23. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Rachel
W hen I woke up in Juniper’s bed on New Year’s Day, he was already up, showering from the sound of it. I rolled out of bed, wondering if I’d make it in time to join him, and checked my phone to see what time it was.
What I found along with the time were dozens of notifications from Michaela, Ariana, and Sarah, who’d started a group chat with me to gush over Juniper’s Instagram post from this morning.
Wait, Juniper’s Instagram?
Before I replied to them, I opened the app. His post was the first one on my feed. The first photo in the carousel was one he’d taken of me last night, standing in the snow with a sparkler as fireworks shot above the mountains. Sasquatch sat by my side, looking up at the sparkler in my hand with puppylike wonder as I laughed.
As I swiped, assorted candid photos of me and Sasquatch I hadn’t even realized he’d taken followed. My heart swelled; he hadn’t struck me as the type to take a lot of photos, and I had no idea how he managed to do this without my noticing. But either way, the acceptance settled onto me like a weighted blanket. When I moved here, all I’d wanted was to find myself again, a restart in order to return to my usual confident self. The lifeless, drab nature of the cubicles had sucked the soul out of me, but now, I had that back and so much more.
The post’s caption was simple: “looking forward to the new year with these two” and two emojis, the service dog and a curly-haired woman’s face.
It looked like Juniper was sending his own message: to the tabloids, to his family, and to me. I was a permanent fixture, here to stay. I belonged.
I liked the post, quickly sent the emoji surrounded by little hearts to my sisters with no further comment and then made my way to the shower. Not needing to wash it today, I tossed my hair up in a bun and then stripped to join Juniper. He smiled and greeted me with a kiss as I entered the shower.
“G’morning.”
“Good morning. I saw your Instagram today.”
“Oh, that?” He squeezed the soapy water from his locks. “Figured I need to be more active on there and that it was a good time to start.”
I shook my head as I snagged his loofah and squirted his body wash on it. “It was sweet. I’m looking forward to the year ahead with you, too.”
Juniper smirked. “How far we’ve come, huh?”
“A few weeks ago, you’d barely even let me sit next to you.”
“Once I started, I couldn’t get enough.” Juniper’s hands gripped my biceps as he lowered his forehead to mine. Some of his hair clung to his face, but most of it stuck behind his neck. “Maybe it’s from going so long without letting myself feel like this or getting close to anyone, but I can’t help myself when it comes to you.”
He grabbed the loofah from my hand as he kissed me, keeping our bodies close as he ran it with care up and down my arms. The earthy tones of his body wash overwhelmed my senses, and from the way he caressed me with the loofah, I was positive he got off to the idea of me smelling like him.
“Turn around,” he whispered. “I’ll get your back.”
I thanked him and did as he said, enjoying the pressure he applied as he ran the loofah in circles along my shoulders and lower back, and then up and down my spine. With his free hand, he traced his fingers up and down the side of my body. The soap made my skin feel extra smooth, letting his hands glide effortlessly along my ribs. Once he finished, he handed me the loofah back with a kiss on my neck.
Despite his insistence that I didn’t need to and that he could get it, I did the same for him. His groan of satisfaction betrayed his earlier refusal when I reached his lower back, where I ditched the loofah for my hands so I could massage the area for him.
He said, “You’re an angel and I don’t deserve you.”
“Just shut up and enjoy the massage.”
“Are we sure you’re real? I didn’t get too high and hallucinate you?”
“Unfortunately, you did,” I said, “but it’s alright. I’m perfectly happy existing as a figment of your imagination.”
Juniper’s laugh echoed against the shower tiles and glass encasing us. “Good thing my imagination has good taste then, huh?” He turned around to kiss me again. Now, the shower ran over both of us, dripping from his head down to my shoulders. I ran my hands down his sides, cherishing a slow, intimate moment with a smiling Juniper.
Only leftover suds and water separated our bodies. He didn’t hesitate to ditch the loofah and used his now-free hand to feel me up. It wouldn’t surprise me if Juniper had a map of my body memorized, given how easy it was for him to turn me on. He always touched the right places, applied the right amount of pressure, and listened to the cues my body gave him. If I leaned into his touch, he gave me more.
His fingers dipped between my legs as mine wrapped around his cock. After being closed off for so long, it seemed Juniper had a lot of love to give. We matched each other’s tempo, setting a slow, lazy pace that allowed us to relish in one another.
Against my lips, Juniper said, “If you keep squeezing against the tip like that, I’ll cum in your hand.”
“Promise?” I repeated the motion, and Juniper shuddered at the touch. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s nice seeing how much I turn you on.”
“You’re a damn minx.” He grinned as he said it, even as he kissed me again. That grin never left his face as I came on his fingers, with him not far behind me.
“I know kissing someone to start the new year is a tradition,” I said, “but this is much nicer.”
“Consider it ours, then. Our tradition, I mean.”
I wasn’t about to say no to that.
When we emerged from the bathroom, Juniper tossed his flannel on as his phone rang. He picked it up as I redressed in my clothes from the night before, planning to change before we started our day. Before he spoke, he tapped the speakerphone button on his phone screen.
“Rick, how’s it going?”
“Juniper! Is it just me, or does it sound like your heart’s grown three sizes? Get it? Hart?”
As I sat next to him, Juniper sighed at Rick’s pun. “You haven’t changed a bit. How unfortunate.” Rick laughed a singular boisterous sound as Juniper continued. “By the way, I’ve got you on speaker. I want you to meet Rachel Friedman.”
“Hi!” I chimed in. “Juniper has told me so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you—well, sort of meet you, I guess.”
“Rachel! The girl I’ve seen all over the internet! How wonderful to hear your voice, my dear. I trust Juniper hasn’t been giving you too hard of a time.”
