you cold?” I asked her.

  “I’m swaddled in my Chanel tampon, which is perfectly warm.”

  “Just checking!” I said.

  As we rolled toward the top of the mountain, Blackwell apparently had a whole host of observations at the ready.

  “Is that an eagle I see?” she asked about the bird flying toward us.

  “That would be a crow,” Cutter said.

  “Well—how unAmerican of me.”

  A moment later: “Why are those people creating little snow globes down below us? How festive! How absolutely ‘Christmas’. Should I learn to do that?”

  “Let’s just hope that you don’t,” I said. “Because all of those people you’re seeing creating their little ‘snow globes’ are taking one digger after another. That’s why the snow is exploding around them. They’re tripping up and falling hard.”

  “Well, how perilous,” Blackwell said. “If that’s the case, those people are being reckless. And by the way, please don’t tell me that you’re taking me on that slope. Because now it looks completely inhospitable to me.”

  “Of course not. Cutter and I are taking you to the gentlest trail on the mountain. What I need for you to do is to just listen to Cutter and me when we depart the lift, and you’ll be good.”

  “‘Depart the lift,’” she said. “And how does one do that?”

  “The lift doesn’t exactly stop. It just pauses for a moment so we can get off when we reach our destination. When it does, we simply stand up, and then we ski away from it. After that, we’re free to go wherever we like.”

  To my surprise, when we exited the lift, Blackwell dug in her poles and whisked herself away from it and us with unusual ease. Could she do nothing wrong? Might skiing for the first time actually be easy for her? She never ceased to amaze me. When Daniella, Alexa, Brock, and Madison departed their own lift and joined us, I turned around to welcome them, and when I did, I saw that Marcus Koch was just off to our right, speaking into his cell phone.

  “Your cock is here, Mother,” Daniella said. “And he’s standing right over there.”

  “Can he even get reception up here,” Alexa asked. “Or is he just stalling…?”

  “Girls, get a grip,” Blackwell said. “Why are you people making such a fuss over nothing?”

  “Because of the way he looked at you?” Alexa said.

  “Because of the way he flustered you?” Daniella said.

  “Because he’s beyond good looking,” I said.

  “Because of what Jennifer just said,” Madison said.

  “Enough!” Blackwell said. “Let’s ski. What do I need to know before we tackle that slope? Cutter?”

  “You’re going to want to control your speed,” he said. “That’s first and foremost. To do that, all you need to do is turn your skis inward like this. See how I’m doing it? When you do that, the blades will cut into the snow, and you’ll be in charge of how fast you go down the mountain. That is the number-one thing you need to know, so remember it.”

  “Got it,” she said.

  “H
ere’s another tip,” I said. “Ski from left to right, cut sharp and cut hard, because that also will slow your progress. What you don’t want to find yourself in is a situation where you lose control and are suddenly going straight down the mountain at a breakneck pace. That could be disastrous. That said, if that does start to happen to you, just fall back on your ass before it becomes too late for you to regain control. When you’re ready to go again, just pick yourself up, and start over. If you follow just those two simple instructions alone, I don’t foresee any problems. I mean look around you—five-year-olds are up here. Since you haven’t skied before, the slope will challenge you at first as you get your legs beneath you, but soon you’ll get the hang of it.”

  “I’m about crush it,” she said. “Let’s go!”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  When all of us set off for the mountain’s peak, it didn’t escape my attention that Marcus Koch shot a sidelong glance at Blackwell as we pressed forward. And when we did, I heard him end his conversation, slip his phone back inside his suit, and start down the mountain at a leisurely pace.

  Had he been waiting for us to begin? I wasn’t sure, but it seemed that way. And what was I to make of that?

  “Let’s do this,” Brock said.

  “Amen,” Madison said.

  “Why do I suddenly feel paralyzed?” Blackwell said.

  “Because shit just got totes to the real, Mom,” Daniella said. “But you’ll ace it. Just follow us. We’ll be right beside you. And with us beside you, what can possibly go wrong?”

  “Are you serious?” Blackwell said to her. “With all of you around me, everything could go wrong. I’m expecting a goddamned avalanche. Just let me start out on my own armed with the few tips Jennifer and Cutter have given me. If I start to spiral out of control, I’ll just fall down on my back, as Jennifer suggested. Then I’ll get up again and start over—because right now, I’m once again filled with resolve. This mountain isn’t about to best me.”

  The moment she said that, she pushed away from us and started down the trail.

  “Shit,” I said. “Let’s move it, everyone. I don’t think she knows what she’s in for.”

  “She doesn’t,” Alexa said. “She’s always so overconfident. But maybe this will give her the lesson she needs when it comes to that.”

  “She could nail it,” Brock said as he cut in front of me. “Who knows? I mean look at her—she’s doing well.”

  And I had to admit that she was. She was skiing from left to right and she was keeping her speed in check by keeping the front of her skis pressed into one another, but the moment the mountain took its first dip, Blackwell didn’t have the necessary skills to compensate for it, and she became unleashed.

  With a shriek that was loud enough to catch the attention of all the skiers around us, Blackwell became an unhinged red flare shooting down the slopes.

  “Turn in your skis!” Cutter shouted at her. “Cut left! Slow your momentum!”

  “Fall!” I said as she picked up speed. “Just fall back and lay down!”

  With an aggressive push, both Cutter and Brock broke away from the rest of us and hurried toward her.

  “Help!” Blackwell cried out, her legs trembling beneath her as her pace quickened. “I’m going to die without seeing the spring/summer collection!”

  With my poles, I dug in deep and gave myself a massive push so that I could pull in close behind Cutter and Brock. If she fell at this speed, she might injure herself. One of us needed to grab her by the arm and stop her short before that happened.

