Anita Bunkley - Suite Embrace

By optimizing the available terrain on their property, Deena and Jerome served the needs of beginning skiers, ice-skaters and snowboarders, creating a niche resort that differed from the larger ski areas.

It did not take long for news about Scenic Ridge to spread as visitors told others about the program and returned year after year. For African-American skiers, it soon became known as one of the most unique novice programs in the country. Jerome had further enhanced the resort’s reputation and expanded its customer base among minorities by hiring Mark Jorgen as their ski instructor. Mark was a great draw and he guaranteed that he could teach students to ski confidently on green circle trails within three days or they would get their money back. So far, no refunds had been made.

Today, there was absolutely no breeze stirring the cool January air, and the warmth of the sunlight on Deena’s pecan-brown face felt calming and most reassuring. She pushed back a few strands of black hair that had sprung from the loosely gathered ponytail she had managed to pull together this morning and sighed. She had hit the ground running as soon as the buzz of her alarm clock sounded at 5:00 a.m., and though it was just a little past noon, she felt as if she had already put in a full day’s work.

Yesterday, she had stood in the same spot where she was now waiting for Skylar and watched Jerome drive away, her heart filled with dread. By now he was in Oregon and probably at the hospital waiting for his father to go into surgery. Deena missed him terribly and was worried about how she was going to manage the place in his absence, especially since Jean-Paul was no longer on staff.

Losing Jean-Paul to a Hyatt Regency had been disappointing. She and Jerome had always depended on their long-time concierge to handle the messy, unexpected situations that came with running a ski resort. Now, they’d only have Skylar.

Today was starting off rocky. The grocery delivery had come up short—missing twenty-five pounds of baby back ribs and the case of a hard-to-locate Norwegian liquor Deena had counted on having tonight. And with all of that to deal with, she’d had to pacify Goldie Lamar’s very demanding party, and she was sick to death of all of them.

The road suddenly narrowed down to less than a full lane, making Skylar very nervous. Though the road’s surface was covered with a mixture of gravel and hard-packed snow, it provided good traction. Still she worried that the Jeep was going to spin out of control and crash down the mountainside at any moment. The sun was directly overhead, bathing the snow-covered hills with blinding light that made it nearly impossible to see.

“Dammit!” Skylar cursed aloud, ripping off her sunglasses, which she tossed out the window. The guy in the store had been right! The bronze aviators were useless. They didn’t block the glare and even made things worse by casting an amber sheen over everything. Squinting bare-eyed into the windshield and praying that Deena’s instructions were right, Skylar pressed on, clutching the steering wheel as she inched her way up the mountainside.

When Deena’s cell phone rang again, she answered quickly, certain it was Skylar asking for more directions. However, it wasn’t her sister. It was Burt from the liquor store in town.

“What do you mean, you can’t find it?” she groaned.

“There’s not a case of Linie Aquavit in the entire valley. At least not that I can get my hands on right away. The St. Regis has four cases, but they’re not willing to part with them.”

“But you said getting Linie Aquavit wouldn’t be a problem,” Deena reminded her beverage vendor.

“Yes, I know,” Burt admitted. “Guess I was a bit overconfident. However, I do have Vikingfjord Vodka in stock and I can send up a case right away.”

“No. That won’t do,” Deena shot back. “This is a very special client and he specifically requested Linie Aquavit. So, please keep trying to locate it, okay? Even if you can only find one bottle.”

“Will do,” Burt agreed. “I’ll get back to you later today.”

Clicking off, Deena sagged against the railing, feeling deflated, while praying that Burt would be able to come through with the specialty drink as he’d promised. However, in case he couldn’t, she had better let her client know that his request might not be fulfilled today.

Just as she was about to place the call, she saw Skylar’s red Jeep turn into the entry and start up the road leading to the main lodge. Shoving her phone into the pocket of her jeans, Deena hurried to the outside staircase and headed down to greet her new concierge. “Let Skylar deal with the missing Norwegian liquor,” she muttered to herself, sending up a prayer of thanks that help had finally arrived.

After Skylar dropped her bags in the efficient studio apartment where she would live during her stay at the lodge, she and Deena set off on a tour of the resort, during which she met all of the staff. Everyone greeted her with an enthusiastic welcome, making Skylar feel less nervous about her decision to set off on this spontaneous adventure. However, when Deena suggested that they ride out in a snowmobile to explore the rest of the property, Skylar had to decline.

“All of a sudden, I feel so tired, Deena. Lightheaded and dizzy,” Skylar complained, drawing in a deep breath as she and Deena crossed the attractive lounge area. A fire blazed in the massive stone fireplace where some of the guests had gathered to chat and sip drinks, while others sat on high bar stools facing windows that showcased the picture perfect peaks surrounding the resort.

“Think I’ll go lie down for a while,” Skylar said.

“Good idea. It’s the altitude,” Deena offered, pausing at the foot of the winding staircase that led to the mezzanine on the second floor where someone was playing the piano. She placed one hand on the banister and scrutinized Skylar with concern. “It might take a few days for you to get fully acclimated to the thin air up here, but it’ll pass.”

Skylar shook her head and blew air through her lips. “Whew! This is not good. My head aches, my stomach is doing flips and I feel as if my skull is stuffed with cotton balls.”

Deena nodded sympathetically. “Yeah, mountain sickness. Strikes quite a few of our guests. It’s caused by a sudden lack of oxygen after moving too quickly into a higher elevation. Your body hasn’t adjusted to having less oxygen.”

“Right…and my body’s sure tellin’ me I’m not in Tampa anymore! What’s it gonna take to pull out of this?”

“Drink lots of water and stay away from alcohol. Go ahead and lie down for a while. I’ll give you a buzz at dinnertime.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Skylar replied, moving swiftly toward the elevator, desperate to lie down.

A soft tapping sound at her door awakened Skylar from a restless, semiconscious half-sleep. Tossing off the soft, wool throw she had wrapped around her body when she fell across her rustic, four-poster bed, she struggled to sit up. The room was light, so she knew it was still daytime. Unable to sleep, she had gotten enough rest to feel a lot better. Her head no longer ached, but her stomach lurched with each step she took, and after pausing to run a hand over her tangled hair, she pulled open the door.

It was not Deena standing there holding the tray with a tea caddy on it, as she had hoped, but a woman dressed in black pants and a crisp white shirt.

“Ah, hello. Miss Webster…hope I didn’t wake you,” she started. “I’m…”

Skylar nodded in recognition, her mind beginning to clear. How could she forget the tall, big-boned girl with light brown skin, frizzy dyed-red hair and a heavy dose of brown freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. “You’re Kathy. Food and Beverage supervisor, right?”