“She keeps my ass in check, that’s for sure,” Juniper said.
“Good. I’m glad there’s someone there to do that in my absence.”
Juniper rolled his eyes. “I’ll rue the day the two of you get in a room together.”
“Listen, Juniper, I’ve got some exciting prospects for you. No snowboarding is required, either. What do you think about getting the team back together for some unique partnerships?”
“I’m listening,” Juniper said. He opened the Notes app on his phone so he could jot down some highlights while Rick spoke.
Rick rattled off three of the brands that Juniper used to work with. The company that outfitted him with all of his gear offered to provide ski and snowboarding equipment for the lodge, focusing on an upscale line of Juniper Hart-approved rentals for guests to use when they hit the slopes. Everything would be based on the actual products Juniper wore or used by them. Another was a sports drink company which would send out a fridge with plenty of drinks to stock in the gift shop on the first floor. The third was a new clothing company that would now have its own gift shop section and asked that Juniper and I post a photo of ourselves wearing their clothes or accessories on Instagram at least once a month.
“They get their cut, you get yours,” Rick said after he ran through the numbers. “It’s a great deal, Hart. Granted, I know this is too late for an opening day perk, but it could be a good way to entice people to come back.”
Juniper looked at me. “Well? What do you think?”
I thought it over in my head for a moment, grateful that he valued my opinion, and then said, “I agree with Rick. This sounds like a great deal. That gift shop is looking pretty scarce, so we could use a lot of this stuff.”
“You heard her,” Juniper said. “Rick, consider us back in business. Rachel and I won’t have time to manage this shit on our own, so am I good to rely on you for this?”
“Music to my ears. Sounds like Rachel’s a good influence on you.”
I laughed. “I’d like to think so.”
“Don’t laugh at his shitty jokes, it just enables him.”
“Please, Rachel, enable me!” I could hear Rick clap his hands. “Well, I’ll send over some more details via email and see you on opening day!”
That afternoon, Sasquatch nudged Juniper’s right leg as he picked at his nail beds in the lobby, waiting with me for our first round of new hires to arrive. I understood his struggle; I fought the urge to bounce my knee repeatedly, a nervous tic I had. But I figured if I could survive corporate America, I could survive training a few new employees.
“How on earth do you do it?” Juniper asked. “Make a good first impression, I mean.”
“Smile and address them by name,” Rachel said. “Goes a long way.”
“Right. Fuck, why am I so nervous?”
“This lodge is your baby. Of course, you’re nervous! Pretend it’s a snowboarding competition. How would you handle your nerves before those?”
“I was never nervous at those. Since I started so young, younger than most, hopping on a board felt like second nature. Here? I’m pretty sure they’re going to see right through me.”
“No matter how hard we try, sometimes it’s just like that. Even for me, I’ve got my days where I’m convinced that everyone sees right through me, including you,” I confessed.
“I don’t,” Juniper said. “I just see you.”
My cheeks felt hot. Before I could reply, the front door opened with the first new hire. As we shook hands, she introduced herself as Beatrice: our pick for the front desk lead. Her blonde hair was back in a tight bun, which would have made her look like a ballerina were it not for the flannel tops and black slacks we’d established as uniforms. While the lodge was high class, we also wanted it to feel like a home away from home, so I came up with the flannel idea. Juniper, who always dressed comfortably to avoid any tight fabrics pressing into his nerve, hadn’t fought me on it.
“We’re going to wait for everyone to get here. There should be about twenty of you or so,” I said. “We’ll kick off with a team meeting, so to speak, and then break out into more individualized training.”
The rest of them funneled in: a few housekeeping staff, a General Manager that Beatrice would report directly to, the Rentals Manager, and a few others in varying positions. We had plans to hire more throughout the year, but for now, this team would do. The resort was a decent size, but not that big, so we’d be able to manage with a skeleton crew temporarily.
“Alright, everyone,” I said with a clap of my hands. “Welcome to The Fox’s Den! I’m Rachel Friedman, and with me is the lodge’s owner Juniper Hart. We’re super excited and grateful to have you all here. We value your skills and expertise, and we’re confident that together, we’ll be able to bring this old resort back to its former glory, if not better.” I inhaled and exhaled to steady myself, remembering everything I went through to get here. “The last thing we ever will want is for anyone to be afraid of making a mistake or to feel unsupported. I’ve been there and strive to provide a positive, inclusive work environment for all of you. I think I speak for both of us when I say that.”
Juniper nodded. “Come to us if you need anything. Though, Rachel will probably be easier to get a hold of than me.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he did. “This probably won’t be easy. We’re going to have to start off running, but it will get progressively better. We’re going to bulk up the staff as we go, so if anyone feels overwhelmed, tell us and we’ll do our best to prioritize a new hire to help you out. In all my years of snowboarding, I’ve seen how much the lodge staff busts their asses. The last thing I want is for this to be a grueling, temporary job. Hopefully, you all come to love it here as much as I do.” Juniper then said, “Oh, and this is Sasquatch. Don’t pet him if his vest is on. But it’s fair game when he’s not wearing it. He’s friendly.”
“So cute,” the Rentals Manager, a man in his early twenties named Avery, cooed under his breath. Avery’s hair was an ashy, dirty blond color that was almost as long as Juniper’s. His hair nearly covered one of his eyes.
“Luckily for you,” Juniper said, “you’re with me and him for our breakout sessions.” Juniper rattled off a few more names, taking charge of ski instructors and equipment, since he knew far more about that facet of the business than I did. “You’re with me. Let’s go. The rest of you are with Rachel.”
I looked at the crowd of half a dozen faces before me and smiled.
It was showtime.