“Factors change each year.” Christy dismissed as she began hanging the clear crisp bags of clothes onto the portable garment rack. “For one, there’s that new bed and breakfast up the road.”
Jane turned her mouth up in distaste. “Rainier’s Lodge may be all brand new but it doesn’t compare to Lily Grove. One look at Lily Grove and it screams aesthetic. We have a horse stable for those love riding, large grounds, situated next to the forest reserve and a better view of Mount Rainier.”
“One look at Lily Grove and any one can tell that it’s old, falling apart and in a great state of disrepair.”
“Some people call that vintage.”
“Regular people call it debilitated and decrepit.”
Jane sulked and Christy slapped her back fondly.
“Don’t you worry.” She assured the younger woman. “I’m doing all I can to fix it up. It’s not always going to be like this. Once we’ve weathered the storm, we’ll be fine.”
“It’s good that Ashton’s helping out with much of the repairs. That’ll save you a lot in your budget.”
Christy grimaced. She wondered if it was a genuine saving. For some reason, she felt she was going to pay heavily for all he was doing on her property.
*****
He cleared his throat on seeing her in the living room.
She glanced up at him and then returned to her baskets of dry-cleaned clothes.
“Umm… is Margaret here?” he asked.
“No,” she said, continuing to hang the clothes on the rack.
He shifted awkwardly at his feet, unsure of what he should do. Clearly, she didn’t want to speak to him. She had been avoiding him all morning. Had he gone too far with her last night? He clenched and then unclenched his fingers. He had lost entire control of himself. But that’s how he always had been with Christy. And now as he watched her work at clearing her laundry, all he wanted was to wrap his arms around her and hold her close to him.
“Do you have any more baskets that I could get for you?” He offered.
“No, these are the last of them,” she said, and then added with a small smile, “Thank you.”
He put his hands in his pockets, thinking of how he could carry on a conversation with her without appearing as if he were prying into her private life. He didn’t understand why it was important that he should win her trust back. For JR, he told himself. She was his son’s mother and that meant he would always be linked to her for the rest of his life.
“Do you offer dry-cleaning services for the guests as well?” he asked her.
“Well, it was only the next logical step after offering laundry services.” She looked down at her log book, cross-checking the items.
“Great. That means I wouldn’t have to go searching for a good dry-cleaner,” he said light-heartedly.
“If you need anything cleaned, just talk to Jane. She’ll give you the details,” she let out flatly.
“Right.” He reddened.
She noticed he was dallying about her.
“Where do you get them dry-cleaned?” he asked.
She slammed her book shut and stared up at him, trying to understand why he was taking so much interest in her dry-cleaning services. She decided against giving him a curt reply. People only bothered with curtness when there was some hidden emotion involved. And she wanted to sound as indifferent as she possibly could.
“I have a contract with Yoo and Mi’s Dry-Cleaning. I get a commission for each basket and my guests get a discounted rate,” she explained.
“What do the dry-cleaners get?”
“Great reviews, promotion,” she replied tersely. “What exactly are you trying to say? That they’re losing out on this deal?”
He shrugged. “Just saying four baskets isn’t much for a business to survive on.”
“It was one last week.” Jane cut in, wheeling in an empty garment rack.
Christy rolled her eyes. When was Jane ever going to learn to keep her mouth shut?
“One? Has business dropped?” he asked curiously.
“It’s doing fine,” Christy replied quickly. “Jane, check on the towels, would you?”
“Yeah sure,” the younger woman said and then sat heavily into a couch. “I’ll just rest my legs first for a while. I’ve been at it with the laundry for almost three hours now.” She picked up a magazine and fanned herself with it, eyeing Christy, silently urging her to talk to Ashton.
No! Christy mouthed, warning her to stay quiet.
“Have you met the dry-cleaners, Ashton?” Jane began.
“No. There hasn’t been any reason to.” He smiled.
“They’re great people. Kim Mi Young is a wonderful woman. She’s the ‘Mi’ in Yoo and Mi. She’s called Mary now though. Anyways, she’s the one who came up with the offer.”
“Oh, they’re Koreans,” he said. “I was thinking ‘You and Me’ as in English.”
Jane laughed. “Perfectly understandable. I think it’s a really clever play on their names. Anyways, the Kims were new in town and they needed some promotion. When Christy decided to check them out on rates, Mi Young immediately took the chance and asked to go permanent. Things had been going well between us until that new lodge opened up the road. We didn’t expect to lose so much of the business.”
“But I’ve heard guests raving about Lily Grove. Why do you think you’re losing any business?”
“We have some loyal clients. But new clients aren’t exactly too attracted to the disrepair the lodge has fallen into,” she said sullenly.
“That’s enough, Jane,” Christy said sternly.
“I’m only trying to thank him.” The woman sulked, picking herself up from the couch. “You should tell him about the problems the lodge has been facing, Christy. The man’s not only good with his hands; he’s an advertising executive as well. He couldn’t have turned up here at a better time. He might even come up with a solution none of us has ever thought of.”
