by Powers, Jade
“Speak for yourself,” Sven called out from the kitchen.
Minka winked at Kendra and said “You know how to make rolls? You never said.”
“Yep. I sure can.”
Scott hushed Sven up. He said, “Be careful. You’re gonna get volunteered in about a minute.”
“I’m more likely to get voluntold.” Sven poked his head into the living room and said, “I recuse myself from lasagna dinner duties. You are free to purchase store bought rolls.”
The conversation shifted and whirled, and Kendra found herself smiling without reservation as the night wore on.
SCOTT BELFORE WAS A competitive person. He wasn’t a cheat, and he sure as hell didn’t prance around with his hands in the air after a shot in basketball, well, maybe sometimes. But he liked to win. He strove to win. And he didn’t mind playing someone tough just to make things interesting. Charades the night before wasn’t really his thing. He hadn’t even cared if he was on the winning team or not because in Scott’s eyes, it wasn’t a ‘real’ game.
The next day Drake started two championship brackets, one in ping pong and one in chess. Drake owned a foos ball table as well, but the consensus was to play one-on-one rather than team up, at least for the first few days of their winter vacation.
To select opponents, they drew pairs of cards. Whoever drew the two aces would play against one another and so forth. It was decided that there should be two draws, one for ping pong and one for chess and that the games should run simultaneously with the lowest cards of the draw starting out the games.
Drake and Ezzie each drew a Jack, so they started the ping pong tournament. Ezzie and Kendra drew jacks for chess as well, so Kendra would have to wait. Instead Sven and Scott, who drew the queens for chess would start at the chess table.
Scott played chess tolerably well. He and Sven set up in the dining room. While Minka, Hannah, and Jenny went downstairs to watch the ping pong game, Kendra grabbed a seat near Scott and watched the chess match. It should have been an easy game, but Kendra was damn distracting with that long blonde hair and ready smile. He didn’t remember her smiling like that before. Kendra had a beautiful smile.
It didn’t help that Sven was an absolute shark when it came to chess. But Scott took the game with a double horse and queen combination. He was the kind of chess player who snuck up on you. Sven sighed and tipped his king. “At least I won’t have to lose to Minka.”
“Is she good?” Scott asked.
“Let’s just say that unless she makes an uncharacteristic mistake, the chess tournament will go to Minka.”
Scott took that as a personal challenge. His ping pong game was later on the list. With Ezzie and Kendra ready to take over the chess board, Scott swapped chairs with Kendra. Ezzie hadn’t yet come upstairs for the game, so that left Kendra and Scott. Scott would have been okay, if Kendra hadn’t started acting shy and discomfited. Scott could hardly believe it was the same woman who tried to throw him out of Drake’s office.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Kendra fidgeted, tossing the pawn she had pulled off the board back and forth across hands while her face turned bright red.
“Really? About what?” Scott couldn’t imagine they had anything to talk about, at least not anything that would have her so riled.
“That day we first met. I want to apologize for how rude I was.” Kendra didn’t need to explain further. Scott remembered the fiery blockade known as Kendra quite well. Drake was one of his buddies, and he almost didn’t get through.
“You were doing your job.” Scott said. He wore one of those long sleeved shirts that sculpt to muscles, and those muscles in his arms and chest were a fine thing to behold. Kendra nearly lost her train of thought watching him.
“An hour before you showed up, some biotech sales asshole got through. He said he had an appointment with Drake, knew the lingo, knew what to say and how. Turns out he didn’t have anything. So, then you come through an hour later not on the schedule, and I’m afraid all of the wrath from the first guy wound up on your shoulders,” Kendra said.
“I have broad shoulders. I can take it.” Scott said.
That he did, especially the way those arms filled out his shirt. “Yes, you do.” Kendra murmured. There was a hint of appreciation in her tone...and maybe something else.
It was a shame that Scott didn’t have time to explore the conundrum that was Kendra. At that moment Ezzie decided to show for her game, utterly killing the conversation. Scott watched the chess game between Ezzie and Kendra, silently cheering Kendra on as she played a fierce game.
