Still, now that he was gone, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the times that we had spent together. I had seen a stuffed giraffe in a store window the other day and remembered the time that we had gone to the zoo together when I was maybe five years old. And as the date ticked away later in the year, even though we didn’t really feel the change in seasons down here in southern Nevada, I couldn’t stop thinking about the ski trips that we used to take back when Ian and I were kids.
Dad had had a timeshare on a condo in Park City, Utah, and we would fly up there for two weeks of ski lessons, hot chocolate, and holiday cheer. Those days had seemed like they would last forever, back then. But as we got older, Dad had been too busy with work projects, and anyway, Ian and I had loved coming to Hartland to escape the cold and wet winters we were used to up in Portland with Mom.
Now, though, I felt like I was seeing Park City everywhere; on a concert tour for one of my favorite bands, on the news since they were apparently getting slammed with snow this season. It was like everything in the world was telling me to go back there this year. And really, what better way to honor Dad’s memory than with a trip inspired by him? I knew that he had always loved it there.
“You’re quiet this morning,” Ian said suddenly.
I blinked at him, realizing that I had been staring off into space while he finished up a couple breakfast sandwiches and home fries for the two of us. He shut off the stove and carried the plates over to the table, and I followed him, sighing heavily.
“Just thinking,” I said.
“About Dad?” Ian guessed.
I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “I can’t believe that the litigation is finally over. It just feels like it’s finally hit me that he’s really gone, you know?”
“I know,” Ian said, looking unhappy. “I think it sort of felt like he was just away on a business trip or something and that eventually he would walk back in and announce that he was home.”
“Right!” I said, still just so relieved to have Ian there with me while I was going through all of this. I knew that a lot of siblings didn’t get along very well, but Ian and I had banded together all through our childhood, leaning on one another for support. I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself without him. He was my rock. My best friend. He understood me better than anyone else ever could.
“Honestly, I keep almost cooking for three,” Ian said with a sigh.
“Yeah, I set a third place on the table the other night,” I admitted. “I realized right away that I had made a mistake, but I felt pretty silly about it.”
Ian grinned crookedly. “It’s not like he was even here all that much,” he said.
“I know,” I said, shaking my head. “I honestly never would have thought that I would miss him this much. Guess things will be better now, though, with the litigation over. Like we can finally move on with our lives.” I looked around the kitchen. “At least we won’t have to move out of here.”
“Not for a while, anyway,” Ian agreed, nodding. “Not until the money runs out.”
I snorted. “Did you see how many zeros were on that will?” I joked. “I think we’d have a hard time running out of money in this lifetime even if we were trying to.”
“Yeah, I know,” Ian said. He paused. “Any idea what your first purchase is going to be?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Bet you’re headed right down to the casinos, aren’t you?”
Ian laughed and held up his hands. “Caught me,” he said. He shrugged. “Hey, Dad liked to do a little gambling too, you know that. Hell, he once told me that ‘all business is a gamble’.”
I grinned. “I heard him say that more than once,” I said. In fact, I could practically hear him say it again, now, inside my head.
“So come on, what are you buying?” Ian asked. “New car? New clothes?”
I snorted. “The second one is a bit closer,” I admitted. I took a sip of my coffee. “Actually, I was thinking that maybe you and I could head up to Utah like we used to do with Dad. Get a condo and just spend the winter up there.” I smiled. “Of course, with the kind of snow that they’re apparently getting this year, I’ll need to add a few things to my wardrobe. I don’t even think I have a winter coat anymore. It’s been a long time since I went skiing.”
Ian grimaced. “You know that I can’t do that,” he said. “I’ve already taken enough time off work with the funeral and the litigation and everything. I’m pretty much out of vacation days for the year.” He paused. “And actually, we could use your help around the business. Things are going pretty well, in spite of everything, but we still haven’t been able to find a real replacement for you and Gina is planning on taking off half of December to go back East with her family.”
I stared at him for a moment. It wasn’t a question of whether or not he was being serious; I could tell that he was. But he had always supported my decision to leave the family business, and now it sounded like with Dad gone, he suddenly didn’t support that decision any longer.
I had made my choice, though, and I wasn’t going back there. I still felt kind of guilty for turning my back on all of it. In fact, with Dad’s death, in my darker moments, I had wondered whether the added stress of me quitting had killed him faster. That wasn’t fair for me to feel that way, and I knew it. Still, I never imagined returning to work there. It just wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
“Even if I stay here in Hartland, I don’t think…” I began, but I couldn’t come up with a way to end that without telling Ian that the business was his responsibility. He had really stepped up, and even though I knew that he liked his job more than I had ever liked mine, there was a part of me that still felt guilty about the fact that I had basically dumped everything on him like that. He wasn’t shirking his responsibilities, and he never would. I was.
