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I walked over to the window and watched as two or three people skirted down the mountain, taking advantage of the empty slopes on Christmas Day. The crowd would be back, bright and early the next day, ready to ski in their brand-new clothes and with their brand-new equipment. It was always crazy between Christmas and New Year’s, and today was one of the few days I got to relax. It was a shame I was feeling a bit melancholy. I didn’t have anyone to celebrate Christmas with, and though normally it was Glen and I going it alone, he had taken a last-minute flight back home for the holidays, missing his family and deciding it was important to spend more time with his mother and father since they were getting older. I couldn’t lie. I understood completely how he felt, but going home for me wasn’t something I really had any interest in doing. So, there I was, sitting at the bar in Aspen, spending Christmas with a cool bottle of beer and probably many more to come.
I drank some more of my drink and moved back over to the bar, pulling up a seat and looking at the muted television. A Christmas Story was on, and I smiled to myself, remembering how Bea looked when she first came to my beginners’ class for skiing. I didn’t even know it was her, she was bundled up so tightly, and then the laughter that came from her chest echoed through the whole mountain, making anyone in range smile at her light and love. I looked up at the bartender as I finished my beer.
“Will you have to work all day?” I asked.
“No, sir.”
“Please, call me Cameron,” I said, smiling.
“No, Cameron, I am the day shift,” he said. “It usually gets pretty busy in here when everyone is done with family and needs a drink. They have a night crew coming in for that. We all drew straws to see when we would work.”
“That stinks,” I said. “If you are going to work, you should at least be given a decent money shift.”
“Just part of the job.” He smiled. “What about you? What are your plans for the day?”
“Well, so far, I am planning on continuing to drink these beers and keep you company.” I laughed. “I travel, so I am usually never in my hometown for Christmas. I am used to it, but with my buddy being gone, I have decided that this is as good a day as any to drink my way through the jingling bells.”
“If I didn’t have to work, I would join you.” He laughed.
“I appreciate the sentiment.” I smiled. “I may take a slight break, halfway through the day, and take to the slopes for a couple hours, but that really depends on how many whiskeys I decide to have between beers.”
“Well, here is your first,” he said, pouring me a shot. “This one is on the house. A Christmas gift from us to you.”
“I feel terrible. I left yours at home.” I laughed.
I drank the shot and set down the glass, closing my eyes and feeling the warmth flow through me. I guessed it was a little pathetic to be getting drunk by myself on Christmas, but I had nothing better to do with my time, so I thought, why not? Besides, was it really considered getting drunk alone when the bartender was there with you? I smiled at the thought of Glen surrounded by his family this morning, unwrapping some terrible socks and some even worse sweaters. As the thoughts ran through my head, I opened my eyes, feeling a hand lay softly on my shoulder.
I looked down at the pretty, red fingernails and smiled, smelling Bea’s sweet scent. I turned in my seat and looked at her. She was standing there with her beautiful hair curled into ringlets and pulled back with a red bow. She was wearing a mid-length white dress with bells on the hem, and her lips were painted crimson in color. She looked absolutely breathtaking. I reached out and took her hand, pulling it to my lips.
“Merry Christmas,” I said, smiling.
“Merry Christmas,” she replied, her cheeks glowing bright red.
I couldn’t remember the last time I looked at a woman and felt completely blown away by how beautiful they really were. This time, I could barely speak. Bea was a vision, standing there, ready to sit down and spend at least a moment of her Christmas by my side. She was a more than welcomed vision, and I was excited to see her standing there.
“May I buy you a drink?”
“I would love that,” she said, pulling out the stool and sitting down.
“Anything that the lady desires,” I said, winking at the bartender.
“I’ll have an Irish coffee,” she replied, turning toward me. “It doesn’t count if it’s in coffee, right?”
“I never saw a thing,” I responded with a deep laugh. “So, what brings you down to the lounge this Christmas morning?”
“I figured I’d find you around here somewhere,” she said, laughing.
“You know me too well already,” I replied with a smile, glancing up at the TV and seeing the little boy all dressed up in his snow gear. “Look, it’s you, the first time I ever talked to you.”
“Very funny,” she said, slapping me on the arm. “Wasn’t that the first time you ever saw me, too?”
“No, actually,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I saw you for the first time when you arrived here. I immediately tried to find you, knowing I just couldn’t go another day without speaking to you, but then I lost you. I went out to the courtyard, seeing you down there, but by the time I got there, you were gone.”
“Wait, so I was who you were looking for?”
“What?”
“After the courtyard, I came inside and went upstairs,” she replied. “As the elevator doors closed, I saw you walk in front of them, standing there looking for someone.”
