Free Falling Snow by Graysen Morgen Page A

if you were here and she was giving me the third degree. That’s when I saw you.”
    “Just ignore her. I’m glad you’re here. It’s good to see you.” Cason watched her blue-green eyes and noticed she was biting her bottom lip.
    “It’s kind of been a week from hell. I’ve been hiding on the mountain.”
    “Yeah, word got around pretty fast I guess. I’m sorry.” Cason wanted to push a stray lock of curly hair from Adler’s face, but decided against it.
    “Such is life I guess. I wanted to go ahead and leave for Australia early, but I have competitions and a bunch of other shit lined up for the next three months so I guess I have to ride it out. I’m sure my demise will be old news soon. Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant or some other athlete will mess up sooner or later. It doesn’t help that they sort of smeared Kevin’s name because he’s a writer for ESPN, but hey, do the crime do the time, right.”
    “You’re very philosophical today.” Cason grinned.
    “Ugh.” Adler rolled her eyes. “My friend Gordy that you met, he reads all this philosophy shit and he gave me some books a while back. I’ve been reading them.”
    “I see.”
    “Do I sound all educated?” She laughed.
    “You’re a very smart woman Adler, no matter what you read.”
    “Thanks.” Adler tucked that loose hair back over her shoulder. “So anyway, I came here to see if you wanted to go snowboarding tomorrow. I know I promised you a private lesson.”
    “Oh.” Cason cringed. “I’m not much of a snowboarder, like I said. But, if you’re willing to deal with an old chicken-shit, I’m in.”
    Adler smiled. “You’re not old.”
    Cason raised an eyebrow. “I’m much older than you.”
    Adler raised her hands in an excuse me sort of way and laughed. “Oh please.” She said and laughed again. She gave Cason her home address. “I’ll see you at six a.m.”
    Cason watched her walk away, then she turned around to go back to the doctors lounge. She only had about four hours left on her twenty-four hour schedule. Thankfully, she would be off in the late afternoon so she would have plenty of time to rest before her snowboarding excursion.
    “Getting a little cozy with the patients aren’t we?” Serena said when she walked by.
    “She’s not a patient, at least, not anymore. We’ve become friends, not that it’s any of your business.”
    “She’s straight you know.”
    “So are you.” Cason countered.
    “She’s just a kid Cason. That’s a little overboard don’t you think?” She leaned over the counter purposely pushing her busty chest up so that her cleavage showed in the V of her scrub top.
    “Serena, she’s an adult number one. She’s a straight married woman number two. And again it’s really none of your business. Adler and I are friends, that is all. Now, if you will excuse me I have a patient to check on.”
    “She’s going to hurt you.” Serena said to her back as she walked away.
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
    Fifteen
     
     
     
     
     
    Cason arrived at the small townhouse complex just before six. She still wondered why the hell she was doing this. She was not a snowboarder and never would be. She realized when you get to a certain age the no fear mentality disappears. Maybe if she had learned as a child she wouldn’t be so nervous. Oh well, it was too late now. She knocked on the door.
    “Hey!” Adler said when she pulled the door open. She was dressed black ski pants and a white thermal shirt. “I’m almost ready. Are you excited?”
    “Yup,” Cason said as she looked around. The bottom floor of the townhouse was an open floor plan. The kitchen overlooked the living room which was modernly decorated with a crème colored sofa and silver tables. She assumed the bedrooms were upstairs.
    “You look a little scared.” Adler smiled as she ran up the stairs and came back down with her dark purple ski jacket and matching ski cap. “Okay, I’m ready. I put all the equipment in my SUV when I