Scott had hoped to pick up another conversation when Ezzie and Kendra finished, but he got called away for his ping pong game first. There was always someone near...hard to get alone time with this fascinating new woman.
Chapter 2
SCOTT NEEDED SOME ACTION. A few days of board games and ping pong were nice, but he spent half of his life engaged in physical activity and was going crazy sitting cooped up in the house. Minka had taken the chess tournament as Sven had predicted and Drake won at ping pong.
The latest craze was Trivial Pursuit, with two huge teams playing against one another. Scott wasn’t exactly an unwilling participant, and he was growing bored. While Minka rolled the dice, Scott asked, “Anyone want to cross-country ski tomorrow?”
“Sounds like fun.” Kendra’s smile surprised Scott. This entire week-long excursion to Montana flipped his opinion of her. She laughed, joked, even teased a few times. That was not the Kendra he first met at Advanced Innovative Technologies. He really liked this new Kendra. He found himself wondering whether she’d turn back into a snow princess if he asked her out.
No one else took the bait. Scott decided to push. He said, “Looks like it’s just you and me. You okay with that?”
Kendra had classic beauty, long golden hair, blue eyes, and an athletic body. The first time Scott had laid eyes on her, he practically drooled. The question was whether her personality would mesh with his. He could handle a little bitchiness here and there; he even appreciated it at times. A nag? That was a different story. If they spent the day alone together, Scott could really figure her out and know whether she was worth a date.
He held his breath while he waited for Kendra’s answer. He really wanted to go skiing tomorrow. Drake’s house was nice and all, but a man needed to move.
“I look forward to it,” Kendra said.
She was completely unreadable. Scott wished he was a mind reader. Kendra wasn’t acting excited to go. Her smile was shy, which totally did not fit the Kendra that Scott had interacted with at AIT. He’d actually given up on pursuing her before this party. Who was this woman cloned from Drake’s assistant?
“Great.” Scott said.
The game dragged on, but Scott could handle the monotony. Deep inside he was a teenage boy jumping up and down with hands raised high, because he was going to ski with the most beautiful woman in the state.
Kendra shut the door to Scott’s truck with a giddy feeling of joy. She almost didn’t recognize the emotion. Scott kept on surprising Kendra. They spent the hour long drive up the mountain chatting like old friends. It was like he understood her needs, her anxious feeling of entrapment in that house with all those people. Yes, those people were friends, but not close friends. Kendra held herself away from others. She didn’t even know that she did it, only that each passing day in that house was like a pressure cooker, and when she wasn’t drawn into the group by Minka, Kendra felt awkward and ill at ease.
And then Scott rescued her. His cross-country skiing idea was brilliant. Kendra couldn’t believe that she and Scott were the only ones who wanted to ski. In the great outdoors with a field of pure sparkles, broken only by the tracks of a lone animal—Kendra could breathe. Now that they were climbing into their gear, Kendra wondered if she’d found a kindred spirit. Here was Scott, so at ease with himself and his surroundings, a wide smile on his face.
To be honest, Scott hadn’t changed. Not sinc
e the first day Kendra met him. If Kendra was one to speak her inner thoughts aloud, she would have nicknamed him Smiley. Even when he was standing in front of her that first day, taking her refusal to see Drake as a joke, trying to win through, he laughed and grinned and teased, those gray eyes flashing in mahogany skin. He was handsome, so Kendra shut him down hard, before he could sweet talk her into seeing Drake. If only Drake had told her he was expecting a visitor. He usually did, but not that day, not when that handsome hilarious fellow was waiting at her desk.
Kendra remembered that day with rueful sorrow. Some things could not be undone. And she had been a right bitch that day to Scott for no reason.
As if he could read her mind, Scott asked. “Do you believe in second chances?” Scott pulled on his gloves while he waited for the answer.
