Chapter Nineteen
ASPEN
Breakfast with Santa had been uneventful and boring, and now Aspen wished the Cocoa and Christmas Tales activity would hurry up—if only to spend more time with her newfound friend.
Aspen had never had a friend like Cole before.
He was… different. In a good way. Constantly doing things for her, even when she hadn’t done a single thing for him in return.
Most of Aspen’s friends always wanted something—a ticket to a competition, a signed piece of merchandise for a friend, to borrow money, or to be seen with her for publicity.
She thought about Chase. He really was a creep.
How had it taken her so long to see how selfish he had been in their relationship?
Perhaps she had chosen not to see it, so she wouldn’t be alone.
Whatever the case, she needed to be strong when it came to Chase.
He was here for the week, and if his persistence yesterday was any indicator, he wouldn’t be giving up that quickly.
She scanned the crowd gathered around the ice skating rink, and when she didn’t see Chase, her shoulders finally relaxed.
She began to wander along the edge of the ice, letting her eyes drift over the skaters.
One of the women from yesterday—Chloe, if she remembered correctly—caught her attention, gliding across the rink with spins and turns that seemed almost effortless.
Her movements were so graceful that Aspen found herself completely entranced, lost in the beauty of each motion.
The scent of his cologne hit her, and before she could react, two hands snaked around her waist, lifting her and pulling her close. Her arms were pinned to her sides, leaving her completely helpless.
“Hi there, Red. Good to see you… alone.” His breath tickled her ear, making her flinch. Why had she let her guard down? She had been so careful to steer clear of him, and now—now she was trapped.
She wriggled in his arms, trying not to make a scene as she failed to put any distance between them.
“Let me go, Chase, or I’ll… I’ll scream.” She wouldn’t scream, but she’d love to kick him where it counts.
“No, you won’t. You like me too much,” he whispered, his mouth brushing her ear, and her stomach soured.
“You're hurting my knee, Chase.” He wasn’t, but it didn't hurt to try something else to get him to put her down.
He set her down, and she spun away, surprised that it had worked—until his next words made her understand why he had released her.
“Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to my girlfriend again.
It was so traumatizing for me the last time watching you go through that.
I hate hospitals, and you were in there for so long.
And your knee… it was so ugly and swollen.
” He shuddered, motioning toward her knee, and she felt her face heat with anger.
How dare he make it all about himself? She had suffered, enduring indescribable pain at being unable to do the things she loved.
And here he was, thinking only of how horrible it had been for him.
Tears pricked at her eyes as she stood there, staring at the man she had once believed she loved.
“Nope. Don’t do that. You know how much I hate it when you cry. Remember what I told you last time—just go look in the mirror. People look so ugly when they cry. You won’t be able to cry anymore once you see how ugly you look.”
Her heart pounded, anger swelling inside her until all she could see was red.
“How about this, Red. Why don’t you and I go on a little hike?
Your friend told me about this drop-off at the top of the mountain.
Said we should check it out. Oh, he wanted me to tell you he’s busy with lessons all day, so he won’t be able to hang out with you later.
” Chase gave her a smile, and Aspen’s heart sank.
She knew Cole wouldn’t do that—he would never give someone permission to jump the drop-off. And she also knew Cole wouldn’t cancel on her without telling her or sending someone to tell her. But her cell phone didn’t work out here. Maybe he had texted?
Chase was a liar. She had seen him lie for years and had been the recipient of some of those lies. Yet she had let him, even convincing herself that some of the lies were the truth.
“I… I can’t take you, Chase. I have… something else I need to do.” Aspen wasn’t good at lying. Like Cole had said, she wore her heart on her sleeve, and apparently, her lies weren’t very convincing either.
“No, you don’t. I have the same schedule as you, and right now, you have nothing important to do.
” He grabbed her chin between his fingers, and she fought the urge to bite them off, shaking her head until his hand dropped to his side.
“I also happen to be pretty tight with the owner of this place. Wouldn’t it be just awful if someone were to tell him that one of his employees was breaking the rules?
I can only imagine—someone might even lose their job.
” He made a little pouty face, and it was all she could do not to scratch his eyes out.
“Fine. I’ll take you up — but I’m not going down with you. My knee’s been acting up, and my PT would kill me if I messed it up.” She pointed to her knee, and he rolled his eyes.
“Sure. Whatever you say, Red. You know you won’t be able to resist that drop.” He motioned for her to start moving, and she shook her head.
“Not yet. I gotta do something first. Let’s meet back here in twenty minutes.” She hoped that would buy her enough time to text Cole. She also didn’t want Chase knowing where she was staying, so she prayed he’d go along with it.
