Chapter 25
Ruben
“Adriel?”
Irritated, I eyed the resort’s sports director. My tired brain couldn’t figure out why Adriel was standing at my door.
“Have you heard from Shane?” he wanted to know.
The question put me on alert.
“No! Why?” I opened the door wider and grabbed a sweater to put on. Meanwhile, Adriel stepped into the cabin.
He pressed his lips together, dropping his head.
“Adriel!” I almost yelled. “What about Shane?”
He shook his head. “We don’t know. We only received a general warning from British Columbia Mountain Rescue Headquarters.
In the area where Shane was traveling yesterday, there were rockfalls that buried a mountain pass.
” I stared at Adriel and couldn’t believe a word he was saying.
He kept talking incessantly, as if his own voice calmed him.
“Some vehicles were hit. Others were simply cut off and couldn’t go up or down.
Unfortunately, since it happened right around the time the lifts were closing, these narrow roads were full.
” He lifted his head and finally looked at me.
“I was hoping Shane would have contacted you.”
I shook my head. “What does that mean now?” My hands were clammy. My head was empty. A dull pressure throbbed inside it. My stomach contracted into a lump of stone, and rage was boiling up.
Adriel raised his hands reassuringly. “It doesn’t mean anything. Except that I’ll stay in touch with the mountain rescue service and let you know immediately if I receive any information. And please let me know if you hear anything.”
I nodded, dread taking over.
After Adriel left, I got dressed in a flash, put my phone in my pocket, and hurried to the hotel. I had to find someone from the modeling group. Maybe Davey had told one of them.
The hotel reception wasn’t much help, so I waited in the lobby and kept my eyes peeled. I shifted nervously from foot to foot. Finally, I spotted two women heading for the exit with cigarettes in their hands.
“Wait, please. Excuse me. You were on the ski safari in British Columbia, weren’t you?”
One of them, wearing a bright red jacket, frowned. “Yes?” They didn’t stop, but left the hotel, and I trotted after them.
“Have you heard anything since yesterday about Davey, I mean Dave, the hair model?”
They both shook their heads. “No. Why?”
Indecisive, I hemmed and hawed. “There, um, may have been an accident. I couldn’t reach the snowboard instructor either and wanted to make sure they were both okay.”
The other one, who hadn’t said anything until then, burst out laughing.
“Oh, I don’t think so. Dave had different plans with Shane.
I’m sure they’re somewhere safe, finally fucking off the tension between them.
” She smiled at me with a grin that was probably meant to be reassuring.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure they’re fine and just having a good time. ”
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. No! This was pointless. “Does this mean you haven’t heard anything?”
They both shook their heads.
“If Dave gets in touch, please let the hotel know?”
The one in the red jacket shrugged noncommittally. “Sure. If you say so.”
I did.
On the way back to the cabin, my phone rang, and I pressed it to my ear without checking the number.
“Yes?” I called hectically.
“Hello, Ruby!” My mom sounded cheerful and relaxed. “I thought I’d call early since I have to go to work soon. Everything okay with you?”
I exhaled sharply and glanced at my phone. I didn’t want to miss a message from Shane.
“I . . . Mom . . . I’m expecting a call. Or I’m hoping to get a call. It’s . . . ” I struggled to suppress a sob.
“What happened?” She immediately went into protective mode.
Where should I start? Where should I stop? But at that moment, it didn’t matter. I needed to talk to someone. “I told you I met someone, right?”
“Yes?”
“He’s a snowboard instructor here and didn’t come back from a ski safari yesterday. A road was buried and he could be under the vehicles that were hit by the rocks.” I could hardly control the tremor in my voice.
“But it’s not certain yet?” my mom wanted to know.
I shook my head. “No. We have to wait. The network there isn’t great either, and . . . ”
“Is he important to you?” she asked tentatively.
As if she could see me, I nodded. “Yes. Very much. Mom, I never thought anyone would sweep me off my feet like this. Captivate me completely and accept me for who I am. He means everything to me.”
“Oh, honey!” she said, her good mood now gone. “Stay calm for now. I know it’s easier said than done. But you can’t give up hope. I’m going to hang up now so he can reach you. If you hear anything, text me, okay?”
“Okay.” I bit my lip desperately.
“And when the excitement has died down, I want to know everything about him, okay?”
“Okay,” I said again.
I stared at my phone for a long time after we had ended the call.
