Page 8

CHAPTER 8

PETE

Pete watched Maggie and Danica, two grown women, lie down on the ground and whine like toddlers. It was an incredible sight. They’d both slipped and stumbled their way up a lift, then unloaded in one of the least graceful displays Pete had ever personally witnessed. At one point, Maggie crawled on her hands and knees, her snowboard dragging behind her.

“I’m going to die,” Danica proclaimed as the three of them sprawled at the top corner of Double Cabin, a wide open green perfect for their first time on a real run with their snowboards. They were out of the way enough to not disturb other skiers and boarders, so Pete let them lay and wallow for a moment longer than necessary.

It was an absolutely gorgeous bluebird day, cold but clear, the blue sky stretching wide without a cloud in sight.

“You’re both going to do great. We’re going to take this nice and slow. You spent the entire morning practicing, so now you get to actually enjoy yourselves.”

“I miss the magic carpet,” Maggie said, looking over her shoulder where the lift took braver snowboarders up through a beginner terrain park.

“I miss being able to separate my legs,” Danica said, and Pete snorted immediately, trying to cover up the sound of her laugh with a sniffle.

Danica scowled.

“Okay, what’s the first rule of snowboarding?” Pete asked.

“Don’t fall,” Maggie said.

“Don’t fall on your wrists,” Danica amended.

Pete clasped her hands behind her back, pacing in front of them like a drill sergeant. “Good tries, good advice, but wrong. The first rule is that it’s not that serious. You’re not a pro. There’s no grade at the end of this. No one will be impressed with how good you are. You are doing this for pure joy, no other reason.” Pete’s own board lay toward the edge of the run. She reached to help Maggie stand, letting Maggie wobble and find her balance, then let go of her to reach for Danica.

“I’m too old for this,” Danica whimpered as Pete helped her to her feet. “Why the hell do you do this? It’s ten thousand times worse than skiing.”

Pete grinned. “Once it clicks, you’ll see. It’s like... flying.”

Danica frowned, tucking her chin back into her face covering.

“Okay, let’s take it slow and steady. This is just like the bunny hill. So, let’s take it wide as we practice our turns from heel to toe. No need to gain speed right now, we’re just getting a feel for a real run,” Pete coached, holding onto Danica’s hand a little longer than she probably needed. They’d ended on such a bad note the day before, but Danica didn’t seem to be holding a grudge. “See the giant opening where this run turns and splits into Teddy’s Way? Make your way slowly down and we can pause before the turn.”

Maggie and Danica both nodded, and both hopped to get their boards angled correctly to start down. Seeing both of their shaking legs, Pete found them endearing. She didn’t know why she felt so much pride in her friends for trying something new and scary, but it made her want to sweep them both up in hugs. Entirely because of her pride, that was all.

Maggie was the first to start her wide falling leaf pattern down the run, taking her time. Danica began to follow the same path, falling almost immediately.

“You okay?” Pete asked, hurrying over to where Danica struggled to get back up.

“I’m fine,” Danica said. “My ass is going to be so bruised tomorrow.”

Pete laughed. “Yeah, but better a bruise than a broken bone. That was a good fall. Most people fall forward and catch their wrists.” She reached to help Danica again, reaching to steady her with a hand on her waist as she wobbled. They both paused, and Pete was grateful her goggles shielded most of her expression.

“I’m good,” Danica said, and Pete took a step back, trusting her.

Danica was, in fact, not good, and fell over again almost immediately. Pete heard her muffled curses behind her neck gaiter. “Yeah, you seem good,” Pete teased. Danica accepted Pete’s offered hand.

“I hope Maggie is having a good time at least,” Danica said, steadying herself without letting go of Pete’s hand.

Pete glanced over her shoulder to where Maggie was zig-zagging down the run like a pro. “I think she is.”

“I’m glad we were able to be here for her. Has she seemed a little... off? We talked about Gwen and the kids earlier and she sounded so weird,” Danica asked, adjusting her glove. Her board slipped sideways an inch or two and her hands shot out, grabbing Pete’s jacket again. “Fucking hell, did they put extra wax on this or what?”

Pete chuckled, supporting Danica as she recovered her composure. She waited for Danica to stop wobbling, then added, “I haven’t noticed anything. She’s been a little more intense, a little wilder than I remember, but I thought that was just like a ‘Mom’s Big Week Alone’ kind of thing.”

Danica sniffled, letting go of Pete to steady herself. “Well, I think we should keep a close eye on her.”

