In his head, he knew he should have said he had worked there most of his life, as his parents had owned the resort since he was born, but he tried not to disclose it to anyone he didn’t know. He hated sounding like he was bragging.
They continued to walk up the hill, and by the time they reached both of their skis, they were huffing from the exertion. Noah attached his skis to his boots before steadying Jessa as she attached hers.
“Ready?” he asked.
Her eyes were saucers as she stared down the run. “You know, maybe I should just walk out.”
“That will be incredibly exhausting in this powder. I’ll help you down.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “I know you’re ski patrol and all that, but I think you seriously misjudge how coordinated I am.”
He chuckled and held out his hand to her. “Trust me.”
She audibly took a deep breath before placing her gloved hand in his. Noah kept hold of her hands as he coached her down the run. He skied backwards in front of her while telling her how to carve in the snow. By the time they made it to the lodge, the gondola was empty of all skiers and snowboarders except for Megan, who stood with a few ski patrollers looking worried.
Relief flooded her face as she jogged over to Jessa and wrapped her arms around her.
“Where have you been? I kept texting,” Megan said.
Jessa looked guiltily at Noah. “I crashed into ski patrol… literally. Took us a hot minute to get down the mountain.”
Megan’s eyebrows raised before her eyes slid over to Noah. Her eyes raked up and down his body, despite him still wearing his thick snow gear. He shifted awkwardly.
Jessa’s face tinged red. “Come, Megan. I need to return my skis and boots.”
The girls disappeared through the side door that led to the rental area, giving Noah an apologetic look.
“What happened there?” Jeff asked.
Noah shrugged. “I had to help her down the mountain. She bit off more than she could chew as a beginner.”
Noah’s walkie talkie crackled as the crew all called in their all-clears for the runs. Jessa and Megan emerged from the rental room with Jessa now wearing snow boots. She smiled shyly at Noah as she passed by him to the gondola.
“Thanks for your help. And sorry about all that.” She gestured at his crotch before realizing what she did. Her face flamed red.
He laughed. “It’s okay. Have a good rest of your stay.” He watched her climb into the gondola and disappear.
Noah scrubbed at his face.Tourists are a bad idea.
