10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Rachel
N ow that my cold was over, I wanted nothing more than to get out of this room.
While I drank my morning coffee in my usual spot—in the chair closest to the back patio—I heard a knock at the door, the sound identical to Juniper’s typical two-knuckle-knock. When I opened the door, I saw Juniper leaning against the frame. He’d propped his hip and elbow against the side and lifted his other hand to grab the top of the frame as he stretched his right leg.
My mouth went dry. Since when was stretching so sexy?
Maybe I should do yoga. If I asked nicely, maybe Juniper would even let me get a yoga teacher to host lessons in the gym.
“Checking in,” he said. “How are you feeling? You look better.” He winced at himself. “Not to say you looked bad before. Just,” he huffed “you know what I mean.”
“Don’t worry, I got you. I’m back to a hundred percent and itching to get out of here. Are you up for a walk? I’d love to check out one of those trails you mentioned.”
“Oh my God, yes. I’d love nothing more than to stretch my legs.” His eagerness surprised me, but I didn’t mention it. “Let me get my trekking poles and Squatch’s boots.”
“Holy shit, he has snow boots?”
Juniper dropped his hands to his sides. “I hate walking barefoot in the snow, so I imagine he does, too.”
Just when I thought this dog couldn’t get any cuter.
For as closed off as Juniper could be, he sure did care with every fiber of his being. From the way he cared for Sasquatch to the way he worried after me when I was sick, I understood now there was more behind the frown on that perfect face of his than whatever pain his leg might be in at any given moment.
I stepped aside to grab a front pack and shoved my wallet, keys, and phone in it. Juniper came in as I put on a down jacket and my hiking boots. Once I was ready, we crossed the hall where he got some snow boots for Sasquatch before we made our way outside.
“How’s the hiking in Florida?”
As he led us to a trail that was adjacent to the lodge, I looked at him and found him still focusing his gaze ahead. “Lots of long trails at state parks and whatnot, but a lot flatter than this. You don’t get any hills unless you go real north, but I didn’t head up that way too much. If you’re into kayaking, though, then you’re solid. The manatees are cute. That is one good thing Florida has going for it, but that state was not for me.”
“There’s some great kayaking here in the summer, too. I’ll have to take you.”
His words lingered in the air, thick and heavy with a promise: I’ll have to take you. Were we friends now?
“But in the meantime, I can show you some of my favorite trails. All beginner-friendly, of course.” He patted his thigh twice with his glove-covered palm. “Like I was telling you, I can’t do anything too strenuous. Hence these.” He held one of the poles up. “They take a lot of pressure off my back.”
“Were you always into hiking?”
He shrugged a shoulder, finally looking at me now as he spoke. “Yes and no. I liked it, sure, but never did a ton of it. But after my snowboarding accident, once I was cleared from physical therapy, I really wanted to redefine what it meant for me to love this.” He gestured vaguely to the surrounding trees. “The snow, the mountains, the cold air on my face. All of it.” His expression dropped. “My whole life was snowboarding until it wasn’t.”
I wasn’t sure which of us was more surprised that Juniper was opening up. To make matters worse, I didn’t know how to respond. I wanted nothing more than to wrap him in a hug, but that felt inappropriate, regardless of my employment status.
When I lifted a hand, he paused and stared expectantly, like he wasn’t sure why on earth I had a physical response at all. Unsure of what else to do and already certain I’d made myself look like a weirdo, I patted him on the shoulder and said, “Good for you. It's easy to fall into a rut and never crawl out.”
And because today wasn’t surprising enough, when I patted his shoulder, Juniper didn’t brush my hand away. Maybe it was because, now that we were on the trail, it was just us and the pines towering around us. The sun barely peeked through the pine needles, leaving the leaves and snow to create a blue glow down the path we walked. Ahead, where the trees cleared, the mountains awaited, their peaks larger than life. After living in Florida my whole life, it was hard for my brain to comprehend the sheer size of them.
“Sounds like something you went through recently too, no? With your old job?”
“Yeah, I did.” I chuckled nervously, not wanting to talk about it but also needing to. “It’s funny. I wasn’t always like this. Such a workaholic, I mean. But the living situation in Florida is bad. With all the snowbirds coming down, it drove up demand. People were buying houses left and right to rent them out. Condos and apartments, too. And because the demand was so high, they got greedy. And then the next thing I know, I’m fighting for my life to get a raise so I can afford to live. So are my other coworkers, but it was mostly guys at our company, so I had to work twice as hard to not get written off because I’m a woman.”
Juniper’s eyes widened in the slightest. If we weren’t walking shoulder-to-shoulder, I wouldn’t have noticed. “Shit.”
