Page 9

CHAPTER 8

LIZZY

CLAYTON

The last two days on the slopes with everyone have been perfect. Friday was a bluebird day with crystal clear skies. Then a storm rolled in Friday night and we got to ski fresh powder Saturday morning.

Watching Tanner and V ski after each other like lovesick puppies has been adorable, if not nauseatingly cute. Grace is a wild child, dropping off into trees and popping back on the slopes out of nowhere. And I can’t get enough of catching up with Collin and talking about his dates with the hot cowboy, Walker.

We’ve had dinner out on the town the last two days, but it’s Sunday night now and President’s Day is tomorrow. Tanner, V, and Collin are heading back to Jackson tomorrow night after we squeeze in another day of skiing. Then I’ll fly home Tuesday afternoon. All good things eventually come to an end.

So to cap off the trip, I thought it would be nice to play host and do dinner at the condo. I say host, but only in the loosest of terms . I told V she has to cook because I’m terrible at it. Thanks again, Mother, for the lack of cooking lessons growing up. Whatever though, V loves to cook, and her food is incredible. She’s obsessed with gourmet kitchens like the one in our renovated condo, and probably would have insisted on it anyways. So, this is really a win-win for everyone.

I’ve also managed to avoid seeing Clay the last two days. I know I sort of brought this on myself by panicking and running out of the bar.

I think I was embarrassed about the whole thing. I usually own it, so this is a new one for me .

On our last ski trip, Veronica caught Walker sneaking out of my room after her brother and I shared that cowboy for a night. That was one way to ring in the New Year and I didn’t bat an eye about that.

Or maybe it’s the idea of lusting after someone I’m so attracted to. Someone I can’t easily walk away from, even without really knowing them was absolutely terrifying. We didn’t even hook up and I can’t stop thinking about him.

He was so damn cold that night out in the hot tub. I get it though - I’d be a bit annoyed at me too.

But now, the scowl that I’m met with from across the table is so harsh. I’m sitting face to face with him at the end of the dinner table. No more hiding from him or the way his intense stare makes me feel. Another thing that’s coming to an end I guess.

Oh. And he brought a date. Tanner asked if Clay could bring a family friend to dinner. But when he showed up with a date, that wasn’t something I was expecting. Apparently she’s also friends with Tanner and Grace, and Tanner hasn’t seen her in a long time. So they’ve all been excited to catch up.

But there’s something familiar about her, like I’ve seen her before. Maybe it’s her smile? The way her perfect white teeth stand out against her red lipstick, and long, wavy black hair. I swear I’ve seen her before.

And why am I fixated on her? I should be glad someone is getting Clay’s glowering eyes off of me. I really didn’t think much of it when Tanner asked, but now I’m unusually curious about her.

But I’m also tormented by the idea that he could be just like my ex. Some dirtbag looking to cheat with someone from out of town.

Was I almost the other woman for him that night?

My blood almost boils thinking about that possibility. I take a deep breath, remembering that from everything I know about the Chapmans they are insanely loyal people. But it still doesn’t sit right with me .

I look down the table at Tanner, V, and Collin. “What time do you guys need to hit the road tomorrow?” I tilt my head, squinting with one eye in thought. “It’s like a five hour drive back to Jackson, right?”

Tanner sets his beer down and wraps his arm around Veronica, who rests her head on his shoulder with an impossibly sweet smile, almost as if it was a natural reflex to his touch. “Yeah. About five hours. There might be more snow coming in tomorrow night, so ideally we should hit the road a little after lunch.”

I take a sip of my wine, nodding. “Great. Then we should still be able to get in a full morning of skiing.”

“You guys lucked out on conditions this week.” I look back at Kayleigh, almost startled by her. She’s been mostly quiet, sharing little whispers and giggles with Clay after catching up with Tanner earlier on. “I’ll be out on the slopes tomorrow training.”

“Training?” I ask, leaning forward on my elbows. “Do you work at the mountain or something?”

Clay snorts a laugh and brings his fist to his mouth trying to hide it. “You could say that.”

“Clayton Michael Chapman!” Kayleigh chides him playfully, slapping his hands, bringing my attention to them. I can finally make out the letters on his other hand. Together, his knuckles spell out OVERCOME .