“There are towels in the washing, Jane. They need to be hung outside,” Christy said with a glare.
“Yeah, right. It’s not like you’re gonna listen to what I say anyway,” Jane grumbled as she walked out of the room.
“She maybe young and a little magpie, but she means well,” Ashton said. “I hope you won’t penalize her for it.”
“Yeah, I know. She’s only twenty-three, but she has been with us for seven years. Her story isn’t quite the rosy one.”
“She reminds you of you and that is why you put up with her.” He raised an eyebrow.
“She has been luckier than me though. At least she didn’t get pregnant at eighteen,” she let out sharply. “But she is a part of the Lily Grove family…” She trailed off into her thoughts.
Ashton could tell that there was something bothering her. But being Christy, she would never disclose her problems to him. Perhaps, he could trap her into revealing them to him. It would be slightly underhanded of him but he needed to know them. He couldn’t allow her to burden her problems on her shoulders alone. Not while he was around.
“Between the two of you, she’s got more sense than you right now.” He provoked.
She flared. “You’re crossing the line, Ashton.”
“Am I? At least, she recognizes that the lodge is in trouble. She’s not hiding behind the fantasy that everything will turn out to be ‘just fine’. She knows I can help and she’s done right by raising the issue with me.”
“You’re a guest. We’re not supposed to raise any issue with you! It is none of your damned business!”
He neared her threateningly. “Have you seen another guest breaking his back to mend your cupboard doors, the lights and replace that old, dodgy balcony rails?”
“Well, you shouldn’t have. You just up and went and did it yourself.” She minced back, not moving an inch.
“You think you’re all clever, shouldering everything on your own. It isn’t clever. It’s stupid. Especially when you know I can cut on your expenses if you got me to do mo
st of that!”
“I don’t take advantage of people!”
“Well, you should!”
“I’m not like you! I refuse to be like you!” She screamed, her tears dampening her cheeks.
He melted and his arms involuntary moved to embrace her. But her hand moved so quickly he didn’t see it coming. She slapped him hard on his cheek, the sound reverberating in his ear. He clenched his jaw, his fingers pulled together into a tight fist.
“I don’t think I earned that,” he growled.
“You’re mistaken. Like you always are.”
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head roughly up to him. And before she knew it, his mouth came down on her lips. His tongue swept its way into her mouth as his teeth nipped at her lips, cajoling it to open wider for him. His other hand pressed her body tightly into his, crushing her breasts against his chest.
She pushed against him, trying to tear away from his mouth. But he held her firmly, inching further into her mouth.
He finally let her go and she whipped her arm in the air to cuff him again. But he had been ready for her this time, catching her wrist and pinning it behind her back. His eyes narrowed as he pulled her close to him again. She winced from the pain in her twisted arm.
“I think we’re even now,” he rasped against her face. “But if you decide to slap me again, then you had better be ready for what I will do to you.”
He pulled her buttocks into him so she could feel the hardened length of his cock massage against her belly. Her eyes widened and she closed her mouth in time to prevent that little moan of pleasure from escaping her lips.
He leaned down to brush his cheeks against her. His day old stubbles bristled against her face and she relished the feel of it against her skin.
“If you’re intent on abusing my body,” he whispered hoarsely into her ear. “Then it would be my greatest pleasure to return the favor and abuse yours.”
He let go of her again and she had better sense this time than try and provoke him. She glared at him instead.
“You sure have a problem with fidelity, don’t you?” she said. Her tears stung her eyes, her chest walls constricted.
“Christy…,” he started.
“Don’t.” She shook her head. “I’ve had enough of you. I don’t know what I’d seen in you all those years back. But I’m glad I left you when I did. You did me the biggest favor when you threw me out of your life. So thank you.”
She walked quickly out of the room before she could lose control on the tears she was straining to hold back.
Ashton let out a frustrating grunt. Why did he keep forgetting about Naomi every time he was around her? A perfidious lewd bastard was definitely not how he had envisioned she’d see him as. But each time he came inches to her, he somehow managed to successfully make himself out to be one.
CHAPTER 9
Ashton stepped down from the staircase and headed towards the door. He needed a beer. Two or more would be great.
Instead of improving his relationship with Christy, he had only worsened it. He had let his desires get in the way of common sense and now it seemed all hopes of reconciliation were lost. He swore to keep to himself for the rest of his time at the lodge, spending most of it with JR rather than riling his wife. His wife… that felt so good.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Margaret called out to him.
“Out into town.” He smiled. “I need a drink.”
“Well, you can get one right here. Or do you prefer to drink alone?”
“I’d love to keep you company, but I don’t think someone else will hold the same opinion of me.”
“Ahh, right.” Margaret nodded. “I understand that can be slightly inconvenient. But in light of all the work you did today, putting up the balcony rails and planning my garden patch, I cannot allow you to simply walk away. I don’t like to remain indebted, Mr. Pryor. So do me the pleasure and join me for dinner, why don’t you?”
He placed his hands in his pockets, frowning at her. He didn’t want to upset the older woman. But neither did he want to rattle Christy anymore either.
