Chapter Three

“I wouldn’t ask, but we’re short-staffed, and the holiday season is here. You know we’re slammed with lesson reservations over the holidays.” Nikki sat in front of Don Greenley’s desk, rubbing her palms against the arms of her chair. Generally speaking, she preferred to make his job easier, not harder. Today, however, she had to do what she felt was right.

Sunlight filtered in through the window behind him, glinting off his enormous bald head. She’d always wondered if he’d grown that bushy beard to compensate for the lack of hair up top.

“People rely on us to stick to our background checks and make sure our instructors don’t have criminal records, Nikki.” Don leaned back in his chair, causing it to squeak. “Breaking that policy could lead to liability.”

“We’re talking about Andy, Don. Stellar work record. Clients love him. His original charges were reduced to misdemeanors, and he’s learned his lesson.” She leaned forward. “From a cost perspective, Andy doesn’t need training. He knows the mountain and the policies here. We still get requests for him from repeat vacationers. And he really needs a second chance.”

Don tapped his fingers on the desk for a minute, and tension pooled in her gut, like it did when she watched the Broncos in a tight match.

“Okay, we’ll give him a chance—on three conditions. First, he agrees to random Breathalyzer tests.”

“Don, he’s not a drunk—”

He held up his hand, cutting her off. “This is about the safety of others, Nikki. If he wants this second chance, he’ll accept that condition. The next is that he only works with clients over twelve.”

“But Andy loves the kids, and they love him. You know most of my instructors prefer adults, so why not let Andy take the little ones?”

“Adults and teens who have a history with him, period. That’s the deal.”

“What’s the third condition?” She held her breath, wondering if he was going to force Andy to wear a prison jumpsuit instead of an instructor’s jacket, for God’s sake.

“This is a probationary offer to get us through the holiday crunch. If he gets through to the New Year with no infractions or customer complaints, we can probably extend a permanent position.” He leaned forward, setting his elbows on his desk. “Agreed?”

She had no choice. Honestly, she was surprised she got Don to take this risk. The fact that Andy had been so well liked by everyone on the staff for years must have made the difference. “Agreed. I’ll call him today. Thanks, Don.”

He nodded, so she excused herself from his office and went to her own cramped quarters, which were located at the rear of the ski school. It required her to navigate the bustling open hall—one made more crowded by the Christmas tree, wreaths, and large plastic silver bells hanging from the ceiling—where a hundred kids and their parents were rushing to get ready for their early-morning lessons.

Those eager faces and the chaos of falling equipment and snapping buckles always caused her to smile. She remembered being a young kid who couldn’t wait to get out on the slopes. Nothing had stopped her, not even her broken bones and few bad crashes. Absently, her fingers found their way to her rough scar.

“Hey, Nik. You coming to The Mineshaft with us after work?” Billy Benton, a twentysomething instructor, asked as he approached.

Many of the single instructors hit The Mineshaft on Mondays for the happy-hour special and family-style barbecue chicken and cornbread.

“A girl’s gotta eat, doesn’t she?” Nikki enjoyed hanging with the crew. She fit in with them thanks to a shared passion for outdoor sports and a lack of interest in fashion. It didn’t hurt that many of them, like Billy, were easy on the eyes. Billy was shorter by guy standards and, at five foot nine, at least an inch shorter than she was. He had chocolate-brown hair and eyes, and nice dimples, too. A little on the cocky side, but that wasn’t uncommon among pro ski bums.

“Great!” He smiled, hesitating for a second, his eyes settling on her scar for a fraction too long. “You should ask your sister to come, too.”

Well, sure. Why that “suggestion” had surprised her for more than a second was anybody’s guess, because it wasn’t the first, second, or third time one of these guys had tried to go through her to get to Amy. If she started charging a dating-service fee, she could easily afford a set of Romp full-custom skis. She smiled, covering her irritation. “Maybe I will.”

Billy’s eyes shone with appreciation and anticipation. “Great.”

“Is there something else?” she asked when he didn’t wander off.

“What’s a guy gotta do to be moved from group to private instruction?” He crossed his arms.

“You don’t like managing a group?”

“I don’t like making shit tips. You know half the folks in group lessons either ‘forget’ or throw chump change at you.”

“Private-lesson assignments are based on a mix of seniority and client requests, Billy. You’ve only been here two years.”

