I looked at Brett. He was quiet, waiting for my answer.
I nodded to the waiter. “Yes, thank you.”
Brett asked the waiter to bring one more for him. “Double patty, no cheese.”
The waiter nodded at him.
Brett nodded at my burger. “Please, eat.”
I cut the burger in half, took a bite, and ate quietly while he watched me.
“You know, you could have just said you have a boyfriend.” His tone was gentle.
I swallowed, wiped the corners of my mouth with the napkin, and took a drink of my beer. “I don’t.”
“The guy next to you seemed very protective. Close and comfortable.”
“Friends. Colleagues.”
He shifted so he was completely facing me. “Ski Patrol?”
I didn’t want to get too deep with him, so I simply nodded.
“How long have you been doing that?”
“Let’s go back to my first, fake question you were so willing to answer for me. Why are you here?” I ate a fry.
His smile showed straight, even, white teeth. Two in the front looked like implants. “My sister-in-law and her brother own an outdoor adventure company in Wyoming. They want to expand, so they’re looking at resort towns where they can do snowmobiling tours and backcountry camping.”
“Ah, I see. The glaciers are a great place to do that.”
“Yeah, they are. But I think the market is already saturated here. I got the feeling today that this isn’t a place they want to consider long-term.”
His burger arrived a short while later. He squirted catsup across his fries and dove into the burger like a starved man.
I spoke, giving him time to enjoy his food. “There’s plenty of nature here to be competitive, but the isolation in the winter takes some getting used to.”
He raised his eyebrows as he chewed, so I continued. “I’m from Denver. I grew up skiing Vail, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, wherever. My older sister was a downhill competitive racer. I used to try and catch her. One day, I thought I could beat her, so I skied out of the boundary of the run.”
He took a sip of his beer, his golden eyes twinkling. “Ah, so you do have a reckless streak.”
“I was young.” I emphasized. “And I really wanted to beat her.”
“Did you?” He plucked another fry from his plate. “Beat her, that is.”
“No. But that’s how I ended up on the patrol. The patrol guys on the mountain that day followed me. When we got to the bottom of the hill, they approached me and told me they could take my pass for the season over what I’d done.”
“But they didn’t.”
“But they didn’t. Instead, they offered me a job.”
“You must be a really good skier.”
“I’m okay. Not as good as my sister.” I looked away. “The funny thing is that I saw them chasing me and was only trying to get away. I wasn’t out to impress anyone.”
He laughed heartily. “I knew I liked you. A rebellious streak hides within.”
And that was my cue to leave. I pushed my plate away and signaled for the bartender.