by Jill Sanders
Raven had agreed to it since it would be a few days before the new uniforms could arrive. After seeing how stylish the woman was, Raven had let her know that, during off-season, she could continue wearing what she felt comfortable in, just as long as it maintained the quality of what she’d been wearing in the past few days.
She was really starting to like Cemal. The young girl, fresh from high school, seemed eager and excited about the changes as well.
Two employees, at least, on her side. She’d have to drag the rest of them along for the ride, it seemed. Most were courteous, but some were downright rude to her.
She wondered if her aunt and uncle had something to do with the backlash she was getting every time she tried to make a change.
Thankfully, she’d hired a few of the companies in town, which all seemed eager for the work.
She’d been informed that the entire sprinkler system had been disabled years back. It had taken a few thousand dollars to repair the pump and all the underground lines.
Now that it was back up and running, the grass and flowers around the courtyard were springing back to life.
The ski lift maintenance company was having to overhaul two of the lifts completely. The other three just needed the basics. She was assured that, by the first snowfall, all five lifts would be fully operational.
Once the grounds around the resort were done, the crew would hit the slopes to clear downed trees, fallen rocks, and any other obstacles from the runs.
The biggest snafus so far had involved her family. Well, everyone except for Cal, who had made himself scarce after he’d found her in the kitchen that first day.
Every night since her return, she’d found her aunt at the bar that sat off to the side of the lobby. Since the local bar in town was extremely limited and didn’t cater to… a certain class, most couples or people on dates drove up to the resort and enjoyed dining and drinks in the formal dining room and bar area.
It was somewhat of a surprise to see so many people there the first night she’d walked down to look for some dinner. She’d watched people come and go and knew she’d have to reevaluate her plans for the dining and bar.
She’d been expecting to just do a quick overhaul of both areas, but after seeing how things had gone over the past week, she was talking to the local contractor she’d hired about expanding the dining hall and bar.
Currently, the dining area was separate from the bar and lobby. She planned on keeping the formal part separate by adding a more casual dining area for breakfast and lunch between the two areas. The area would surround the fountain and have a more casual atmosphere.
The way she figured it, they could easily take half of the lobby and still have enough room, at least the space around the fountain. They could add tables and chairs for extra seating. With a few minor changes, and some planters with seasonal flowers in them to separate the two areas, guests could choose a more formal atmosphere or a casual one.
Expanding the bar would be a little more challenging.
David Green, the contractor, brother to her landscape contractor, Jake Green, had moved back into town after the fire ten years ago for the work. He had suggested tearing out the back wall behind the bar. He would reclaim the storage room behind the back mirrored wall, which only held a few extra chairs and tables, turning it into a smaller storage area. There were some narrow stairs that led down to another cold storage area where most of the wine and liquor was currently stored. Those areas would be updated in phase two or three.
David suggested getting rid of the mirrors and the dark wood paneling, modernizing the entire space and giving it a friendlier feeling.
The change would make the bar a large U shape and easily double the seating around it.
He was drawing up a few options for her and told her he would email some concepts to her by the following week. She was anxious and excited about the update.
She’d talked to him about replacing the flooring in the lobby area as well. If it was within her budget, she wanted to replace all the flooring in the rooms as well.
Determining what needed to be done in the rooms was going to take a lot longer than the rest had. She was planning on going room by room, as soon as she had everything else handled.
She had scheduled the fire inspection for the following day and had planned for updates in her budget. She wasn’t working with an unlimited amount, but she had enough to do what was absolutely required. Some more elaborate changes might have to wait until after the grand reopening she was planning this fall. For now, she wanted to give the place a complete overhaul, which meant new mattresses, new comforters, new furniture, and new window coverings. On the outside, the old green was going to be replaced with a more natural color that would work with the wood siding. Some of the windows and doors needed replacing and had been ordered, and the indoor and outdoor pools, which she had found out had been shut down years ago, were being repaired and filled.
Her grandmother had always instructed that, whatever she chose to do in life, she do it to the fullest. And she was all in. She would spend every last dime she had to make the resort a success. Even if she had to trample the rest of her family to do so. This was hers. Her parents had given up so much to build a legacy for her, and she’d sat back and let her uncle and aunt ruin it in the past ten years. All because she’d been weak.
Well, she was no longer going to let anyone tell her what to do or, more importantly, what she couldn’t or shouldn’t do.
She was thankful for the friends and comrades she had. Carrie and Darby had come to visit her the weekend after she’d arrived for a much-needed girls’ night in.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed or enjoyed herself that much. It had been like it had been in the past. Her two friends seemed to not have changed at all.
She’d been a little shocked when Carrie had looked at her over an almost empty glass of wine and had shaken her head.
“You’ve changed so much,” she’d said.
“How so?” she’d asked.
“Everything about you. I mean, you’re still knock-out gorgeous. I mean, that hair.” Carrie had sighed. “By the way, you’re still the only natural redhead in town.”
Raven had laughed and sipped some more wine.