His hands went out to his sides. “How am I supposed to meet clients to build those relationships if I’m always stuck in groups?”

“Upsell. Assess the students in the group lessons who are good candidates for private lessons, and suggest it to them or their parents.” She shrugged, thinking that should be common sense.

“I hate being a salesman.”

“Don’t we all, but it’s important for the resort and for your own income.” Truth be told, private lessons were down last year, and part of her responsibilities was to bring those numbers back up.

“So which group will I be getting today?” He let his arms fall to his sides, resigned.

“I’m on my way to check out the schedule now. Give me ten minutes.”

Billy sighed. “Can you assign me to intermediates instead of beginners?”

“I’ll try.”

“See ya in ten.”

“Yup.” She continued to her office and closed the door. A stack of trail reports, lesson reservations, and other paperwork greeted her. Before she tackled it and handed out assignments, she’d call Andy. Her stomach fluttered a bit. This call would make his day—except for all those conditions Don had imposed. That part wouldn’t be so easy.

She pulled up his contact info and hit “Call.”

“Hey, Nik. What’s up?” His surprise rang through the line.

“I thought about what we discussed at Emma’s reception and spoke to Don this morning.”

Following a slight pause, he replied, “Wow. I didn’t expect that.”

“Well, I’m short-staffed for the holiday. Since you don’t need the same training new recruits need, I figured I’d give it a shot.”

“But Don didn’t go for it, did he?” Andy’s voice filled with resignation.

“It took some persuasion, but he’s agreed to a probationary hire with a couple of conditions.” She stuttered over the word probationary.

“What kind of conditions?” he asked, no sign of irritation in his tone.

She recited them, feeling about two inches tall when she brought up the Breathalyzer.

“I can live with that.” He didn’t hesitate for a second. In fact, his enthusiasm made her whole body smile. “When can I start?”

“As soon as possible. If you stop by later today, we can complete the paperwork, and I’ll put you in the rotation starting tomorrow.”

“I’ll talk to Em and see what I can work out. Should I come by your office first or go to Don?”

“Come to me.” For anything, she thought, and then blushed despite being alone in her office.

“You got it. Thanks, Nik. You’re the best!”

“Consider this an early Christmas gift.”

After she hung up, she thought to herself that she was, in fact, the best. She’d been a reliable friend and sister, a fair boss, and a thoughtful person for her entire life. Too bad when Andy said it, he didn’t feel it in his heart.

#

Andy had to keep himself from running up the steps to the ski school, but he couldn’t stop his goofy grin. There was no reason to hide his elated return to what he’d long considered home.

Learning that Nikki had stuck her neck out for him had restored the long-lost hope that he might, eventually, earn back the community’s trust. He just had to hold his head high and have a little faith.

It was a little after three, so parents were already gathered in the pits to collect their kids from the all-day classes. He smiled when he saw the six-foot-tall Advent calendar he and another instructor had built four years earlier, with today’s box emptied of its candy. It’d been an ingenious way to motivate the kids to cooperate and follow the ski-school rules. The majority of them had vied for that prize when he’d been an instructor. He snickered at the memory of first-class brownnosers, then wondered which child had earned the candy today.

“Hey, Andy!” Billy approached with a smile. “What’re you doing here?”

“Billy B, my man.” Andy threw up a high five. “Nik’s rehired me.”

“Really?” Billy’s brows raised way, way up his forehead.

There it was, even from Billy. That look of surprise and judgment Andy could never escape. If only his DUI hadn’t been compounded by the accident, injury, lawyers, and probation, maybe the stigma would’ve died off by now. He forced himself to brush aside the sting, but that was getting harder every day. “Probationary, of course. But I’ve never had problems before, so, with luck, I’ll breeze on through the next couple of weeks.”

Billy nodded, his attention straying to a pretty woman walking by. “Good luck.”

Andy sensed a peculiar tension in the guy’s tone. When Billy had first arrived on the scene, he’d looked up to Andy as an experienced, often-requested instructor. Now he had an opportunity to rebuild that rapport, thanks to Nikki trusting him enough to hand him a second chance.

“Better get to Nik before she thinks I changed my mind.” Andy waved good-bye and wandered back to Nikki’s office. He rapped on the doorframe, causing her to look up from the pile of papers she’d been studying. The messy desk held architecturally impossible-to-believe piles of paper. The slightest breeze would wreak havoc.