The minutes crawled by and turned into hours. Slowly, I had to get ready for my shift.
I couldn’t decide whether it was a blessing or a curse that I had to work.
I worked the afternoon shift as if in a trance. I kept my phone with me at all times, constantly checking to see if I had missed a vibration or a ring.
As I was putting my things away, I didn’t react at first when my phone rang. The glow of Shane’s name on my display was utterly unreal. As if I were imagining it.
“Shane?” I called into the phone. Before he could say a word, I repeated myself. “Shane?”
“Hey,” muttered a tired voice from the speaker. “It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Are you okay?” I continued to shout. My colleagues peered at me expectantly.
“Have you heard about the rockfall? We’re fine. We were stuck and couldn’t get any further. No cell service. The rescue workers were busy recovering the accident victims first. But we’re unharmed. Sleep deprived. And frayed nerves. Other than that, we have everything we need.”
I swallowed hard. “We can live with that, right?”
Shane laughed on the other end. “Yes. Hey. Do you think you could let the others know? We’ll be there in about two hours, and my phone is full of messages from Adriel and George and the hotel and . . . ”
“Sure. No problem!” I interrupted him. “I’ll do it right away. Drive carefully. And make sure you get home safely.”
“Will do.” Shane laughed softly. “I’d do anything to be with you right now.”
“I’ll be here when you arrive.”
I exhaled deeply as we ended the call. Shane was safe.
I looked around frantically and into the faces of the lunch shift.
“Shane is fine. And . . . ” My gaze fell on our dishwasher.
I bit my lower lip. “Madeleine, can I leave the rest of my station with you? I’ll owe you.
Honestly. I’ll take two Saturday evening shifts for you. I just need to quickly . . . ”
Madeleine came to meet me. “Go. You’re useless today, anyway.”
Amid the general laughter of the others, I kissed Madeleine on the forehead and rushed off. I quickly informed Adriel and the hotel.
Now that I knew Shane was okay, my nerves were on edge. As if possessed, I rushed to the warehouse and gathered all the ingredients I needed for a five-course meal.
In the staff kitchen, I chopped, sizzled, flambéed, cooked, and baked like a person possessed. I couldn’t bear the wait any longer. Every few minutes, I glanced at the clock.
Time still passed far too slowly. Again and again, someone would come into the common room and quickly take off when they saw me.
But as I shoved the homemade ice cream back into the freezer, the door behind me opened again and a cold breeze came into the kitchen. I turned around abruptly.
Shane came through the door with red cheeks, small eyes, and hair sticking to his head. When our eyes met, I rushed toward him and he held me tightly in his arms.
He buried his nose in my neck.
“God, that’s good.”
Startled, I tried to pull away from him. “Heaven, I haven’t showered yet today. I’m sure I smell like a skunk.”
“No,” Shane lamented. “You smell the best. Of all things and people in the whole world.”
I let myself sink back into his embrace and laughed. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head after all?”
“Hmm . . . ” Shane kissed my neck, which was covered in sweat and remnants of cooking.
I pulled him closer to me. “I was so terribly worried!”
“I’m sorry,” Shane murmured without lifting his head.
“We had no cell service. And we were stuck on that road for hours. If I had known we were going to end up there, I would’ve let you know beforehand, but it came as a complete surprise.
Otherwise, the road would have been closed too.
” He sighed. “A complete mess.” Shane shuddered slightly and finally glanced at me.
“It was horrific on that road. We kept checking the slope ahead of us, hoping that nothing else would come down where we were.”
I frantically reached out to him and kissed him on the lips. “What a nightmare,” I mumbled in response.
Shane ran his fingers through my unwashed hair and I grimaced. But he smiled.
“It’s good to see you.” He scanned the kitchen. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
Caught out, my gaze fell on the remains of my actions. “Um. I might have gone a bit overboard.”
Shane took my hand and urged me to the table. “Meaning?”
I shook my head. “You might have to eat a five-star meal now.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. The granola bars the rescue workers handed out were okay, but not a culinary highlight.”
I pushed him into a chair and started serving the food.
“I’ll help you.” Shane stood and put a hand on the back of my neck.
I paused and enjoyed the touch. Shane’s fingers pressed into my tense muscles and I sighed.
“Not knowing what was going on was driving me nuts,” I murmured.
“I’m sorry.” Shane kissed the back of my head.