Chapter Fourteen

Brent

"Remember, breathe in thru your nose and out thru your mouth." I don't want to sound like a know-it-all, but breathing the right way in these kind of temperatures keeps you from getting winded. Not to mention, how hard it can be on your lungs.

We've probably stopped a dozen times for Annie to take pictures and we still have another two blocks to go before we reach the lake. "Wow!" she exclaims, stopping yet again. "Look at all that snow! "

She leans her head back then brings her hand up to shield the sun.

"Sort of like looking at a postcard, isn't it?" I ask.

"I…I can't find the words right now. It's just…so beautiful. It's so pretty and white. "

"Not nearly as beautiful as you." I quickly look down at my boots, in disbelief that I let the words slip out of my mouth. I should know better than this. "I'm sorry, I hope that didn't offend you."

"No, not at all. I've never had anyone tell me that before. I…I don't know what to say."

I take her hand in mine and we continue on. When we reach the shoreline, I lead her through the gated area and help to keep her steady on the ice. It's not as easy to find your footing here and if you're not careful, you can slip and fall.

"Wait, there's a beach?" she asks when we reach the water's edge where several feet of sand is exposed. "It's not like the ones I'm used to, but this is pretty awesome. Ours is more sandy, whereas this is more like what you would find in a sandbox. This golden brown color is really unique too."

I watch her close her eyes and take in a deep breath.

I look back at the mountains behind us where the gondolas are working overtime, transporting skiers to the tops of the slopes. "I may be biased because I live here, but I do think this is one of the prettiest places on earth. There's pure magic in this winter wonderland."

"So can I stick my hand down in the water?" she asks. "I'd love to be able to tell my students that I at least got to experience this."

"Go right ahead. Just know it's very, very cold."

She kneels down, then slips one of her gloves off. At first, she trails her hand over the surface, letting the water circle her fingers. Then she scoops a couple pebbles into her hand, allowing the water to drip through her fingers. "You're right. It's ice cold."

I pull the bottom of one of my shirts from underneath my coat and allow her to dry her hand. Then I pass her glove back and wait for her to slip it on. "Is it everything you thought it would be?"

"Oh yes!" she exclaims. "Thank you for bringing me down here. I probably wouldn't have ventured this far away from the hotel had it just been me."

"Ready to head back? We've got a long walk ahead of us. Unfortunately, most of it is uphill."

It doesn't take us quite as long to get back to the main road, but I admit, I'm pretty winded myself. Rather than crossing the road, we continue walking along the edge towards several of the gift shops. Most are decked out in red and green décor and the occasional store has Christmas music playing from their outdoor speakers. The atmosphere is ideal for this time of the year.

"Hold on," she says and stops dead in her tracks. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Huh?" I look over at her, seeing the puzzled expression on her face. "What are you talking about? Kidding about what?"

"You mean to tell me if I put one foot here I'm in Nevada. And if I put my other foot right here, it's in California?"

I begin to chuckle. "You didn't know that?"

"I had no idea. I mean, I knew the Lake was split between both states but I never realized I could be in two states, literally, at the exact same time."

She reaches into her coat pocket, pulls out her phone again, and snaps a picture of her boots

"Now this is something my students will love hearing about."

We take our time browsing through some of the shops and truth be known, I enjoy helping her pick out a couple things for her sister and brother-in-law. She's mentioned a few times how grateful she was that she decided to stay instead of going back home. I must admit, I'm grateful she stayed too.

"There's a really good pizza place over by the lift. I don't know about you, but that walk has made me hungry."

"Mmm, pizza sounds delicious. Let's do it."

Though the menu has tons of choices—from pizza to pasta and every flavor of chicken wings you can think of—we settle for a brick oven pepperoni with extra cheese. We grab a spot over by the window and stare out at the gondolas swiftly moving up the mountain.

"That's really neat how the snow looks on all the roofs. It's even dripping off the edges in some spots where the sun is shining on it," she points out.

"Hopefully, you can come back when it's not quite so cold. And see the rest of what this place has to offer."

"Definitely," she replies, a smile plastered on her face.