Chapter Eleven
ASPEN
She’d wanted to throw her arms around him again and give him another appropriately inappropriate hug—for letting her bomb down the side of the mountain and drive the snowmobile back to the resort.
But instead, she’d retreated to her doorstep and bolted inside the cabin without another backward glance.
Once she had all her snow gear hung up and drying, she grabbed her clothes and raced to the bathroom for her second shower of the day.
She could probably get away without taking one, but with the VIP Meet and Greet afterward, she needed to be at her best. Those people had paid a pretty penny to meet the athletes, so Aspen would try her best to look the part and act as pleasantly as she could manage.
Giving herself a once-over in the mirror, Aspen grabbed her keys, pulled on her coat, and headed for the door.
She wasn’t exactly known for being glamorous, but since this was supposed to be a nicer event, she’d taken the time to do her makeup and even curl her hair.
That meant no beanie for most of the day, which was downright depressing. She almost always wore a beanie.
She was supposed to wear some of the Mynt gear to each event…
or was it all of it to one? She couldn’t remember.
Either way, she tugged on the Mynt socks and shoved her feet into her boots.
At least she was wearing something, right?
If anyone asked where her sponsor gear was, she could just hike up a pant leg and prove her loyalty.
Easy peasy. Wait… had she just thought the words easy peasy?
She chuckled to herself. Cole must be rubbing off on her.
Remembering the trick to locking and unlocking her door, she smiled and spun toward the lodge, but not before glancing at Cole’s cabin.
She knew he wouldn’t be there; as a snowboard instructor and trail guide, he was bound to be busy.
Still, she couldn’t help herself. She tried not to let her shoulders drop at the disappointment as she headed for the lodge, where the Mynt Mingle and Jingle was about to start.
What a ridiculous name, she thought. She’d only met Mr. Mynt a few times via video chat.
He seemed like a cool guy, but she could still only imagine how full of oneself someone had to be to name everything at their resort after themselves.
Her boots crunched on the snow as she took a long breath of the cold, crisp air before pulling open the lobby doors, which were decked out in the usual Christmas decorations one might expect.
Aspen tried not to roll her eyes at the over-the-top decor: garlands of cedar greenery draped throughout the room, probably the source of the pine scent, twinkling lights wrapped around every column and finished with velvet bows and sprigs of holly—the kind of annoyingly perfect holiday touches she couldn’t help but notice.
Her eyes were caught by the two reindeer flanking the stairs, made entirely of silver bells, and she took a deep breath to calm her annoyance at how much she liked that particular touch.
She ignored the giant Christmas tree in the center of the lobby, not wanting to see any more perfection, and made a beeline for the concierge desk as the rich scent of the decorations grew stronger.
Had Aspen ever smelled anything more Christmassy than the piney, spicy, mulled scent wafting through the lobby?
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, and she wasn’t about to go searching for the source if she was trying to ignore it all.
She approached the concierge desk, and he waved her toward the room designated for the event.
She slipped through the door, doing her best to ignore the other athletes as she took a seat near the back.
She hadn’t come late—Aspen preferred to arrive a bit early for events so she could claim her spot in the back and people-watch from the shadows.
Aspen wasn’t anti-social. She was actually pretty friendly with her snowboarding buddies. But she didn’t know many of these people, aside from seeing them on television, so she kept her distance until forced to do otherwise.
She took her seat and leaned back, crossing her feet at the ankles as she scoped out the scene.
People mingled, some women flirting with men.
That, apparently, was how some athletes treated these events—more interested in hooking up than in the sport.
But Aspen wasn’t like that; she had always been professional.
Snowboarding was her life, and it would take more than a few skilled competitors with charm and pretty faces to distract her from her focus.
The start time approached, and everyone began taking their seats.
Aspen watched as one woman, an athlete she didn’t recognize, glanced around nervously before settling into a seat near the back, not too far from Aspen.
She pushed up the sleeves of her sweater as if the material were itching and eased into her seat.
A woman with an all-too-cheery smile and short curly hair took the stage.
Aspen tried not to cringe as she spoke, her high-pitched, overly enthusiastic voice ringing throughout the room.
“Welcome, everyone!” The crowd of athletes quieted down as she continued.
“We’re thrilled to have you all here to support an incredible cause, Mynt to Make a Difference.
But I won’t say another word about that.
” She zipped her mouth shut, tossed an imaginary key aside, and gave the crowd a bright smile.
Aspen wanted to gag. “I’ll leave that honor to the one and only, the amazing founder and CEO of Mynt Athletic Clothing, as well as the owner of this resort—your sponsor and biggest fan—Barry Mynt! ”
She motioned toward the side of the stage, and Barry Mynt appeared.
His suit was so over-the-top that Aspen wanted to laugh, but she managed to keep it at bay as she took him in.
The suit was dark green, and even from the back, she could make out little white peppermints decorating the coat.
His hair matched his beard—completely white, like Aspen’s—though he had probably sported it for years, unlike her, who had had it her whole life.
A trait she inherited at birth from her mother’s side, one of the reasons why her dad had given her the middle name Neve, which meant snow.
His voice rang out as he thanked the woman before turning to the crowd.
“Wow. What a group we have here. Some of the greatest athletes in the world, and I couldn’t be happier to have you be a part of Mynt Athletic Clothing.
” Aspen slumped in her chair as he continued talking—something about pushing limits and breaking barriers while looking good.
He was just like all the other salesmen, pushing their products for gain.
Yeah, yeah, he was also giving back, wanting to make a difference.
She tried not to show the disgust on her face as he said those exact words.
“We’re here to make a difference. Mynt to Make a Difference—see what I did there?
