He seemed a little nervous in his question. Meeting the parents? The line of our agreement became blurred in an instant. Or was this what he would gain from our arrangement? “Sure, I’d love to. Mickey had mentioned us having dinner together at five tomorrow, so I can moonlight on both occasions.”
What a relief that his was so much later in the evening. I needed to remember that I was there first for the group. Despite not being a chaperone, I still liked to be available to them, not for my own interests. But since Mickey and Tamara approved, and there were plenty of other parents, I knew it would be okay to be absent after dinner.
“Wonderful. I’ll have a car pick you up at 6:45. It will be at their home over in the Blueberry Basin.”
“Ooh, fancy. They have a ski-in/out home here? I didn’t know that.”
Blake almost looked embarrassed. “Yeah, you know my dad doesn’t ski, but he insists on a collection of ski properties. It’s almost hoarding at this point.”
“Must be convenient since you ski. You can go to them, I mean.”
Blake shook his head. “No, not really… I live on my own dime. I love my parents, but I am completely independent of them. While I am welcome to stay at one of their properties, I want to make my own opportunities and experiences.”
“Oh, I thought… I mean, Timothy said something about you guys staying here because of your dad…?”
“Yes, he owns the hotel. He called to secure the rooms, but we paid for them. We got an employee discount, at least!” Blake laughed.
It was impressive to learn that despite having unlimited resources in his family, he was determined to forge his own path. Reflecting upon my own feelings, I was so hung up on what I thought my father wanted for my life that I could barely consider what I wanted. I had a feeling Blake would never let that get in his way. There was so much I could learn from Blake.
“So, what is it that you do?” While I felt he knew everything about me, I still knew little about him.
“It sounds pretty cliché, but I work for my dad’s company. It pains me to learn that we were almost coworkers and didn’t know it.” He shot me a smile. “But I work on thefinance side of things. I’m on the company’s team of financial advisors. I enjoy it, but I’ve been gaining much more interest in the real estate side of things as of late. I started investing in properties a few years ago, and it’s been really fulfilling.”
“Like what kind? Don’t tell me you’re the guy buying up all the condos for short-term rentals…?” I timidly asked, giving him a playful punch in the arm.
“No, nothing like that. Nothing residential. I’ve been getting commercial spaces and leasing to nonprofits. Right now, I have an animal shelter, a church, and a senior center. My favorite way to spend a day is actually hitting up all three and spending time with them. David is the pastor at Elk Valley Church, and I really connect with his messages. He can explain things in terms I understand, which is a lifesaver. Then I spend hours with the kitties at Fremont Animal Shelter. I’m this close to taking home a dozen, let me tell you.” He held up an inch sign with his hand.
“Ahh, you’re a cat guy? I’d have taken you for a golden retriever lover.” At least that’s what I was projecting, considering that was my dream family dog.
“Oh, I’d take a handful of goldens, too, don’t worry. I have plenty of room in my heart for all pets. I’m lookingforward to getting a dog next year since my lease is up at my condo, and I’m looking to buy.”
“That’s great.” Every bone in my body wanted to offer help when he picked out that future dog, but I held back. “And what about the senior center? What’s that all about?”
“Now that’s entertainment. I like to go there on Tuesdays because that’s when it’s line dancing night. You think it gets rowdy at bars? You ain’t seen nothing until you watch Marsha get her two-step on.” We both laughed at the visual. “I’ll have to take you sometime.” It wasn’t lost on me that he was making future plans, but then again, nothing was set in stone.
Looking at Blake in wonderment, I felt an out-of-body experience coming on. “Okay, so Mr. Perfect-looking is also perfect on the inside?” I slammed my hand over my mouth. I didn’t mean to say that out loud!
Blake started cracking up laughing. “Well, I don’t know about any of that. I am an extremely flawed sinner, just like everyone else. But I’m elated to know you think I look perfect… because the feeling is mutual, Claire. You’re a pretty fun girl to fake date.”
I was relieved to be wearing a full face of makeup and that my cheeks were already rosy from the cold, considering my face liked to betray me with redness any chance it got. At least then he wouldn’t see the difference, and I could keep my poker face about me. Except for one problem: I was grinning ear to ear.
When we made it to the top, Blake insisted I go down first. “But I’m not fast and you’ll be waiting around.” I pled with him that I would meet him at the bottom, but he insisted.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, Claire. Go ahead, take your time.”
For the first time in my skiing experience, I felt safe. Safe to go at my own speed. Safe to try, knowing that if I needed help, it would be there. And that’s what I did. I left the world behind me and put all my focus into carving my way down. I remembered watching Blake that morning; he made it look so effortless.
Tara had given me a tip on turning: to lift the inner ski ever so slightly. I felt brave enough to put that into play. It was difficult to muster the day before, but I was ready to give it another shot. As I attempted it with a little more speed, I found it easier than I thought, but I was also on a flat spot.Earlier, Trevor had said to keep making turn after turn. He called it “making a curve.” He said, “Every time you turn, make another curve.”
Saying it on repeat really stuck out in my mind, and I started repeating it. “Make a curve. Make a curve.” And I did. My skiing went from exasperating to exhilarating. While I was only going marginally faster, I felt at ease. My back went from a hunched, stressed position to fluid and upright. The crisp sounds of my skis’ sharp edges were a familiar song as I cut through the powder. Every part of that gave me confidence and healing for my heart. When I finally made it to the bottom, Blake was trailing right behind me.
“You did amazing, Claire. You have a beautiful form.”
“Thank you. I think watching you ski this morning helped that.”
He looked at me with curiosity. “You saw me? Did everyone see me? I thought I was silent as a mouse.” He yawned as he spoke. It was clear the early day and uphill hike through the deep snow were catching up with him.
“I didn’t know it was you until Mickey asked you at breakfast. I was watching the sunrise. You were just an added piece of art to that.”