“I know, I know,” Ian sighed before I could beat myself up about it anymore. “I just thought that I’d ask.” He grinned. “I could offer you a raise, but I doubt that would help. Not when you just walked away with an inheritance in the millions.”
I laughed and shook my head, glad that he had broken the tension in the room. “You wouldn’t be able to pay me enough,” I agreed. I paused. “I really want to head to Utah,” I said.
Ian eyed me for a moment. “What would you do there?” he finally asked. “You don’t have anything waiting for you there. Dad’s not going to suddenly walk into a condo, no more than he’s going to walk in the front door here.”
“I know that,” I said impatiently. “And to be honest, I don’t really know what I’m thinking. But I want to be back where winter is winter. I want to see snow again.”
Ian snorted. “You’ll say that until you actually walk outside on the first morning when it’s actually snowing,” he said confidently. “Then you’ll realize just how cold and miserable it really is.”
I laughed. “We weren’t all born for the Vegas sun,” I said, shrugging easily.
“Where are you even going to stay while you’re there?” Ian asked. “Isn’t it a little late in the year to be thinking about timeshares?”
I paused, taking a deep breath. I had actually done a little bit of research in this area, but I wasn’t sure how to explain that to him. I knew that he probably still wouldn’t be sure that this was the best idea for me. But something in my gut was telling me that all signs pointed to ‘yes’.
“Actually, I looked online and the condo that Dad used to take us to is up for sale at the moment,” I admitted. “There’s no one in there right now; I could buy it and move right in.”
Ian stared at me. “You’re moving to Utah?” he asked.
“Well, maybe not permanently,” I said, shrugging. “I don’t know. But Ian, come on. There’s nothing for me here. I don’t want to work in the family business anymore. I’m just not interested. You know that.”
“I’m here,” Ian reminded me.
“I know,” I said quietly. “And I’m not suggesting moving to th
e other side of the world. Or even the other side of the country. We would still be close enough that we could visit each other all the time. You could come see me in Utah. I could come back here.”
“Don’t you think that you should maybe, I don’t know, go visit Park City again before you just jump on a piece of property like that?” Ian asked, and I could hear the frustration in his voice. Of course, he would always be happy for me. But he didn’t like change and never had, and there had been more than enough change in our lives lately.
He’d have to get used to the idea, though. I was sure that this was what I wanted to do, and I had all the money I needed to do it.
I shrugged. “If I don’t like it, I’ll come back,” I promised him. “People are always looking for places to rent in those mountain towns. Even if I don’t like the place, I’m looking at it like an investment.” I grinned cheekily. “A real investment would be if I just went ahead and bought the whole mountain and ski resort,” I said casually, as though I hadn’t already thought about that.
Ian sputtered for moment. “I’m not sure right now is the time to be buying a ski resort,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked. “I have the money, and buying the resort would give me the peace of mind to know that some conglomerate isn’t going to come over and make a bunch of changes to the place. I always liked how charming the mountain was. No pretenses. I want to keep it that way. And if I buy it, then I have the chance to.”
“You don’t know the first thing about ski resort management,” Ian protested.
“The way I look at it, I’d be more of an investor,” I said, shrugging. “I’d let everyone keep doing what they were doing before. That’s what I want, after all. But I’d be the one signing off on any new changes.” I paused. “Besides, I know all about how businesses are run. Sure, maybe not ski businesses. But I think I can figure it out.”
The way I said it was a challenge. What was he going to do in response, tell me that I knew nothing about running a business? He knew that that wasn’t true. And even though he didn’t like change, he also had always been my biggest supporter. If I made sure he knew that this was really what I wanted to do, I would have him on my side for life.
Ian was quiet for a moment. “I really think you should think about this,” he finally said.
“I will,” I promised him, just as quietly. But in my heart, I knew that my decision had already been made.
3
Adam
I hummed to myself as I bustled around the kitchen, trying to simultaneously make breakfast while preparing a packed lunch and a couple snacks for Ethan. It would be his first afternoon on the hill with the race club, and I wanted to make sure he’d have enough snacks for not only himself but for a couple friends as well. Not that I was worried about him having friends in the club; a bunch of the other kids were returning from the year before, and it wasn’t like Ethan had ever had a hard time getting to know new kids.
It was honestly a relief to know that I wouldn’t have to pick him up until a little later that afternoon. The school bused the kids over to the hill right after they finished their lunches, around one p.m., and they’d ski until the lifts closed at four, rather than the normal school day when they ended at two-thirty. I had a bunch of things on my agenda for the day, starting with some lift maintenance and ending with cleaning out a bunch of snowmaking hoses that were no longer needed on the hill, and I was hoping I could squeeze it all in. The extra hour and a half would definitely help.
I paused as I opened the fridge, staring at the picture of Beth that was still stuck on there. She was laughing in the picture as she formed a snowball to throw at Ethan, who was on the right-hand side of the frame. It had been two years since she had died, and it was still hard to see her smile like that. But I could never bring myself to take down the photos of her. I couldn’t forget her, either way, and it was better to remember the good times rather than the way that things had been towards the end.
