Sadie
Twenty-four hours ago…
Touching down in Jackson Hole sends a warm, tingling feeling over my entire body. Kinda like nostalgia, or something close to it, mixed with a little excitement.
A whole new chapter is upon me now that I’ve left my old life in New York, at least for the holidays. I did it. I got on the plane with Mindy, and that was that. This break will be good for me. A fresh perspective. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
It’s been a huge week of getting everything out of the apartment and making sure it was squeaky clean so I can get my security deposit back. Hopefully, it shouldn’t be long until my severance check comes in and I can recoup my non-existent savings.
Mindy and I travel like the little troopers we are with two suitcases, a small carry-on, my laptop and Mindy’s travel case.
I didn’t concentrate all that much on the plane, even though I had my e-reader readily charged to dive into a new book. My mind kept flicking to my impromptu adventure and how I would never have dreamed in a million years I’d be able to spend Christmas in Alpine Falls with Bailey, and that I’d get to go see my folks all in one trip.
This whole being wrongfully dismissed debacle has really forced me to take a deep look at a lot of things in my life, and it’s made me realize very quickly that I’ve been stuck in a bit of a rut. It’s weird how a couple of bad things spiral intoa lotof bad things. Self reflection is necessary.
The last couple of years have been a merry-go-round of sameville; something I didn’t want to acknowledge to myself until I was forced to.
But finally I’m able to breathe with the knowledge I can enjoy the holidays and let my hair down a little.
The minute I see Bailey, that fuzzy feeling returns at seeing my best friend for the first time in a year.
“OH MY GOD!” Bailey cries as I carefully place Mindy’s carrier on the ground to hug my bestie within an inch of her life.
“I’ve missed you so much!” I cry back as we hug for the longest time, neither of us wanting to let go.
Bailey eventually pulls away to glance down at me. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
I can’t wipe the smile off my face. “Me either.”
“I know a lot has happened in a week.” Her face falls slightly as she looks at me. “But you’ve done so well getting through it.”
“Well, I can’t say it’s been easy, but I’m here,” I declare. “And I realized last night I have no new winter shoes, only open toe pumps and some booties.”
Bailey laughs, her chocolate brown eyes scan over me as she laughs at my pumps. “We’ll get you some shoes, I have plenty you can borrow.”
Bailey and I are exact opposites. Where I’m blonde and short, she’s dark-haired, tall and athletic with gorgeous long legs that seem to go for miles. Luckily, we are the same shoe size, not that Bails has worn heels in her life.
She grins and gives me a one armed hug as I pick Mindy’s carrier back up. “We’ve got so much to catch up on,” she sings. “You need to fill me in as soon as we get your luggage.”
“Sounds like a conversation we need with wine,” I giggle, although there isn’t much to fill her in on because I’ve been talking to her every day since I lost my job.
We’ve been gassing about the holidays a lot, but the main topic of conversation has been about my job firing, and Kelto’s mysterious exit in the middle of the night. For now there’s not much I can do about it.
We chat excitedly all the way to the luggage carousel about all the things we’re going to do in Alpine Falls. Luckily, it doesn’t take long to grab everything, and we’re out of the airport in no time.
Once we have my belongings stowed in the back of Bailey’s Jeep, we head off for Alpine Falls. I’m finally able to let Mindy out of her carrier, and after a little cuddle from Bailey, she curls up on my lap and falls asleep in a ball.
“How was the flight?” Bailey asks as she navigates the airport exit with ease.
“It was great,” I say, looking out the windshield to the beautiful deep blue sky with roving clouds. “Mindy was pretty chill, nothing bothers her.”
“She knew Aunty Bailey was coming to get her, didn’t you, angel?” she coos.
Mindy nestles even more lazily into my lap hearing her name, and I swear to god she knows we’re talking about her. Bailey has an affinity for animals, not so much for people, mainly horses. She’s been burned by guys too in the past, so she threw herselfinto work, and running the stables. She cares for the horses at the Lodge and ski resort, as well as her own stables, and recently decided she wanted to update the old bunkhouse on her property and turn it into rustic accommodations with all the modern conveniences. Lord knows there are no spare Airbnbs around these parts at this time of year.
“She knew alright,” I laugh, resting my head back on the headrest, watching the picturesque backdrop of the mountains and trees enveloping me as we drive. “I think this is going to be exactly what I need.”
Bailey smiles. “I think so, too. I’m just sorry I couldn’t get away to help you move out and track down that Kelto bitch.”
