A Last Resort

by Brenda Sinclair

  “Perfect timing on our behalf,” Lyndon replied.

  He introduced Emma to his mother, Evelyn. Soon the four of them were seated at an old chrome kitchen set in the back room of the resort’s office, drinking coffee and eating home-made blueberry muffins. Jake chewed on a new bone Lyndon’s mother had given him.

  Lyndon smiled, seeing Emma and his mother chatting up a storm and getting along so well. He and his dad discussed the many issues with the plumbing in the laundry facility; they’d had nothing but problems all summer long much to the chagrin of the resort clients. Of course, Lyndon had suggested replacing some of the machines a year ago, without success.

  “I’d planned to take Emma on a tour of the resort, if that’s all right,” Lyndon announced.

  His father waved them toward the doorway. “Certainly, take all the time you like. Won’t be in our way at all. Mother will return to her knitting and I’ve been fixing a broken bedframe in one of the cabins.”

  “We’ll have an early lunch when you return. I’ve got a huge pot of home-made chicken soup on the stove. It’ll be ready in an hour.” Evelyn squeezed Emma’s arm. “It’s so lovely having another woman to visit with. Gets a little lonely sometimes, way out here in the off-season.”

  Ralph chuckled. “Soon you’ll be in Arizona with all your old friends, golfing and shopping and attending your art club classes, and yakking about your families and how much you miss them back home.”

  Evelyn chuckled. “He’s right. Too bad a person can’t be in two places at once.”

  “That’s what Skype and Zoom are for,” Emma suggested. “Best way to keep in touch with people.”

  Ralph waved his hand. “I can’t figure out all that fandangle internet stuff. Pick up the phone and talk to folks. That’s my way of doing things.”

  “See what I mean? Old school. He’ll never change.” Lyndon guided Emma through the office and out the front door with Jake at their heels. “Where do you want to start?”

  “You lead the way and we’ll follow.” She patted Jake’s head. “Show us whatever you want.”

  First, Lyndon and Emma walked throughout the campground with more than fifty sites for everything from the smallest tent trailer to fully-serviced areas for six-figure-valued motor homes. Afterward, they discovered one of the cabin doors wide open where his dad must have been working on the bedframe this morning. Lyndon showed her the three-bedroom cabin’s interior with all the modern amenities within a rustic décor.

  “I’d love staying here. I bet it’s really cozy around the fireplace at night.”

  “We go through a lot of wood every season.”

  Next he showed her the communal yard in back with several large firepits and a covered barbecue and dining area situated atop a paved platform. Then they wandered toward the forest area. Emma closely examined the various painted wooden maps attached to sturdy posts at the walkway entrances, each one depicting the various hiking trails and picnic areas.

  “We offer an open invitation to the locals and the cabin owners to utilize these trails also.”

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  Lyndon chuckled. “Hikers usually load up on snacks and water at the store before heading out and then purchase something as a souvenir from the local crafters afterward. People often mention the resort trails were recommended to them by someone who’d been here before. Frequently, they’ll mention the name of a citizen from Maskosis. Win-win for all of us.”

  “This is really a special place. And to think you grew up here.” Emma shook her head. “I’ve been a city dweller my entire life.”

  “We have a local fellow who is a dedicated birdwatcher. He travels out here from town every Thursday morning in summer to take our guests and any interested locals on guided birding tours. It’s very popular and always well attended. He’s been organizing it for years and that’s one event we’ll definitely continue whether I own the facility or not.”

  “That sounds like fun. I’ve heard so many birds at the cabin, and I’m certain many have migrated already.” Emma looked his way. “You could do the same thing as a nature hike, if you have a local citizen familiar with native plants and trees or history of the region, maybe folklore or legends that tourists might find interesting. Perhaps even someone to point out poison ivy plants and warn hikers to avoid them.”

  Lyndon burst into laughter. “Now that’s obviously a much-needed idea and something to consider.”

  Emma playfully swatted his arm. “What other changes are you considering if you take over the resort?”