“You got it, boss,” Pete said, taking a step back to look at her form. “Okay, I think you’re putting your weight too far back. You don’t have to be scared to lean into it. Here, center your weight.” Pete reached out, taking Danica’s waist in her hands. Despite about seventeen layers between them, touching her like this affected Pete’s heart rate and the swirling nerves in her stomach. “See how that makes it so your board doesn’t want to slip out from under you?”

Danica nodded. “Glen told us all of this.”

“Yeah, well, Glen may have told you, but you aren’t doing it, so now I’m telling you.”

“I don’t remember you ever being so bossy,” Danica said with a smirk.

Pete chuckled, watching Danica’s feet. “Okay, now shift your weight from side to side.” Danica didn’t move a muscle, and Pete could feel how tense she was. “Come on. Side to side. Shimmy.”

Danica let out a sigh, fogging the air in front of her face. She shifted awkwardly from side to side.

“Jeez, Wendell, loosen up. No wonder you’re so bad at this,” Pete teased.

“I miss Glen,” Danica mumbled, but did as she was told. Pete felt her shift her weight from side to side. As she shifted her weight to her back foot, the front of her board slid forward and she reached out to grab Pete’s jacket again, but lost her balance somewhere along the way and ended up wrapping her arms around Pete’s neck, their bodies pressing close.

Pete could feel the warmth of Danica’s breath on her cheek as she over-corrected, nearly falling backwards.

“You’re a mess,” Pete chided gently, balancing Danica again. “Loosen up.”

“I am loose,” Danica countered. “I am fully relaxed. Free as a bird. I’m a chill girl.”

“You’ve never been a chill girl in your entire life, Wendell,” Pete joked, and Danica stuck out her tongue. “Watch out. That’ll freeze out here.”

Danica laughed, and the sound made Pete’s insides feel a bit swirly. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed Danica’s laugh, an infectious, bubbly kind of sound.

“Okay, now as you begin, I want you to keep your weight mostly centered, with only a slight extra amount on the front foot,” Pete instructed, and Danica nodded.

“Thank you for being patient with me,” Danica said quietly, like she was embarrassed to say it.

“I have nothing but patience for you,” Pete said, realizing that she was admitting far too much with that simple statement. She opened her mouth to add something, unsure if she’d regret it later, but was cut short by the sound of a painful scream.

“Maggie,” Danica breathed, looking over Pete’s shoulder. She bent, frantically removing her gloves and reaching for her bindings. “Oh my god, I don’t know how to do this faster. Can you help me unclip?”

Pete crouched, unstrapping Danica from her board. They ran down the slope to where Maggie lay on the ground halfway down the hill. She was flat on her stomach, still clipped to her board, clutching her wrist. Two others knelt beside her, but stood to make room as Pete and Danica approached.

“Maggie!” Danica yelled from just behind Pete. Pete felt a pain deep in her chest at the worry in Danica’s voice. “Don’t move her yet.”

Pete knelt beside Maggie. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I fell kind of hard and put out my hands to catch myself and there was this jolt of pain,” Maggie said, panting.

“Does anything else hurt?” Danica said, ditching her board beside them as she knelt next to Pete, her eyes scanning Maggie. “Your neck? Your back?”

“My pussy and my crack?” Maggie sang, and it took Pete a moment to register it as a song that had come out when she was a sophomore in high school. She remembered it was so dirty that in hindsight, she couldn’t believe 15-year-olds sang it.

Danica pulled her goggles onto her helmet and stared down at Maggie as she sat back on her heels. “Yeah, you’re fine.”

“Couldn’t resist. My wrist really does fucking hurt, though,” Maggie conceded, and Pete helped her out of her bindings as Danica took her good arm, helping her sit up.

“Did you hit your head?” Danica asked, her tone serious as she began to check Maggie over. She was in full doctor mode, and Pete had to admit, there was something to be said about watching Danica in her element, completely professional and capable. Danica took Maggie’s glove off carefully, gently turning Maggie’s wrist over to examine where the skin was already swelling and bruising. Danica murmured a few questions to Maggie, asking her if certain positions hurt more than others, and Maggie nodded or shook her head in response

“Want me to call ski patrol?” Pete asked.

“No,” Maggie said quickly, just as Danica negated her answer with a firm “Yes.”

Maggie groaned. “Please, no. I’m fine. I don’t need ski patrol. That’s so embarrassing.”

“I don’t think it’s broken, but I do think it could be sprained, and we can’t risk you falling again trying to get back to the lift. We’re a long way from the top of the run, and an even longer way to the bottom,” Danica elaborated to a scowling Maggie. She gestured toward Pete’s scarf. “Can I have that?” Pete unwound her scarf and handed it to Danica, then watched Danica wrap it over Maggie’s shoulder to create a makeshift sling. “This will keep your arm stable and help to reduce any further injury.”

