Chapter 1
GRACE
THANK YOU
“I can’t thank you enough,” I say to my friend, Kayleigh, when she sits down on the bench next to me.
She pats me on the thigh and we both look out over the bunny slopes of the Park City resort.
Sitting here, we have a perfect view of Clay, my brother and her best friend, trying to wrangle a group of kids on skis.
“This was fun. Seeing things through the eyes of these kids reminds me why I love this. I mean really, what are friends for?” she says. I take my earbuds out and put them back in my pocket.
“Still, you took time out of your hectic December training schedule to help teach these kids. I’m pretty sure they’ll never forget getting lessons from The Kayleigh Jensen, local legend and Utah’s homegrown Olympian.
” She shrugs, but I still notice the way her cheeks turn a gentle shade of pink, contrasting her black hair.
“Well, I need a backup plan. I can’t be a professional skier forever. I could see myself doing this someday though.”
Pride wells in me as I remember why she has been such a good friend for so long.
I beam back at her. “If you’re serious, Wasatch Wishes would love to have you. We can never get enough volunteers, especially ones that the kids flock to like they do with you. You just have to say the word.”
“Definitely.” She smiles softly back at me and I know she genuinely means it.
I started with Wasatch Wishes in my late teens after my accident.
There’s just something about it that’s always called to me.
I love teaching these at-risk kids to ski, snowboard, and enjoy the winter outdoors like I did growing up.
Being raised in a ski town like Jackson, Wyoming, my parents and brothers taught me to ski when I could barely walk.
But until I moved to Utah, I took it for granted that skiing was so accessible.
After moving to Utah to finish high school and attend college here too, volunteering made me realize just how fortunate I was.
I still remember the joy it brought me when I started volunteering here.
After graduating, it was a dream come true to get a full time job with the organization I had spent so many hours volunteering with.
Nothing makes me happier than spending time outdoors and getting to share it with these kids. So here I am, always trying to rope my brother and friends into volunteering with me.
“Seriously, you’re a natural with them. But him?” I gesture out toward my brother. “Not so much.”
We both look out to Clay, who’s palming his face, looking down at one of the kids sitting on the ground making snowballs, taking bites out of them. Kayleigh watches him for a moment before letting out an amused laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I grin back at her curiously, spinning the lid off my emotional support water bottle.
“That.” She tilts her head toward my brother on the beginner ski run. “I never thought I’d see that again.” I still can’t believe he finally agreed to help with the class I teach when I’m not back at the office hounding donors.
A warm smile spreads across my face. She’s right.
My brother didn't ski for years after injuries derailed his skiing career, but his girlfriend, Lizzy, gave him the courage to try again last winter. Even though he’s not competing anymore, it’s good to see him enjoying something that used to mean so much to him.
“Yeah, but he’s a pretty terrible teacher,” I tease Kayleigh, loud enough for him to hear.
“Very funny!” he calls out before sending the kids to the racks to put their gear away.
He skis over, stopping in front of us.
“These kids are a lot of work. I don’t know how you do this.” He takes his goggles off, propping them on top of his helmet.
“Oh, come on. They aren’t that bad.” I flick some snow up with my boot, hitting him right in his now uncovered face.
He glares down at me, wiping the snow off. “Yeah, you’re worse. No wonder they're a handful if they’re always with you.”
I shrug my shoulders, smiling innocently.
“So pizza at your place tonight, right?” he asks. And I know he’s asking Kayleigh and not me.
I love my studio apartment and my Sprinter van that I split my time between, but neither are exactly great options for hosting dinners.
My small apartment gives me the freedom to hop in my camper van at the drop of a hat for a last minute adventure.
It’s perfect because I have a serious case of squirrel brain and don’t do well with maintenance.
Oh, I want to go rock climbing in Moab? I can be there in six hours.
My best friend Josie’s going to a music festival in the desert this weekend? Heck yes, I’ll be there.
Kayleigh nods back to Clay. “Yep. That's still the plan.”
“Good. We still need to talk about Tanner and V’s wedding. It's only a week away,” says Clay.
