“Two Alpine Peak Lattes for Samantha!”
I snapped out of my spiral of insecurity and grabbed the pair of drinks, momentarily distracted by the work of art thebarista created in the foam. An intricate mountain range rose from one side of the cups, complete with tiny pine trees and what appeared to be a soaring eagle. She’d even dusted them with what looked like edible gold flakes.
“That’s ... wow.” I pulled out my phone, adjusting the angle to catch both the latte art and the cozy fireplace in the background. “This is incredible.”
“We take our craft seriously here.” The barista beamed with pride.
I was about to take a taste when I remembered the scorching lesson from the airport. Parts of my tongue were still seared from my last latte lament. Steam poured from the liquid surfaces like miniature geysers.
“You have any plastic lids?” I looked along the counter but didn’t see any.
“We’re eco-friendly here,” said the barista. Eco-aggressive seemed more descriptive.
Glancing at my phone, I realized the time. If I were going to make it to the Zoom call on time, I needed to get moving.
Balancing two full lattes, I power-walked through the resort’s winding hallways. Was it right at the antique ski display or left at the vintage snowshoes wall? “Past the stone fireplace …” I said to myself. “There are at least three hundred stone fireplaces in this resort.”
I rounded a corner at full speed.
THUD.
SPLASH
I ran straight into a brick wall, or rather, the human equivalent of one. Both lattes exploded as scalding liquid splashed across a familiar broad chest.
Beneath a familiar beard stubbled chin.
Accompanied by the scream of a familiar voice.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Noah jumped backward, thenyanked the soaked shirt over his head in one fluid motion, muscles rippling beneath tanned skin. An angry red patch flared across his chest where coffee had singed a light dusting of chest hair.
I stood frozen, two empty cups still in hand, mouth agape as I stared at Noah’s now bare torso. My brain, apparently having abandoned all professional and social protocols, helpfully noted that what remained of his non-burned chest hair formed a perfect V pointing down past his belt buckle like a biological arrow saying, “Right this way!”
“Oh, my God. I am SO sorry.” I hadn’t been this mortified since, well, the day before when I spilled coffee all over him.
“Do you make a habit of assaulting people with hot beverages?” Noah pressed his wadded-up shirt against his chest, wincing as he dabbed at the red mark. “What the hell was that?”
“Two Alpine Peak lattes.” I said, eyes searching for the nearest emergency exit route. “I was trying to find the business center and got turned around and …” When I looked back up, into Noah’s narrowed eyes, my cheeks burned even hotter than the coffee I just splattered all over him.
“Well, if you’re looking for the business center, you’re going the wrong way.” He gestured behind him with his free hand, the movement causing his shoulder muscles to ripple. “Business center’s back there. First right past the elk head.”
“Which elk head? This place has a concerning number of dead animals on the walls.”
It wasn’t quite a smile, but his mouth moved in a less frowny direction. “The one wearing the beanie.”
“I thought it was wearing a scarf?”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, the blue somehow more intense without a shirt to compete with them. “That’s a different elk.”
My eyes involuntarily driftedagain to his chest, which looked like it had been sculpted by an artist. I would have bet you could grate artisanal mountain cheese on those abs. Or use them as a washboard for laundering elk head accessories. Like beanies and scarves.
“Why are you looking for the business center?” Noah used his shirt to dry some of the coffee that had dripped into his pants. My eyes took careful note of his drying technique.
Noah cleared his throat, the sound snapping me back to the present moment where I was, in fact, still staring at his naked torso like I was taking mental measurements for a custom-fit suit.
“Maya’s making me go to some Zoom call.”
“That sounds … horrible.”
