Dad knelt down next to him. “I just wanted to give you this,” he said, winking at Ethan. “I know Christmas isn’t for a couple weeks, but I figured this would give you a chance to play with it a lot once your school break starts.”
I realized with dismay that Dad hadn’t come empty-handed. And what’s more, I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew exactly what was in that box. But before I could intervene, Ethan was excitedly tearing off the wrapping paper from a new PowerBox. My hands bunched into fists as he threw his arms around his grandfather.
“Ethan, why don’t you go upstairs and get your shoes on?” I asked my son, barely able to keep the fury out of my voice.
Ethan looked back and forth between his grandfather and I, and I could see the worry in his look. But Dad stood up, brushing off his knees. “Don’t worry,” he said to Ethan. “Your dad just wants to talk to me.”
“Dad, what the hell is this?” I asked in an undertone the moment Ethan had disappeared upstairs.
Dad gave me a mild look. “It’s a Christmas gift,” he said, stating the obvious.
I fought the urge to shake him. “I thought I made it very clear that I don’t want Ethan to have one of those,” I reminded him.
“You certainly made it clear that you weren’t going to buy one for him,” Dad said, nodding his head. “But I didn’t realize that meant he couldn’t get one as a gift.” He shook his head. “You know that all the other boys at his school are going to have them. If they don’t already, then they’ll get them for Christmas, from parents who aren’t as stubborn and anti-technology as you are. He’s going to be playing video games at their houses when he’s over there. I just thought it would be nice for him to have a chance to practice here as well. Plus, it would mean you got to see which games he was playing and set some rules for him.”
“That’s not what this is even about,” I snapped.
“Isn’t it?” Dad challenged. “Admit it, what you’re afraid of is that your son is going to suddenly somehow start to be a little brat who only cares about video games and who lacks imagination. But you know that’s not going to happen.”
“Don’t try to tell me what I think,” I warned him. “Why are you doing this anyway? Being the good guy to him? You were never like that with me when I was growing up. You would never have let me have any sort of video game console, let alone one that’s this new and fancy!”
Dad grimaced. “Maybe I wasn’t the best father to you,” he allowed.
“You weren’t!” I agreed, too angry to even think about what I was saying now. I saw the way Dad flinched, but I wasn’t in any mood to take it back. “I want this thing out of the house before I get back this afternoon,” I said when Ethan came downstairs. “I mean it.”
I gave Dad one last scathing look and then headed towards the door, with Ethan trailing slowly behind me.
I tried to calm myself down. I didn’t want to be angry like this in front of Ethan. Especially not when the person I was angry at was the boy’s grandfather. I tried to dissect just why I was feeling this way anyway.
I knew that Dad was right when he reminded me that Ethan was a good kid. I really wasn’t worried that he was suddenly going to start misbehaving or anything like that. He had always been a rule-follower, and I didn’t see that changing any time soon.
So what was it that I was worried about? Sure, there was my dislike for technology. I definitely believed that it should be limited, and I didn’t think that Ethan needed to have the latest and greatest. But that wasn’t really what I was mad at Dad over, this time.
Part of it was the fact that Dad hadn’t asked me about it. He hadn’t even given me a heads up that he was coming over. And he had showed up right before school that morning, when he knew that we were about to leave. Like he thought that somehow, he’d be able to sneak it in or something. Get me to give permission to something I really didn’t want, just because I didn’t have time to argue with him just then.
And now I looked like the bad guy because I wouldn’t let Ethan have the gaming console that he had already been gifted.
There was a definite part of me that felt guilty. But not just about the fact that I had refused to let Ethan have this video game console that he wanted so much. That he had been so excited about. I knew that I had used some harsh words with Dad as well. And sure, we had never had the best relationship growing up, but especially in the past few years since everything with Beth, Dad had been there time and time again, helping me out around the house and with Ethan.
I could tell that he had been excited to give Ethan the gift, too. That was probably why he had shown up first thing in the morning. Because he was so excited that he couldn’t wait any longer before he got to give the gift to his grandson.
I just wished that he had talked to me about it first.
Ethan was uncharacteristically quiet on the way to school, but I didn’t know what to say to him. So I stayed silent as well. I was in a bad mood by the time I got to work, and unfortunately, that mood only soured further when Bailey came up to me the minute I stepped foot in the lodge. “What?” I asked shortly, knowing that I already had a million tasks to do today and that I didn’t have time for whatever else she wanted to add to my list.
Bailey looked taken aback, and I reminded myself that this was my boss and that I couldn’t talk like that to her. “Sorry,” I said, running a hand back through my hair. “It’s just been a rough morning.”
“You feeling okay?” Bailey asked, sounding worried.
“Fine,” I said shortly. “Now, what can I help you with?”
Bailey held out a cup of coffee towards me, and I eyed it suspiciously but accepted it, wondering what kinds of strings it came with. “Now, I know you’re really busy at this time of year, but I was thinking that today, maybe I could shadow you around the resort. See what kind of work you’re up to and that sort of thing.”
