“That and the neon orange coat you’ve been walking around town in.” She laughed. “Only someone that didn’t have any options would buy a coat like that.”
I groaned. “I swear it was all they had.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she replied, waving off my misery. “I’ve got so many coats I’ve been meaning to donate. I’ll give you one.”
“That would be amazing, Erin. Thank you.”
“Of course.” She paused. “So, not to pry, but you didn’t answer my question earlier. What brings you to town? It seems like a lot to move halfway across the country just for a job at our lil’ ol’ lodge.”
“The company I work for manages properties. When this job came up, I thought it sounded like a fun adventure.” I was purposefully being evasive, but I also didn’t want to bring up the sore subject that was my ex-boyfriend and former life.
Erin nodded, seeming to sense that I was holding back. I felt guilty. This was the first person genuinely trying to get to know me, and I was being surface-level with her.
“Actually, that’s not quite the whole truth.” I hesitated before continuing. “I decided to move here after I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me. We lived together, and I thought we were going to get married. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the gory details but long story short, I desperately needed a fresh start.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. That royally sucks.” She pursed her lips and looked down at her sandwich. “You know, before Johnny, my high school boyfriend cheated on me. With my friend, too. Can you imagine that? I can’t believe I was so dense that I didn’t realize they were sneaking around behind my back for weeks.”
I choked on the bite I had just taken and started violently coughing.
“That’s terrible.” I managed to spew out.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here. It’s fun to have someone new in town.” She threw her finger up as if thinking of a brilliant idea. “Johnny and I are having a bonfire this weekend. You have to come.”
“That would be great.” I was buzzing with energy at the thought of having plans unrelated to work. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. It’ll be so much fun. Just a few friends. It’s a potluck but no need to bring anything fancy.”
I refrained from admitting that I was a terrible cook. Hopefully, chips and salsa would suffice as a dish.
“Sounds like fun,” I replied, smiling.
We carried on for a while longer until we both finished our food. It was nice to talk to a friendly face for a change. It made me realize how much I missed Frankie. I needed to text her.
As if sensing my good mood, Giles appeared out of thin air and stood expectantly at the front desk.
“Giles.” Erin threw her arms around him in an embrace.
To my surprise, he didn’t recoil. I guess it was just my cheery demeanor he couldn’t stand.
“Hey,” I greeted him weakly.
He nodded in my direction, barely acknowledging my existence.
“Erin, Jonny wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry, but he completely forgot about lunch. He had to take Bev to her appointment. It’s my fault. I was supposed to go, but something came up at work.”
“What came up?” I asked.
He had mentioned working at the ski resort but had otherwise been evasive about what he did. Honestly, I assumed he had money from his days professionally snowboarding, and he just worked at the resort for fun.
His brown eyes flicked over to mine. He looked almost pained that I once again had the nerve to engage him in small talk.
“It was nothing.”
I rolled my eyes at his obnoxiously vague response. Little did he know my ability to prattle on knew no bounds. “Well, what do you do there?”
He sighed as if my polite chitchat was some sort of interrogation. Erin must have caught on to his coldness because she elbowed him in the ribs.
“Giles does lessons a few days a week. He also manages the lifties.”