“Perfect.” I stand up, clapping my hands together once. “Thank you both again for helping today, but I need to get these kids back to the office for pick up. I’ll see you tonight!”
After seeing the last of my class head home, I make my way inside.
Calling this place an office might be generous.
Wasatch Wishes is based out of an old auto body garage in a shopping center just outside of Park City.
It was donated before I started here and the early volunteers helped spruce the place up, convert part of the space into storage for all of the ski equipment, an entertainment space to host events, and a small office area.
It’s still a little rough around the edges and we could use a proper space, but that costs money.
This place is practically my second home since I’ve come here almost every day since high school.
Originally, I was just a volunteer working with the youth ski classes.
After graduating college, I started working with activity programming.
Being a small non-profit though, I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years, including finding and recruiting donors when I’m not helping with the kids’ activities.
I make my way into the shared open office area and find my desk along the back wall. I open my laptop to check my email, looking down at my nails. The glittery, rainbow flecked gel is wearing off.
Scrolling through my inbox, nothing jumps out as too pressing. I just might make it out of here in time for happy hour at Roxy’s before dinner with Clay, Lizzy, and Kayleigh.
I look up when I hear the front door shut and spot my boss walking in. Kathy is great, but she always finds a way to corner me at the end of the day with something that needs to be done right away.
I smile and I give her a two finger salute. She looks back at me with a forced smile.
“How was today’s class?” she asks, walking toward my desk, still wearing that forced smile. That’s the face she makes when she needs me to stay late, or cancel my plans to meet with a possible donor. Maybe I won’t be making it to happy hour after all.
“The kids loved Kayleigh. I mean, how could they not?” I snort a quick laugh. “I think they even liked my brother.”
“That’s great. I can’t thank you enough for organizing that. We need all the volunteers we can get.”
I don’t know why, but I’m not thrilled about the way she emphasized ‘volunteers’.
I wonder if funding is short again. It’s the constant struggle of a non-profit, but the small donors I’ve been working with have been reliable.
And for as long as I can remember, the bigger private and corporate donors have always come through with their end of year donations.
“So, what’s up? Need help with something before we close up for the night?”
Her smile falters and she nods before grabbing the chair from the desk next to mine and sitting down in front of me.
“There’s no easy way to say this.”
I shift in my seat, fidgeting with the lid of my water bottle. This sounds worse than missing happy hour.
“One of our bigger donors isn’t making a contribution this year. I just found out earlier this week.”
Yeah, this is definitely worse than missing happy hour.
“I’ve had to make some hard decisions with the impact to our budget.” Her already weak smile wavers into something closer to a pitying grimace.
“So, are we looking at cutting hours or programs again?” I ask. This has happened before when we’ve lost a grant or donations got tight. That’s just part of working for smaller, local organizations like this.
“Grace,” Kathy says, but I already know what’s coming. “I’m so sorry to do this, especially right before the holidays. But we’re not going to be able to keep you on next year. We just can’t fit your position in the budget right now.”
My throat tightens and water pricks the corner of my eyes. This is not how I saw today going.
A million things are racing through my mind when I feel Kathy pat me on the shoulder.
“We can’t thank you enough for everything you've done, Grace.
I know it's not much, but you’ll still get paid through the end of the month.
And if something changes and we can afford the position again, you're always welcome back.”
I look up at her, seeing her look of genuine remorse. I’ve always known this was a possibility working here with a razor thin budget each year, but that doesn’t change the fact that it still stings.
I hang my head for a moment, take a deep breath, and put on a brave face. There's no point in sulking. I might as well make the most of it. My mom always said when one door closes, another blows open.
“I still can't believe TJ is letting them use his house for the wedding,” Clay says, reaching for another slice of pizza, before Lizzy bats his hand away.
“I wanted that one. You take the other,” she says, playfully glaring at my brother before she grabs the slice with more toppings.
He throws his head back, groaning. “Always such a brat.”
She cocks her head and smirks. “Yeah, but you love me.”
He leans over and drops a kiss to the top of her head.