Swallowing, Kendra wondered what he meant, afraid that she might say something too bold. What if they were talking about different things? Well, she couldn’t be a bigger fool than the one she had played on the first day they met so she said, “I do. Will you give me one? I was rude to you the first day we met. I thought you were trying to schmooze me to get to Drake.”
Laughing, Scott’s white teeth flashed. There was always a smile on that man’s face. Kendra wondered if he ever felt sorrow. Scott said, “I was trying to schmooze you. But not to get to Drake. Okay, starting over now. Here goes. Hello, my name’s Scott Belfore. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
He held out a gloved hand. Kendra wished they were shaking hands back at Drake’s house so that she could feel the warmth of his fingers as they closed over hers. With a giggle that seemed to come from her depths, Kendra shook on it. She said, “Kendra Adler. You sir, are the most jovial person I know, and I am very glad to have met you.”
Scott said, “Now let’s see what you got on the slope.”
Getting serious, Kendra said, “Thank you. I mean it. I needed to get out here today.”
“I feel you.”
Scott and Kendra traveled along a pristine trail, the snow was powdery and the quiet a luscious retreat. They moved in tandem, both athletic. Their silence was of the comfortable kind, like two friends who had known each other so long that they could be together in the tranquil stillness of the moment.
The snow sparkled under the sun’s rays in trails of fairy dust. Scott said, “Drake said that we could use the cabin along the trail. It’s a few more hours in. He stocked it last week, so we can stop for a late lunch. Are you up for a longer trip?”
“That would be nice.” Kendra loved being out in the wilderness. She worked out daily. She could ski the rest of the day and come out the other side sore and happy.
With a goal in mind, Scott and Kendra focused on their movement. The snow pack was loose, and a more experienced skier might have suggested they turn back, but Kendra and Scott skied around the mountain without any worry or warning of imminent danger.
As they approached the cabin, a rumbling as powerful as an explosion echoed at the top of the mountain. Snow slid from the cliffs at the top of the mountain, gaining speed as it thundered down the mountain.
The snow appeared like a cloud, pushed from the mountain and built from the mountain, almost too eerie and unreal for Kendra to grasp what was happening. Trees fell before its path, torn by the power. The snow slide seemed far away and yet as it rumbled down the mountain, Kendra worried that it might spread to the point that she and Scott would be caught.
Kendra felt sick to her stomach as she watched the avalanche tear through the area they had skied a few hours before. She said, “Holy crap. Did you see that? The trail we are on just got wiped out.”
Scott said, “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some scary shit. Let’s get into the shelter.”
They skied to the cabin and helped one another step out of their skis. The cabin had an alcove for removal of ski boots, coats, and ski pants, a wooden porch with hooks for hanging wet clothes. Kendra was still stunned from the avalanche. She couldn’t believe how close they had come to dying.
“It’s a bit rustic,” Kendra said. Her first thought was to call and let everyone know that they were safe. There was no phone, and the cabin didn’t have electricity.
“Drake will send out a rescue team once he figures out we haven’t made it back. I’ll look for flares.” Scott said. He searched the cabin for anything that might help notify rescue teams that they were safe, but he came up empty.
Kendra said, “We might as well get comfortable. Drake knows where the cabin is. He’ll send someone here to check on us. As long as we stay put, help will get here. Let’s start a fire and get some lunch.”
Watching Kendra with her windswept hair and rosy cheeks, Scott felt deeply attracted. Not just physically. There was her outward beauty and that was no small thing, but the conversations today and more importantly, the comfortable silences convinced Scott that he needed to get to know her on a personal level. Experiencing the whole avalanche disaster gave Scott an insight into Kendra’s character, one that challenged many of his preconceived judgments.
Scott couldn’t stand in the kitchen watching Kendra open and close drawers. His attraction would be too obvious. He needed distance. He said, “I’ll get a fire going.”
A crate held several sticks of dry wood. A stack of newspapers clearly procured for the purpose of starting fires sat in a large stack next to the wood. Scott immediately went for the fire place, layering newspaper and kindling. Before long he had a cheery fire burning in the grate.