“My parents saw what was happening without me saying anything. They started inviting me to dinner more and my mom would get me little things she knew I needed without me asking. I think they wanted to help but didn’t want me to feel embarrassed. They’re the sweetest. But that job was soul-sucking. Yeah, I got the raise and the management position, but at what cost, you know? It was still barely enough to get by without living paycheck to paycheck.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now,” Juniper said. “No one should be stuck in an environment like that.”
“You know, the only reason they stopped texting me on Shabbat was that I had to file an HR complaint after asking them not to ten times.”
“Fuck that.” After a brief pause, he said, “And if there’s anything I can do for you for the religious holidays, let me know. My family’s some Christian denomination, I don’t remember. We’re not close. I never paid attention as a kid, and I don’t really follow it beyond decorating for Christmas. All that to say, I don’t really know much about all the Jewish holidays, either.”
Today was full of surprises, it would seem.
“I appreciate that. There are a lot of them. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Please do. And not just in a taking the day off kind of way, either. You need anything, let me know.”
“That’s very kind of you. You’ve already given me enough as it is.”
“It’s nothing.” With multiple X-Games medals, a few US Open and World Cup titles, and an Olympic medal under his belt, I was sure his annual salary was at least six figures when accounting for endorsements and brand deals—but potentially more. “Rick tried to make everything as fun as he could for all of us. But being a pro athlete is not as glamorous as people think. So, while I obviously never had to worry about the financial stability aspect of it, I can get what you went through to a degree. It’s the last thing I want for you or for anyone else who works here in the future. Unfortunately, after minimal contact with people for the last four or five years, that’s been tougher than expected.”
“For what it’s worth, I can tell you’re trying. That’s more than I can say for my last boss.”
“So I can expect a World’s Best Boss mug for the holidays is what you’re telling me?”
I laughed and nearly snorted. “Be careful what you wish for.”
“Did you…?”
“Don’t even!”
Juniper shook his head. “It’s fine. Do you often snort when you laugh?”
“Oh, you’re not gonna let me hear the end of it, are you?”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not.” The trees grew thicker around us, their path narrowing before we reached the end of the trail. “Say, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”
“I was planning to spend it here, if that’s okay?”
“Yeah, of course, that’s okay. Did you, uh, want to spend it together? I’ve spent it alone the last few years. Well, with Sasquatch, anyway. You’re more than welcome to join us. We can cook in my suite and hang out, keep it low-key.”
It was yet another olive branch I was happy to accept. “Sure! I’d like that.”
Juniper said nothing after that. He smiled, the kind where he didn’t flash his teeth, but for once, it reached his eyes.
After we’d spent the last thirty minutes walking, we reached the top. We’d barely inclined, but the view from here was breathtaking. The village was barely visible from below, and we spotted some of the city skylines in the distance. The sun’s rays highlighted the mountaintops, giving them an ethereal hue from where we stood.
“Beautiful view from here, huh?”
I looked at Juniper, who was already looking at me expectantly. He wanted to know if I liked it.
If I was reading this right, he cared about my opinion.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Juniper smirked, pleased with himself. “Well, welcome to Colorado, Rachel. There’s a lot more where this came from.”
Ever since I’d gotten sick, I’d been waking up earlier. So with some time to kill in the morning, I switched my evening workout to a post-breakfast session.
What I wasn’t expecting to find in the typically empty gym was Juniper, already a few minutes into his own workout. He wore a plain T-shirt and baggy black sweatpants, causing me to realize I’d never seen his arms without full sleeves before. With the way he was training his shoulders, it was impossible to miss how muscular he was despite his lean frame.
And oh, am I a sucker for a good set of arms.
Of course, Juniper was working out now, with Sasquatch lying patiently in the corner. Since I’d never seen him at night, I should have expected him to be here right now with his thick black hair tied back in a messy bun and his large headphones holding his bangs back.
With a light sheen of sweat coating those toned arms.
God, help me.
He hadn’t seen me come in yet. As he wrapped up his set of lateral pull-downs, he wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt, showing off his abdomen. His stomach was soft, with the hint of a developing six-pack and a thin trail of hair beneath that brought my eye right to the waistband of his sweatpants.
I bit my tongue and pushed forward. New mission: don’t stare at Juniper. Just train legs and be done with it. I kept telling myself that as I moved through my workouts, eventually making my way to the Smith machine for squats.
As I re-racked my weights, I could have sworn I saw Juniper checking out my backside in the mirror. But it wouldn’t make sense for him to be looking at me like that; I wasn’t in his direct line of vision, but maybe he’d zoned out while exercising. I’d done that plenty of times.
