by Laney Powell
Markus stood up straight and saluted. “I’m here to report on the interview.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, come in and sit down.”
I hesitated at the door.
“You, too,” Bob motioned at me.
I came in and sat in the battered chair beside Markus.
“She’s a great skier. Skilled, calm, can go slow or fast as the situation requires, and she did great helping me recover all my gear.”
“You fall on your face again?” Bob’s eyes twinkled as he leaned back in his chair.
“No. I strategically lost things as I moved with grace down the mountain. But Annalise did an excellent job of helping me get them all, and had I been a student, I’d be a lot calmer after she finished walking me through it.”
“That’s what we’re here for. So, Annalise, here’s your upcoming schedule. You can shadow with another instructor for a couple of weekends, and if all goes well, you get your own class after that. Sound good?”
“Um… yes. Were you able to speak with my references?” I asked because this was happening so fast.
“I did, indeed. Your boss is quite the stickler, isn’t he?”
I laughed. “Yes, that’s a good way to put it.”
“You gonna be all right with the kids?”
I shrugged. “I appreciate you planning to let me shadow a couple of weekends. Is there a manual of how you like to instruct, the steps, or something like that?”
“Spoken like a numbers lady. In fact, we do. And I’ll give it to you along with all your new hire paperwork. You can study and memorize it this week.”
“How do you know that—oh,” I said. I smiled. “Yes, I’ll probably do exactly that.”
“I’m counting on it. Now, go have some lunch. Here,” he dug into one of the desk drawers. “This will get you the employee discount. It’s not much, but take the perks where you can, right?”
I took the small card from him. “Yes. Thank you. I’m really excited about this.”
He handed me a folder. “This is everything you’ll need. Read through and let me know if you’ll be staying at the cabins. You’ll see everything else in there. And I’ll see you next weekend. Congratulations.” He held out a hand.
I shook it.
“Now, off you go. Enjoy the rest of the day, and I’ll be expecting to hear from you this week.” He nodded. “Markus, hang back a minute.”
I walked out of the office feeling a sense of glee that I’d hadn’t felt in years. This was exactly what I needed and wanted. Markus watched me go, and I waved at him.
If this included some more time hanging with Markus that was even better. But I wasn’t limiting myself. I needed to see what else was out there.
First, however, I had to get some lunch. I hadn’t eaten much breakfast because I’d been nervous, and my stomach wouldn’t calm down. I figured throwing up during the interview would be bad form, so I’d skipped most of what had been offered at the hotel.
Now I was starving. At the dining hall, I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and a salad and a huge bottle of water and sat down. It was the best burger I’d ever eaten. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this pleased with myself.
I’d taken the first step away from being stuck in a rut. Cat Lady Hell would not be my future.
While I ate, I allowed myself to think about Markus. I’d been so nervous when he’d been the one assigned to test me, and he’d turned out to be great. Really great. Like, surprisingly really great.
I was in serious danger of having a crush. In fact, I thought I was already there. I laughed out loud. Just like Wonderland. Not even here a weekend, and already a crush on the instructor. I’d have to be careful. Markus had the perfect balance of charm, and magnetism, and… and that wasn’t always a good thing.
As I was thinking about how nice his smile was, he appeared in my line of vision. I wanted to wave, but I didn’t want to look stupid. When he saw me, he made a beeline for the table where I sat.
“Hey, sorry to bother you during your lunch, but Bob forgot to give you the pass for the day.” He handed over a plastic pass on a lanyard. “Hang onto this until you get here next week and get your staff ID. This will let you ski the rest of the day if you like.”
I took it. “Thank you. I was thinking about skiing a bit more and heading back home. I don’t know what the traffic will be like.” I looked down and back up. Markus was still standing there, looking like he wanted to say something.
“Hey! I’m sorry! I’m so rude. You want to join me?”
He sat down so fast I wondered if he was waiting for me to ask. I brushed that thought away. Why would he be interested in me? He was so much more beautiful than I was. The women here must be falling over themselves to go out with him. I wondered if he had a girlfriend, and a frown crossed my face at the thought.
“You all right?” He asked.
Shit. That wasn’t subtle at all. “Yeah, I’m good. Still thinking about the traffic.”
He leaned back. “It’s not bad. I live in the City also, and I drive back on Sunday night sometimes.”
My eyebrows went up before I could stop them. He seemed like the full-on instructor type. “You do? What do you do?”
He shrugged. “I don’t do anything, although I’m considering going back to school. Life hasn’t gone the way I planned. So, I work here while I figure it out.”
“That’s kind of nice.”
“I guess. But hey,” he smiled, wiping away the pensive expression that had been there a moment before, “I get to ski most of the week. That’s not a bad way to figure things out.”
“No, it’s not. Are you having lunch?”
“Yes. I have a private lesson at one, so I should eat beforehand. You’ll be here?”
When I nodded, he left his stuff on the chair next to me and went to get in line. I watched him walk away. It seemed almost criminal that he was so handsome. And apparently so nice.
But a ski bum.