The woman threaded an arm around his.
“I’m sure we can do something to win Christy over,” she said. “How about I dub you my special guest? I’ll get JR to knight you the same as well. She won’t be able to turn you away then. She most probably would ignore you, but you will be safe under our protection, I can assure you. And of course, there is the fact that you’ll be having your precious drink with two people who heartily appreciate you. What do you think?”
He twisted his mouth, unsure of what he should do.
“It’s an overly used cliché, Ashton, but a family that eats together does stay together,” she said. “You’re here to spend as much time with JR. And you’re not going to be able to do that in a bar all by yourself. JR needs that sense of security and togetherness to grow into a well-rounded adult. He can only get that if you and Christy put away your personal differences and make him the priority at dinner. He’s lucky to have you back in your life. And each moment he spends with you will be treasured. He might not tell you that, but you can see it gleam in his eyes every time he looks at you. Giving him the best is not just about money and gifts. It’s about small things such as these family meals. Your lavish presents might be forgotten in the course of his growing up, but the time he spends with you at these meals are those that will remain with him forever. The greatest gift you can give JR, Ashton, is you.”
“You make a compelling argument.” He smiled.
She walked him towards the family quarters. “You’re an advertising executive, right? You deal with customers and clients, just as we do. And the most common customer complaint is surprisingly not about the money. It’s about time. ‘It was not worth my time’, they say. A child is no different. At the end of his growing years, he is also bound to review his parents and think, ‘Was I worth their time?’ How can you then blame the child for quitting on his parents when they didn’t live up to his five stars worth review?” She sighed. “Parenting is hard, Ashton. In fact, it’s too goddamned difficult. Because you’re constantly on the watch, constantly working hard to earn your five stars from the most important client you’ll ever serve in your life- your child.”
*****
He sat at the table, cutting through his slice of juicy, roasted beef. Dinner had been uncomfortably quiet despite JR’s little chatters and tales. And just as Margaret had predicted, Christy had indeed ignored him for most of it.
“So, what are you planning for tomorrow, Ashton?” Margaret asked him as she brought him another can of beer.
“Well, I need those materials for your garden patch. And of course, I need some proper outdoor work wear. I thought perhaps, JR could help me out in that department.” He smiled at the boy seated next to him.
“Yeah, I know a few stores,” JR said thoughtfully. “But why can’t Mom come along with us? She’s better at shopping than any of us.”
Christy pushed her chair back quietly, leaving the table. Why did JR and Margaret have to invite him to dinner? She scrunched her nose. And just when she had made her special roast beef with Yorkshire puddings and horseradish cream too.
“I hope he chokes on it,” she thought as she cleaned her plate into the trash.
And to think, they even got him to sit at the head of the table. She let out a small noise of flabbergast from her throat. After kissing her… no seducing her, she corrected, he deserved to be downright out-casted; booted from the lodge. He was a cheating bastard. He had no ounce of loyalty in his bones. He was gone from his fiancée only one week ago and he was already trying to lay his deviously, sexy hooks into her.
“Mom, is that okay?” JR broke into her silent curses.
“About what?” she asked. She knew exactly what, but she was darned if she was going to play along so easily. She was still miffed that JR and Margaret had invited Ashton to dinner, completely disregarding her feelings about it.
&nb
sp; She began severely scouring at a pot. No, they didn’t care. It was all about Ashton now. He was the one bringing the lodge back into shape. Her efforts didn’t count at all. Even Jane was favoring Ashton. Did anyone not even care about her?
“About the shopping. Dad needs some work clothes,” JR said.
“No, I’d be too busy tomorrow,” she mumbled.
“Didn’t you say that you needed to buy some new linen?” Margaret said. “I heard there’s a sale going on at the Everyday Deals Warehouse. Why don’t you check out the linen there at the same time?”
“I’m sure the boys wouldn’t want to go looking for linens with me, Margaret.”
“I don’t mind,” Ashton spoke up.
She turned, just to be certain he had said that with a straight face. After their little tussle earlier in the day, she was sure he would have been slightly more demure, probably bordering penitence. But no. He was sitting comfortably in his chair, playing with his fork, a small grin tugging the ends of his mouth.
She flared. Had the man no shame at all?
“I still don’t think I’d be able to help you tomorrow,” she said curtly.
“Is there another reason other than you will be busy?” He lifted his brow suspiciously.
“Oh come on, Mom,” JR pleaded.
“Come on, Christy,” Margaret insisted. “Don’t be such a grouch. There’s always work. When has that stopped any of us from living our lives? Whatever it is, you can do it the next day.”
“Margaret, please.” Christy sighed. “I’ve just got a ton tomorrow.”
“The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.” JR scrunched his mouth.
“Me thinks too.” Ashton scrunched his mouth too, mimicking him with a grin. “Perhaps, the lady do not liketh me too much.”
Christy rolled her eyes. She had a hard time keeping up with JR’s fascination with Shakespearean quotes; she didn’t need Ashton encouraging him anymore.
“Is it true, Mom?” JR asked. “Do you not like Dad?”
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