“Like an evaluation?” I asked, unable to keep the snippiness from my tone. Why the hell did she need to do an evaluation? She wouldn’t understand what she was looking at anyway, and she couldn’t possibly be thinking about firing me. Right?
“No, I just think it would be a good idea for me to know this place a little better,” Bailey said, shrugging. “And if you could show me things like where the spare lightbulbs are or how to fix, I don’t know, whatever chronic issues this place has, then maybe I wouldn’t have to call you in on your days off.”
I stared at her for a moment. “I’d rather that you didn’t try to fix anything on your own,” I said slowly.
“I’m not talking anything major,” Bailey hurried to say. “Like I said, just lightbulbs and stuff. Little things.” She laughed. “I’m definitely not going anywhere near the ski lifts except as a passenger, trust me!”
I sighed. “Like you said, I’m busy at this time of year,” I told her. “No offense, but I don’t really have time for you to follow me around and get in the way.”
“I won’t get in the way,” Bailey promised. When she could see that I wasn’t about to budge, she sighed. “No offense, but I don’t really want to play the boss card. But I will if that’s what I have to do.”
I frowned, but I could tell that she was serious. “Fine,” I said shortly, turning and heading towards my office. I dropped my coat over the back of my chair and grabbed my checklist for the day. “First thing Gretchen wants me to do is fix the jets on some of the hot tubs. Should be easy enough.”
“Is Gretchen part of maintenance as well?” Bailey asked. “I’m sure I met her, but I can’t remember which one she was.”
“She’s not really maintenance, per se, but she’s my main liaison point. If guests have an issue, it gets to her eventually, and she passes it on to me. She’s the eyes and ears. I’ll see if we can reintroduce the two of you later; she’s a good person to know.”
“That’d be great,” Bailey said. She reached out a hand for my toolbox. “Come on, if I’m going to be bothering you all day, the least I can do is actually he
lp out some.”
I raised an eyebrow at her, but I dutifully handed over the toolbox. I could tell she was surprised at how heavy it was, but she gave me a game look. I had to hide a smirk. “Off to the old condos,” I told her. She led the way.
14
Bailey
Kayla had been right when she said there was a lot that I could learn about the day-to-day operations from Adam. But I could tell that he wasn’t going to just sit down and talk to me about everything that I wanted to know. And I understood it when I saw his office in the back. Jeez were there a lot of papers scattered around, various lists in his handwriting plus the messages from Gretchen, always adding things to his To Do list. I wondered how he could get all of this stuff done and still manage to have some sort of a life outside of work. He had to be exhausted.
I started to wonder if I had been right in caving when he said that he didn’t want me to hire someone else to take over his responsibilities. But I knew now wasn’t the time to bring that up again. For now, I just wanted to see what a normal day in the life was like for him, plus learn more about the operations of the mountain. He had a lot of useful information.
And to be honest, I just wanted to spend a little more time with him. The more chances I got to talk to him, the more likely I was to figure out what it was that had changed him so much from the man that I remembered.
“Can you hand me the yellow-handled screwdriver?” Adam asked from where he was bent down around the lip of the hot tub, working on something with the jets.
“The Phillips-head one?” I asked to confirm.
Adam gave me a surprised look. “Uh, yeah,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Look, I may not be up to snuff as a maintenance person here, but I can at least name all the tools in your toolbox.”
“Cool,” Adam said lamely, but I could see he felt embarrassed at having doubted me. I grinned sweetly in response, and slowly he grinned back at me. He stepped to the side so that I could see what he was doing. “So to be honest, this is probably a pretty useful thing for you to know because we have problems with these jets pretty regularly, and it’s a pretty easy fix. This is all you have to do.” He started to explain it to me, and I nodded along.
Then, he jammed the jets again and let me practice it once for myself. “Just like this?” I asked.
His hands came up to correct mine just briefly, but the contact of his skin against mine made me shiver. “Yeah, just like that,” he said, and was it my imagination or was his voice just a bit huskier than normal?
“So what’s your brother been up to anyway?” Adam asked when the hot tub was in working order again and we were walking back towards the condos for the next project. “Is he up skiing a lot? I haven’t seen him around since that first day when he came by with you.”
I sighed. “Actually, he got called back to Nevada,” I told him. “Work stuff that they just couldn’t do without him. I’m trying to get him to come back in a few weeks, maybe for New Year’s Eve, but I’m not sure if he’s going to be able to or not.”
“That’s a shame,” Adam said. He paused. “I would have thought he’d want to be here, to make sure that you really could handle all of this on your own. He’s always been so protective of you.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I know,” I said. “And that was the original plan, but yeah, he just needed to get back.” I shrugged. “Anyway, I don’t need him looking out for me anymore. I’ve grown up. I can handle this just fine without him.”
“I’m sure you can,” Adam said quietly, almost to himself.
“So what else is on the list for today?” I asked Adam, trying to change the subject. As flattering as it was to hear that he thought that I could handle things, it also made me inordinately nervous. What if I couldn’t handle it? Not that I thought that having Ian there would really help. And anyway, I had gotten myself into this in the first place. It was up to me to figure things out.
