Page 106 of Dr. Aster
“Jake ain’t got shit on my Casanova game on these slopes,” he answered.
“Where the hell is Jim?” Collin asked, glancing around the area.
“He’s hanging back at the bar for another beer. A CEO from some company caught him while we were walking out,” Avery said, hopping on her board to get it moving. “Let’s get this shit rolling.”
“That doesn’t annoy you?” Elena asked Avery as the guys moved ahead of us.
“God, no,” Avery said. “Jim knows I don’t need him holding my hand on the slopes for me to enjoy myself.”
“Honeymoon didn’t last long for you two, eh?” I teased.
“Oh, girl, the honeymoon never ends with that man,” Avery said, bending her knees and guiding the board to move to the right a little. “But hey, I know who I married. When a business opportunity knocks, my man is going to answer. It’s what he does, and I love that about him. Besides, we have an entire week here, and I’m not getting my feelings hurt if the man sits out a run.”
“He’s just a bitch,” Jake said from in front of us. “He doesn’t want you all to see how shitty of a skier he is compared to us badasses.”
“Let’s hit the tree trails,” Collin said.
“There’s jumps,” John said.
That’s when the men seemingly forgot we were skiing behind them. We followed them into the forest of trees that two ski runs went around. It was all thick powder, and I loved the feeling of my skis smoothly cutting through it like butter.
Before I knew it, the two ski runs that split off to the right and left of this forest pocket were gone, and so were the voices of all the people coming off the lifts and riding down the groomed area.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Avery asked with a laugh after we all fell into a single-file line. We followed the wild men who were cussing and yelling excitedly as they launched themselves off small jumps that others had made before us.
“It’s as safe as skiing down the groomed part and having another skier come out of nowhere and collide with you,” Collin said, his voice echoing back to us where we were lost in the damn trees.
“Holy shit! ” Jake hollered, catching air on a jump he took fast as hell with John behind him.
This was fucking incredible, skiing through the trees like we were the only people in the world.
“Check this shit out,” Collin said, heading through a deeper section of the trees and finding his jump.
Throughout the area, the men darted through the powder as we moved down the mountain, each finding some cool jump and taking it.
“Fuck! Agh!” Jake growled.
“Jesus Christ,” John said after the tone of Jake’s voice made us realize something wasn’t right.
I stopped first while Avery and Elena spun their boards sideways to stop downhill progress, and then Ashley wound up down by Collin, looking up to where John and Jake seemed to have disappeared into the snow up to their waists.
“You two dipfuckers,” Collin was laughing so hard he couldn’t finish what he was saying.
“What the hell?” Avery answered, unstrapping a boot.
“Don’t!” John said, advising us to stop moving. “Stay on your board,” he said to Avery, “or you’re going to homestead your ass about four feet into this shit.”
“What happened?” I asked, slowly skiing over to where the men were.
“Must’ve hit a hollow drift or something,” Jake said, trying to be cool.
Honestly, the sight was hilarious. It looked like Jake and John had been planted in the snow and were sprouting out of it.
“Well, my ass can’t hike up there and help you idiots,” Collin said. “Put your poles out and try to have the girls drag you out.”
“Can’t get to the fucking poles, dipshit,” Jake said.
The poles had gone flying and were scattered down the trail.