That’s one thing I hadn’t considered about all my crushes growing up. Faced with it, however, I could remember my dad mentioning it. Particularly as I got older. He told me to stay away from ski bums.
Markus didn’t come off like someone rootless or lost. I sighed. This was why I needed to be out of my normal environment. I didn’t know the first thing about men. So many of the women I knew were getting married and having kids, and I couldn’t even get a date.
When Markus came back to the table carrying a tray, I decided that regardless of his future plans, or lack thereof, I was going to go out with him if he asked. I might be assuming an awful lot, but it felt good to make that call to myself. He was so good looking, and I was so me, but if he asked, I was saying yes.
Otherwise, how would I find out whether my Mr. Right was out there?
As he sat down, and right after he’d taken his first bite of his sandwich, a stunning woman came up to the table.
“Markus! I didn’t see you this morning. Where have you been?”
Markus looked up, and half smiled around his food. Once he’d finished chewing, he said, “Hey, Savannah. I was doing an interview.”
“Oh? Where is he?” She looked around.
She was tall and slender, and her outfit fit like runway clothes on her, even though she was wearing the navy-blue ski pants and royal blue jacket that all the ski school staff wore. She wore a headband that sat perfectly on her head, and she had sunny blond hair and light blue eyes. She was gorgeous. The perfect foil for someone like Markus.
My declarations about accepting a date with him withered like vines in the scorching sun.
“It’s not a he. It’s Annalise, and she’s sitting right here,” he gestured at me.
The look she tossed my way could have cut steel it was so sharp. “Oh, well, how nice? How did she do?”
OK, that pissed me off. I opened my mouth to say something, but Markus beat me to it.
“She was awesome. I was impressed,” he added.
Hmm. Maybe he sa
w the same shit I did.
“Annalise starts next weekend.”
“Well, Annabelle, congratulations,” Savannah said with a completely fake smile.
Oh, hell no. I might be new here, but I didn’t take this sort of nonsense. “It’s Annalise,” I said, stressing the last syllable, “and thank you. I’m looking forward to it. Markus was great, really helpful.” I added that last bit merely to be snide.
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, then she smiled, and turned the full wattage onto Markus. “That he is. Speaking of which, are you headed back tonight? If not, I think we’re all going out,” she laid a hand on his shoulder.
“That’s my cue,” I said, standing up and gathering my trash. “Markus, thank you so much for everything today. Savannah, nice to meet you. I’m going to go ski some more before I have to get home.”
“You’re not staying up here?” Savannah didn’t even hide her pleasure.
“Nope, I have a job and a loft in the City. I’m weekends only.”
“Well we’ll see you next weekend,” Savannah said, leaning in to Markus.
“I’m sure,” I said. “You know, it’s better if you pee on him and get it over with. It’s a lot less trouble.”
Savannah’s mouth fell open, and Markus burst out laughing.
His laughter followed me out the door. Whatever had happened, Savannah was surely not going to be my friend. But she wasn’t, anyway. And I think I’d won that round.
I was smiling as I rode the lift up.
Markus
I watched Annalise walk away. Savannah was still talking next to me, but I didn’t hear her. I was too busy watching the confidence radiate off of Annalise. She was fantastic. And the conversational bomb she dropped with a smile was also fantastic.
“Markus! Have you heard anything I said?” Savannah stepped back to glare at me.
“I’m sorry, I wandered for a minute.”
“Yes, I bet you did,” she said with a glare in the direction Annalise had gone. “Are you staying up here? You didn’t answer my question.”
“Um, I don’t really know. I usually decide at the end of the day, depending on how I feel.”
She cocked her head, a flirtatious look coming over her face. “Well, how about you feel like it tonight?”
The promise of something, whatever she had in mind, was all over her. “I’ll see. Listen, I need to finish eating. I have my lesson to get to.”
“OK, I’ll see you later,” She gave me an intense look and left.
Not so much intense as bunny boiler. I needed to shut down whatever plans Savannah had about her and me. Even if there wasn’t Annalise—I stopped myself. There wasn’t Annalise. I mean, she was interesting and made me laugh, but that was it.
Being honest with myself, I had to admit I wanted more. Hanging out with her today had been great. I didn’t think she was interested in me though. She wasn’t giving off the flirtation vibes. She was in the middle of an interview, so perhaps I needed to get over myself.
I finished eating and laughed quietly at myself as I went to the school. I probably needed to get over myself as it was. Then I put all the thoughts of Annalise Walsh right out of my head. When it was time to work, it was time to work.
Then why didn’t you when you were doing her interview? The annoying voice in my head asked.
I ignored the voice and went to find out who my students were.
After work, and my students, who were a lovely older couple wanting to try something new, I was talked into hanging out. I didn’t have anything to do, and the staff was having a party. Shane, the lift operator, and a couple of other instructors weren’t taking no for an answer.
I showered and went over to Cabin 1, who was hosting. The music was loud before I even got there. Jimmy Buffett of all things. When I walked in, a couple of the guys shouted hello and handed me a beer.
