“Dad, you’re wearing a lime-green ski suit. It’s too late.”
“Make fun of me all you want, but no one is going to run over me on the slopes.”
The two were still bickering as they walked away.
Connor locked up and tucked away the key, then headed toward the lift. Halfway there, he was almost knocked over by a snowboarder. “Hey, careful!” He steadied the young man, then realized it was Jace. “Jace, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Except he didn’t look fine. His face was almost as white as the snow around them, his eyes bloodshot. “I was just, uh, trying to avoid someone. Someone I don’t want to run into.” He looked around, then turned quickly aside. “I’ll see you.” Then he loped away, his board tucked under one arm.
Connor looked around but didn’t see anyone looking their way.
Chase grabbed Connor at the base of Lift One. “Ride up the lift with me,” he said.
“I was headed over to Six,” Connor said.
“You can cut over on Runway from the top,” Chase said.
“All right.” Connor fell in beside Chase in the ski patrol line. The patroller was carrying a small white cardboard box. “What’s in the box?”
“You’ll see.”
The liftie, Cerise, a shapely brunette with a heart-shaped face and big dark eyes, motioned them forward. “Hi, Chase, Connor,” she said.
“I got you a present,” Chase said. He held out the box.
She hesitated.
“Go ahead. It won’t bite.” He shoved the box toward her.
She took the box as Connor and Chase slid onto the chair.
“Go ahead and open it,” Chase said.
Smiling, she shook her head.
“Come on,” he pleaded. He turned to look back as the lift chair rose.
Cerise held the box out away from her and carefully lifted the lid. Nothing happened. She leaned over and peaked inside, then made a face and dropped the box. It landed on its side in the snow beside the loading area.
“Aw, man. That’s edible, you know!” Chase called. He collapsed back in the chair, laughing.
“What was in the box?” Connor asked.
“A cupcake with a jelly cockroach on top. I had it made special.”
“You sure know the way to a woman’s heart.”
“Aww, it’s just Cerise. And it gets her back for filling my boots with shaving cream.”
“I thought that was to get you back for the plastic spiders.”
“She never should have told me she liked spiders. Anyway, it was a good cupcake. Cost me five dollars to get that bug on top.”
“I’m sure knowing that will make her feel much better.”
The two patrollers parted ways at the top of the lift. Connor headed down Runway toward Lift Six, but he hadn’t gone far before his radio beeped. He stopped at the side of the run. “Ski patrol One,” he answered.
“It’s Eddie Vasquez on Lift Eleven. Got a report of a guy wiped out on Calico Hill. His friend says he’s hurt pretty bad.”