Pete pulled out her phone and dialed the number for ski patrol, explaining where they were and what had happened.

“Are they going to take me down on one of those embarrassing sleds behind a snowmobile?” Maggie asked, her voice pitching higher.

Pete shook her head, not wanting to worry Maggie.

Danica did not seem to feel the same way about worrying Maggie. “Probably,” Danica said calmly, making another adjustment to the sling as Maggie looked in in horror. “But I’ll make sure to take photos so we can never forget it.”

“That’s really thoughtful,” Maggie deadpanned. “You’re sure it’s not broken?”

Danica looked contemplative. “It could be fractured, but it’s definitely not in too bad of shape. You’ll be back on the slopes in no time.”

Maggie sighed. “Do you think they’ll give me a real sling?”

“Probably.”

“Nooo,” Maggie whined. “Can we at least come up with a really good story for this?”

“You ran into a burning building to save a child,” Pete said, nodding emphatically.

“Also, there was a bear,” Danica added with a small laugh.

“You’re onto something. Definitely a heroic feat,” Maggie said, then sniffled, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so mad this happened. After everything this year, I can’t...”

She trailed off, and Danica and Pete exchanged a quick look of concern. Two ski patrollers appeared in their bright red jackets, one pulling a rescue toboggan behind. Although they were kneeling in the middle of the path, Danica still signaled for them to stop. Pete held Maggie’s good hand and watched as Danica explained what happened in a composed voice, sharing her assessment as though she was handing off a trauma patient to an emergency crew. In a way, she was.

Before Pete knew it, they had loaded Maggie onto the rescue toboggan, ignoring her complaints and insistence that she’d be fine just walking miles down to the Meadows first aid station. Pete snapped a few pictures of her, secured to the toboggan with an excessive number of straps and then ski patrol was off, dragging Maggie behind them like a freshly killed deer.

“That is so embarrassing,” Pete said with a small laugh as they watched Maggie descend the slope.

Danica was holding a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. “Poor thing.”

“We’re never going to let her live this down, are we?” Pete asked.

Danica stifled a laugh, coughing into her hand instead. “Be nice. She’s hurt.”

“Oh, please. I’m sure Maggie has already made best friends with the patrollers, and the entire medical unit is going to be out at karaoke with us tonight,” Pete said, rolling her eyes.

Danica smiled, shaking her head. “I hope you’re right.”

“You went into like, full doctor mode there,” Pete said, turning to Danica.

Two wide blue eyes looked back at her. “It’s been a while since I’ve worked with a patient who could talk back to me, but I tried my best.”

“You were brilliant,” Pete said, unable to contain a smile and the awe in her voice.

Danica blushed, a small, self-conscious smile playing on her lips. She sniffled, looking around. “We should text Kiera and Izzy and let them know.”

Pete glanced back up the run to where her snowboard still lay discarded near the tree line. “How about we have one last run before we do that?” Her heart pounded in anticipation. Why did suggesting that somehow feel like she was in high school and asking out her crush?

Danica glanced down the run. “I mean, we do have to get down to the medical unit, so we might as well,” she said, as if she was weighing the pros and cons of something extremely neutral, like whether or not to mop the kitchen floor today or tomorrow.

Pete didn’t know why that made her feel so disappointed. Sure, it had been fifteen years since Danica had been excited to be on an adventure with her, but a small part of her hoped that Danica still enjoyed her presence, at least.

“Think you can make it the whole way without falling?” Pete said, forcing her voice to stay light.

“Well, I do have new motivation now,” Danica said, grabbing her board from where it lay discarded beside them. As Pete angled her head in confusion, Danica clarified, “You know, the whole not breaking my wrist thing.”

“Not breaking a bone is the real goal,” Pete agreed. “I have to go grab my board up there, so I’ll be right back. Think you can get your bindings on by yourself and stand up alone?”

Danica nodded, sitting down to strap into her bindings, and Pete jogged back up the hill. Well, jog was a strong word for any level of activity nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. Trudge was a better description. By the time she reached her board, her heart was racing as she clipped in and started the gentle descent down. Danica was standing on her own and had her arms out wide like an adorable amateur as she began a slow falling leaf pattern down the run.

“You’ve got this!” Pete called out enthusiastically, and Danica gave her a wide smile. Pete saw the way she bit her lip in concentration as she leaned into a turn. Pete continued to coach her down the run, and to her surprise and delight, Danica opted to take the harder of the two runs at the fork.

