“You talk to Dad at all?” I asked. I hadn’t heard from the man in forever. He’d forgotten my annual birthday call this past year, and I hadn’t bothered to call him for Christmas.
“He called to ask me about an investment opportunity last month. It was a really heartfelt conversation,” Nathan said sarcastically.
“Good old Dad,” I said with a dry chuckle.
“Yeah, well. What else is new?” I could hear Nathan typing on the other end of the phone. “I thought things were okay with you and Mom, though.”
“They’re fine.” And thingswerefine. Kind of.
“If they were fine, you’d take her calls.”
I unhooked the chin strap of my helmet, suddenly feeling suffocated by it. “I talked to her a couple of weeks ago. And I always answer her texts…eventually.”
The truth was, ever since Nathan and I had mended our relationship, all of my mother’s flaws had become a hell of a lot more apparent to me. She’d always seemed so fun and lighthearted growing up. The complete opposite of my father. He and Nathan were all logic and ambition.
So our family dynamic had always been my mother and me against the two of them. I hadn’t realized quite how fucked up that was until I’d finally moved out. Then our parents got divorced in the least surprising twist of the century. And now that Nathan and I were closer, it was us against our parents. The way it honestly always should have been.
I couldn’t take talking to my mother lately. She was an expert at playing the martyr and guilt-tripping me over every little thing.
“You know she combusts if she doesn’t talk to you a few times a week.”
“I’m trying to wean her off that habit,” I said dryly.
“Well, try harder. I’m sick of ignoring her calls too.”
“Will do, bro.” I had no intention of actually making good on that promise, but I still held out hope that she’d finally get the hint that I didn’t want to talk to her right now.
“How’s Key Ridge?” Nathan asked.
I sucked in a breath of the icy air, peeking back at the now-empty mountain. “Feels like I was meant to be here.”
“I’m happy for you, then,” he said.
“You and Charlie should come down for a weekend,” I said, referring to his wife.
There was a long pause before Nathan said, “We’ll see.”
That was the same response I’d gotten from him the other day when we’d spoken. I was kind of surprised Nathan wasn’t clamoring to visit. He hadn’t been much for outdoor sports when he’d first moved to Colorado two years ago, but he’d grown to love snowboarding.
Nathan told me he had to go deal with some things before hanging up.
I stood on the walkway in front of the lodge. The one that led to the small neon open sign by Marie’s. The sun had set behind the mountains, casting everything in a bluish hue. It would have been peaceful had there not been tourists packing into every restaurant and bar in sight after a long day on the slopes.
Rather than pushing open Marie’s door, I bypassed it and made my way straight to Bev’s house, located directly behind the lodge, and headed for the studio above the garage. I’ddrop my snowboard off and change first. Another perk of staying right at the base.
Once in my apartment, I peeled off my layers and grabbed a pair of sweatpants out of my oversized duffel bag. I hadn’t bothered to unpack yet. I was the type of person who could live out of a suitcase for weeks.
This job and move might have been out of the blue, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. My best friend, Harrison, who I’d moved out to Colorado with, had moved out of my house to move in with his girlfriend. I hated to get all sappy, but we’d been roommates for years, and being in that place without him felt wrong.
Being on the road like this, slightly aimless, felt right. And Key Ridge was fucking perfect. If I played my cards right, maybe I’d get asked back for next season too. And then I could do something else over the summer months. I wasn’t sure yet—biking, rock climbing. There were a ton of seasonal jobs in these mountain towns. Whatever I chose, going straight back to Denver after this wasn’t an option.
Maybe I could even try out another state or something. The possibilities were endless. My brother was married. Harrison and his girlfriend, Lila, were attached at the hip. Everyone in my life was settling down, but that didn’t mean I had to.
I was a wanderer at heart. I thrived on little responsibility and no long-term plans.
Knowing what was next was none of my business.
SEVEN
