Goodbye Gifts_The Steamy Version

by Elena Aitken

  He kicked a rock on the path and yelled, letting his anger out into the night. “Dammit.” He smacked his hand against a tree, the rough bark scraping his skin and it felt good to feel the pain. To feel something.

  He needed to talk to Carmen, and figure out exactly what the hell was going on. They couldn’t leave it the way it was. He turned back towards the Lodge, but stopped himself before he took a step towards her. No. He couldn’t cause a scene while she was working. She’d never forgive that.

  A confusing combination of hurt and anger flowed through him, making him restless. He paced back and forth, needing something. His skin itched with the need to know what really happened with her. He wanted to trust her; he needed to trust that she told Trent their deal was off. But he needed to know for sure.

  Making a split-second decision, Dylan took a chance and turned down a side trail. Moments later, he broke into a run and pushed harder and faster until he was taking the stairs to Trent’s staff housing apartment two at a time and banging on his door.

  “What the hell?” Trent said as he opened the door and saw Dylan.

  Dylan pushed his way past his brother into the shabby apartment. He stormed into the living room and turned around waiting for Trent to catch up.

  “What the hell, Dylan?” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I was just about to—“

  Unable to stand still, Dylan paced in the small room. “Tell me the truth,” he demanded.

  “About what?”

  Dylan stopped in front of Trent, and stared into his eyes. “About Carmen. Tell me the truth.”

  Trent blinked and looked away. “I told you,” he said. “I asked her to go out with you as a favor to me. I know I shouldn’t have, but you needed a little fun and—“

  “I got that. Tell me the rest.”

  Trent stepped back and moved away. “There’s nothing else to tell,” he said with his back to Dylan.

  “No?”

  Trent froze.

  “She didn’t call you to tell you the deal was off?”

  Trent didn’t move.

  “Trent?” Dylan moved so he was standing right behind his brother, who still hadn’t answered him. “Did she call? Did she tell you that your ridiculous, blackmailing deal was off?”

  Dylan held his breath, forcing himself to calm down and give Trent the chance to answer. He needed his brother to confirm Carmen’s story. He had to hear it, or he didn’t know what he’d do. When Trent finally shook his head slowly, the disappointment threatened to crash through Dylan.

  Trent turned and said, “First of all, it wasn’t blackmail.” He held up a hand when Dylan tried to cut him off. “I don’t know why this matters so much, Dyl,” Trent continued. “You said yourself, you don’t do relationships. And she’s just a girl. I mean, does it really matter if she called or not? And yes, you’re right, I shouldn’t even have suggested it. It was a crappy thing to do. But, the fact is, she agreed to it in the first place, right? That should be all you need to know about her and how she feels about you.”

  Before Dylan could stop himself or even think about what he was doing, he swung and his fist made direct contact with his big brother’s nose.

  Trent reeled from the blow and staggered backwards into the wall, where he fell to the ground. “What the hell, Dylan?”

  “The fact that there was a deal at all says a lot more about you than it does her.” Dylan clenched his fists and walked towards him until he was towering over his brother, who was holding his nose, trying to stanch the flow of blood. “Now, tell me the truth, Trent. Did she call?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does,” Dylan roared.

  “Yes.” Trent wiped his hand under his nose, smearing blood. “She called. She told me she didn’t care if she got the job or not because she didn’t feel comfortable with the whole thing.”

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t ask,” Trent snapped. “I was a little busy myself trying to save the Springs, remember?”

  A flash of guilt for the way he’d behaved both with the Springs and with his brother hit him and Dylan offered Trent his hand. He pulled him up and handed him a washcloth to wipe his face, but he didn’t apologize.

  Trent took a moment to clean his face before he turned back to Dylan and said, “You don’t need this, Dyl. Women are nothing but trouble. Remember what Dad used to say?”

  Dylan shook his head.

  “It’s true,” Trent continued. “Look at the last few days. You totally blew off a meeting, you put our whole project at risk, and you just broke my nose.”

  “I didn’t break—“

  “And for what?” Trent continued, ignoring him. “This isn’t a good time to get messed up with a woman, Dyl. Everything’s on the line and I need your complete attention on the Springs. It was a bad idea for me even to ask her to go out with you. I know that. But I just wanted you to have a little fun. I didn’t think it would go this far.”

  Dylan walked over to the balcony and stared out at the night. He could make out the shadows of the pine trees, but not much more. Trent’s question resonated through his head. Why had he done all that? What was it about Carmen that had gotten to him and made him risk everything?

  “Look. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you she called,” Trent said behind him. His voice had lost some of its edge. “I didn’t mention it because there was no point. We need to focus right now, and I never thought a few dates would lead to such a distraction. I needed you to understand that whatever you think you had with her, it wasn’t real. It’s not worth it, Dyl. None of this is worth it.”

  But it was. Dylan turned and stared at his brother. “Yes it is,” he said.

  “No, brother. It’s not.”

  The Springs development was the culmination of everything they’d both worked for. He’d given years of his life to the project. If he lost it now, he’d lose everything. But there was Carmen, and if he walked away without even trying to win her, there was no doubt in his mind that he’d regret it forever.