Maybe it has something to do about their mom? Veronica told me how hard it was on Tanner. I can only imagine it was hard on all of them. Clay and Grace still lived with their parents here in Park City when it happened. I remember Tanner was out of school and living in Jackson Hole since he was the eldest.

Clay’s head snaps up and his cheeks show the slightest hint of pink. For the first time, he looks his age, young and playful.

“Awww. Your name’s Clayton?” I use my best baby talk voice and rest my head on my fists, making a pouty face. “That’s so cute. ”

Immediately the playful look is gone and he’s back to glaring at me. I swear I can hear his teeth grinding from here. “Clay. Not Clayton.” He turns his glare to Kayleigh. Veronica said he could be a grumpy asshole and she wasn’t kidding. This is something else. “She’s called me that since high school because she thinks it’s funny. And it’s not.”

High school? Ok. She really is an old family friend I guess. Still could be a girlfriend or something though.

“Be nice, Clayton .” She runs a hand through his hair, ruffling it until he swats her away. “But yeah, he’s not wrong. I guess you could say I work at the mountain.”

I look around the table, realizing I’m missing something when I see Tanner and Grace grinning as well.

“The Jensens work on the mountain. Normally you’ll find them on the racecourse,” Grace says, huffing a laugh before turning to Kayleigh. “Your speciality is still giant slalom, right?”

Suddenly it clicks and I can feel my jaw drop. Giant Slalom? Jensen?

Kayleigh Jensen. That smile. I’ve seen it dozens of times on posters all over Aspen Valley resort. She’s always wearing goggles in her promotional posters, but she’s always flashing that signature smile. She’s the middle Jensen kid - a two time Olympian, training to qualify for her third Olympics three years from now.

The Golden Jensen Family. They’re all Team USA ski legends. Her grandfather was an Olympian. Her father was a multiple world champion professional before retiring. Then he got into real estate and development. And now the three kids are all Olympians. They’re practically Park City royalty. I’m pretty sure my dad even has a vintage poster of some of them in the other room.

Veronica laughs. “You should be proud, Kayleigh. It’s almost impossible to make Lizzy speechless and you did it the first time meeting her.” That prompts another chorus of laughter from Collin and Tanner.

I lower my eyes at Veronica. “Very funny.” And that’s when I can just hear Clay mumble something to himself at the end of the table, almost inaudible. From the corner of my eye, I can see Kayleigh punch Clay in the leg, not so playfully this time.

“Seriously.” Tanner’s deep voice gets my attention. “Kayleigh’s the best skier here. Hands down. It’s not even close.”

She rolls her eyes at him. “You’re a pretty epic skier, Chap. You just don’t like cameras or crowds.”

He shrugs and smiles. “You’re not wrong.”

I notice Clay, looking out towards the windows at the lit ski slopes beyond.

“What’s wrong, Clayton ?” I tease. “Cat got your tongue? Aren’t you a great skier too?”

He turns to me slowly, but doesn’t say anything. His glares don’t scare me though. He can be as much of an asshole as he wants, but I can play that game too. I don’t back down. That’s one lesson from Dad I took to heart.

I continue. “Why don’t you come out with us tomorrow? Or are you scared the girls will show you up?” I say again, using my teasing baby talk voice.

And that’s when I realize I’ve done something . Something bad. Something very bad.

“I don’t need this shit. Fuck right off,” Clay snarls before he practically jumps out of his chair. Kayleigh tries to grab his arm, but he shakes free and storms across the room. Before I can even try to say something, he slams the door behind him.

I look around the table, painfully aware that everyone is now staring at me with a mix of pained expressions ranging from What’s wrong with you to sorry we should have warned you .

I bury my face in my hands and groan. “You guys mind telling me what the fuck that was? I was just joking. Clearly I don’t know something that I should.”

To my surprise, Kayleigh is the first one to speak up to defend her friend. “He used to ski .” She looks at Tanner, almost pleading for him to explain.

“He was better than me. Probably would have been better than Kayleigh.” His voice is nowhere near the, fun playful one I expect from him. Veronica, Collin, and Grace are eerily silent.

