Chapter 3 Rosa
Sunday December 2, 2:34 p.m.
Rosa settled into the couch of her rental, in the middle of getting an earful from Aunt Lucia.
“I’m fine. More than fine. Like I told you yesterday, it was snowy, I slipped, but another hiker rescued me.”
The navy couch was literally holding her hostage. She was hopeless against leaving it.
“Was it a maaaaan?” Aunt Lucia asked, dragging out the last word.
“Well, yeah.” He was a man all right. Total mountain man.
“And?”
Rosa rolled her eyes. Her aunt meant well, but did she have to explain every time they talked that she didn’t want to get serious with anyone? Rosa could look. She could date for fun. But that was it.
“And nothing. Just another person helping someone in need.”
Aunt Lucia scoffed. “A damsel in distress, Rosa. Was he at least cute?”
The image of Hunter’s face and strong arms hadn’t left her mind since sh e first saw him the day before. “I mean, he was wearing flannel and hiking boots and had a beard.”
Rosa loved a good beard. To her, a beard took a regular-looking guy and turned him into a model. Not that this guy needed a beard to look good. Hunter was one of those quiet, rugged, handsome types. A beard wasn’t necessary, but it sure was a nice feature.
Aunt Lucia cleared her throat. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said in a motherly tone.
His kind eyes made a permanent home in her mind. The strong, solid, silent type who didn’t even say anything the whole hike down the mountain. Which made him wonder what he was thinking. About Rosa, specifically.
Rosa closed her eyes and rubbed them. “Yes, okay? He was extremely handsome. You satisfied?”
“Ohhhh Rosa. And strong, too?”
So, so strong. When she was on top of him, Rosa instinctively held his forearms, his deltoids firm even through his winter coat. The guy probably lifted weights. Or logs. Rosa smiled.
Not like she was going to say all that to her aunt, who would never stop bothering her about it. “Stop it, A unt Lucia . I don’t have time for this.”
“I worry about you, Rosa. I know how alone you were when you were sick and going through treatments. I know how hard you worked to get through it.” She paused, as if letting the memories settle in.
This was the part where Aunt Lucia usually tried to remind her that her parents’ death wasn’t Rosa’s fault, which always led to an argument. Because it absolutely was Rosa’s fault. Thankfully, Aunt Lucia didn’t bring it up.
“So, you don’t have time for men, huh? What else are you doing right now?” Lucia asked.
Rosa let out a long sigh. “I’m heading into town to buy some real hiking boots.”
“Oh, good. Maybe you’ll run into your mountain man. He can rescue you again and put a ring on your finger.” Aunt Lucia giggled to herself.
“Lucia.” Rosa closed her eyes and stroked the bridge of her nose. Aunt Lucia was going to give her a migraine. “I don’t need rescuing.” What she needed was a break, and Rosa was already doing that.
“Well, you needed some rescuing. So let him rescue, Rosa!”
She pulled herself up from the couch. She’d have to actually leave the house in order to get off the phone already.
“Have you given more thought to substitute teaching? Go talk to Taylor at the front office at Leavenworth Elementary School. I used to work there, remember?”
Rosa wandered around the house, searching for her boots and hat. “Yes, of course.” Actually, when Rosa was a kid, she used to play school all the time. She wanted to grow up to be just like Aunt Lucia. It felt like a profession to be proud of, even if it was demanding.
“They always need people,” Aunt Lucia said. “This could be a good time to find out if you like teaching–for reals.”
Rosa sighed, sliding her feet into her pink boots, remembering the way Hunter eyed them. A smile spread across her face. A rugged mountain man vs. a fiery Latina like Rosa? He had no chance.
Still, if only he had taken a chance and a sked for her number . Why hadn’t he? Maybe he wasn’t available. She didn’t notice a ring. Maybe he had a girlfriend–a handsome guy like that, absolutely had women lining up.
But they had shared a moment, hadn’t they? Or was she imagining it?
“Look, I know you’re trying to help. But I’m here to figure out my own life.” Actually, Rosa had thought about trying out teaching for a while now, thought of sneaking out of the office and subbing a day or two here and there, just for a change of pace. But she never could get away.
