Was I bitter?
Sure as shit, but I moved on, started over, and prayed for a second chance. A fresh start is what I did, what I craved, and the only way to get that was to move.
I went back to using my maiden name: Ariella Cole. I wasn’t in hiding per se. After all, I had done nothing wrong or criminal.
I couldn’t say the same for him.
I didn’t want to get mixed up in his illegal affairs.
I had planned on arriving at my new home before dark, but the interview had been in the afternoon at Blue Sky Resort, a ski lodge just outside of Breckenridge, Montana.
It was for a position covering other worker’s shifts, everything from waitressing at the restaurant to doing housekeeping tasks and handling the ski rental equipment. I’d take whatever I could get.
The interview had seemed to go well, and they had asked to run a background check. I wasn’t keen on it but I didn’t have a choice, so they’d see that my ex-husband, Ben, had run up our credit. They couldn’t deny me a job because of that, right?
He was serving time in federal prison for several felonies. That couldn’t count against me, right?
When I’d left the resort, with my piping hot, burnt coffee, it had grown dark. The front desk attendant had given me directions since my phone died, and GPS was sketchy as to whether it worked in the mountains.
I headed for my new house, weary, tired, and worn after a lengthy interview and an even longer drive across the country. I wanted to discover my new home, climb into bed under the warm covers and sleep for a week.
The interviewer informed me they’d run my references, and I had to submit to a background check.
It sounded all good, and while I hoped the job was mine, there were no guarantees. They hadn’t offered me anything yet.
I downshifted my car, but I struggled to get up the mountain.
The bald tires spun as I white-knuckled the steering wheel. The back of the vehicle fishtailed.
I downshifted again and stomped on the gas to climb the godforsaken beast of a mountain when the car slipped and slid backward downhill.
“Shit!” I screamed and stomped on the brakes hard, which only had me doing donuts as I spun and slid down the icy path of the mountain. I would have braced for impact if I had known how, but I just wanted to survive. I needed to survive.
My stomach ached with dread. My palms were sweaty, and I clung to the steering wheel, attempting to maneuver my car out of danger.
I had no control over the vehicle, like it had a mind of its own.
The car spun and smacked into a tree. The window smashed. It wasn’t enough to stop the momentum from sliding down the mountain, and the back wheels skidded off the road.
By some miracle, the vehicle came to a halt. The back wheels teetered off the edge of a ravine.
The car’s front appeared stable, but would it propel me downward and into oblivion if I made any sudden movements?
I glanced in the rearview mirror.
It grew darker by the minute, and I couldn’t ascertain how far down the ditch went, but given the fact the entire drive up the mountain was switchbacks and dangerous, without a doubt, it was deadly.
Exhaling a soft, slow breath, I couldn’t stay in the car. I needed to get help.
I hadn’t seen a car on the road since I attempted to climb the damned mountain. Was there a reason for that? Did anyone live up in Breckenridge, or was I the only one crazy enough to head up there on the cusp of winter?
I probably should have traded my car in for a vehicle with all-wheel drive or a truck, but it wasn’t like I could afford it.
I was strapped for cash. I spent every dime on getting to Breckenridge and paying cash for the cabin I found on one of the realtor sites online.
The place looked like a gem, backed up to a gorgeous river, and within walking distance to a few local shops in town.
This had to mean I wasn’t the only one in Breckenridge, but they were smart enough not to travel at night up the mountain.