  He heaved a sigh and rhymed off a dozen ideas for repairs and new amenities he’d had rumbling around in his mind for weeks now. “With few tourists or area property owners around requiring time and attention in the off-season, I could work on things if I purchase the property now. The store remains open year-round, but I could close up and post a ‘TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS’ sign and concentrate on upgrades. And then hold a grand opening in spring.”

  “You’ve considered all these possibilities, but you haven’t made up your mind to sell your business yet?” Emma met his eyes, grinning.

  Lyndon warmed under the collar when Emma called him out on his ideas to improve and refurbish the resort. And she’d nailed it. Why would he have invested so much time and energy in formulating plans to improve the resort, if he didn’t know in the back of his mind, this was exactly what he intended to do with the rest of his life? He couldn’t deny his growing feelings for this remarkable woman who spoke her mind. Since meeting her, he’d surprised himself by even considering the idea of another relationship, especially after his disastrous marriage. But Emma was nothing like his first wife and thank goodness for that.

  “Time for soup. I’m starving,” he muttered in hopes of steering her attention in another direction.

  She burst out laughing. “Seems to me you’re closer to making that decision than you’re willing to admit. Even to yourself.” She hooked her hands around his arm. “Jake would love living here. And he’d make an amazing ambassador for the resort. Kids would adore him and you could tie in having an official resort dog with any local animal shelter. Maybe host an ‘adopt a dog’ event at the resort once a year to help them out with placing animals in need of a forever home and to raise money through donations.”

  “You’re a wealth of ideas.” He winked at her. “Maybe I should hire you as my PR person.” He’d blurted the comment, jokingly. But in retrospect, the two of them seemed so right for each other, he could visualize them together as a couple one day. Perhaps even married with a couple of kids. A little girl with auburn hair like her mother and a rambunctious little troublemaker like Lyndon’s mother had claimed he’d been as a youngster.

  Emma blushed at his comment. “Just trying to be helpful. Throwing out a few suggestions.”

  “And I appreciate your thoughtfulness and enthusiasm.” Lyndon glanced around. “This place could be doubly successful with the right upgrades and result in attracting a wider age-range of patrons. Mind you, I wouldn’t appreciate having a rowdy party crowd around, disrupting the quiet time for families with sleeping children and older folks who retire by ten p.m.”

  “For sure,” Emma said, agreeing without hesitation. “But with the right promotion, partyers would learn the resort was too family-oriented for their liking and they’d stay away. Preferring to seek out a spot dedicated to the boisterous partying singles crowd.”

  “You’re exactly right. Decide on your target clientele and then pursue them.” He smiled and started back toward the office.

  “That large house up there.” He pointed to a building several yards away from the resort office. “That’s Mom and Dad’s home which comes with the property, but it could use a total renovation, as well.”

  Emma nodded.

  Lyndon’s thoughts wandered to the hero in Emma’s book. The man steadfastly refused to involve himself in a relationship until he discovered his birth father, fearing he’d been the product of a despica
ble man. A murderer. A drug dealer. Wife abuser. Not for a minute had the hero doubted every man possessed traits acquired through his upbringing and not solely from DNA. The book’s character had been adopted into a wonderful family. Emma portrayed him as a good man, a nice regular guy, and the readers would like the hero regardless of his parentage.

  Had Lyndon been doing something similar in his own misguided way? Avoiding another relationship in the belief that all women were the same? Not to be trusted? Self-centered? Users? Out for themselves and to heck with anyone else? Emma couldn’t be more opposite to his first wife. He needed to admit he was falling in love with the beautiful author. Especially to himself. And he could certainly see the two of them married, living in that house with a couple kids, running the resort as a family. An attainable ambition, and a doable dream for his future.

  His future.

  But would a strong-willed, independent, and self-reliant woman like Emma share similar aspirations for herself? Could a city girl find contentment living full-time in a rustic locale like this? Did she even envision marriage and children in her future? He could be in for heartbreak instead of the life he dreamed of, if she didn’t share his vision for a future. One with him included.

