Chapter Four

Holly

Holly stretched out in the soft bed and sighed with contentment. There was something magical about not waking up to the sound of an alarm clock. She snuggled into the fluffy comforter for a moment, enjoying the dark silence of the hotel room.

Then she remembered that she was going skiing today. With a grin, she threw back the covers and got out of bed. The floors were heated and she nearly moaned with delight. She’d gotten so used to keeping her apartment cold to keep the heating bill down, she’d forgotten how nice it was to wake up and be warm.

In the next bed over, Aliyah slept. She still looked pale, but better than the death-warmed-over look she had last night. The poor thing had spent most of the night in the bathroom dealing with the aftermath of food poisoning.

No more gas station sandwiches for either of them.

Holly tip-toed to the bathroom and enjoyed the heated tile floors in there. If she ever built a house of her own design, heated tile floors in the bathroom were definitely on the list. It felt amazing to have warm feet while she brushed her teeth and put on her ski clothes. She put her hair up in a ponytail and quietly left the bathroom.

“Hey.” Aliyah’s voice was hoarse and sounded painful.

“Hey. Did I wake you up?” Holly asked, pausing by the bathroom door.

“No, I’ve been awake for a few minutes. Believe it or not, I didn’t sleep great last night.”

“I’m sorry,” Holly replied.

“Not your fault.” Aliyah shifted around on the bed. “You going skiing?”

“Yeah. Are you going to come? How are you feeling?”

“I’m going to stay in bed all day. And maybe the tub. I think I can handle a bath,” Aliyah said. “I’m no longer puking my guts out, but I don’t want to move more than four feet to the bathroom.”

“Can I get you anything?” She hated that her best friend wasn’t feeling well. They were supposed to spend the day out in the snow having fun. Instead, her friend was going to stay inside being sick.

“More of that ginger ale would be great. I’m sorry I can’t ski with you today.”

“Me too.” Holly pouted and shrugged. “But, at least if you’re going to be sick, this is the place. The toilets are all clean and you don’t have to clean up after.”

Aliyah chuckled. “Yeah. And they have cable here. And HBO. I’m watching Game of Thrones all day today.”

“Don’t spoil anything for me,” Holly replied. She crossed the room and put her pajamas in her suitcase.

“They all die,” Aliyah told her. “Even the dragons.”

“LA LA LA, I CAN’T HEAR YOU,” Holly shouted, putting her hands over her ears. She then stuck her tongue out at Aliyah.

Aliyah lay back on her pillows. “You should get going. It’s almost time for the lifts to start. Got to get that fresh powder.”

“Okay. I’m going to go grab some breakfast and hit the slopes. I’ll bring you back some ginger ale. You want any food?”

Aliyah turned a little green at the mention of food. She shook her head. “I’ll order room service if I get hungry.”

Holly nodded and waved before heading downstairs. She followed the scent of waffles to the dining area. The room was comfortably full, with enough open chairs that she didn’t have to wait, but not so empty that she felt strange eating alone.

The waffles were amazing, just as the man had said the night before. Holly ate two and sipped at a large mug of coffee. Outside the big windows snow started to fall. Holly grinned. It would be a good powder day.

She finished her breakfast and hurried a huge cup of ginger ale up to Aliyah. She’d already fallen back asleep with the sounds of a dragon battle raging through the TV. The fact that she was sleeping through the best parts of the show told Holly that Aliyah still didn’t feel well.

Holly left the soda on the nightstand, grabbed the rest of her snow gear, and headed down to the rental shop.

The rental shop was just off the south end of the lobby. Holly stepped inside and filled out her waivers and insurance information.

“Hi. Welcome to the Ski Shoppe,” the woman behind the counter said, taking her paperwork. “Are you skiing or snowboarding?”

“Skiing.” Holly wanted to learn how to snowboard, but she knew she’d need lessons. That was something she wasn’t really able to afford on her teacher’s salary. Especially not at a place like Blue Aspen.

“Excellent choice,” the woman told her. She hopped off a stool behind the counter, and Holly realized that the woman was much shorter than Holly had first thought. She also couldn’t put an age on the woman. Her face said she was early twenties, but there was a wisdom in her lavender eyes that said she was much, much older. Also, her hair was so blonde it was silver. Not gray, but actually silver. “I’m Merryweather.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Merryweather,” Holly replied. “Thank you for helping me.”

“It’s my pleasure.” The woman’s lavender eyes sparkled. She handed Holly a pair of boots to try on. “I love this time of year, don’t you?”

Holly smiled and nodded as she slid on the boots. They fit perfectly. Usually she had to try on a couple of pairs, but these felt like they were made for her. “I love Christmas. There’s something magical about it”

“Yes, there most certainly is.” Merryweather grinned at her and took one of the boots. She fitted it to a ski and hummed while she made some adjustments. “Have you experienced any Christmas magic yet this season?”

“Just this trip,” Holly replied. “I think it used up most of my luck quota for the rest of the year.”

Merryweather looked up at her and smiled with those ageless eyes. “I don’t know. I think you might have more Christmas magic in store.”

Before Holly had a chance to answer, Merryweather handed her the skis, poles, and a helmet.

“These are the same kind of skis the US Olympic team uses, so be sure to wear the helmet,” Merryweather reminded her. “Plus, it’s hotel policy.”

Holly believed this equipment was made for professionals. Everything was top of the line. The boots fit like they were made for her. The poles didn’t feel too long or too short, and she couldn’t wait to take the skis out for a run. They looked like they’d handle the turns like a dream.

“Thank you, Merryweather,” Holly said, trying to balance everything and mostly managing.

“Have a great day. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.” The silver-haired woman waved and Holly left.

Outside, snow flurries danced and dusted the ski resort with a fresh layer of powder. The air was cold and crisp, smelling of snow and pine. Holly put on her snow pants and ski jacket, making sure the key card was in the front pocket. It was the pocket with a small bunny embroidered on it. She put it there so she wouldn’t forget where it was later.

She put on her gloves and her bunny goggles. One of her students had given the goggles to her as a gift several years ago. They had a cute little bunny sticker on the top corner that matched the one on her jacket. She also had a green fleece scarf with cute little cottontail bunnies and Christmas trees wrapped around her neck to keep her face warm. Another gift from her students.

Apparently, they thought she liked bunnies.

With a grin so big it made her face feel like bursting, she snapped on her skis and headed to the lift. The sun peeked out from behind a cloud, making the world explode in color. Tiny ice crystals sparkled in the air. It was like being inside a glitter snow-globe.

Holly was late out to the lifts, which was fine by her. There was hardly any line now and she would probably get to ride up by herself.

That was until she heard a deep voice from behind her.

“Mind if I ride up with you?”