“No, I don’t want to do that. Besides, I think this is personal. You know Patrick and I went out a few times; it didn’t work out for whatever reason, and it’s as though he’s had it in for me ever since. I don’t want to involve Max, and certainly not Grace, in her condition. I will handle this, but thanks for offering. It’s nice to have a friend go to bat for me.” Stephanie put a finger to her lips, stopping further conversation. The girls were waiting at the front door.
“We brushed our teeth and our hair just like you said,” Amanda informed her.
Stephanie bent over to give each of the girls a kiss on top of their shiny brown, nicely combed hair. “You’re good girls,” she added. And they were. Other than an occasional disagreement over something inconsequential, the girls got along remarkably well.
“Then I say it’s time we go to see that giant evergreen that is going to light up Maximum Glide. Are you two ready?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Ashley cried as she stomped down the stairs.
“Be careful, those steps are slick,” Melanie said, then took Amanda by the hand and walked with her to the bottom of the stairs before she slipped and fell. That was the last thing Stephanie needed at this stage of the game.
Once they were loaded back in the Taurus and the girls were safely buckled in their seats, Stephanie relaxed. She knew how much the girls had been looking forward to that night. No matter what issues she had to deal with after the day’s events, she was a mother first. A fun night out with the girls would make what she knew she had to do much easier.
Chapter 8
Patrick sent Candy Lee on her way along with the rest of the Maximum Glide employees. He’d already been there for over an hour, and from the looks of things, it appeared that the weather had driven away whatever onslaught of customers he had expected. Stephanie had been right about closing Snow Zone even though her reasons for doing so weren’t. She couldn’t just take off whenever she felt like it. She had a responsibility to Maximum Glide and to him. While it wasn’t he who signed her paychecks, without him she wouldn’t have such a cushy position at the resort. It usually took an employee years to be promoted to a management position. And because she was good at her job, he’d given her the benefit of the doubt, and after last year’s screwup, he hadn’t demoted her. She was loyal to a fault, always on time, and never complained when he asked her to do things that normally a stock boy or girl would do. She did an excellent job no matter what he asked of her. She even cleaned the employee bathrooms every evening before she left.
He was still kicking his own rear end for the comment he’d made about her getting any “funny ideas” about their future. Where the hell that had come from he didn’t know, but he’d kick his own butt a hundred times if he could take back those words. Stephanie hadn’t even hinted that she wanted anything to do with him after their last movie date. It was he who’d decided she wasn’t top-quality pickings on the meat market. Patrick sighed. If his mother or his three sisters even had an inkling that he’d referred to a woman as meat on the market, all four of them would string him up like cattle, then use a cattle prod on him. He didn’t really think of women as “meat.” It was just something the guys said when they were trying to be macho. And he always wanted to blend in when he was with the guys. Max was the only one who really knew him, knew that he was more than the image he presented to the world. He was educated and quite brilliant, but that didn’t always work on the slopes, though he had to admit it had been a blessing dealing with suppliers and a few angry guests. He knew what worked financially and what didn’t. Max trusted his judgment, but he knew Max would be mad as a hatter if word of how Patrick had treated Stephanie got back to him. As much as he hated to eat crow, he was going to have to serve himself a very large portion and swallow every bite as though it were the rarest of caviar.
He hadn’t planned on attending the Christmas tree lighting, but knowing that Max and Grace would be there, not to mention Stephanie and her two kids, he figured it wouldn’t look good if the manager of the resort didn’t put in an appearance for what was widely billed as the kickoff to the Christmas season at Telluride. Plus, he didn’t want to give Stephanie the opportunity to corner Max and Grace, not before he had a chance to explain to them what had happened.
Knowing another hour wouldn’t make or break the day’s sales, he quickly went about the business of closing the shop. Candy Lee had restocked all the shelves before she left, telling him that someone had to do it if Stephanie wasn’t there. She went on to tell him what a great manager Stephanie was and that she wouldn’t blame her one little bit if she just up and quit. Someday he was going to tell that kid to keep her thoughts to herself. But he liked her, she reminded him of Shannon back in the day. Candy Lee had…moxie, and he liked that about her. He secretly wished some of it would rub off on the store’s manager. She was just a little too compliant at times. Not that he would admit it, but today she’d really surprised him when she walked out in the middle of her shift. Took a lot of guts for her to do that. He probably would’ve done the same thing had he been in her position. Which he reminded himself he wasn’t. He’d had a job to do, and he did it. He could’ve left out that part about the future, but it had just rolled off his tongue. Why it had rolled off his tongue was something he did not want to think about. No how, no way. He liked his life as it was. No complications, no children to complicate the complications, certainly no children to break his heart into a million tiny pieces the way Shannon’s death had left Colleen, Mark, and Abby. That was just too much pain for one man to tolerate.
He turned off the computer systems, did a batch report on the credit card machine, and counted out the cash, checks, and traveler’s checks. After that was finished, he tallied up the day’s total sales and was extremely impressed. Stephanie usually made a bank deposit on her way home from work. He’d do it because he felt he owed it to her. Once he had all the required checks stamped with the account numbers on the back of them and deposit slips made out, he stuffed them into the bank bag.
