5
Jeff skied up to the lodge and came to a stop. The mountain had been cleared, and it was time to head home. After the incident with Noah and Jessa, Jeff had skied for a bit with Megan before being called away to help with an injury. He was a little disappointed he couldn’t hang out with her more. She was funny and outgoing, something he enjoyed immensely against his more introverted nature.
Jeff rode the gondola down to the resort alone. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to relaxing. A text pinged his phone as the gondola got closer to the resort.
Jessa: Um, sorry about everything you saw earlier. You two up for some dinner on us?
Noah: *sorry, not sorry*
Megan: I’ll take a sorry, not sorry dinner.
Jeff: I’m in.
He smiled at the group message and suddenly wasn’t tired anymore.
Jeff drove back to his place and took a quick shower before changing into jeans and a sweatshirt. It was bitterly cold out, and the snow was still coming down in sheets. Then he drove back to the resort. Jessa had let them know to meet at the resort bar, and Jeff knew exactly why—the nachos.
When he stepped through the door of the bar, his friend Dixie was behind the counter. She had worked at the resort for as long as he had lived in Wintervale. The town may have been small, but there wasn’t a shortage of friends there.
“Hey, Jeff. What can I get ya?” she asked.
“The seasonal beer on Noah.”
She laughed. “Does Noah know that?”
“He sure does.”
Dixie poured the beer before sliding it across the counter to him. “Should I keep the tab open?”
“Yes, please.”
Megan walked through the doors at that moment, looking around before spotting him. He smiled, and she walked up. “Hey. We the first here?”
“Looks that way,” he said. “Get a drink on Noah.”
Megan laughed. “Hey, Dixie. Could I get the seasonal beer?”
Jeff’s eyebrows raised. “The seasonal, huh?”
“It’s delicious.”
“It sure is,” Jeff said, taking another pull.
Dixie slid the glass across the counter to Megan. “I’ll put in an order of nachos for you. On Noah, of course.”
Megan smiled brightly. “That would be delightful.”
Jeff and Megan walked over to an empty table and took a seat.
“How long are you in town?” Jeff asked.
“Only until tomorrow. The heat calls to me,” Megan said.
He laughed. “Where to next?”
“Arizona. I have some family down there, so I thought I’d go for a visit and then figure it out from there.”
Jeff didn’t know much about Megan’s life except that she traveled a lot. Noah always talked about how Jessa would meet up with Megan in random cities every few months. He couldn’t even imagine having that lifestyle and not settling down in one place.