She had contacted a Substitute Coordinator, who helped her get the proper clearance to sub anywhere in Washington state. Rosa carried the card in her purse–but hadn’t actually stepped into a classroom yet.
“I think you’d be really good at teaching. You’re passionate. You think on your feet. Plus, you love people. Just try it one time. What do you have to lose? It has to be better than working for that what’s-his-name workaholic boss of yours.”
Well, Aunt Lucia was right about that.
Finally, they ended the call and Rosa opened the front door. She loved her aunt to pieces–she’d always been there for her and especially when her parents passed–but Rosa wanted to do things on her own terms. Rosa knew she was stubborn. Got it from her dad, at least that’s what her mom always said.
Rosa sighed as she stepped onto the porch, peering up at the mountain that almost killed her yesterday. As she clung onto the spindly tree on the side of the ridge, Rosa had felt defeated. But here she was, still kicking.
Rosa was determined not to let a mountain or cold winter weather keep her from hiking again, or at least a flat winter walk around the neighborhood later. Time to get those real hiking boots Hunter suggested.
Hunter. His name echoed in her head as got in her car and drove past Icicle Ridge trailhead towards the little town of Leavenworth, which was only about a ten minute drive. On the way, part of her wanted to pull into the side road to see if Hunter’s blue truck was back at the trailhead. But he’d probably just make fun of her pink boots again.
She shook her head. Stop it, Rosa. He’d be a distraction during her time here, but that’s all he’d be. A fun distraction. She smiled, then shook her head. No. Rosa needed to focus. Calm. Health. Figure out what was going to happen next.
Her phone rang. It was Brad, her boss. Speaking of distractions–he was the worst of them all.
She ignored it but said out loud to herself, “Whyyyy? What do you want now ?”
The Rosa before would answer his every call and text. His every request, no matter if it was to bring him coffee or to talk down a client or go over numbers for the tenth time. And even on a day like today, a Sunday. It seemed like he always wanted her to come in, and she complied. She was building her career. Helping her parents financially. Rosa owed everything to her job. Or at least she thought she did.
Panic set in. Brad needed her–right? She should answer. Maybe he needed a login. Or a file. Or something else accounting-related.
No. You’re on sabbatical. He knew the terms and agreed to them. A break from work included a break from Brad. Rosa gripped the wheel and ignored the call, letting it go to voicemail. “Ha. I did it. And I won’t even check it til later.”
Definitely. Hopefully. Rosa promised to restrain herself. It was time to pull away from her old life and head into something better.
“In 500 feet, turn right.” The GPS directed her towards Front Street in Leavenworth. As she turned, the cutest buildings that looked like they popped out of a Bavarian village appeared. Rosa’s eyes widened. Steep roofs with snow barely clinging on, white plastered buildings with wood slats and shutters, gables and accents on each business enchanted her.
“This is so adorable!” A stark contrast to the metal highrises of Seattle. This was like a gingerbread village in real life. How was this even real?
Rosa had visited Leavenworth a few times as a kid, but she didn’t remember it being this quaint. Like someone had dropped a Christmas village into the mountains of western Washington . She passed a few more German-looking buildings, one a hotel, another a Nutcracker Museum? Or something. Each building was unique, sandwiched in between each other, all with balconies, and some with murals depicting people in German garb dancing the polka.
The GPS alerted that she had arrived at her destination. She looked up at the sign on the building. Ah ha. Bavarian Boots. There it was. The one Hunter had recommended. She could buy some actual hiking boots, and maybe the employees could give her tips on where and when to hike the trails near her rental. Maybe she could even hire a guide or something.
Rosa parked on the street and got out, circling in place to drink in the setting of the cute town. The architecture of the buildings were enhanced by garlands and wreaths adorning every balcony and window and doorway for the entire block. Christmas lights meant the village probably looked even more adorable at night.
Again, she patted herself on the back for picking Leavenworth as her sabbatical location. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect setting to clear her head and get rid of all the distractions in her life.
Rosa headed toward Bavarian Boots, the front windows displaying winter gear and the cutest pink winter hat. She opened the carved wooden door, the bell above her ringing.
“Hello, welcome to Bavarian Boots, can I help you…. Oh. Rosa. Hey.”
Hunter emerged from behind a display of winter coats, his arms folded. Rosa’s heart leapt.