When I met Dani, the extent of her modeling catalogue was a toothpaste commercial for a brand not well-known called Plaque Where?What That Mouthwash Do? was a brand Dani came up with that night that we definitely should’ve sold to the Plaque Where? conglomerate.
We both laugh at the old joke from that night, but the sudden movement seems to make her stomach lurch. At this point, I don’t think she has anything left in her system to throw up.
“Come here.” I motion for her to lay her head in my lap and she does. “You’re okay. You’re fine. Everything’s fine. I got you,” I say in a low voice.
It takes three days for the snow to melt enough for us to venture out of our cabin. Yara’s essentials were a lifesaver, but it’ll be nice to go out today and get other things.
Dani’s doing better, no sign of vomiting or dizziness.
I go outside to investigate the snow while she’s in the shower. When she’s done, she joins me outside.
“You sure you’re feeling okay? Want more toast?”
“If I never see another piece of toast again, it’ll be too soon,” she says. “No, I drank an entire bottle of mouthwash and brushed my teeth a million times, so I feel better. And thank you for taking care of me.”
It’s my pleasure. “You’re welcome.”
Our investigation shows us that while we can leave our cabin, there’s still too much snow and ice to drive down the mountain. We’re stuck.
As we’re walking back, Yara pulls up beside us on a snowmobile. The light brown skin you can see under her snow gear is slightly reddened from the cold. Her blue curls poke out from under her helmet.
“Hey, Yara.”
“Hey, y’all. Do you guys have enough food? The roads are gonna be trouble for at least one more day, so I’m checking on all the guests. I can get to the store for any emergencies.”
We take Yara up on her offer and give her a small list.
“And tell Jellybean I haven’t forgotten about her,” Dani says.
“I did tell her you were sick, but toy throwing waits for no one, so you can expect some attitude when you see her again.”
“I deserve that.” She giggles.
As we’re walking back to the cabin, a rustle in the nearby trees catches our attention.
“Is that a bear?” Dani whisper-shouts.
“It’s not a bear, Dani,” I say. At least, I don’t think so.
The trees rustle again and none other than a black bear steps out into the clearing.
“It’s a fucking bear!” She grabs my wrist to haul ass back to the cabin, but I stand firm.
“Don’t run! It’ll think it should chase us.”
We’re having a stare-off with a fucking bear.
“I’m pretty sure that’s just for dogs.”
I look at her and she looks at me, neither of us sure who’s right.
“Fuck it,” we say in unison, running for our lives back to the cabin.
When we slam the door shut behind us, we’re both out of breath from running and laughing. She slides down the door to the floor as I double-check each and every lock.
“A bear almost had you for lunch,” she says around a gulp of air.
“Me? It looked like it had room for both of us.”