“But…” Kayleigh says , wincing and looking away, as if reliving a horrible memory, “he’s had a brutal history of injuries.”

My stomach sinks and I feel like I’m going to throw up. I remember the scars I saw on his knees the other night when he got out of the hot tub. Those horrible, jagged lines that look painful.

His knuckles.

Overcome.

Shit. I really fucking stepped in it.

“It’s not your fault, Lizzy.” Kayleigh’s voice is soft when she looks at me. “I’ll go talk to him.”

And that’s when I hear stomping around in the penthouse above us.

A small smile forms on my face and I look back at her. “I know exactly where he is.”

“It’s fine. You can go talk to him.” Kayleigh walks out of the penthouse construction site door.

“Thanks,” I say quietly, walking past her into the penthouse that’s stripped down to the studs. Even in the winter with below freezing temperatures outside, it’s still warm. They must be using some kind of job site heaters. I walk through the sprawling condo and see Clay, standing in the corner by the French doors leading out onto the wraparound balcony that overlooks the ski resort. The only lights out on the mountain are from the snowcats out grooming the slopes for tomorrow. He sees me before turning back to looking outside.

“So you finally want to talk to me now? Color me surprised.” His voice is low, with that same sense of playful irritation when he accused me of taking his seat at the bar.

“Clay, I’m sorry. I didn’t -” He turns and faces me, catching me off guard. He looks at me with such intensity I can’t even finish my sentence. What the hell is wrong with me tonight? I’ve been speechless twice in the last hour. That’s a first.

“Do not apologize to me. I don’t want your pity.” His jaw is clenched and I can see the muscles of his tattooed neck straining.

“I didn’t know about your injuries. I would have never said that if I had.” I inch closer to him, not knowing what I’m doing. I want to apologize. I was out of line. I should apologize. But he’s also so damn prickly, like a wounded animal. I don’t want to scare him off, even though the last time we were this close, I was the one that ran.

He looks at me curiously before letting out a short, low laugh. “Maybe if you had stuck around at the bar and told me you recognized me instead of running off, we could have talked and actually gotten to know each other. It’s not like I bite.” He pauses and looks down at his hands, before looking back at me, grinning with a playful wink. “Unless you’re into that, princess.”

My breath hitches just a teeny bit, seeing and hearing that cocky attitude return. The one that I was into before and still would be if he wasn’t such an asshole or about to be my best friend’s brother-in-law. I groan and roll my eyes, pretending to be unfazed by him. “Ah, there he is. I was wondering where cocky ass Clay Chapman was. This storm cloud, emo version of you is pretty lame.” He turns away, letting out another low huff of a laugh and looking back outside. I step up next to him, looking out the other French door to watch the groomers running up and down the slopes.

“Good. Now that you’re laughing…” He turns to face me with an amused, curious look on his face, shaking his head. And that’s when I punch him in the shoulder, which only knocks me back. I huff in frustration before getting what’s been on my mind all night off my chest. “So, who is Kayleigh?”

His brows furrow and the questioning look on his face intensifies. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, is she your girlfriend? Are you two dating? Were you trying to cheat on her with me? I would love to know now if you’re a douche like my cheating ex.” The words spew out of me. I’m finally releasing some of my pent up anger over Johnathan, and directing it all at him.

The confused expression there seconds ago morphs into something dark. I watch his jaw tense and I swear I can hear his molars grind. The anger in his eyes is nearly palpable. “She is my best friend. My oldest friend.” He grabs the railing of the balcony and his tattooed knuckles are nearly white from clenching it so hard. He looks away from me when he growls, “I’m not some piece of shit. Are we done here?”

The immediate shift in emotion and the intensity of his reaction catch me off guard. It’s like he’s physically pained by what I said.

“Ok. Good.” That’s the only response I can get out, thrown off that I clearly triggered him again. “Hey. I’m sorry about what I said at dinner. I don’t care if you don’t want my apology. Can we please start with a clean slate and just be friends?”

