“If it’s so hard to make a living there, why do you stay?”
“I was born and raised there. Can’t imagine living anywhere else.” He gives a little shrug.
“Have you ever tried?” As soon as the words are out, I panic, wondering if they came across as negative. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to read into them.
“Yeah, actually. I did a few semesters of college in California years ago, and I learned I wasn’t cut out to be a student or exist in a place where the only silence comes in the form of noise-canceling headphones.”
The way he wrinkles his nose makes me chuckle. “You don’t like the ocean?”
“I do. The best part about California was learning to surf, which is probably why I didn’t make the best student. But I’m a mountain guy, through and through.”
“You’re tethered to Katah Vista, then?”
“For now. Maybe not forever, but if the outdoors is a part of you that’s one of the few places I’ve found where you’re truly surrounded by it.”
I’ve traveled enough to know that’s not true, but I understand the sentiment. Having spent a week there last month I know it’s a special place, mainly because of the rugged beauty of the landscape. “So, Katah Vista is the best place to be, even if you have to work several jobs?”
“Especially then.” His eyes light up as he talks about his hometown. “If you’re willing to work a few jobs to live where you’re happy it means you don’t take that place for granted.”
I feel myself nodding in agreement as the bartender sets our plates in front of us. “I get that. On a broader scale, I think, but I get it.”
“How so?”
“Well…” I gnaw on a fry to gather my thoughts. “Living on the road gives me the opportunity to visit a lot of places, and there are a ton of incredible sights I wouldn’t have seen if my work didn’t involve traveling. But living out of a trailer isn’t exactly easy.”
“You literally have your house with you everywhere you go. That’s not easy?”
I roll my lips between my teeth to bite back a chuckle. “Convenient maybe, sure. But easy? No. I can’t park it just anywhere, there’s lot of maintenance you have to keep up with when you put as many miles on it as I do, and while I love the fact I’ve been able to travel the world, I don’t always get as much time to enjoy the places I’ve been to since I’m working. That’s better than not seeing them at all though, at leastto me, so the challenges of a nomadic lifestyle are a small price to pay, probably like working two jobs to live in Katah Vista is for you.”
“I get that,” he says with an almost pensive expression, making me briefly question whether it’s his hometown or the fact I used those exact words just a second ago that has him thinking so deeply.
“What’s the other job, then?” I pop a fry in my mouth, changing the subject. “The one that brought you here.”
“It might be building a mountain bike park. Carter, the owner of the Katah Vista resort, thinks adding one will bring people in over the summer.”
“I’m sure it would. The park here keeps the chairs spinning all summer. I’m actually surprised your resort doesn’t already have a bike park.”
“No one’s ever said it, but my guess is the people who owned the resort before Carter didn’t have the capital to make that a reality. Frankly, I don’t even think Carter would be looking into it if it wasn’t for an offhand comment my friend Deacon made about wanting a lazy way up the mountain. He’s a skier, not a biker, so it wasn’t really on his radar.”
“A resort owner who actually listens to the people?” I feign shock, although that really is shocking. Nowadays most resorts are focused on chasing the bottom line rather than providing a good experience.
“He’s still weighing the finances—” Blake doesn’t miss a beat “—but he’s getting local input on how to do that, which is beyond cool. I never thought I’d say it, but we’re lucky to have him.”
“Why do you sound surprised by that?”
Blake grins thoughtfully, as if he’s been transported somewhere else. “The guy wears a three-piece suit to work on the mountain. The first time we all saw him… Let’s just say we expected his changes to stick out as sorely as he did.”
“I take it they don’t?”
“Not at all. Well, not what he has planned for the ski slopes. The bike park is a bit of a wild card since we still have to build the damn thing.” The tips of his ears turn red as he takes a bite of his burger.
“I didn’t realize you built trailsandtaught people how to ride. How do you even have time for the spa thing?”
He finishes chewing with a tiny shake of his head. “I don’t build trails. I help maintain them with the forest service, but I’ve never built one. I’m not even sure what my role would be if Carter decides to move forward with this idea. Right now, I’m just here to meet with a guy who’s done this sort of thing before so we can better understand what it would take.”
“Jackson Parker?”
Blake cocks his head to the side. “Yeah. How…?”
