Chapter 8 - Paisley
I couldn’t believe how great this job was turning out to be.
I went downstairs early that morning, fully expecting to join in with the cookie baking adventure the moms were planning, but they shooed me away, saying I had the morning off.
They’d all wanted to be in charge of their own kids’ bath times the night before, too, dismissing me after I read a few stories.
It was sweet how they were so hands on, and so far the kids were all well behaved if not a bit rowdy. Since I was in no hurry to accidentally run into Dan looking for breakfast, I took a plate of scrambled eggs and toast upstairs to do some more research on my missing coworkers.
I found one of Mel’s family members on social media and sent her a message, asking for an update.
Then I decided to look up Mr. Caraggio, finding a link to one of his wife’s pages from an account he hadn’t updated in a year.
She wasn’t super active either, just some old pictures of her and her husband on a cruise.
Seeing them together made him seem more human, and I recalled how he’d practically fled from the office, sweaty and pale.
The scrambled eggs didn’t taste so buttery anymore, more like ashes.
Pushing them aside, I put on my snow gear, needing to work off the restlessness of waiting for replies.
Whooshing down the slopes knocked out some of the pent up fear that had returned when I saw the same man who looked like he was running for his life was now possibly on that list I’d had the misfortune to find.
Some young kid cut in front of me so I set off in a chase and the impromptu race left me feeling exhilarated.
Despite the lingering worry, I felt freer than I had in a long time, and wondered how things might have turned out differently if my injury hadn’t taken me out of competitive snowboarding.
It didn’t matter, I was back on the mountain now and while I was speeding down it I wasn’t thinking about work, my safety, or Dan.
Except I was kind of thinking about Dan, going back and forth between remembering his magic fingers and renewed anger at his incessant teasing.
Ugh, why didn’t men get that their stupid, sexist jokes weren’t funny?
But how could I stop thinking about him when I didn’t have anyone to compare him to?
Our night together was so amazing I didn’t want anyone else to cleanse my palate, so to speak, either.
Why did he have to be such an asshole?
Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as my sexist coworkers. I was still determined to avoid him but by the time I made it down a final time that morning I was feeling less hostile toward him.
Until I saw him baking with the kids. That might have been cute except it was extremely obvious that he only turned up to further torment me. And I wasn’t even there. I practically crowed with victory when he saw me come in covered in snow and his big handsome face fell. Ha. That should show him.
Then all of a sudden the tables were turned and he was going to go out with the kids and me to practice on the bunny slope. Now his face was as smug as mine had been thirty seconds before. There wasn’t a thing I could do. He was joining us.
The kids were delighted about it, he was clearly a favorite, and he did have a way with them, hoisting one of the smaller girls up on his shoulders. Kira? I had to get their names straight, and who they belonged to. And they moved so fast it seemed like there were more of them.
Even worse, he kept hanging back, insisting on helping with all the sleds and Alina’s little board. He was as laden down as a pack dog, grinning in triumph the whole way. I was trying to herd everyone and keep them from jetting too far away, as well as ignoring Dan as best I could.
“Hey teacher,” he said. “I hope the lesson will extend to me, too. I’ve never snowboarded or skied."
“And you grew up in Moscow?” I asked.
He shrugged, dropping one of the round sleds and plunking Kira on it, pulling her instead of trying to carry everything. Two more kids piled on. “No time,” he said. “I’ve been working since I was thirteen.”
That was unexpected, since his family was clearly rolling in money.
Against my better judgment, I was going to ask him something more, but he was grinning at me, eyes fixed on the front of my sweater.
Oh, they popped right up again, but I quickly remembered what I was working with.
Ignoring the heat infusing my body just from that one glance, I wondered if I could get away with not clamping his boots on properly.
Not that he’d get too hurt on the baby hill.
Of course my professionalism didn’t let me sabotage him and the kids all had a great time pumping their little legs to get up to the top of the hill.
As much as I liked children, I hadn’t been around any in a while and I thought it would take some time to get in the swing of it.
They were just so cute in their bright knitted hats and matching mittens, their crisp brand new snowsuits rustling as they ran.
At the top, they realized it looked like a long way down to the bottom, and Artie was suddenly more interested in sledding than getting on a snowboard.
Alina was raring to go and I showed her everything she needed to know before letting her get her boots on.
Dan stood by, half watching Artie and the smaller kids either roll down or pile into the sled, and half taking in my lesson.
He announced he was going down with us, solemnly high fiving Alina before we all took off. The trip was over too soon and my students were both naturals, with Alina already wanting to go on the real slopes.
“No way, we both need more practice,” Dan said, effectively keeping me from being the bad guy, which I reluctantly appreciated. Half the battle of getting kids to be good was having them like you.
A couple of hours flew by, and it was a shock for all of us to hear the dinner bell ringing from the lodge.
The sun was slipping below the outline of the mountains that surrounded us and the lights that adorned the evergreen trees at the bottom of the hill were merrily twinkling against the darkening sky.
We’d been having way too much fun. Alina scowled in the direction of the lodge.
A thrillseeker had been awakened in her and it didn’t think it needed something as trivial as food.
We were at the bottom of the hill and I sensed a couple of tantrums brewing, but Dan winked at me, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Are you up for another ride?”
It could have been completely innocent, but fire rushed to my cheeks. It wasn’t innocent, not with that look he was giving me. The kids shouted and began stumping back up to the top of the hill, Alina and Artie dragging the sled behind them. I scowled at Dan.
“What?” he said. “I was talking about going down in the tube again.”
“Sure. And I was trying to get them to get back for dinner.”
“Come on,” he shouted over his shoulder, already halfway up. “I know you know how to have fun.”
What could I do but follow them up, not about to be the buzzkiller babysitter.
Somehow we all managed to fit in the giant tube together and went flying down the hill, even gaining a little air.
The kids squealed, Dan barked a laugh, and we all tumbled out in a heap when we skidded to a stop on the flat ground.
“Okay, enough for today,” I said in my best drill sergeant voice. We’d stayed out too late and I didn’t want anyone’s mom getting mad at me for not heeding the bell.
I hurried them along, ignoring Dan’s jokes and jibes. Okay, some of them were funny this time, and not at my expense. The kids were howling with laughter, and it was actually pretty damn cute.
Yikes, I couldn’t start liking him again. Not least of all because I was an employee in the household, but because I’d seen his true nature. I wouldn’t be fooled a second time.
Instead of being annoyed, Katie greeted us with a jolly smile, pointing to a sprig of mistletoe above the door. I dodged it neatly, making her laugh and Dan scowl.
“Join us for dinner again, Paisley?” she asked.
Dan stood stubbornly under the mistletoe, as if I’d come running back. “Yes, join us,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.
I faked a huge yawn, telling Katie I was exhausted and would just eat in my room.
“Come on now, you’ve got more stamina than that,” Dan said for my ears only. “Can’t handle another round?”
There it was. His big handsome jerk syndrome was flaring up again.
Not bothering to answer him, I fled from the kitchen, feeling his eyes on me the whole time.
When I got to the door, I glanced around and he wasn’t even there anymore.
I was already forgotten. For some reason that pissed me off even more.