Once I show Lana and she nods to confirm, I hit send. I put my phone down and lean further back in my chair. I really hope Everest is my mystery man. He sure looks like him. Even his name sounds perfect.
“Sheesh, that was stressful,” I say, “now we’ve gotta find you a man.”
“Oh, no you don’t! This is about you, not me. I’ll be fine watching you talk to yours,” she says.
“Watching me talk to mine?” I laugh. What does that even mean? “Lana, relax. Once we get a couple drinks in you, you will be glad I found you one. Leave it to me, your best friend. Have I ever done you wrong?” I ask her with big, puppy-dog eyes.
“No, but…” She starts.
“But nothing! Now, what is your type? Should we keep looking at men with blue eyes or are you wanting someone with green or brown eyes?” I ask.
“Umm, I want someone with personality,” she says through laughter. She’s so innocent and wholesome.
“Lana, you don’t get personality with one-night stands, now pick your preferred eye color.”
Lana and I can barely breathe at this point. We are laughing so hard at ourselves and each other. I think the martinis are getting to us.
“Okay, then Italian!” Lana says, “with huge muscles!”
“That’s not an eye color!” I say through short breaths. This girl is killing me!
“I know, but that’s what I want. An Italian!”
“Bitch, then you need to go to Italy for that! But okay, let's see what we can find you.”
I don’t think we are going to find her an Italian man here in Colorado, but we can always be hopeful. At the very least, I can find her a hot snowboarder. If we find my mystery man, maybe he will have a friend or a brother for Lana.
I turn to Lana, “If Tinder gives us nothing, we’re storming the men’s sauna and saying we thought it was co-ed.”
Oops.
6
Aspen
Tossing and turning all night long. That girl in the green bikini won’t leave my head. All day, every hour, she’s just... there. And it’s my first day teaching snowboarding. Great. Just what I needed — to be up on my feet and focused, teaching a bunch of amateurs to not die on the bunny hill, but my brain? Nope, it’s fixated on some mystery chick who probably doesn’t even remember my name. Keep it together, Aspen. I’ve always wanted to instruct and now I’m finally here. I just need to get this mystery girl out of my head so I can keep my head on straight and not fly off the mountain.
I took a bump before heading into work so I could make it through the day, and this morning, I did a pretty good job. Everyone I was teaching today needed to be on the bunny hill, the beginner hill, so I was going back to the basics. Teaching snowboarding is always a trip. Watching these people look like baby giraffes trying to walk for the first time. They fall, a lot. But it’s not the falling that’s the hardest part, it’s the getting back up. Kind of like breaking up with someone. Getting up off your ass after you fall is the hardest thing. Like... starting over. Yeah, that’s a bit too close to home right now. Especially when the girl I can’t get out of my head is a total stranger.
After a pretty successful morning, I head to lunch.
Raul’s hand shoots out as I walk past. “Hey man, could you do me a favor?” he asks, his voice a little too chipper.
“Sure, as long as it’s not wiping your ass crack.” he laughs and I can't tell if he knows I’m just being an asshole, or if I actually amuse him."
He smirks, “Can you deliver this paycheck to Loretta at the spa. She just moved apartments so the check I mailed came back. I want to make sure she gets it in time.”
“No problem boss,” I tell him, grabbing the envelope from his hand.
I try to think what will get me there the fastest. Riding or driving? I decide riding. So I grab my board that I had left on the rack outside and strap one foot back in to ride the lift up. I get up there quick and ride all the way to the left so that I can head in the direction of the spa.
When I walk in, I’m greeted with beautiful smells and kind faces. I tell Lauren at the front deck I’m delivering something to Loretta so she lets me pass by. At Smoky Pine Ridge, we are a family, everybody knows everybody, but that also goes with living in a small town. Which is one of the many reasons I love living here. I walk in the main spa room and see women getting their nails done, getting their feet massaged and some taking a mud bath.
Not gonna lie, the women in the mud bath look a little scary. They kind of look like groot. I continue to glance the room for Loretta and I find her over in the corner giving a foot massage.
“Hey, Loretta. Delivery from the boss,” I tell her.
“Thank you, Aspen! You’re so kind for coming out here.”