My thoughts started to drift, but before they could really take me down the rabbit hole, Ethan came bounding into the kitchen already wearing his bibs and jacket. I laughed when I saw him. “Buddy, remember you have to go to school before race club,” I reminded him.
Ethan pouted. “Why, though?” he asked. I knew that in his little head, he was going to grow up and be an Olympian. But what he, at his young age, didn’t understand was that after his years of racing were over, he was going to need to do something with the rest of his life. And not only that, but skiing was a fiendishly expensive sport, especially at the most competitive levels. Between skis and helmets and everything else, he was probably going to need to find some way to finance that Olympic bid.
Now wasn’t the time to get into all of that with him, though. Instead, I just grinned at him. “Because you wouldn’t want a bunch of dumb-dumbs on the hill with you, would you?”
It was an argument designed just for him. He had always been a rule-follower, and I remembered how proud he had been when he had finally memorized all seven parts of the skier safety code. In fact, I was sure that I could still recite all the rules in my head, he had told them to me so many times.
Right now, he nodded seriously. “That would be dangerous,” he said, his little eyes going wide and round. “I guess maybe I need to go to school,” he finally allowed. “But I hate math.”
I fought the urge to laugh. “Go get changed into some school clothes and put your bibs back in the hall with your boots,” I told him.
He scampered off. I had breakfast on the table by the time he reappeared. I glanced at my watch and was relieved to see that we were still on time.
“I’m going to learn to do all the tricks this year,” Ethan told me as he munched on a piece of toast.
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
“Uh huh. Like flips and stuff. And trees! I want to ski through all the trees this year.”
I grinned. “We’ll see what we can do,” I promised him. “But you’d better make sure you’re wearing that helmet if you’re going to be doing flips and stuff.” Personally, I hoped it was a long, long time before he started doing any sort of tricks on his skis. I knew the kinds of videos that were out there these days. And I knew the kinds of injuries that a kid could end up with if he landed one of them wrong.
Fortunately, I trusted the instructors who ran the ski club to keep the kids in check. Ethan had gone off a few little kickers the previous winter, but when he showed them to me when he and I skied together, I was relieved to see that he barely got a few inches off the ground, and he was sure to check out the jump before he hit it. His teachers had taught him well.
I just hoped that those rule-following tendencies of his didn’t disappear as he got older.
And I really hoped that I could get him more into the racing program so that he wouldn’t have time to get too involved with freestyle skiing or anything else. Not that racing didn’t come with its own share of injuries, but at least the kids in race programs weren’t always trying to one-up the others with something ridiculous. Or at least, not exactly.
We chatted for the rest of breakfast. Or rather, Ethan did, keeping up a steady stream of chatter even when I didn’t respond as often as I should have. As for me, I was going through my task-list in my head, trying to figure out what order to do things in so that the most important things would definitely get done. But the trouble with that day was, everything on my schedule felt pretty damn important.
Two weeks into December, we were just heading into the holiday season, our busiest time of the year. And with the way that it had been snowing that year, I just knew that it was going to be even busier than normal. That meant that the new condos had to be one-hundred percent ready to go, with hot water and everything, and the older condos had to be checked out as well. Plus hill operations had to be running as efficiently as possible. The more we could get ahead on maintenance and other on-hill operations now, the less I would be hindered by the hordes of guests that came out for the holidays.
So I was a little peeved when Gretchen caught me in the lodge when I arrived at the mountain that morning. “I was just on my way to check –” I started to say, but Gretchen interrupted me, looking frazzled.
“Sorry, I knew there was someone that I had forgotten to text this morning,” she said. “Mike’s called an all-personnel meeting in the lodge this morning before we start daily ops.”
I frowned. Mike was the general operations manager for the hill, the guy who made sure that things were going well in all the different departments from maintenance to ski school to food & beverage. Generally, we had a couple meetings over the course of the winter, usually one to welcome everyone back and let us know of any changes that had been made in the off season, and another in the middle of the season to thank everyone for their hard work through the busy holiday months.
Technically, we were all supposed to be at each of these meetings, but since I generally didn’t interact directly with the guests and always made sure to get my work done on time, Gretchen had long ago cleared me from having to attend them. She took notes and let me know if there was any interesting news that I needed to know. But otherwise, I was allowed to go about my daily duties while everyone else wasted their time in the cramped main room of the lodge.
Not today, though, apparently. I grimaced but hung around with Gretchen as the other resort workers trickled in. I glanced at my watch, trying not to think about how behind schedule this unexpected meeting was going to put me, and on a day when I was already planning on being pretty busy. There was no way everything on my list was getting done today. But there was nothing that I could do about it. I’d just have to get started with the most critical things and work my way through as much as I could.
One Shot At Love: A Billionaire Single Father Romance Page 2