Fraser Mountain - Living the snow life

Chapter Thirty Seven

To: LexieMcGinty@yahoo.co.uk

From: DannoSmith@aol.com

Subject: Re: News

G’day mate!

Good on ya with the new job! Are you battling through it? Is it weird being back in London again? How’s your mum?

The last day on the hill was awesome, but it would have been better with you there. Nothing’s changed much since you left. Rick and me are still going strong, which is a bit of a change from my usual shack-ups. I’ve never really had a boyfriend before, but I’m getting used to the idea. So is he, when he’s not threatening to beat up anyone that looks at us funny if we hold hands on Main Street – fucking funny, though! He’s heading over to Vancouver Island for the summer and I’ll probably go with. Sorry to hear about you and Azzo. No wonder he’s been walking around like a grizzly that got woken up too early.

A lot of people are leaving Fraser with the mountain closed. Stevie left us last week - heading back Down Under to work construction for his dad but he said he might come back next winter. With any luck, so will I. The RFM dudes offered me a job for next season if I want it and if things are still going good with Rick, I reckon I’ll come back. The tips were sweet! Did you get some of the money I owe you? You sure it’s cool that I pay my hospital bill back every month? My mum said she could wire you the money if you need it?

Tazzie and Travis were talking about going to Alaska for the summer, which’ll be bonzer. I’m sure she’ll send you an email soon to tell you all about it. I saw her in the DayLodge this arvo and she said she was going to write soon. Tim says hi too. He’s proper happy cos the foreman at White Lake offered him a permanent job last week, so he’ll deffo be staying put for a while. He might even keep the house if he can get some bodies to fill it when we go.

Anyways, I gotta get a shift on. Hope you’re good. Miss ya, mate x

PS – can’t believe I forgot to tell you the best part. Emily broke her leg on the last day the hill was open. Talk about karma!

‘How’s that proof coming along, Lex?’

I quickly click on the cross icon at the top left of my screen and try not to look too guilty when I see Harley standing behind me. She doesn’t look that impressed, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

‘It’s ready.’ I say, swallowing quickly. ‘I’ll print it out now for you.’

‘Good. Do that.’ she sighs, before walking over to the printer.

Whoops. Carl shoots me a sympathetic look across the desk.

‘Busted?’ he asks. I nod.

‘She’s just stressed about the pitch. Don’t worry.’ he says.

‘I know. But I probably shouldn’t be checking my email in work time.’ I sigh, frustrated with myself.

He shrugs. ‘You’re on your lunch break, and it’s not against company policy last time I checked.’

‘I suppose.’ I say, still feeling uneasy. I’ve been checking my inbox religiously for the last two weeks, hoping against hope that a message from ‘irv_ski98@shaw.ca’ is going to pop up. No such luck. ‘I hope she likes the new designs.’ I add.

Carl raises an eyebrow. ‘That’s Harley. One minute she thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread. The next minute you’re the dog shit on her new Nikes. You get used to it.’

‘Really?’ I ask, thinking that things might have gotten easier by now. If anything they’re getting harder and I’m putting in some really long hours. Harley had been so impressed with my first few ideas for the SnowDiva pitch but now she seems to want to go in a different direction, which I’m not that convinced about. I spot her walking back to my desk, a steely look in her eyes.