But I knew that Adam was probably still thinking back to the other day when I had totally screwed up the thing with the lights. And that made me nervous about what might come up around the resort, especially with the busy season starting.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a pretty busy day today,” Adam told me, pulling a list out of his pocket. “I’m really trying to get as much done as possible before next week.”
“What happens next week?” I asked curiously.
“It’s the start of the busiest time of year for us,” Adam explained.
“It’s going to get busier than this?” I asked in surprise. I blushed and shoved my hands in my pockets, feeling silly for asking. “I mean, I’m sure you know. I just don’t remember it being this busy when I was younger. But I must not have realized it.”
“It’s also a really good snow year,” Adam reminded me. “That means there are a lot of people thinking about skiing right now. They’re seeing all these storms on their news channels wherever they live and have planned trips out here. Even the people who only come up skiing every so often.” He glanced sidelong at me, and I laughed.
“Contrary to what you might be thinking, I’m not just here because it’s a good year,” I said, shaking my head. “I plan to be here until, well, I guess if things are terrible this year and I figure out that I’m not cut out for this, then maybe I won’t be back next year.” I gave a self-conscious laugh, and I was surprised when Adam reached up and lightly squeezed my shoulder.
“You’re not going to have that much of a problem,” he promised me. “Honestly, the previous owners were hardly ever here. We all know our jobs, and we’ll make sure that we get things done. And we’re all here to answer whatever questions you have.”
It was the most honest thing that I had heard him say to me, and I was touched to hear it. It sounded like he really was warming up to me a little. At least he was willing to answer all of the questions that I had. That was definitely something.
“How’s the cold been treating you?” Adam asked while we ate lunch together in the main lodge. I was surprised to hear him initiate any sort of small talk with me, and for a minute, I had to think about how to respond.
Finally, I laughed and shrugged. “Honestly, it’s been a little tough,” I admitted. “I’m wearing, like, three layers under my sweater right now. And I could still probably do with another one.”
Adam laughed. “You’ll get used to it,” he promised.
“I hope so,” I said fervently. Even if that was all the small-talk that we managed over the course of the day, at least it was something. And every little bit bolstered my confidence that maybe I did know what I was doing here.
“You’re doing a great job,” Adam said as we were parting ways later that evening.
“Really?” I asked in surprise, unable to stop myself.
Adam carefully looked down at his checklist, but I could see the faint smile on his face. “Yeah,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said shyly.
He nodded at me and then finally looked at me again, giving me a quick, awkward wave. “I’ll see you around, okay? I have a couple of last minute things I want to check on before I head home tonight.”
I frowned, wanting to… to what? Order him to go home? Pull him in for a hug for goodbye? I shook both of those thoughts out of my head. Adam was a grown man; he could stop working when he was good and ready to quit for the day. And a hug would only have made things awkward. It probably would have made him pull away from me even more, right when we were finally making progress.
No. I gave him a quick wave in response and headed out of there. My thoughts were swirling chaotically in my mind, and I still felt like there was more that I would have liked to say to him. But I had missed my chance.
There will be more chances, I reminded myself fiercely. And there certainly would be. He had shown me, over the course of the day, that he was everywhere and involved in just about everything at the resort. Which meant that I really, really couldn’t start anything with him. If things went sour, it would be impossib
le to avoid him afterwards.
No, I couldn’t let myself do something foolish. But as I flicked on the lights of my newly purchased condo, I couldn’t help wondering if I had already started down the path of no return.
15
Adam
I had calmed down a lot by the time I was ready to leave the resort that evening. And I knew that I had been too hard on Dad. I wanted him to be close to Ethan. I still wished that he had talked to me about the game console first, but I knew that he wasn’t trying to buy Ethan or anything silly like that. He was just genuinely happy that he could provide something like that for Ethan, something that the kid really wanted.
I knew that he just wanted to know the kinds of things that Ethan was interested in. And I knew that he was right when he told me that Ethan was a good kid and that spoiling him a little wasn’t going to ruin him. What was I so afraid of, anyway?
I knew the answer to that, I just didn’t like to admit it. I was afraid that I was going to lose Ethan. In a different way than I had lost Beth, but lose him all the same. He was already getting to that age where he would rather be off skiing and hanging out with his friends than hanging out with his old man. But the gaming console wasn’t going to accelerate that process. And new technology or not, Ethan was always going to be my son.
I sat in my truck for a moment and then sighed. I needed to apologize to Dad. To thank him for the kind gesture. To admit that maybe I had been too quick to say that Ethan couldn’t have the PowerBox.
I finally turned the key in the ignition and drove over to his house.
When I got there, I slipped inside, hearing him chatting with Ethan in the living room. I paused for a moment as I kicked off my shoes. They were watching a movie, or… no, I was pretty sure it was video games that they were playing. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, but I found myself grinning.
One Shot at Love Page 8