Noah nodded. “Yes. Those were my parents, my other two brothers, and my niece.”
“No sisters?”
He shook his head. “I’m sure my mom wanted a daughter at some point, but she got all boys. But she’s got my niece now that she can spoil. How about you? Any siblings?”
Jessa shook her head. “No. I’m an only child.”
Noah’s life was chaotic growing up. He grew up in this small town helping at the resort since he was a young child. He and his siblings ran around together, playing and exploring the trails.Rarely did they spend time indoors. He wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I can’t imagine not having siblings.”
“It’s all I know. I can’t imagine having siblings, although I’m sure it’s fun. I always wished I had a sister. But Megan is kind of the sister I never had.”
The server walked over and set their meals down in front of them before disappearing again.
“How many cities have you visited?”
Jessa shrugged. “A lot. I’ve lost count, but I’ve been to every state at least once. My family traveled a lot growing up.”
“And you said you’re from Arizona, right?”
She smiled timidly. “I always get weird trying to answer that question because we never stayed in one place for long, but I usually say Arizona just because it’s where the company I work is based. My parents traveled with work, and we were always on the go. They are both photographers and would work on commission or for magazines. I was primarily homeschooled since we never stayed in one place long.”
Noah couldn’t imagine a life like that. Never having friends in one spot or a place to call home. Living out of hotels. It didn’t sound fun.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“I guess you could say I did. I mean, I still do it now, but it’s really all I know. Settling in one place gets me restless. I’m just not used to it.”
Noah’s stomach sank. This was a first date. He knew nothing could come of it, so why did hearing her not wanting to settle in one place disappoint him so much?
“I wish I had a home base, though. Someplace to always go back to and call home. That’s something I never had. Aside from the occasional trip to visit my grandparents’ place in Texasbefore they passed.” She took a sip of her drink and speared a piece of broccoli.
“Where are your parents now? Still traveling?”
She smiled. “Yes. They’re currently doing a world cruise. It’s nine months long.”
“Wow. That sounds fun… and long.”
She giggled, and his heart tripped in his chest. The sound was music to his ears.
“Yes, a very long time to be at sea, but it’s right up their alley. They enjoy it and that’s all that matters. We try to meet up at least once a year to see each other. Otherwise, it’s a lot of video calls.” She took a sip of her water. “But enough about me. Tell me about you and your family. What all do you do at the resort?”
Noah leaned back in his seat. “Well, you know I’m ski patrol. My mom runs the backend, like keeping track of the expenses, the accounting. My dad helps with that and just doing anything else that needs work, like maintenance. Jackson does the landscape. Gardening in the summer, snow removal in the winter. That sort of thing. My brother Ethan is the adventure guide; hikes, cross country skiing, mountain biking. Anything adventurous. My youngest brother Miles is the chef at the restaurant.”
“And who does your niece belong to?”
“She is Miles’s daughter.”
Jessa nodded. “So what do you do when there isn’t any snow on the mountain?”
“I help with maintaining the grounds. Keep things running during the summer when we are open for mountain biking and hiking. We have a first-aid station up there for anyone who gets injured, so I hang out on the mountain in case of injuries.”
Jessa finished her bite of food before taking another sip of water. “How did you all decide who would do which jobs?”
Noah shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we just kind of fell into it. We were never told we had to do one thing, and our parents never asked us to stay in Wintervale. We basically all just took over an area we enjoyed doing and made it our own. I lived on the slopes as a kid. Skiing from the moment the mountain opened until the mountain closed. At the time, we had a guy named George who used to run the ski patrol. He has long since retired, but he started teaching me about it. It really interested me, so I took some classes to be an EMT so I would know how to handle situations. When George wanted to retire, he suggested I take over.”
Noah shook his head at the memory with a smile on his face. When George approached Noah about taking over, Noah was surprised. He was only twenty and didn’t feel like he knew enough to do that. It was only later that he realized George had been training him to take over.
“It’s always been enjoyable for me. I get to spend my day on the mountain doing runs. What more could I ask for?”
Except someone to spend it with.
The thought hit him like a freight train. Being with Jessa now had him wanting to be with someone. He didn’t realize how much he had missed spending time with a woman.
She smiled softly at him. “That sounds ideal.”
It was. Now he just needed to fill the last little void in his heart. And he wondered if Jessa might just be the person to do it.