Since all the normal closing duties were finished for the day, Patrick walked back to the office just to make sure there wasn’t anything there that needed his attention. He opened the door, peered in, and saw nothing out of the way. He ran his hand along the length of the wall searching for the light switch when the flashing green button on the answering machine caught his eye. Dammit, he couldn’t leave without listening to the messages. They might be important, and with Stephanie not there to take them, he’d have to intercept them in case there was something that needed his immediate attention. He pushed the PLAY button. A monotone female voice said, “You have fifteen messages.”
“What the hell?” He hit the forward button several times as most were calls from suppliers, customers, and other departments at Maximum Glide. He was about to click the STOP button when he heard a soft, but businesslike voice speak as though the woman were in the room.
“Hi, Stephanie, it’s Jessica Rollins. I have some good news. I’m pretty sure the owners on the Placerville property are going to accept your offer. If Lady Luck stays on your back, I might be able to close this deal before the end of the year. Call me as soon as you can. I think you and your daughters just might have a Merry Christmas after all. Oh, before I forget, the bank wants to verify your employment. Talk s—”
The machine stopped.
Patrick flicked the light switch back on. He opened a drawer in search of something to write on when he was completely taken by surprise. In the top drawer was a pile of gold ribbon, and a movie ticket stub. He picked it up to read the title of the movie. He let the soft gold silk run between his fingers, then dropped the two items back in the drawer where they belonged. This wasn’t good at all. Really it wasn’t. Though he broke out into a grin as wide as the bunny run. She’d kept the ribbon from the box of candy he’d bought her, and the tickets from the movie they’d attended on their last date. It was that movie that sent him running for cover. She’d probably put these things in the d
rawer the next day and forgotten about them. Women did that. Saved things that had no meaning or value whatsoever. Stephanie must have forgotten she’d left them there. Should he take them to her, or should he just leave well enough alone? He didn’t want her to think he’d been prying through her desk drawers, but he’d needed something to write on so he could remember Jessica Rollins’s message. He found a blank Post-it. He played the message once more, wrote it down as best he could, then crammed the paper in his pocket. This Jessica hadn’t left a number, but Patrick figured if Stephanie had been dealing with her, then she already knew her phone number. He closed the drawer again, turned off the light, and left through the employee exit.
He’d left his jacket in the Snow Cat; hopefully, one of the guys would remember it belonged to him and return it. Those Spyder jackets cost big bucks. The parking lot was completely covered in snow. What he wouldn’t give for a snow tube just right then. He’d sail across the parking lot like a bat out of hell. He had a quick flash of two little girls in bright yellow ski jackets and wondered if they’d ever experienced the pure joy of sliding in a parking lot on fresh-fallen snow. Something told him they hadn’t had much fun in their lives. It caused a lump to form in the back of his throat. Damn! I’m not cut out for this.
Yeah, those girls were as sweet as hot cocoa laced with the finest whipped cream. When he’d heard they were missing, he about jumped out of his skin though he didn’t tell that to anyone. Riding the lift up to where the Snow Cats were stored had been his first priority. He knew if he took a Snow Cat out, first he would be in an all-terrain vehicle that would take him to any part of the mountain, double black diamonds and all. Also, it was equipped with bright lights and had a kick-ass heater. Lucky for him and the girls, and the dogs—he couldn’t forget the mother and her pups—he hadn’t had to go far. And now it seemed all was as it should be.
He jumped into the Hummer, cranked the heat up as high as it would go, then carefully made his way out of the parking lot. The snow was still falling, but it wasn’t nearly as thick as it had been earlier that afternoon. He needed to go home for a quick shower and a change of clothes. He’d make sure to give Stephanie the message from her realtor friend, then he would apologize, tell her how sorry he was for being such an…a dope, then he’d tell her she could come back to work first thing in the morning. Once that was out of the way, he could breathe freely again. Hell, he might even ask Stephanie and the girls out to a movie. There were all kinds of G-rated movies out at Christmas. Maybe he would take Megan’s boys along. One big happy family.
He shook his head as he traveled down the salt-covered road.
One big happy family!
He couldn’t believe a thought like that had even entered his head! What the heck is going on here? It must be the holidays. Maybe he was supposed to enjoy them this year. It was just so hard without Shannon. When his family was together, it was so obvious a link was missing. Shannon was the first grandchild, the first niece. She was just the first. And, sadly, she was the first to die.
Tears filled Patrick’s eyes, blurring the road in front of him. Damn! He wanted to be happy; he just didn’t want all the pain that came with it. Knowing he couldn’t have one without the other, Patrick figured he would always be the uncle, the good friend of a friend. He didn’t have what it took to be a father figure. To anyone’s child. He didn’t know a diaper bag from a baby bottle. Well, yes he did, but it wasn’t something he wanted in his daily life. That was all. Or was it? And was he just afraid to take the leap?