  “It’s worth it,” Dylan said, “because I love her.”

  The silence that hung in the air between them was deafening and his words echoed in his head, resonating even as they replayed. He did love her. That was exactly what he was feeling; he was just too damn stupid to recognize it before now.

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I love her,” Dylan repeated. “I know it’s crazy, and I know we’ve only just met, but it doesn’t matter.”

  “Harrison men don’t do relationships,” Trent said. “Remember?”

  Dylan shook his head and laughed. “I’ve never felt like this about a woman before. I can’t get her out of my head, Trent. I can’t function. I can’t concentrate on work. I just want to be with her. It’s killing me. I can’t explain it.”

  Trent shook his head but Dylan saw the realization cross his face. “You really do, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Dylan said. He couldn’t help the smile that crept over his face. “I do.”

  Trent rubbed his face and examined his brother before he said, “You look like one of those idiots from the stupid romantic comedies they insist on showing on airplanes. I suppose you’re going to go and sing her a song or shower her with rose petals or something equally as ridiculous, now.”

  Dylan nodded, his mind made up.

  “I know I’m going to regret this,” Trent said. “But if you really do love her, what the hell are you doing here still talking to me?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Working was the best distraction Carmen could have asked for after the mess she’d made out of everything with Dylan. Being on the night shift meant she got to cover the front desk as well as handle any guest emergencies, and for the first few hours of her shift, things were pretty busy, with guests coming and going and calling down with questions, but then everything got quiet as she knew it would. The night shift was usually pretty dull, which could be nice on occasion, but when you were trying to forget about everything else going
on, it was the exact opposite of what she needed.

  At one o’clock, with four hours left in her shift, her imagination was running wild as she replayed the scene with Dylan for the hundredth time. He was angry, that much was clear. And he had every right to be, but he’d kissed her. Carmen touched her fingers to her lips, remembering the heat they’d shared. That was the confusing part. Why had he kissed her if he was just going to break her heart a moment later?

  Unable to stand in place for much longer, Carmen left Quinn, her best night clerk, in charge and walked through the lobby, running her hand along the familiar wooden trim on the walls as she went. Usually, the rustic, warm room calmed her and soothed whatever hurt she was feeling, but at that moment, her sanctuary was doing the exact opposite. It felt like the walls were closing in on her, squeezing the air out of the room.

  Needing some fresh air, she gestured to Quinn and went to the back door that led to the courtyard and pushed it open. She loved the Lodge, and the mountains and everything about Castle Mountain, but it no longer felt right. She wasn’t going to get the general manager job, that much she knew. And she felt okay with that. She knew herself enough to know that had she been awarded the position, she would always have wondered if it was because she deserved it, or because she compromised all of her morals to hurt someone she’d grown to care about. Care very deeply about.

  The strength of her feelings for Dylan, even after everything that had happened, surprised her. Never in her life had she felt that way about a man, particularly so quickly. But maybe that’s what people meant when they spoke about love at first sight? A month ago, she would have thought those people were crazy. Heck, even a week ago. But now, everything had changed, and Carmen knew that aching in her chest was more than exhaustion. Much more.

  She looked around the dark courtyard. Everything was so peaceful at the Lodge in the middle of the night. But as she let her eyes sweep around the space, nothing felt right. She knew it too well. She knew every corner, every valley, every inch of the place. It was comfortable and easy. There were no surprises. And maybe that was the problem. Taking a few more deep breaths of the cool night air, she went back inside and returned to her office.

  Before she changed her mind, Carmen typed up a quick email. She knew she couldn’t take the manager position, even if it was offered, just as she knew she could no longer stay in her current role as the customer service manager. She read over her resignation email again, and hit send.

  As the email left her outbox, a sense of calm washed over her. For the first time in years, she had no idea what she was going to do, or where she was going to go. But she didn’t feel panicked. It felt right.

  “Carmen?”

  She broke out of her reverie and looked up to see Quinn standing in her office door.

  “There’s someone here who wants to talk to you.”

  She nodded, although her insides were churning. She didn’t know what to say to Dylan. Or if she could even say anything. “Thanks, Quinn. I’ll be right out.”

  Carmen took a breath and smoothed her blouse before walking to the front desk. But it wasn’t Dylan waiting for her. The sink of disappointment she felt was followed quickly by fear as she saw her mother wrapped in a robe and hugging herself.

  “Mom?” Carmen hurried around the desk to meet her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” Her mother nodded. “I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep. Your father gets snoring and I…well, it doesn’t matter. I remember you saying you were going to be working the night shift, so I thought I might come and see if you wanted some company.”

  Carmen smiled, unexpectedly grateful for someone besides Quinn and her own mixed-up thoughts as company. “I’d like that,” she said. “I’ll grab myself a coffee. Would you like an herbal tea or something?”

  “That would be nice, dear.”

  Carmen prepared their drinks, and with a quick word to Quinn, who smiled and nodded, she went to sit with her mom in the wing backed chairs by the fireplace.

