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As Valerie chuckled, she found herself beginning to warm up to this woman. They sat in silence for a few moments, giving Valerie time to bite into her muffin. It was as delicious as it looked. The taste of apple, cinnamon, and caramel exploded across her tongue, and she managed to finish the entire pastry in no time at all. Surprisingly enough, the silence between them didn’t feel awkward. It was more like the silence that might fall between two people who had known each other for years and were happy simply to bask in each other’s presence.
Which was odd, Valerie thought, considering she had only known the woman for all of five minutes. But she decided not to second-guess it. She had come out to Snowy Pine Ridge for a change of pace, after all. And maybe this instant comfort, which was something she always struggled to find when she was in Hollywood, was the universe's way of letting Valerie know that she was on the right track.
“So,” Evelyn said, leaning back farther into her chair and beginning to rock herself slightly. “What brought you to Snowy Pine Ridge?”
Valerie considered for a moment, allowing herself the time to decide just how much she wanted to divulge. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t really want to hide the truth. At least, not right now.
“It all got to be so much,” she admitted with a sigh.
“How so?” Evelyn cocked her head, her blue eyes turning pensive as she looked at Valerie.
“When I first started acting,” Valerie began. “I loved it. And don’t get me wrong, I still do. But everything is so fresh. When you take off the way I did, you’re everyone’s darling. It was amazing. People couldn’t get enough. The tabloids were always talking about me, harmless stuff, usually. Just guessing who I was dating, showing snapshots of me with my morning Starbucks. Interviews that talked about my ambition, and my talent. Little girls asking me for advice, that kind of thing.”
Her words died out and a soft pain started in her chest as it occurred to her just how much everything had changed.
“And it’s not like that anymore.” Evelyn didn’t phrase it as a question, but Valerie nodded anyway before continuing.
“The older I got, the more things began to shift. And now, all anyone can talk about is my age. I’ve decided to allow myself to age gracefully, opting out of Botox and fillers. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things as far as I’m concerned. Whatever floats your boat. I just didn’t feel like having to keep up with it all. But somehow the media took that as this supreme, giant statement.
“I didoneinterview withGood Morning Americawhere I talked about the fact that I was going to let myself grow older. And then all of a sudden it was this giant news story. Everyone either loved it or hated it. But most of them hated it. And then, the media, well, let’s just say it all took a turn for the worst. Especially now that they think I’ve aged out of the business.”
Evelyn scoffed. “They think you’re old?”
“Yeah.” Valerie nodded. “Thirty is ancient as far as L.A. is concerned.”
“Honey,” Evelyn said. “I’m sixty-seven and I’m not old. So there’s no way you’re old. You’re practically an infant.”
Valerie threw her head back and laughed, feeling light despite the heavy content of their conversation.
“You’re not wrong,” she answered, still chuckling. “But that's why I came out here. When you hit my age in L.A., everyone expects you to go down one very specific path. And I’m just not sure that it’s for me.”
She shrugged one shoulder and took another sip of her cider.
“Well, for whatever the word of this old crone is worth,” Evelyn said, raising one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “They’re fools if they’re trying to box you in. Whatever it is you decide to do, you’re going to be fantastic at it. And if they can’t see that, that’s on them.”
The corner of Valerie’s mouth tugged up in a grin. “I thought you weren’t old.”
Evelyn laughed. “You catch on fast, kid. And I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in here in Snowy Pine Ridge.”
Valerie’s smile grew as she settled down farther in her chair, letting Evelyn’s praise wash over her. And as she looked out at the beautiful, snow-covered grounds that surrounded the hotel, she couldn’t help the little kernel of hope that began to unfurl in her chest, feeling like Evelyn might be right.
CHAPTERFOUR
Clark swiped his hand across his face, brushing away a dark curl that had fallen onto his forehead as he bent over the dogsled, giving his wrench one final turn.
“I think that’s it,” he huffed, sitting back on his haunches to study his handiwork.
“Thanks, man,” Derek said, ducking his head to look at the repairs that Clark had performed. “It’s exactly what it needed.”
Derek had shown up at the hardware store about an hour before, standing on the back of a sled being pulled by a team of yapping, excited huskies. Which, surprisingly enough, was not an uncommon event in Snowy Pine Ridge. One of the boards of the sled had worked its way loose while he had been out doing training exercises, and he’d swung by to see if Clark could fix it. Of course, Clark was happy to help.
Now they stood behind the hardware store on a patch of tamped down snow. The dogs played nearby, their pink tongues lolling out of the sides of their mouths as Derek and Clark stood talking.
“While you’re here—” Clark began, but before he could finish, he was distracted by a wet nose pressing into the palm of his hand.
He looked down, spotting a beautiful black and white husky looking up at him with her ice blue eyes.
“Oh, hey, Missy,” Clark murmured affectionately, ruffling the dog’s ears and giving her a scratch on the head.
