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“L’Argent?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
Matthew nods as he takes his seat at the head of the table, to my right. Sully sits across from me, and Jason settles next to him after bringing the wine and the water from the cooler. “It’s our favorite spot in Aspen,” Matthew says. “The best food in the state, if you ask me.”
“He’s also friends with the chef, so he gets a generous discount and all the garlic bread he can eat whenever he’s in town,” Jason chuckles.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I reply, half-smiling.
Sully fills my glass with sparkling water while I try to decide between tonight’s wine options. Red looks good. I read something about the Burgundy region on the label but given how little I know about wine in general, I’ll rather just nod at the bottle and let Sully serve me a glass, instead. I’m so nervous. My hands are slightly shaking, and I’m working overtime to keep my movements in check. Jason eyes me intently, his blue eyes burning.
“How are you feeling tonight, Selina?” he asks.
“Oh, much better, thank you. Turns out all I needed was a proper hot shower,” I chuckle. “I’m just sorry I didn’t have anything nicer to wear. I left most of my stuff back at Kieran’s place, and I haven’t had a chance to—”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Matthew cuts in. “When we get back to Providence, we’ll figure something out in order to get everything of yours back.”
“You don’t have to,” I say, lowering my gaze.
“We want to,” Sully says. “For what it’s worth, green suits you perfectly.” He’s referring to my mint green turtleneck that is currently feeling like a vice around my neck.
My cheeks feel warm. I’m hot all over, actually, trying not to think about Cynthia’s diary. It made for a compelling read, and I honestly can’t wait to get back to it at some point. In the meantime, however, I decide to focus on the guys and the delicious looking food waiting for us.
“Thank you,” I tell Sully and take a long sip of my wine.
He waits for me to express an opinion about what I assume is a good vintage. They all taste the same to me, but the last thing I want is to come across as rude or ignorant in any way, so I offer a smile and an appreciative nod.
“The lady has spoken,” Sully exclaims, slightly amused as he proceeds to serve the rest of the Bordeaux across the table.
The food is fantastic. I can see why they love that restaurant as much as they do. The chicken is melt-in-your-mouth perfect, creamy and buttery and perfectly seasoned to exhilarate my taste buds. The stir fry is just the right amount of spicy while the vegetables are still crunchy. Texture-wise, my mouth is in heaven, especially once I add rice into the mix. We barely speak as we devour everything on our plates. We wash it down with water, then wine. And more wine. I never say no to a refill, even if my head is already lighter than when we first took our seats.
“My gosh, that really was the perfect chicken,” I mumble as I stare at my empty plate. All that’s left is for me to lick it clean because even the sauce is fantastic and not worth wasting.
Jason agrees. “I know, right? Hey, we should try to make jerk chicken one of these days, too. I think we still have all the necessary spices in the pantry.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Matthew says. “We’ll stock up on groceries tomorrow. We can sit down in the morning over coffee and discuss the menu for the next week, at least. If it starts snowing again, it’ll be harder to drive into town but we’ll manage.”
“Have you ever been snowed in before?” I ask.
Matthew nods, holding back a smile. “Yeah, more than once. The blizzards usually start in early December, and when they reach this mountain, they’re already at full volume.”
“We spent ten days in this place, about three years ago,” Sully recounts. “We couldn’t even shovel our way out the door. The snow reached all the way up to the roof.”
“Damn, that was insane,” Jason adds. “I remember I tried to clear the roof one morning, if only to get some natural light into the attic, and as soon as I got started, another snowstorm rolled through.”
“We almost lost you,” Sully laughs light-heartedly.
I shake my head slowly. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like…”
“Imagine white windows and no sunlight for almost ten days,” Matthew says. “At least the electrical grid was untouched. It was just way too much snow, and it wasn’t worth the effort to clear a path when the Summer Road was completely blocked. It took the locals about three days just to clear the belt road around Aspen. Nobody even considered going up the mountain.”
“How did you survive here like that?” I ask.
Matthew smiles softly. “We have everything we need here. I paid exorbitant extra fees to have all the cables and pipes running underground into the Aspen mainframe, and it was worth every penny. The fridge and the two freezers in the basement were fully stocked. We always make sure to have at least two weeks’ worth of fresh or freezer-friendly food when we come here. We also have a month’s worth of dried food in the pantry.”
“Canned everything,” Jason says.
“Plus, the basics. Flour, corn flour, corn meal, rice… the whole shebang. If the apocalypse starts tomorrow, we’ll have a decent head start,” Sully adds.
As the conversation progresses, the guys tell me about Aspen’s main attraction. Naturally, the sky slopes are the center of attention here. Then there are the saunas and the spa resorts on the northern side of town. The restaurants and the wine bars. The numerous hiking paths that are a joy to follow during the summer but can be dangerous in the winter on account of heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Aspen is a winter wonderland, and I can certainly see its overall, timeless appeal.
