But then the chairlift jerks forward, and we both fall sideways as we finish our short ride to the top. And I would tell her the truth at the top, but a sign has been posted at the terminus for Stormin’ Norman. The snow is coming in earlier and faster than expected, and visibility has diminished to the point that they’re shutting down most of the chairlifts early. A seasoned skier tells us the roads are expected to worsen quickly and warns us to get back to the parking lot.

“I should call my mom,” Jack says, all thoughts of Andrew set aside for a moment.

“I’ve been trying to call you,” Katherine’s voice screeches loud enough for me to hear when the call connects. Jack listens to what she says next, nods along, a crease appearing between her eyebrows.

“Okay, yeah… of course. We’ll get back as fast as we can. No, we saw Andrew and Dylan… you talked to them? Good. If they make it back to the parking lot before we do, feel free to leave without us. No, Mom, it’s fine. Don’t wait for us. We have the truck…. Don’t worry about us. I can drive in the snow…. Yeah… I will…. Love you, too.”

By the time Jack hangs up the phone, my face is as pinched as hers. “Is Katherine freaking out?”

“Mildly, yes.” Jack eyes me, and I know she’s thinking about my fiancé kissing someone else, but she asks, “Are you freaking out?”

“Mildly, yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

It turns out, there is no fast way back to the parking lot, but we get on the lodge getback trail and push forward with our poles as ferociously as we can. I still have the same feeling of flying, but it’s tainted by the fact that I can barely see two feet in front of me in the dense snow. I stare at the back of Jack’s green jacket and follow her movements as precisely as I can.

I’m not sure how long it takes us to get back to the lodge—I lose track of time as I shut down my brain and go into panicked autopilot—but when we arrive, it’s obvious most people have cleared out already. The Lincoln is gone, which hopefully means the rest of the Kim-Prescotts made it out before the weather got too bad. Jack shoots off a quick text while we’re still in range of Timberline’s cell service to let the family know we’re safe and heading home.