  But first he needed to finalize step one. Sell his company. Set his future on a new path. And that decision had been finalized today. He’d made up his mind. Soon, the Maskosis Resort would acquire new ownership, and he couldn’t be happier about that.

  Whether Emma eventually possessed a future stake in it or not, remained to be seen.

  Chapter 9

  Emma sipped her coffee the next morning, waiting for Lyndon to finish breakfast. She’d noticed him pacing outside last night when she made herself a cup of tea in the kitchen around midnight. Not an easy feat with socks on her hands, but she’d managed. When she returned to her room, he’d still been outside in the cold night air. She expected he’d been once again weighing the pros and cons of owning the resort.

  “I made a decision last night,” he said softly and then popped the last bite of toast into his mouth, not making eye contact.

  She gasped and blurted, “You did?”

  He leaned back in his chair. “I’m selling the construction company and buying the resort.”

  “Yes!” The startling white of her sock-covered hand flashed as Emma high-fived the air.

  “Am I to understand you agree with my decision?” he teased.

  “In a way, it’s your legacy. Your parents spent years building that business and it’s a very popular resort.” She shrugged. “You’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity to take over such a successful enterprise.”

  “My thoughts exactly. My parents would be very disappointed if they had no other option but to sell the resort to a stranger. Heck, they’d be devastated.” Lyndon gathered up their dirty breakfast dishes. “But I emailed my lawyer last night to accept my guys’ offer and proceed with the sale. While you were still asleep, I drove down to the resort and let my parents know my decision about buying the business. I heard tears in Dad’s voice and Mom cried, too. Dad and Mom will love retirement. And if they miss the place, they can return home from Arizona every spring and help out a bit during the summer. Best of both worlds for them.”

  “A perfect solution for everyone.” Emma followed him into the kitchen.

  “We’re going to write some more today, right?” Lyndon inquired.

  “I suppose so,” she muttered.

  He paused, filling the dishwasher. “What do you mean? We can’t stop now. We have to keep writing.”

  Emma snickered. “You’re desperate to learn who the hero’s father is and whether or not he finds the man.”

  “No… well, maybe,” Lyndon hedged. “That seems an important part of the story.”

  Emma pulled down one of the socks and tried peeking at her hand. “An integral part. The hero refuses to involve himself with the heroine or any woman until he learns who he is and where he came from.”

  “But his adopted parents are perfect.”

  “Doesn’t mean anything to the hero. In his mind, DNA is all that matters.”

  “Don’t fool with that sock. I’ll doctor your hands at noon, same as every day.” Lyndon tugged the sock back into place and then steered her toward the family room. “Come on. Work awaits us.”

  Emma walked along obediently. “But no more snickering while you’re typing.”

  “Some of the things you had that cop saying were ridiculous. No police officer would say half that stuff.”

  “He’s the heroine’s neighbor. They pass each other on their sidewalks, calling across the front lawns.” Emma defended her dialogue.

  “What about the night he invited her over for a beer on the deck? You had him saying stuff that…” Lyndon’s eyes lit up. “I get it now! He’s the guy’s father. He’s the hero’s biological father!”

  Emma smiled. “Not saying.”

  “I bet he is.” Lyndon guided her to the sofa. “Sit. Dictate. I need to know for certain.”

  Emma chuckled and winked at him. “Well, the heroine is going to arrange a DNA test and she’s secretly taking several strands of hair from the cop’s hairbrush when she uses his bathroom.”

  “I knew it!” Lyndon’s smile faded. “Or are you only making it appear he’s the father?”

  “The reader never knows until the very end…” Emma left the thought hanging.

  “Dang it, you’re annoying.” Lyndon flopped onto the floor, taking up his spot by the coffee table and grabbing her laptop. “Is that why your books are popular? You drive your readers crazy wondering what’s going to happen in the end?”