  “What in the name of Chanel is happening to me!” she screeched.

  And when those words rang out of her mouth, I saw Marcus Koch cut sharply to the left and stop abruptly so that he could turn to face her.

  But it was too late for him.

  Blackwell slammed straight into him with such force that they tumbled together down the slopes in a plume of powdery snow before finally slowing to a stop—with Blackwell firmly poised on top of the poor man.

  Cutter, Brock, and I rushed to their side, with Madison, Daniella, and Alexa just behind us.

  “Are you all right?” Koch asked her.

  Their arms and legs were entangled. Both of them had lost their skis, goggles, and poles due to the accident. Their faces were so close to one another, and they were breathing so hard against each other that it was clear that the wrecking ball that was Blackwell had knocked the wind out of both of them.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said. “My God—how awful of me.”

  “Is it?” he asked with a disarming grin. “I mean, if two people were going to make a mess of it on a mountainside, at least we did it with style. Don’t you think?”

  Blackwell didn’t respond to that. Instead, she said, “Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m flat on my back with a beautiful woman on top of me. Believe me, I’m not feeling any pain.”

  “And how am I to respond to that?”

  “Maybe with a smile?”

  “Please. People are watching. Paparazzi might be taking our photographs. We must untangle ourselves.”

  “Paparazzi,” he said. “Should I know you?”

  “I’m a legend.”

  “Well, my mysterious legend, I think that getting out of this situation is going to be a bit of a challenge. Your right leg is hooked around my left knee in a weird kind of way. And I think that one of your bootstraps has somehow locked itself into one of mine. Are you able to remove it?”

  “Well, of course I can. I’m fully capable of any task. Just maneuver your body to the left.”

  “I can’t,” he said. “You’ve got me pinned. And since you do, you know, maybe we should just stay like this for a while and get to know one another better.”

  “I hardly see that happening.”

  “You’re a handful,” he said. “Not that I mind that.”

  “You have no idea.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “And by the way, that should terrify you.”

  “Sorry, but it doesn’t.”

  “Then you should know that I eat cubes of ice for lunch,” she said. “So—consider that.”

  “And yet you feel so warm against me. I wonder why that is…”

  “If I feel warm against you, it’s only because I just tumbled down a goddamned mountain.”

  “Hmmm,” he said, looking her in the eyes. “I wonder if that’s all it is…”

  “Oh, bloody hell,” she said looking up at us. “We can’t stay like this forever. Cutter, Jennifer—somebody. Help us out!”

  “You mean, before you get pregnant?” Daniella said.

  Alexa actually giggled at her sister’s comment, which came as a relief considering how those two had been going head-to-head with each other since we’d left New York.

  “You did not just say that,” Alexa said.

  “I absolutely did. Look at them. I’ve experienced plenty of positions in my life, but I can tell you this with certainty, my dear little back-stabbing baby sister, that I’ve achieved nothing like what our mother and her apparent new suitor have managed to achieve—and for everybody to watch, I might add.”

  And at that, Daniella started a slow clap.

  “Brava!” she said. “Well done, Mother. Way to class up those slopes.”

  “Daniella, please.”

  “He looks good on you, Mom. Or should I say that you look good on top of him?”

  As Brock and Cutter tried to free them from each other, I heard Marcus ask Blackwell, “Who is that?”

  “My ridiculous daughter.”

  “Your daughter? She must be in her early twenties. You look too young to have a daughter that age.”

  “Well,” Blackwell said as Cutter tried to unlock their boots. “Thank you. How unusually kind of you. Even though I’ve likely just broken several limbs, I do try to take care of myself—as hard as that might be for you to believe right now.”

  “Look, Barbara,” he said. “Since you nearly just took my life, you now officially must let m
e buy you a drink, if only to make amends. Meet me at the lodge tonight. Don’t say no. It’s just for one drink.”

  “Oh, look—the oldest line in the book! And what if I’m married? Have you considered that?”

  “Are you?”

  “Actually, I’m not.”

  “Divorced?”

  “I hardly share my personal life with strangers.”

  “So, you’re divorced. Been through one myself. I didn’t like it when I caught my wife cheating on me.”

  Which is exactly what Charles had done to Blackwell. When Marcus said that to her, I saw something shift in her expression. For an instant, she seemed to assess him with new eyes.

  “Just one drink—I promise,” he said. “I’m here alone. My own children are with their mother, and it would be nice to spend some time with someone interesting for once.”

  “How do you know if I’m interesting? What if I’m dull and disappointing? What if I’m this kind of horror show off the slopes?”

  “Yeah, I kind of doubt that.”

  “Well, at least you’re intuitive,” she said.

  “I read people quickly.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Actually, it is. I wouldn’t have asked you for that drink if I thought it was going to be a waste of my time. Not in me.”

  “Shit is totes getting real,” Daniella said beneath her breath.

  “There,” Brock said as he released whatever parts of their boots were hooked together. “You’re free.”

  Then, in one swift, fluid motion, Marcus swept one foot beneath him, pressed down on it, and lifted Blackwell off of his body as he stood. He placed her gently in front of him with the sort of ease that suggested to me that this man was nothing if not muscular and fit.

  “He’s Iron Man,” Alexa said.

  “No shit,” Daniella said. “Did you see that? I know Mom weighs next to nothing, but still. It was as if she was weightless. Good God.”

  “Are you all right?” Marcus asked her as Cutter brought over their skis and Brock delivered their poles and goggles. “Nothing sprained or broken?”

  “I’m as healthy as Chanel’s bottom line.”

  “You do have a way with words,” he said.

  “You have no idea how I wield my words, Mr. Koch.”