I watched through the bay window in the living room as the cab carrying my twenty one year old niece pulled away from the curb on its way to the airport. Although there were still a few days left of winter break, she wanted to get back to college a few days early in order to catch up on some work she had to complete. Her best friend Kate was not quite as conscientious as Jess, instead opting to stay behind for a few more days of skiing. I tried to encourage Kate to leave early, as a storm was rapidly approaching, but she insisted on staying as long as she could.
My vacation home is in Northern Vermont, placed at about the halfway point between Burlington and Stowe. I had invited Kate and Jess to spend the week there, just as I had for several years prior. The three of us are avid skiers, and this had become our yearly ritual during winter break. The skiing had been exceptional this year, so I can't say that I really blamed Kate for staying behind.
I turned towards Kate, who was reclining on the couch watching television. She was also twenty one, with long, dark hair, light brown eyes, and golden skin. To be blunt, Kate is an absolute knockout. She has high cheekbones to go with her full lips, and a perfect complexion. She is visually stunning, and wears little to no makeup. Kate is also an athlete, and it shows. She has long, shapely legs leading into a perfect ass, curvy hips, and a flat, toned tummy. I should mention that Kate also has a huge, natural set of tits. So huge, in fact, that they are really out of proportion with the rest of her. Some beautiful women embrace and accept their beauty and the attention it gets them. Kate did not. She was quite self-conscious of her body and her looks-especially her body. She took great pains to dress in such a way as to hide her curves as much as possible. She hated feeling that people treated her as a bimbo, and that her giant rack was the extent of her as a person. Kate had dated a few boys, but things never seemed to work out.
"Are you ready to hit the slopes, or are you going to spend the day melting your brain with that crap you're watching," I asked Kate.
Kate smiled and clicked off the TV.
"Definitely the slopes, Uncle Bill. I only have a few days left, and I'm going to make the best of them. Give me about fifteen minutes and I'll be ready to go."
"Okay, Kate. I'll get our gear loaded into the truck in the meantime. Don't take too long. I'm itching to get there."
I had just finished loading the car when Kate walked outside and smiled.
"Did I do good, Uncle Bill? I got ready as quickly as I could."
"Perfect timing, Kate. Let's get on the road."
We chatted a bit on the short drive to the Stowe Mountain Resort. Kate thanked me for allowing her stay the extra few days, and promised to do the cooking in return. We chatted a bit about school. Kate is an engineering major, and a bright one at that. She graduated top of her class in high school, and has a 4.0 average over her first two plus years of college. I guess it's a bit understandable why she is so sensitive about the way she is perceived by people.
We spent the day skiing the hell out of that mountain, pausing a few times for a bite to eat and a breather. To the dismay of the resort staff and ski patrol, we had quite a few races down the mountain, with me having a slight edge in the number of victories. We were both exhausted when we got back to the car. I flipped on the radio to listen to the latest weather report, and was bombarded by storm warnings on every station. It was no longer a question of if we would get hit. It was more a question of just how bad it would be. The reports prompted me to stop at the grocery store on the way back. We loaded up on staples, and Kate picked out a steak for dinner. After loading the groceries in the car, we headed back to the house.
I put the groceries away as Kate seasoned the steak. Once finished, I directed my attention to the fireplace, building a blazing fire and then dropping down onto the couch to relax. Kate walked over and handed me a glass of wine.
"That was an awesome day today, Uncle Bill. I haven't had that much fun skiing in a long time," she said, dropping down onto the other end of the couch. She, too, had a glass of wine, and she took a sip. "Thank you again."
"My pleasure, Kate. From the sounds of it, we may be out of luck for the next couple of days. If this storm hits the way the reports say, we'll be stuck here for a while."
"HA! A little snow isn't going to keep me away from the slopes," Kate shot back. "I didn't stay here to sit around. I could have done that at school. I want to ski," she said, pounding one foot on the ground.
"Well, let's see what we wake up to tomorrow. If it's safe, I promise we'll go. If not, we have movies and games and books. We'll make the best of it."
"We'll see," frowned Kate. "I guess when you get old you get chicken," she smirked. "You can always stay here and hide."
"Funny, Kate. Seriously, I'm not kidding. If the weather is bad, I don't want you trying to go anywhere. It isn't worth it."
Kate gave me an evil little smirk and took a sip of her wine, winking at me from behind her glass. She got up and went over by the kitchen to begin cooking. I have an indoor grill on the stovetop, and Kate cooked the steaks to perfection. Served with mashed potatoes and a salad, it was a perfect meal.
We ate and chatted, and shared in the cleanup duties after we had finished. Afterword, we moved back to the couch, still sipping wine and watching a movie. By ten o'clock, the wind was howling and the snow began to fall. It was accumulating at an alarming rate, and I knew that any hopes of skiing were fading fast. A short time later the lights flickered and then went out. Kate let out a startled yelp, and I glanced in her direction. She was sitting there in the flickering light of the fireplace, and I was momentarily stunned by how beautiful she looked. We locked eyes, and then Kate glanced away, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
"That scared me," she said, pouting. "Now I won't see the end of the movie".
"Sit tight," I replied. "That's why we have generators around here."
I put on my coat and went into the garage. I threw the bypass switch on the circuit breaker box, and then went out back to start the generator. It started right up, and a few seconds later the lights came on in the house.
"My hero," Kate exclaimed as I came back inside.
"At your service, my dear Kate. Shall we finish the movie?"
Kate smiled and switched the TV and DVD player back on, locating the spot we had left off. Several movies and too many glasses of wine later, I was in bed, tired and sore from the day's activities. Kate had fallen asleep on the couch, and I had covered her with a blanket before heading off to bed.
When I awoke in the morning, nearly two feet of snow had fallen. The storm was coming to an end, but I could see that the roads were a mess. Kate was still asleep, so I quietly went outside to clear the driveway. I shoveled the walks first, and then I noticed a bleary eyed Kate standing at the door of the porch. She opened the door and looked out and started talking to me.
"It doesn't look too bad. I think we could get to the mountain," she said. Once we get this driveway clear, it will be easy. Look. There's a plow on the road already."
"Kate, no. I watched the news this morning. The roads are horrible, and the police are urging people to stay home. There is another storm right behind this one. Within a few hours, we are going to get blasted again."
"They always say that, Uncle Bill. Look at it. It isn't bad at all. I want to ski!"
"We aren't going anywhere Kate. Now go inside. There's a pot of fresh coffee on the counter."
Kate growled at me and disappeared into the house. Fortunately, I had already attached a plow to the front of the truck I keep at the house, so I was able to quickly clear the driveway. When I got inside, I found that Kate had cooked up some bacon and eggs with hash browns. This girl could cook!
We enjoyed our breakfast, and Kate cleaned up and dropped onto the couch with a forlorn look on her face. We heard the sound of a truck pass by, and Kate leapt to her feet and looked out the window.