  “Now you’re getting it.” Emma settled cross-legged on the sofa, knowing her smug expression would annoy him even more. She’d spent hours plotting and replotting this book and it appeared she’d done an extraordinary job. He’d already fallen into the trap of guessing the cop and then suspecting that had been a red herring clue. He’d never see what was coming next and she couldn’t wait to hear his reaction when he discovered the hero’s real parentage.

  They worked in earnest for several hours, only taking a brief break for coffee, lunch and doctoring her hand, and then an afternoon snack around three. Emma couldn’t believe the progress they’d made. She returned from a bathroom break and settled back on the sofa.

  “Ready to continue?”

  “Yeah. I’m so darn annoyed at that cop. The DNA test came back as a very close match and yet he refuses to even consider the fact he’s the hero’s father. What’s up with that fool?” Lyndon sounded ready to punch the guy if he actually existed.

  Emma chuckled. “Keep typing.”

  “All right.”

  “Okay.” She dictated and Lyndon typed furiously, knowing he’d learn more that way.

  “What do you mean… there’s another possibility?” Gerald scoffed. “You trying to peg my paternity on some other unsuspecting guy when you know darn well you’re my father?”

  “For the love of Pete… I’m not your father. If I was I’d admit it.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m not. But if the match is this close… perhaps I know who your biological mother is.”

  Gerald gaped. “My adopted mother told me she was my biological mother. It’s my biological father I haven’t any idea about, and she wouldn’t tell me who he was.”

  “Ask your mother for clarity then.”

  “I can’t. My adopted parents passed away in a car accident two years ago.”

  The cop dragged his hand down his face. “I’m calling my twin sister and asking her a few questions.”

  “Twin sister! You’ve got a twin sister?”

  Lyndon paused in his typing. “Holy cow. I never considered a twin. No wonder there’s a match but he refuses to acknowledge he’s the father. But if his sister is the guy’s mother, then she can tell him who the father is. This is brilliant, Em.”

  She sighed. “Okay, you’re right. The cop’s sister is contacted a
nd she admits she’s his biological mother. The adopted mother was her roommate at college and she gave the baby to her since her roommate learned she could never have children and she married right after college instead of pursuing a career.”

  “So who’s the father?”

  Emma laughed. “That, my dear, is the million-dollar question. Will the biological mother tell him? Does she even know? If she knows and tells him, can they find the guy? Is he even still alive? Will the hero ever meet him? The plot thickens.”

  Lyndon closed the laptop. “I assume this hero and heroine get engaged or married at the end since it’s a romance. But the rest of this… I need a beer.”

  “Bring me one, too, please,” Emma called.

  “Only if you tell me who the father is,” he shouted.

  “I’ll have wine instead,” she countered.

  Lyndon chuckled. “This is actually fun. And I wondered why you loved being an author.”

  Chapter 10

  Lyndon had flipped the calendar in his briefcase to November this morning. Some things needed doing old-school on an actual calendar and keeping track of his hours on this job for future reference and costing a similar job was one of them. Even if he bought the resort and hired an assistant manager to help oversee operations, he wouldn’t mind accepting the occasional small carpentry job for a break. And there weren’t many carpenters in the immediate area for locals to hire.

  He was not-so-patiently waiting to hear from his lawyer, knowing one day soon he’d be summoned to sign the final paperwork for the sale of his construction business. His soon-to-be former employees who’d formed their new partnership were delighted he’d finally made the decision. And the purchase of his parents’ resort would become a done deal shortly also, in time for his parents to migrate south like a couple of Canada geese for their annual winter stay. Free of any worry about the resort in the off-season, or any season now, his parents had already started packing up their furniture and possessions that weren’t included in the sale to put in storage, enabling him to move into the house as soon as the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. And he’d given his landlord notice this morning on the furnished apartment he rented in Victoria, the site of the home office of his construction business. He’d collect his belongings before the end of the month—he’d already hired a moving company to start packing up everything—and move to the resort after he completed this job for Mike.