Even though I would love for Juniper to look at me the way I looked at him, I doubted he ever would. I was his employee, after all, and he could have any woman or man he wanted. Him and his perfect bead of sweat dripping down his perfect face.
As I moved across the gym, I saw him drop his headphones around his neck between sets. I held an earphone out in offering to him.
“Did your headphones die?” I asked.
“Yeah, I meant to charge them last night but got sidetracked. What are you listening to?”
“Early and mid-2000s emo hits.”
“Okay, that was not what I expected you to say, but I’ll take it. Thanks.”
We continued to coexist as we worked out. Eventually, we both reached the two stair machines at the same time. To my surprise, it was Juniper who broke the ice.
“You do this on leg day? The hell are you, some kind of masochist?”
I nearly snorted. “Nah. I figure I’ll be sore tomorrow either way, so it’s easier to do now than when I feel like baby Bambi on ice.”
“Fair.”
He kept the machine at the first speed level, likely so he could reap the benefits without triggering a flare-up. I was up to the fourth setting, causing me to pant a bit as I climbed and talked. “I’m also really hoping this helps make hiking easier. Even those beginner ones we do together get to me sometimes.”
“That’s the altitude for ya. You’ll adjust, I’m sure.”
“It’s been months. You’d think I would have by now, but I guess that’s what happens when you come from the fucking swamps.”
He laughed. “Do you miss it at all? Your life there?”
“I’m trying to convince my family to move this way, but otherwise, no, not particularly. When the weather isn’t trying to kill you, the wildlife is. Have you always lived in Colorado? I don’t think I ever asked.”
“Born and raised. I grew up outside of Denver.” He paused for a sip of his water. “How long do you usually go for on this thing?”
“About half an hour. You?”
“Same. Did you know you dance along to the music between sets?”
“Oh, God, you saw that?”
As he laughed, he said, “Yeah, I did. You mouthed along to the lyrics, too.”
I hoped he could chalk my blush up to cardio. “At least I wasn’t singing.”
“So, would I be correct to say you’re the type who sings in the shower?”
“Close.” I shook the mental image of Juniper in the shower from my mind, finding it thought far too tempting. “Not a shower singer because my hair takes way too much work for me to do anything but focus, but I am a fantastic karaoke partner.”
“When I first met you, I’d have said no way, but now I can see it.”
“When we first met, I probably wasn’t in the headspace to do karaoke at all. But if you ever wanna go out, ‘Dancing Queen’ is my go-to song.”
“Of course it is.” He flashed me a rare smile, one where he showed his teeth, and it made my heart stop. At any moment now, the heart rate monitor on my watch would probably ask me if I needed an ambulance.
“Don’t act like you don’t have any guilty pleasures! You know all of mine: shitty movies, reality TV, and karaoke. No way you don’t have at least one.”
He sucked his teeth as he considered it. “I talk to Sasquatch sometimes, if that counts.”
“No way! That’s so cute.”
“He was the only one I had to talk to for years. The habit stuck.” He glanced at me and said, “I never thought I’d talk to someone else again, like the way we do. So, thanks, I guess.”
After that confession, the thought of teasing him further felt cruel. I lowered the speed on my stair machine so I wouldn’t sound as winded when I spoke. “Juniper, you don’t have to thank me for talking to you.”
“Well, I am anyway. If I were you and I met me? I’d have told me to fuck myself.”
“You know, there were a few times I considered that.”
“Ha! Good on you. I have no such filter.”
“So I’ve seen. But I like that about you.”
There was a lot I liked about him.
“I’d wager you’d be the first. Not that it matters to me if people like me or not. I’d rather everyone think I’m an asshole and leave me alone, you know? But you,” Juniper said, “you didn’t care. You thought I was an asshole and kept at it, anyway.”
“You jump between crass and caring. It made it easy for me to see right through that hard shell.”
“Once again, that would make you the first.” He paused and then said, “Oh, I love this song.”
Sensing he didn’t want to get too emotional this early, I put the volume up on my phone, letting it play louder for the both of us. We spent the next twenty minutes in otherwise silence with Juniper occasionally laughing at me mouthing along and swaying my hips as I climbed the stair machine.
When our thirty minutes were up, Juniper reached over to hand me back my earbud. “Were you working out at nights before?”
“Yeah, but my cold over the weekend threw my sleep schedule all out of whack. Either that or I’m finally adjusted to the time zone difference.”
“You’re welcome to join me in the mornings. I don’t mind.”
We cleaned the machines in synchronization. “You’re not sick of me yet?”
His only answer was a wink before he walked out the door.