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I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but it was difficult not to feel excited. This might not have been my dream job, but it still sounded like a wonderful opportunity for me to get myself back on my feet.
I smiled brightly at her. “It sounds wonderful.”
With a curt nod, she returned, “Great. Well, unless you’ve got any other questions for me, I think we’re all set here.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “I think you covered it all brilliantly.”
Glancing down at the paper in front of her, Victoria scanned it quickly. “Okay, so I’ve got your number here. We’ll need a few days to review things, but you’ll hear something from us soon, either to let you know we’ve gone with someone else or to present you with a job offer.”
At that, I stood from my chair and extended my hand to her. “Thank you very much for the opportunity to interview, Victoria. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”
Victoria stood, took my hand, and returned, “You’re welcome, Indy. Take care.”
At that, I released her hand, turned, and walked out.
Though I still had no idea whether I got the job, I believed the interview went well, and I felt hopeful. Obviously, I wished I would have gotten an answer today, but I knew it was unreasonable to expect they’d hire me right on the spot.
Victoria had said it’d be a few days before I heard from them, so I had to figure out what I was going to do or, more importantly, where I was going to sleep for the next couple of days. For now, I figured my best bet was to run out to my car and grab some clothes. I’d worn a pair of dressy pants and a nice top to the interview, but I wasn’t going to wear these clothes all day.
After I changed, I could get my laptop—one of the few valuable things I’d held on to after things took a turn with Travis—walk into the lodge, use the free Wi-Fi, and figure out a solution for sleeping. Maybe I’d be able to find an inexpensive hotel that wouldn’t gobble up the last of my money. If this job didn’t work out, I was going to need to have some funds to fill up my gas tank and to eat on the trek to my parents’ place in Arizona.
The moment I stepped outside, I had to squint my eyes. The bright sun reflecting off the snow was blinding.
I had parked in one of the lots just outside the resort hotel. The lodge wasn’t an unreasonable walking distance away, but I figured it’d be better to drive over to park in one of the lots closer to where I’d be.
Hopping in my car, I pulled out of the spot and made my way in that direction. I was surprised to see just how full the lots had gotten since I’d arrived for my interview. There were parking attendants throughout, directing traffic, and I wound up pulling into a lot that wasn’t necessarily closer to the lodge than I had originally hoped, but it was one that offered a stunning view of the mountain. The lot was one that offered overnight parking, something made evident by several campers parked there.
After I pulled into a spot, I got out and had just curled my fingers around the door handle when it happened.
I heard what sounded like the rumble of distant thunder, but there was something about the sound which told me that wasn’t it. I froze momentarily, looking around, and realized if I had been correct, the sound would have stopped by now.
It didn’t.
In fact, the very opposite happened. It grew louder and continued. There was no lull in the sound, and when I saw several people run over to the opposite edge of the parking lot, where it looked out over the mountain, I released the handle on my car door and went in that direction, too.
That’s when I saw what was making that sound.
Huge clouds of white, powdery snow were billowing up from one face of the mountain along the access road. The sight alone was enough to terrify me, but it was the sound I knew I’d never forget.
It was no longer reminiscent of distant thunder. This was something else entirely. I hadn’t ever heard one in real life, but it was what I’d imagined a freight train would sound like passing through a tunnel. The sound was amplified on a whole other level, as though I was sitting in a movie theater with surround sound watching an intense action scene.
“Oh my God,” I murmured, watching as cars came to an abrupt halt on the access road. The road was dangerous on a good day. If it was a snowy day, it became hazardous. Now, in the midst of an avalanche, all I could see was peril.
I hadn’t noticed if any people or cars were in the direct path, but there was no question they wouldn’t have survived if they were.
Though I was there on my own, I could feel the fear in the air. Anyone who was witnessing what was happening had to be experiencing the same emotions. This was devastating.
“Better get comfortable.”
At the sound of a masculine voice beside me, I looked away from the devastation below and to my left. A man was standing there, watching what I’d just been watching. But when he felt my gaze settle on him, he turned his attention to me.
“What did you just say?” I asked.
He jerked his chin in the direction of the avalanche and said, “That road is going to be impassable. Look, there are cars farther back attempting to turn around.”
I twisted my neck to look back, and I could see the man wasn’t wrong. The snow wasn’t stopping. It continued to come down the face of the mountain, and its path was growing wider by the second. “That’s the only way down,” I noted, returning my focus to the man.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