  “You’re sure you’re not tired, Mom?” Carmen asked as she handed over the tea.

  “Not at all.” Her mother sipped at the hot beverage. “But I did want to talk to you, dear. Sit.”

  Carmen eyed her mom, who, although it was the middle of the night, did not look tired at all. She was pretty sure that she herself looked like she could close her eyes and sleep for days. But that’s what stress and emotions could do. Her mother did look worried, though. Icy fear trailed down her spine. Maybe that was why she was here in the middle of the night, and why they’d come a week earlier to visit.

  “What’s up, Mom? Is everything okay?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Carmen’s heart stopped for a moment. For as much as her parents drove her crazy, if anything ever happened to them, she didn’t know what she’d do.

  She reached out and grabbed her mom’s hand. Holding it in her own, she realized it had been a very long time since she’d held hands with either of her parents. Probably not since she was a child. She made a silent promise that as long as everything was okay with her parents, she’d hold their hands more often. “Tell me,” Carmen said. She braced herself for the worst. Cancer. Heart troubles. Whatever it was, she could take it.

  “Your father and I are worried about you,” her mother said simply. “Something doesn’t seem right with that young man of yours.”

  It took Carmen a second for her mother’s words to sink in. “Wait,” she said. “What?”

  “Your young man. Dylan.”

  “He’s not my—“

  “I have to tell you, Carmen, how happy it made your father and me to see the two of you together today.”

  “Mom—“

  “I don’t know why you didn’t tell me about Dylan earlier,” her mother continued, completely oblivious of Carmen’s distress. “Well, actually, I’m sure I do know why you didn’t say anything.” Her mom reached out and squeezed her hand. “I know we’ve never been easy on you when it comes to men and dating. We just want you to be happy, dear, and it would make me happier than anything else to see you settled with someone like Dylan.”

  Carmen pulled her hand away and picked at her cuticles. “Let’s be honest, Mom. You’d just be happy to see me with any man. Married and preferably pregnant, right?” She tried, but failed to keep the edge out of her voice.

  “Carmen Kincaid.” Her mom used the tone that she used to reserve for Carmen when she was twelve and being incredibly rude. “That’s not true at all. I would absolutely hate to see you in a situation that didn’t make you happy. All we’ve ever wanted was to see you happy. Like we did today.”

  There was a shift in her mother’s voice that caused Carmen to look up. She hadn’t expected to see tears glistening in her mother’s eyes. In fact, Carmen couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mother cry. “Mom. About Dylan.”

  “I know. I know.” Her mother held up her hand. “You two were having a bit of a fight or something. And that’s why I’m here.”

  “What?” Carmen shook her head. “What do you mean?”

  Her mother took another sip of her tea and took her time putting the cup down before she responded. “That’s why I’m here. Your father and I noticed the connection between you two up at the lake. I mean, it was so clear that he’s the one, Carmen.”

  Wait. The one? What was she talking about? Carmen’s head spun, trying to keep up with her mother’s train of thought.

  “And,” her mother continued, “it’s normal for every couple to have little arguments, especially when the chemistry is so strong between you. But it’s important to know that those moments are temporary and you need to move past them and fight for the relationship you have.”

  “But, Mom…” She was going to tell her mom that there was no relationship to fight for, but something stopped her. “What do you mean, the chemistry is strong?”

  Her mom giggled like a little girl and blushed. “I know I’m not a young woman any more, but I’m
not blind either. I see the way you looked at him, and the way he was always touching you. Like he couldn’t stand to be apart from you. That type of chemistry can’t be faked. And it’s very rare. Look after it.”

  Carmen lifted her mug to her mouth and let the hot coffee warm her insides while she let her mother’s words sink in. There was a chemistry between them. Hadn’t it been there from the moment they met? Maybe her mom was right? Maybe she did need to look after it.

  “I know it’s going to be hard,” her mother was talking again, “when Dylan moves to his Springs. And your career is important to you, dear, and neither your father or I want to see you give that up; you’ve worked too hard. But the two of you will be able to make it work—I just know it. I can see it in the way you look at each other.”

  An image of Carmen’s resignation email flying through cyberspace popped into her head. “I’m not going to be working here much longer, Mom. I decided I needed a change.”

  Her mom clapped her hands. “Oh, Carmen. You’re going to go to the Springs with Dylan? That’s just fabulous news. I know it will be a challenge for you to start at a new hotel, but if there’s anything you’ve proved, it’s that you’re up for the challenge.”

  “Wait, Mom. No. That’s not it—“

  “Oh.” Her mom stifled a yawn and stood from the large chair. “I think your news has given me the peace I need to sleep tonight.”

  Carmen stood as well and opened her mouth to tell her mom that she was definitely not going with Dylan, that they in fact weren’t even a real couple and it was all a hoax. But she didn’t. Instead, she smiled and said, “Good-night, Mom.”

  The women hugged and with another yawn, Carmen’s mom wrapped her robe up tighter around her and shuffled off down the hall to her room.