We stood around the keg talking until I felt an arm snake around my waist. I turned around to see Savannah all done up and smiling widely at me.
She was a good-looking girl, but she made me think of a piranha. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hi, yourself. Get me a beer?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Really? If I’d looked closely, I would bet she was batting her eyelashes. I filled a cup and handed it to her, then deliberately turned back to the other guys.
Landon, who was next to me, nudged me. “Dude,” he said.
“What?”
He looked pointedly over my shoulder. I followed his eyes. Of course, she was still there. I sighed and turned halfway toward Savannah. The wide, piranha-like smile was still there, but some of the sweetness was already gone. “Did you need another one?” I asked.
“No. But I wanted to talk to you!”
I gave her a look. “I’ll catch up with you later.” I turned back to the guys I’d been talking with. None of whom were saying a thing. The drama playing out in front of them was too good. I heard a huff that could only be described as irritated behind me and then I guess she got the hint and walked off. I assumed as much because the guys started to talk again.
“Whoa, did you just blow off Savannah?” Landon asked.
“Yeah, that was kind of brutal,” Shane added.
“You got balls,” Tim said.
I shrugged. “If you’re not interested, you’re not interested. And hey, thanks for leaving me hanging.”
“I wasn’t getting anywhere near that,” Shane said with a laugh. “You are totally on your own, bro.”
“Well, that means she’s still available,” I gave them a grin.
“Speaking of which, who was the hottie you were with today?” Shane thankfully changed the subject.
“Her name is Annalise. She was doing an interview.”
“Sweet! She’s going to be working here? You guys need to check her out. She’s totally hot,” Shane said, addressing Tim and Landon.
“Yeah, she is.”
“Excellent. Always good to get more ladies,” Landon said. “It’s pretty unbalanced here.”
The conversation turned to the demo coming up next week, and I was glad. I didn’t want to talk about Annalise with these guys. I was older than most of them and was essentially on a break from real life. I cared about more than hanging out, partying, and skiing. They weren’t bad guys, we just didn’t have a lot in common.
They for damn sure didn’t have much in common with Annalise. I realized I didn’t know much about her either, and I was spending a lot of time thinking about a girl that I’d just met. A lot of naked thoughts, truth be told.
With all these pleasant visions rattling around, I called it a night and went back to my cabin. I drove home early Monday morning. As I walked back into my place, I was checking the mail when my phone rang. Cara’s number flashed on the screen. I stared at the phone, debating whether I needed to answer it, and decided what the hell.
“Hello?”
“Markus, hi. It’s me.”
“What’s up?”
“I, well, I’ve been thinking.”
“OK. And?”
“I would like to see you. Please don’t go all cold. This is hard for me.”
“I would imagine.” She was the one who’d left me, after my parents died, when I was up to my ass in work and trying to sort all their crap out. This was hard for her?
“Can we meet somewhere?”
“No, Cara. I’m sorry. It hurt when you left, but I’ve figured out it was probably a good call on your part. We don’t have the same goals, and we aren’t on the same path. I will have to politely decline your invitation.” My voice got icy like it did when I was in the middle of court, or a negotiation with a tough adversary.
“Markus, please—”
“Goodbye, Cara. Take care of yourself.” I hung up and walked into my bedroom, tossing the phone on the bed. I didn’t go for the whole blocking thing when you fell out with people, but I might have to if she didn't take the hint.
That night,
when I fell asleep, I dreamed of Annalise, laughing as we skied down a mountain together.
The next two weeks, I found that Bob put Annalise with me for her shadowing. We were with the young kids classes. She did great even though they made her nervous. She stayed in one of the women’s cabins while she was at Wonderland, but she didn’t hang out, or go to bars like so many of the employees did after work. In fact, I rarely saw her after the lessons were over.
On the second Sunday we’d worked together, I sat next to her at lunch while we watched our charges for the weekend, and bit into my grilled cheese.
“Hey, how are things going?” I asked her quietly.
She gave me a look. “You’ve been with me both weekends that I’ve been working here, Markus. What do you think?”
“I think you’re doing well. But, how are you? I never see you after class.”
“Oh, are you looking?” She laughed as she said it. “Even though I run up here and away from New York every weekend, I still have work. I’m usually in my room, answering emails and going through numbers.”
“I hope you get paid for that,” I said.
She nodded. “I’m on salary, which would suck normally, but after my first year, I went in to see one of the partners, and told him I was either going to make an hourly on the weekend, or he could find someone else.”
“That worked for you?” I was surprised she still had a job.
“I’m good at what I do. Plus,” she smiled, “They didn’t want to have to explain firing one of the few women. I also know they pay some of the employees for their weekend work. I went in armed and ready,” she added.
“I’m impressed.”
“Thank you.”
“So why are you spending your weekend up here? It can’t be for the money.”
“Not even close. No, it’s because I was in danger,” she added with a small laugh.
“Of?” This was getting interesting.
“Turning into a cat lady. Work, and home. Work and home. Nothing else.”
“You have cats?”