Kendra rummaged through the kitchen cabinets and the refrigerator. Drake had stocked bread, chips, sandwich meat, and cheese. Kendra found a grill.
She asked, “Do you like cheese toasties?”
Scott was still kneeling in front of the fire, stirring the logs in the fire with the iron pokers, not that they needed it, but he seemed to like messing with the fire. He asked, “What are those?”
“Grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Laughing, Scott said, “Why didn’t you say so. Sure.”
When the fire was to his liking, Scott joined Kendra in the kitchen. The chips were out and the sandwiches had one more side to cook. They avoided talk of what they’d seen, but it could no longer be avoided. Scott said, “We can’t go back. The entire trail is wiped out. I think we should plan on staying the night here.”
Kendra knew it was the smart thing to do, but the thought of spending the night alone with Scott scared her. She didn’t know how to hang out with people. She never had the right words to say. It was fine when they were in their gear and following a trail in silence. That didn’t require conversation or eloquence.
She flipped the toastie as if the thought of spending the night didn’t terrify her and said, “You’re right. There’s no way we’d return safely backtracking.”
The attraction between Scott and Kendra was like that slippery layer of powdery snow just waiting for a trigger. They each gave off the signals of desire, hidden under nerves and polite interchange.
Scott and Kendra spent the evening in front of the fire, telling stories.
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” Scott asked. He and Kendra sat close, leaning toward the fire with their hands out. It would be so easy to take her hand.
“I shot my brother.” Kendra said, deadpan.
“You what?” Scott’s eyes bugged out, and Kendra was afraid he’d take her for a nut and run.
“He shot at one of the squirrels. He said the ball was so small, it wouldn’t even hurt. So, to prove a point, I shot him. He had to go to the emergency room to get it removed. My Dad was so mad.”
Scott laughed, “Remind me not to cross you.”
“I did my time. I had to do all of Paul’s chores for a month, but Dad also took away the bb gun.”
“Was it worth it?”
Kendra wasn’t good at touching. She didn’t know how to make the first move, but she figured they were alone in a ski cabin. There wouldn’t be a better chance. Slipping
her hand along his arm, Kendra said, “Obviously, I should have made better choices, so no. I do regret hurting Paul, but the bb gun belonged to my brother. I never saw it again, and the squirrels were safe. Paul never did forgive me for that one.”
Scott liked the feel of Kendra’s hand on his, but that woman was a bundle of nerves. As the night wore on with Kendra’s hand in his and hunger in her eyes, Scott planned his move. She twitched and jumped, awkward and uncertain and then moved close, as if she couldn’t decide what she wanted.
Finally Scott determined he would figure out exactly what Kendra wanted. He leaned forward and kissed her chastely on the lips, withdrawing before she could grab him and pull him closer or slap him. It was fifty-fifty which way it would go. Would her hunger win? Or her nervous energy? The woman had shot her brother.
Kendra stared at Scott, darting her tongue along the seam of her lips and watching him. She moved closer. When did mating rituals get so complicated? Scott waited. He would take initiative, but he was mindful to respect boundaries.
He kissed Kendra again. She sighed and relaxed against him. They cuddled and kissed for a while. Kendra withdrew before it could go further.
“We should probably get some sleep,” she said, wiggling out of his arms.
“You take the bedroom. I can sleep on the couch,” Scott released Kendra. Her perfume lingered, a gentle scent that stole his thoughts. Before he even realized that she was gone, the door to the single bedroom in the cabin shut behind Kendra.
Chapter 3
KENDRA CURLED UP IN the bed, a queen size that barely left enough space between the wall and bed to walk through. Having removed all of her layers, Kendra was down to her t-shirt and underwear. The room was dark with an absolute quality never found in the city. No street lamps or car lights pierced the windows. Instead, shadows and silence ruled the night.
A bath would have been nice, but they were roughing it. No one had expected Scott and Kendra to stay the night.