” It was insanely ridiculous how into himself he was.
His words turned into the unintelligible sounds of Charlie Brown’s parents as Aspen continued to listen.
Sure, he seemed nice and genuinely wanted the charity event to go smoothly, and Aspen was all for charity work.
She’d met some really great kids over the years and had even worked with some of them.
But she was so over people-pleasing types like Mr. Mynt.
Still, she’d promised her father she would be polite.
This was for a good cause. Aspen just needed to remember that.
Just because she disliked Christmas didn’t mean she couldn’t help others enjoy theirs.
People began rising from their chairs, and Aspen stood, unsure of what to do.
Had she missed something? The athletes were gathering in groups, and Aspen grumbled under her breath.
“Oh shoot.” She had missed something. Mr. Mynt waved her toward a group he’d put together, and Aspen sighed in relief as she made her way over.
“Hi, I guess I’ll go first,” a girl with dark hair piped in. “I’m Kelly, and I’m a golfer.” She glanced up, and Aspen followed her eyes to a screen listing some questions. Oh, so that’s what they were doing. Well, this was going to be annoying.
“Okay, so,” Kelly said, reading the next question from the screen.
“If you were one of Santa’s reindeer, which one would you be and why?
” She let out an annoying giggle. “Oh my goodness, that’s easy.
I would totally be Prancer because everyone loves watching me on the green, and I always give a good show, bringing more viewers to the game of golf. ”
What in the actual what? She hadn’t even paused to think before answering that question. How does someone know what reindeer they would be? Why is that even a question? Ugh. This was going to be even more annoying than Aspen thought.
“Hey all,” Aspen held up a finger and ticked off the questions as she answered them.
“Name’s Aspen Sterling.” She held up a second finger.
“I’m a snowboarder.” She flipped up another finger, ready to be done with this little exercise.
“And Donner, because, well… I’m like thunder on the mountain.
” She gave everyone a sly smile, and they all nodded in return, clearly recognizing who she was and how accurately she described her snowboarding.
“Hi everyone,” the next girl announced. “I’m Juliet Morgan, and I play soccer for the US women’s team. And I guess if I had to pick a reindeer, I’d pick Rudolph, if that counts, because when I get cold, my nose turns bright red.”
Aspen laughed. How very accurate that was for some people. She was lucky her nose didn’t turn red. Everyone else chuckled along.
“Um, hi. I’m Chloe Reynolds, and I’m a figure skater.
And I guess… if I were one of Santa’s reindeer, I’d be Blitzen.
” She paused, looking nervous, before starting again.
“Because, like lightning, I tend to show up out of nowhere. Like at nationals. I kind of won it by accident.” She gave a small laugh, and Aspen couldn’t help but join in.
She was clearly nervous. Aspen remembered seeing her earlier.
The last group member chimed in. “I’m Holden Prescott.
I play hockey and am on the Minnesota Wolves team,” he said, his voice flat and eyes flicking to the floor.
Aspen could practically feel his boredom.
Poor guy. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. “If I had to be a reindeer…” He paused, and Aspen was curious what he would say, wondering if he’d pick something fast. After all, he was a hockey player.
“I would be Comet because I’m fast on the ice. ”
None of them had a chance to respond, because as soon as he finished, Jingle Bells rang out through the room, signaling that the icebreaker was over. Aspen wasn’t too sad about that, if she was completely honest.
They moved on to a photo shoot, where Aspen ended up having to wear a ridiculous Santa hat.
She might as well have worn a beanie, considering how messed up her curls probably were by now.
Once the shoot was over, the double doors on the other side of the room opened, and the VIP guests filed in, all sporting lanyards that marked their tickets for the event.
Aspen put on a smile and moved over to a kid wearing a shirt with a picture of a snowboard on it, “Aspen Sterling” written across the board in jagged pink letters. He was turned away, so she tapped him on the shoulder.
When he spun around, his eyes went wide. “You’re… you’re Aspen Sterling? Really?” He pointed first to his shirt, then at her, clearly trying to get his parents’ attention beside him.
“Yes, really!” Aspen laughed. “That’s a pretty cool shirt you’ve got there.”
The boy grinned, bouncing on his heels. “Can you… can you sign it? And maybe this?” He held up a poster with her on it.
“Of course,” she said, giving him a fist bump before signing his shirt and a few other items he had brought along.
“Do you… do you actually do all of these tricks in real life, or is it photoshopped?” he asked, eyes sparkling.
“Yup, I did them all,” Aspen said as she watched his eyes go even wider. “But it takes a lot of practice.”
He looked down at his feet for a moment. “I… I don’t get to practice very much. I wish I could. It’s just really expensive… and, well… we won these VIP passes,” he admitted. “I try at home, but my parents don’t really have money for lessons or equipment.”
Aspen crouched slightly to be at his level, her smile softening. “Hey, don’t worry about that. You’ve got determination, and that’s what matters most. Keep trying, okay? You’ll get there.”
He beamed. “Thanks. You really are pretty in person.”
She chuckled as he turned red. Aspen could hang with kids all day. They were adorable—genuinely liked her for who she was and wanted nothing more. She’d just stick with them and steer clear of the annoying adults. She could do this… right?
Thoughts of Cole drifted into her mind as she signed for a few more kids, smiling for pictures.
She pictured him working with kids—he was probably great with them.
Would she see him again? She wondered as another kid held out a poster for an autograph.
She signed it with a small sigh, her stomach grumbling.
The last thing she had eaten were the snacks Cole had given her that morning.
He really was an odd one—odd, but also… really great. Aspen smiled as she fist-bumped another kid. Somehow, she had a feeling she hadn’t seen the last of him yet—and that thought made her grin.