“And you’re still the only black woman in town,” Darby had pointed out to Carrie.
“True.” She’d held up her glass. “This town isn’t big enough to handle two gorgeous redheads and two strong black women.”
“Or two Darbys,” Raven had added with a chuckle.
“I’ll drink to that,” Darby had cheered.
She had hoped to find out more about what Carrie had meant, but then they had started talking about men. She’d tried to ask about Cade, to see if he was seeing anyone or just to find out how long he’d been back in town, but Carrie and Darby talked about a guy named Andre Walker all night. Apparently, he was the town’s hottest catch.
Now, after accepting Cade’s dinner invitation, she hoped that she’d at least gotten a little more about Cade out of her friends. She felt like she was walking into dinner completely blind.
The only thing she had learned over the past week was that he had an ex-girlfriend, Julia, who worked at Darby’s diner.
Raven couldn’t remember if she’d seen the woman last week when she’d been there, but she made a point to look for her the next time she went in.
Shifting the bottle of wine under her arm, she reached up and knocked on Cade’s door. The home, a newer place that sat on the outskirts of town, was a two-story contemporary wood-sided home with a massive wraparound deck.
The home was tucked deep into the property with a detached garage and what appeared to be a work shed off to the side.
When the door opened, she had to shuffle the wine as his grandmother, Jan, wrapped her arms around her.
“Oh my god, it’s so good to see you again,” Jan said, holding onto her.
Janice Williams hadn’t changed much over the y
ears. The woman still had her silver hair cut in a straight bobbed style. She was wearing a stylish rust-orange jacket with a grey shirt underneath paired with slim-legged jeans.
Raven instantly felt overdressed in a lacey white top with a dark purple skirt and matching half boots.
“Come on in,” Janice said, pulling her inside.
Blue was there to greet her just inside the door.
Raven bent down and gave the old dog some attention before following Janice into the house.
The inside was just as glorious as the outside. The living room and kitchen were one massive room. A two-story stone fireplace sat within a wall of arched windows.
She took a quick moment to take in the warm colors, masculine furniture, and tidiness of the home and was impressed with the space.
“When Cade stopped by last week and told me you were back in town, I was so happy and tried to reach out to your gran,” Janice said as she took the wine bottle from Raven.
She swallowed. “You didn’t hear?” Raven’s heart sank. “My gran passed away last month.”
“Oh no.” Jan sank down on a barstool and laid her hand over her heart. “I’m so sorry, child.”
Just then, the sliding door on the back of the home opened, and Cade walked in holding a plate filled with grilled steaks.
He was wearing a tight black T-shirt and worn jeans, and she saw the anger wash over him when he took in the scene of his grandmother crying and Raven standing over her. She felt her entire body go on high alert.
“What’s happened?” He set the plate down and rushed over to his grandmother.
“Ellen.” Jan shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Raven, I’m so sorry for your loss.” She pushed up and wrapped her arms around her again.
Raven had believed she’d spent all of her tears for her grandmother. Yet now, with her grandmothers’ best friend holding tight to her, her eyes stung, and she shut them before she lost full control.
“Let me open this bottle, then you can tell me how she went and catch me up on everything you’ve been doing since I last saw you.” Jan dropped her arms and walked behind the counter to open the wine.
“I’m so sorry,” Cade said softly. He looked over at his grandmother. “We hadn’t heard.”
She shrugged. “As far as I know, only family knew,” she replied quickly, feeling a little uncomfortable suddenly.
“Here, Gran.” He walked over and finished opening the wine bottle for his grandmother. “I’ve got this. Why don’t the two of you head outside on the deck and enjoy the warmth before the sun goes down? I’ll bring the wine out for you.”
His grandmother lifted her hand to his face and smiled up at him. “Thank you, dear.”
Then she took Raven’s hand and pulled her outside onto a massive deck that hung over a pristine backyard with a small brook running through it.
Raven couldn’t imagine a more beautiful spot to live, or to tell her grandmother’s best friend everything she’d lived through in the past ten years.
Even if Cade was tagging along for the ride.
Chapter Six
He who blows on the fire will get sparks in his eyes ~ German proverb
He knew better than to jump to conclusions. But when he’d stepped inside and had seen his grandmother crying with Raven standing over her, looking guilty, he’d done just that.
Now, after hearing that she’d just informed his grandmother of her grandmother’s passing, he wanted to give the two of them some time to catch up before starting the night.
After opening the wine and dropping it and two glasses off outside, he returned inside to finish dinner prep.
He wasn’t the best chef, but he did know how to make the basics. Especially anything that went along with steak.
He’d baked some potatoes and loaded them on a platter along with fixings, including bacon strips, cream cheese, cheese, and onions. Then he pulled the grilled veggies off the grill. Since the sun had gone down and the summer night had turned a little chilly, he set up the table inside. He stepped outside and let Raven and his gran know that dinner was ready.
Both of them looked more relaxed and happier than they had before, which put him more at ease as well.