I turn to face him. He’s still staring outside and I try to follow his line of sight, but he’s just staring at an empty spot on the mountain. It’s hard to make out on the dimly lit mountain, but I know it’s the mogul course. The look in his eyes is distant, like he’s dwelling on an old memory. Silhouetted by the dark sky and few lights outside on the other condo buildings, the features of his face are so defined. From the square line of his jaw, to his full lips to the neck tattoos that look like shadows creeping up from the collar of his shirt.

“Start over?” His voice is gruff as he nods his head. “Yeah. We can start over. I can be civil, I guess. We’re going to have to be if we’re going to be in this wedding together.”

A sigh of relief escapes me and I can feel my shoulders relax.

“But let me be very fucking clear, we aren’t friends. Friends don’t just waltz in and assume I’m a piece of shit.” He glares at me and any hint of playfulness is gone. His eyes almost look dead, like a pale gray in this light. “We can start over as strangers, because that’s what we are. Strangers that will do what we need to so we can get along for my brother and your best friend. That’s it. Nothing more. That should be easy between now and the wedding. It’s not like we have to see each other every day.”

Well that’s not what I expected. But he’s right, we shouldn’t have to see each other very much between now and the wedding.

After an unexpectedly nice night of sleep, courtesy of Clay’s crew not working on the holiday, the morning on the slopes was pleasant with everyone. We even stopped by the race course and watched one of Kayleigh’s practice runs. After saying goodbye to the Jackson Hole crew at lunch, I make my way back to the condo for the night to pack and enjoy a quiet evening alone. Just me, a bottle of wine, and the book I plan to read.

As I walk into the condo, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see it’s my boss. Not what I expected on a holiday .

“Hey, Jessica. What’s up, girl?” I’m lucky to have a relationship like this with my boss. I really love having a great female boss.

“Sorry to call on your trip. I assume you’re having a good time?” I can hear her rummaging around and I’m pretty sure I even hear a toilet flush. We clearly have no boundaries between us.

“Yeah, it’s been great. Honestly, I wish I was out here more. But looking forward to catching up with you. We need to talk about my next project.”

“See? This is why you’re my favorite, Lizzy. You make things so easy.” I hear a door open and shut in the background.

“I know I’m pretty good at reading your mind, but you’re going to need to elaborate a bit more,” I say, taking off my jacket and setting my keys down on the kitchen island.

“Well, since you’re having such a great time, how would you like to stay out there?” I stop, standing up straight in the kitchen.

“What do you mean? You better not be firing me!” I meant it to come out jokingly, but she is being a bit weird, even for her, and it might have come out a bit genuinely startled.

“No. I’m not firing you. You know they’d have to fire me with you. And not like literally stay there right now, I assume you need to come back and pack. But our plant in Salt Lake, it’s only like half an hour from Park City. They’ve been struggling.” I exhale the breath I was holding in, getting an idea of where she’s going with this. “We’ve been looking at everything. Overhead costs, labor rates, optimal shift schedules, and scrap rates. We’re going to do a deep dive project on their financials. Since your current project is wrapping up, I thought you might be interested.”

I pause, thinking about it. Normally I’d want to think about something like this, but it just seems like perfect timing. I’ve been desperate to get away from my apartment at home. I already planned on moving out as soon as my lease was up this summer. But it would be nice to get away, even if just for a bit and feel like I’m moving on from that mess finally.

“ Hellooooo? You still there, Lizzy?” Jessica’s voice in my ear snaps me out of my head.

“I’ll do it.” I blurt out the words so fast, catching myself off guard. “Send me the details, but I’m in.”

I can hear Jessica already clapping in the background. “That’s great! I was hoping you’d say yes. It’ll be a great opportunity and I know you’ll kick ass. It’s totally fine if you want to work remote the next week or two so you can pack, prep, whatever you need to do to be ready to get back out to Utah. They want you to kick off this project two weeks from now.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Perfect. And we’ll give you a stipend for a short term rental. But I know your family has a place out there, so if you just want to stay there, by all means, pocket that stipend or go out for extra happy hours and buy all the books you want. Whatever suits you best.”

Now that I can get behind.

After getting off the phone with her, I look around the condo again. This place is free from memories of Johnathan. I love being out here. This could be the fresh start I need to move on.