“I’ll be fine,” I insisted.
Mattie turned to address the bartender—Dave, was it? “She’s having a bit of a mental breakdown at the moment,” she said. “Please don’t let her drink too much.” With that, she walked away from us and headed toward the exit.
I scowled at her back, before turning back to Dave. “Am not,” I said, picking up another fry. Then I offered, “I got fired.”
Dave had already returned his attention back to the drink he was making. “I’m no babysitter,” he said.
“Then can I have one more drink?” I asked, batting my eyelashes innocently.
Dave chuckled and eyed the margarita still in front of me. Then, he slid a full glass toward me that looked suspiciously like straight soda water. Part of me wanted to object, but the more rational side of my brain recognized that I was plenty buzzed. The headache already threatening to make an appearance in the morning was thankful for this.
“Any plans while you’re in town?” Dave asked as he pulled the taps. Amber liquid flowed into the beer glasses he held.
“Umm…” I pursed my lips. In reality, I hadn’t spent a single minute thinking about what I wanted to do with my newfound freedom, or my time in Key Ridge for that matter. I had been thinking one singular thought when I’d bought that plane ticket—escape. “I don’t know, I guess.”
“Well, Key Ridge is a pretty magical place. I hope you findwhat you’re looking for here,” he said, before he walked away to serve the beers.
I frowned and took another large sip of my drink. Little did he know, the only thing that I was looking for was a new job that would get me out of this town as quickly as possible.
Now left alone to my own thoughts, I started making a mental to-do list. Update my résumé. Sign up for job-searching sites. Rerecord my voicemail so it sounded more professional. Let my roommates know I would be out of town for an indefinite amount of time.
I groaned thinking about the girls that I lived with. I owned my condo, and being the financially responsible person that I was, I had always rented out my spare bedrooms to cover the mortgage. I wasn’t close with the girls that lived there now. I knew them from work, but we weren’t friends by any stretch of the imagination. Aside from the occasional happy hours and work talk, I knew nothing about them. But now, after all this, I never wanted to face them again. Their sympathetic eyes as they’d pout and tell me how sorry they were. Ugh, I couldn’t take it. I already felt pathetic enough.
I slurped down the remainder of my margarita and rested my cheek in my hand.
The front door opening caught my attention, but only because of the guy who’d just stepped inside. He was tall—definitely over six feet. His shaggy dark hair was tucked into a beanie and it poked out in a careless way that still somehow looked perfect. I couldn’t describe his face as anything other than boyishly charming. Like he had a permanent twinkle in his eye or something like that. The stranger brushed off a few snowflakes from his tan jacket. I knew I should turn around so that he wouldn’t catch me staring, but I was completely taken with his face. I found myself wondering what his smile lookedlike. But when he looked up, our eyes met for only a second before I jerked my gaze forward.
The last thing I needed was some random local thinking I was sending out some flirtatious vibe. I had way more important things to think about aside from how a man was perceiving me. No matter how attractive he was.
Even though I’d already told myself that I didn’t care, I still found my fingers frantically brushing through the ends of my messy, wavy hair, attempting to tame it. I froze when I felt a presence looming over the empty barstool next to mine.
“This seat taken?”
TWO
Oliver
“Hey, I just got in.”
“Nice,” Giles said on the other end of the phone. “Did you stop by The Ridge?”
“I’m here.” I looked up at the worn wooden sign. The bar was right off Main Street and Giles had already told me it would be the only place open this late to grab something to eat.
“Get some food, and by the time you’re done, the apartment should be all set up for you. I just got off the phone with Mattie and she said she’s finishing it up now. If she’s gone when you get there, it’s above the garage of the address I gave you, and my Aunt Bev left a key under the welcome mat.”
I smiled at that. Leaving a key under the mat? How small-town cliché. Key Ridge was just as charming as I remembered it being. I’d only been once, a few years back, but the memory of my time here had always stuck out to me. The streets were quaint, the people were nice, plus it was a stone’s throw away from some of the best snowboarding and hiking Colorado had to offer.
It was quite the drive from Denver, so I hadn’t had the chance to make it out here in ages, but I was psyched to be here for the rest of the ski season.
“Thanks again for hooking it up, man. I’m excited to be here.” I cradled my phone between the side of my face and my shoulder as I patted my coat pocket to double-check I hadn’t left my wallet back in my car parked around the corner.
“No, seriously, Ollie, thank you for coming. Johnny leaving was unexpected and it’s tough to find snowboard instructors late-season like this. And you know how it’s been lately. Bookings at the lodge are crazy, and of course, everyone wants a private lesson.”
“I’m your guy,” I said.
“Hey, I’ve got to run, Mattie’s calling me. But why don’t you stop by tomorrow for breakfast and then we can head to the hill together? I’ll show you around.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”