“Did you two have a good time catching up?” he asked as he pulled out the chair for his grandmother.
“Yes.” She touched his arm as she sat. “Thank you for inviting Raven tonight. It’s just what I needed,” his gran said. “I think it’s what we both needed.” She glanced over at Raven. The smile Raven gave her in response had him tensing again.
Damn, why did she have to look so incredibly hot tonight? And what was with that skintight skirt? Those legs. Had he ever seen sexier legs before? Not in years, he determined as he ate while half listening to the conversation.
She’d straightened her red locks and had on a lot more eye makeup than when he’d seen her in the store. The darkness around them somehow made her crystal eyes more haunting.
He couldn’t figure out why he was being pulled closer to her the entire evening. He started relaxing and forgetting his original mission. At one point, he even started daydreaming about what she would taste like. What her body would feel like up against his.
“Well.” His grandmother stood up suddenly, pulling him out of the fantasy. “I think it’s about time I head home.” She touched his shoulder. “I’ll leave you two young kids to enjoy the pie I made. You should take it out on the deck and light a fire in that new firepit you got last week,” his grandmother suggested.
He stood up suddenly, “Gran, I’ll—”
She nudged him. “Do as your told.” She narrowed her eyes at him. She walked over and hugged Raven. “Enjoy the rest of your evening. Thank you for letting me in,” she said softly.
Raven kissed his grandmother’s cheek. “Thank you for listening.”
“Night,” his gran said. She walked to the door, pulled on her coat, and left.
“You don’t have to stay,” he said, turning to Raven. Her eyebrows shot up and an almost offended look crossed her eyes. “I mean, if you don’t want to,” he added quickly.
“I could eat pie,” she said after a moment.
“Pie it is.” He nodded, then started taking the plates from the table.
She helped him by grabbing the silverware and glasses.
“Want more wine with the pie?” he asked her.
“Do you have coffee?” she asked, setting down the wine glasses by the sink.
“I do. I’ll deal with the dishes later.” The pie was warming in his oven, where his gran had placed it after she’d arrived earlier. He opened the cabinet that held his dishes and pulled out two small plates and mugs.
“Pick your poison.” He motioned to his single serve coffee maker and the tray of coffee selections right next to it.
“Organized, aren’t you?” She glanced at him and then scanned through the coffee selection.
He thought about it and realized that over the past eight years he’d lived there, he had become organized. He had never really been a tidy sort of person. But after a while, he’d just fallen into that pattern.
“It helps, especially when you get the wrath of your grandmother and mother if you aren’t,” he joked.
“What kind of pie is it?” she asked him, glancing over her shoulder.
He walked over to the stove and glanced inside. “Blackberry,” he answered with a smile. It was his favorite flavor of pie, and his gran made it for him all of the time.
She made some French vanilla coffee, and he decided to have some of the same. She stood by while he made his own cup.
“Cream?” he asked, walking to the fridge.
“If you have it.” She waited and poured some cream into her mug.
When he started to pull the pie out of the oven and cut slices, she jumped in.
“Why don’t you head out, start that fire? I can cut us some slices and bring them out.” She motioned towards the back door.
“There’s a tray there.” H
e nodded to the cabinet, then pulled on a jacket that hung by the back door and disappeared with Blue right on his heels.
He didn’t feel weird leaving her in his house alone. He would think about it later, since the last time he’d had a woman in his home was Julia almost a year ago.
Even then, he and Julia had only dated for a few short months. When she’d grown too clingy, he’d backed off. Completely.
The more he’d gotten to know Julia, the more he’d realized they had nothing in common. She’d been a nice package, but after a few weeks, he’d started to see bits of her real self. The woman was as ugly as it came. She was not only privileged, but she was also spoiled.
On their one-month anniversary, she’d gotten upset that he hadn’t remembered and bought her something to mark the date.
He normally would have, but he’d been busy that week dealing with the controlled burns. He’d been tired and overworked and it had been the last thing on his mind. She hadn’t let him forget it and for the following anniversary, he’d taken her out for a nice dinner and had brought her flowers.
Apparently, it hadn’t been good enough and she’d caused such a stink that they had parted. Shortly after that, she’d hinted that she’d like to get back together with him, but after seeing her true self, he’d stepped away for good.
“Oh, it’s still nice out,” Raven said, stepping outside with the tray in hand.
He stood up and took it from her, then set it down on the small end table.
“Yeah, we didn’t really need the fire, but it’s nice still.” He motioned for her to sit, then handed her a plate and her coffee before sitting beside her with his own plate.
“You have a very nice place,” she said. She took a bite of the pie. “Oh my god. This is amazing.” She waved her fork.
“Yes, on both counts. I purchased the lot and built the home after finishing the rebuild on my mother’s home,” he said easily. When she remained silent, he glanced over at her. It hadn’t even occurred to him that she would feel uncomfortable talking about rebuilding after the fire. “Does it bother you?” he asked, turning slightly towards her.