6. Blake #2
“We may have the basic infrastructure to get bikes up the mountain, but that’s about all we have.
” I scratch my head, which is suddenly itchy with everyone watching me.
Well, everyone but Ryder, who’s leaning his head against the wall with a distant, almost vacant look.
It’s the same one he’s been wearing since his brother passed a little over a month ago, and while I’m sure that’s normal, it’s starting to worry me.
Maybe talking about bikes will get through to him.
He loves riding as much as the rest of us.
“The right way to do this is to build trails with varying degrees of difficulty, just like the ski runs. Green would be nice and flowy without anything like rocks or tree roots on the trail, black would have lots of technical elements and jumps, and blue would fall somewhere in the middle. Anything we build would have to factor in snow runoff and erosion, and carving the trail won’t be as simple as digging with a few shovels.
Depending on the features we add we’d need some heavy equipment. ”
“Okay.” Carter doesn’t seem phased.
Deacon claps his hand together and rubs them like he’s plotting something big. “I love working with big machinery.”
My eyes dart between him and Carter. “I thought you were a landscaper?”
“He and Cade both have the commercial license needed to run the equipment, but they’ll be following the plans you give them.”
“Me?” I point at my chest. “I’m not really qualified to build something on the scale we’re talking about.”
“What about Jackson?” Axel suggests. “You saw what he did in Utah, ask him to do it here.”
“I sorta did that already.” I shoot a nervous glance toward Carter. “Not that I offered him a job or anything, I just floated the idea of him coming here as kind of a joke and he said he has it pretty good where he is. He did mention something about an assistant though.”
“KP.” Axel grins. “I’ve heard the name before. If you can’t get Jackson, then KP’s the next best thing. They both put a lot of time into that park, and you’d be lucky to get either one. Which run was your favorite?” he asks me.
The rest of the table hangs on our every word as Axel and I talk about the different trails, all of them practically salivating at the idea of having so many downhill options a chairlift away.
For a moment, I get lost in the conversation, reliving how it felt to soar over the trail as it wove through the trees.
Then this ‘KP’ creeps into my mind, and I wonder whether his presence will mean there isn’t any room for me on this project.
“Did Jackson say how long it took to build the park?” Carter asks after Axel and I run out of trails to rave about.
"He didn’t. Although, I got the impression between the planning and building it was a few years.”
“I guess we better get started then. I’m going to see if I can convince this KP to give us a hand. Assuming I’m successful, I’ll need you to be in charge of gathering whatever resources are needed.” Carter’s gaze falls on me.
“Me?” I point to myself for the second time in an hour.
“Of course, you. You know biking and you know everyone in town. Things will move a lot faster if you’re KP’s contact for things like equipment and personnel. And my guess is that’ll be a full-time position, so you may want to give your notice at the spa.”
I feel my jaw moving though no words come out. Did he just offer me a job?
“Unless you want to keep working there?” Carter watches me with a confused look, apparently mistaking my silence for hesitation instead of shock.
“No! Nope. I can give my two weeks,” I stutter.
“Good. Stop by my office tomorrow and we’ll talk salary. I’m thinking…”
Carter trails off as Ryder slumps forward, head landing on the table with a thud. Shit . I’m embarrassed to say in all the excitement about the resort I wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing. “Should I be worried about this?” Carter looks around the table for input.
“I’m not sure.” Cade scrubs a hand down his face .
“It’s only been a month since he lost his brother,” I explain, not because Carter isn’t aware, he just doesn’t know Ryder all that well since he joined our group of friends right about the time Chase passed.
“A month isn’t that long.” Deacon scratches his jaw. “And he isn’t really hurting anybody by drinking his feelings.”
“He could be hurting his snowboarding career if he isn’t ready to ride when the season starts,” Carter points out.
“Maybe we cut him some slack until then?” Deacon shrugs. I’m not sure I agree, but that’s probably not my place anymore.
Though he’s still one of my closest friends, Ryder and I drifted apart after he turned pro. He was always on the road, and I was always here, where nothing even remotely interesting happens. I mean, does he really want to hear about a trail he’s ridden a million times when he’s traveling the world?
The only noteworthy thing to happen since he turned pro was Carter buying the resort, and for the entire first year he owned it no one knew what he planned to do with it. So, without much to talk about we sort of stopped talking.
We still hang out when he comes home for the summer, but since Ryder doesn’t need to work at the spa anymore our childish game of who can score with more tourists doesn’t exist. And since he’s under the impression I get my fill of women through that job, Deacon took my place as his wingman.
The two of them have grown pretty close, to the point I sometimes feel like a third wheel, and I definitely defer to Deacon when people ask how Ryder’s doing.
That doesn’t bother me except in moments like this when I wonder if Deacon’s making the right call.
Then again, I’ve never lost someone so close to me.
Maybe a month or two of drowning your sorrows is acceptable.
“We should keep a closer eye on him, though.” Cade elbows his cousin.
“Yeah, probably,” Deacon agrees. “Anyone want to help me get him home?”
“I’m in.” I toss a few bills on the table as I stand up.
“I’ve got this.” Carter tosses my money back at me. “It was sort of a work meeting, anyway.”
“Okay, thanks.” I make plans to stop by his office the next day, then help Deacon cart Ryder home, feeling somewhat ashamed that it took Ryder’s pain to make me stop thinking about the dilemmas in my own life.