Danica was wobbly and slow, but she made it. By the end of the run, down toward the bunny hill and the medical unit where Maggie was, Danica seemed to be getting the hang of it. She teetered to a stop at the bottom of the run, her arms flying out to catch her balance and steady herself.

“You did it!” Pete yelled, cheering in excitement as she skidded to a stop beside Danica.

“I did it,” Danica said, breathless. She put her hands in the air triumphantly, but wobbled on her board and reached to brace herself by hanging onto Pete’s jacket again.

Pete laughed, pulling her into a hug before she could think better of it. Danica’s arms wrapped around her without hesitation, and the tension in Pete’s chest began to loosen. Though several layers separated them, their waterproof exteriors scratching together as they held one another, she still believed that she could feel Danica’s warmth. To her surprise, holding Danica again was very comforting. Thrilling and yet familiar at the same time. Danica had always grounded her, and Pete wanted to hold onto the moment just a little longer. She let her eyes close, taking a deep breath in the chilly, winter air.

Someone cleared their throat from nearby and Pete and Danica jerked apart to see Kiera and Izzy standing beside them.

“Maggie texted us that she got hurt,” Kiera explained. She glanced from Pete to Danica with a questioning look on her face. “Are you guys okay?”

Danica’s cheeks were flushed as she moved her goggles to her helmet. “Yeah, we’re fine. Only Maggie fell,” she said in a strained voice, not looking at Pete. Awkwardness radiated in the air between them.

Meanwhile, Izzy was staring at Pete without saying anything, and Pete turned, unclipping from her own bindings with a smile on her face. “Y’all get some good runs in?”

“Wait, what happened to Maggie?” Kiera interrupted, watching Danica unsnap her bindings on the ground. “She says they’re going to have to amputate.”

Pete gasped, turning to Kiera. “Amputate?”

Danica laughed. “She has a sprained wrist. I think her arm will make it through.”

“She told me she was waiting for a lobotomy so she could forget that that rescue sled ever happened. Apparently, they were letting the rookie train with the sled on the easy runs, but they went so slow they got stuck,” Izzy said with a laugh.

Danica was still sitting on the ground, fussing with her bindings, and Pete knelt, helping her without a word. Danica looked up, a silent look of gratitude on her face.

“Should we figure out how to get Maggie home?” Danica asked, standing and brushing off her pants, the fabric swishing under her gloves.

Kiera had her phone out, her gloves dangling from where they were clipped into her jacket. “She says she convinced someone to give her a ride back on their snowmobile.”

“Isn’t the condo, like, just on the other side of the Chondola?” Pete said, looking toward the bunny hill gondola ascending to Mountain Village, where their condo was located.

“Classic Maggie,” Izzy said, and Danica chuckled.

Danica turned toward where the gondola was loading passengers. “Well, in that case. I think I’m going to go take ten muscle relaxers and be horizontal with my cross stitch until dinner,” Danica announced.

“Want to go check out the black runs off Lift 9 with me?” Izzy asked Pete.

Pete glanced back toward Izzy, getting the feeling that Danica wanted to be alone. “Sure.”

“You go cross stitch your heart out. We’ll be back soon,” Kiera said, nodding. “I’ll join you guys if that’s cool. I’ve been wanting to try East Drain again since it kicked my ass this morning.”

Pete’s eyebrows shot up — she was surprised Kiera wanted to spend time away from Danica — but Izzy nodded and said, “Let’s go, then.”

The four of them walked to the gondola, climbing into one of the cars. Kiera moved past Pete to sit next to Danica, turning and talking to her in a low voice. Danica explained Maggie’s fall again. Izzy scrolled through her Spotify playlists. Pete gazed out the window, a jolt of surprise hitting her as she saw Danica looking back at her in the reflection.

The day was so beautiful, so clear, and while a part of her was worried for Maggie, she was still wound up from her time alone with Danica. Even if they had just spent an hour inching down a run, they’d laughed and joked like they used to. Danica’s gaze didn’t linger on Pete’s again, but that one fraction of a moment was enough — just a flicker of interest that Pete would continue to think about for the rest of the day.

Had Danica felt what she’d felt while they’d hugged, before Kiera and Izzy showed up and turned the moment awkward? So many questions raced through her mind, and she did her best not to feel a stab of regret as the group parted, Danica separated to go back to the condo, and the rest of them hopped on another gondola to connect to their other lift.

Something had shifted between her and Danica. It was exciting; maybe old feelings would rekindle, or maybe it was something completely new.