“Uh-uh-uh.” He wagged his finger, shaking his head.
“How about I just follow you to your cabin? It’d be nice to know where you’re staying.
Maybe we can head back to your place later.
” He raised his eyebrows a few times, and Aspen’s stomach turned.
Her heart thundered in her chest as she stood there, trying to think of what to do. Then, suddenly, an idea hit her.
“I… uh… need to go pee. You know… girl stuff, if you know what I mean.” Heat crept up Aspen’s neck as Chase’s face twisted in disgust when he caught her meaning.
“Oh—uh, okay. Gross.” He grimaced. “Why don’t you just use the bathroom at the lodge, then we can grab some gear? That way we can get up the mountain sooner.”
He motioned toward the lodge, and Aspen nodded quickly before heading that way.
As she moved past him, he caught her hand, and instead of fighting him, she let it hang there, limp as a wet noodle, while they made their way inside.
Once inside, she made a beeline for the women’s bathroom, leaving him on a bench outside. Panic gripped her as she fumbled for her phone, checking for messages—nothing. Not a single text.
With finality, she sent a text to Cole, hoping he would see it sooner rather than later.
Aspen: Hey Cole. I just had an unwelcome visitor. He said you gave him permission to go up to the drop-off and that I should take him. That doesn’t sound like you—but Chase can be very convincing.
Her heart pounded as she waited for a reply, but her phone stayed silent. No messages, no calls.
Aspen: I told him I’d take him up, but I won’t be going off the drop-off. He said you told him to tell me that you have lessons all day, but since I haven’t gotten a text from you, I’m not sure what to think. Hopefully I see you later, but if not… thanks for being such a good friend.
Aspen flushed the toilet, then moved to the sink, washing her hands while keeping her eyes on her phone, hoping for a reply. Her heart sank when the screen lit up—and the message staring back at her was from Chase.
Chase: Could you hurry up in there? Do you know how stupid you’re making me look, leaving me to sit outside the women’s bathroom? Super inconsiderate of you.
She didn’t respond. There was no point—once a jerk, always a jerk. Aspen dried her hands, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the bathroom, moving toward the lodge’s exit. With every step away from the lodge, the dread in her stomach coiled tighter, each movement feeling heavier than the last.
The hike was harder this time, and Chase didn’t care about letting Aspen set the pace.
They took no breaks on the way up, and by the time they reached the summit, her knee was aching.
She felt like she might vomit from pushing herself so hard, but when she asked Chase to slow down, he ignored her, insisting the exercise was good for her knee.
Going back down was going to be brutal. She wasn’t sure she’d manage it, but she would have to figure that out after Chase went over the edge.
He strapped his snowboard to his feet and motioned for Aspen to do the same. “Well, come on, Red. Let’s do this.”
“I told you I’m not going, Chase. My knee hurts.” She rubbed at her sore joint, and he shook his head, making little whiny noises as if that would convince her otherwise.
“Don’t be a baby, Red. You hiked all the way up here. What’s a little drop?” He gestured toward the edge in front of them, and panic coiled in her stomach. He was really going to make her take this jump.
“I… I can’t, Chase.” Tears welled in her eyes as she glanced from the trail behind her to the drop-off ahead, unsure what to do. Would the jump hurt less than taking the trail back down or was she doomed to pain either way?
“Oh my gosh. Seriously? You’re crying again? I just can’t with you.” He rolled his eyes. “Strap your board on and let’s go. You can thank me later.”
She wiped at her eyes, swallowing hard, and sank onto the bench. With trembling hands, she slid her boots into the bindings and fastened the straps.
She knew exactly what would happen if she went over that ledge. Her knee already twinged with every move she made. One wrong landing, and that would be it—back in the hospital, her career down the drain.
“Geez, what’s taking you so long? Do I need to do it for you?” He strode toward her and grabbed her hand, yanking her to her feet. Pain shot through her leg, but she forced it down, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
He popped in his headphones, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the rush he was about to chase. Aspen stood beside him at the edge, staring off into the distance as a numb feeling washed over her.
“On the count of three, we jump together. And if I look back and you didn’t, I’ll tell management there was a mix-up—that I was supposed to be in your cabin.
They’ll believe me, Red. They always do.
” His smirk made her stomach twist. “Oh, and I might casually mention that Mr. Mynt has a rule-breaking employee in his midst.”
Her chest tightened. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t true—management wouldn’t put him in her cabin without her okay.
But that didn’t stop her mind from imagining it.
Chase was good at that. And Cole… what could Chase possibly have on him to use against him?
Her stomach dropped as he began to count, each number pounding like a drumbeat of doom.
“One… two… three…”