In typical Nikki no-nonsense fashion, she simply gestured to a chair before sifting through those piles in search of his paperwork.

“Take a seat. I had your HR paperwork right here.” She thumbed through several clipped pages. For some reason, seeing her behind the desk set off a sort of schoolteacher fantasy. He let that little thrill sink in for a minute while he waited. The way in which she nibbled at those full lips caused him to shift in his seat. “Ah, here it is.”

She passed the papers across the desk, wearing a slight grin but not fully meeting his gaze, almost as if she’d been privy to his five-second daydream.

He clasped her hand when they made the exchange and waited until she looked him in the eyes. The twinkle in hers sent a little charge surging through his body, so he kept hold of her velvety hand. “Nik, thank you. I mean it. No one but Emma’s taken a chance on me in a while. I owe you big-time.”

She eased her hand free, her voice softening. “It’s the least I could do.”

An odd response, but he didn’t press for fear of blowing this chance. He’d started working at the resort at sixteen. Opted out of college because he knew he’d never love anything as much as he loved November through April on the mountain. Even menial off-season jobs and living broke hadn’t mattered, because he got to do what he loved . . . until he couldn’t. Now a shot to come back meant more than anything. He wouldn’t let his growing curiosity about her and her faith in him screw this up.

Nikki lapsed back into business as usual. “When you finish filling those out, take them to HR and go see about getting a jacket.”

“Will do.” He glanced around her office and out the open door to the crowded dining hall. “God, I missed this place. Even the weird musty-rubber smell makes me happy.”

She smiled fully at that comment, because obviously only a crazy person would miss that dank odor. When she smiled like that, her facial scar bunched on the apple of her cheek, transforming into something that resembled a lightning bolt. He’d always thought that powerful symbol suited her perfectly, although the way she often turned that cheek away told him it made her self-conscious.

“I’m sure everyone will be glad for your return.” Her gaze dropped for an instant. “Some of us are hitting The Mineshaft in a bit, if you want to join in.”

Happy hour with the crew. He’d spent many, many afternoons that way in the past. Unfortunately, the fallout from the last one he’d attended had forever changed his life . . . and Grey’s. Was her invitation a test? Checking to see if he was the same old Andy from before? He knew he could go to a happy hour now without losing control, but he had no desire to invite more skepticism.

“Thanks, but I think I’ll pass today.” The only real regret he felt about that was that he might’ve enjoyed spending a little time with Nikki. She’d always been easy to talk to, and she threw a mean dart to boot. Sometimes he’d wondered if she’d be as adventuresome in bed as she was on the slopes. Stop. He was here on probation, for God’s sake. He couldn’t afford any missteps. “How about you let me buy you dinner some night this week . . . as a thank-you?”

When she looked uncomfortable at the suggestion, he added, “As friends, I mean.”

There you go. Five minutes in and he’d already made her feel weird.

“Of course, I knew that.” She chuckled, but the twinkle in her eyes dimmed a shade. “Let’s see what the week brings. I might not have free time. Amy wants to paint our living room robin’s egg blue before Christmas Eve.”

“That’ll match your eyes.” The words slipped out. Way to ease the awkwardness, dummy. Even as the silent reproach surfaced, he couldn’t keep from staring at her eyes. They were a bit too narrow and closely set to be called beautiful, but the color—stunning. To break the awkward moment, he closed his eyes and teased her, saying, “Trying to imagine Amy with a roller and paint tray.”

Nope. He had no doubt Nikki would be doing most of the work. When he opened his eyes and noticed Nikki’s cool expression, he offered, “If you two need a hand, just ask. You know I painted houses most summers until . . .” He trailed off, not seeing the need to point out the obvious. He’d been fired him from his commercial painting summer job right after his arrest, which was why Emma had stepped in to hire him as the inn’s handyman.

“Amy would love that, but I think we can manage on our own, thanks.” Her posture stiffened with her mood.

He took her second rejection in stride, reminding himself for the hundredth time that he should be happy enough that Nikki Steele believed in him. She was his boss, and he would be closely monitored for the next couple of weeks. No need to stir up any whiff of inappropriate behavior, although he could think of a few inappropriate things he might like to try with her.

“Okay, boss.” He collected the papers and stood. “I’ll take these to HR and then grab a jacket. See you bright and early tomorrow.”