Chapter 9
The crowd gathered smack-dab in the middle of Maximum Glide. Hundreds of people had faced the cold weather to attend the Christmas tree lighting. A thirty-foot evergreen was placed directly in front of the main offices, the site of most of the day’s comings and goings. Ski lessons could be arranged in the building to the right of the giant tree. To the left, children under the age of three could be left in the capable hands of Bunnies and Babies, the day care offered by the resort. North of the tree was The Lodge, where one could eat breakfast or lunch, or simply sit by the raging fire that never seemed to burn out in the giant fireplace. South of the tree were the ski lifts that took men, women, and children to the other forty-six lifts that covered the mountain. Tonight was like a scene from a Charles Dickens novel. Snow twirled like tiny ballerinas in the chilled night air. Mock gaslights wearing bright red bows flanked the main street on both sides. The shops stayed open, all displaying brightly colored lights and Christmas trees decked out in all the finery of the holiday season. The odor of mulled cider emanated from several of the shops, along with the earthy smell of burning wood.
Stephanie held her daughters’ hands in hers as the three of them walked through the festive village that made up Maximum Glide. Melanie walked alongside them. The four were silent as each took in the fairy-tale-like images that lit up the resort like something right out of a magical storybook.
As expected, it was Amanda who spoke first. “Mommy, this is the most beautiful place in the whole wide world! I never want to leave here. I bet when Santa comes here, he doesn’t want to leave either, right?”
They all laughed.
“I’m sure he doesn’t, but he has many places to go all over the world. Still, I’m sure it hurts him just a tiny bit to leave this very special place,” Stephanie said, as they continued their leisurely stroll down the main street, taking in all the brightly decorated windows and people dressed in their warmest, most colorful outdoor wear. It really was beautiful, Stephanie thought. It would be equally beautiful in its raw form, too. No lights, no flashy decorations, just the tall trees with the scent of evergreen perfuming the air, along with the clean freshly falling snow. Yes, she mused, that would be just as beautiful.
“What time do they light the tree?” Ashley asked excitedly. “I can’t wait. I know it’s just a tree, but it’s so big!”
Stephanie and Melanie looked at one another over the girls’ toboggan cap-covered heads. They laughed. “Seven o’clock, right on the dot. And it’s ten minutes till, so we’d best hurry over so we can get in as close as possible. I don’t want you two to miss anything.”
“We don’t want to either, Mommy. Right, Ashley?” Amanda singsonged.
“Right, Amanda. You know what I’m going to wish for when they light up the tree?” Ashley asked in a firm voice.
“I haven’t the first clue,” Stephanie said. “Why don’t you tell us.”
“I’m going to wish that Amanda would stop saying, ‘right, Mommy,’ ‘right, Ashley,’ ‘right, Melanie’ all the time.”
Stephanie looked at Melanie, who could barely contain her laughter. Amanda, on the other hand, looked as if she was about to cry.
“It’s okay, honey. Your sister is just doing what big sisters do.” Stephanie fluffed the ball on top of her toboggan cap, hoping this wouldn’t turn into an all-out verbal war between the two.
“Santa Claus doesn’t tell me what to say, right, Mommy?” Amanda asked in her squeaky-I’m-about-to-cry-voice.
“Of course not. You’re the only one who can decide what words come out of that sweet little mouth of yours. Look”—Stephanie pointed to the tree a few yards ahead of them, hoping to distract her younger daughter—“they’re about to light the tree. Come on, let’s hurry.”
Without another word, the quartet weaved their way through the throngs of people clustered around the giant tree’s perimeter. They were able to find a spot about six feet away. Stephanie figured that was as close as they could get without actually trampling on toes, strollers, and, looking down, the largest boot she had ever seen. Her eyes followed the boot to the calf, then the knee, all the way to the thigh. Why did this look familiar to her? Before she knew what was happening, the boot man snatched Amanda right out of her grip and hoisted her on top of his very broad shoulders.
Patrick!
“If you’ll follow me, I’ve got the perfect place to view the tree,” he said.
Stephanie was about to tell him
to back off when Melanie shook her head and pointed to the girls. They were so excited, the sparkle in their eyes could light up half the giant tree if needed. She mouthed okay and inched behind Patrick, with Ashley sandwiched between her and Melanie.
Patrick guided them through the crowd without too much pushing and shoving. On the opposite side of the street, Stephanie spied what she knew to be a giant boom lift, or a cherry picker as some referred to it. She couldn’t help but grin. She glanced behind her at Melanie, who wore a grin as big as the tree. Ashley hadn’t said a word since Patrick had come in and literally swooped Amanda onto his shoulders. Not that she could’ve been heard through the sounds of excitement coming from the groups gathered around the center of the resort.
“Let’s hurry, we have about two minutes to climb up in this thing,” Patrick said.
“This will hold our weight?” Stephanie asked cautiously. Up close, the machine didn’t look that big or steady.
“I’m one hundred percent sure,” Patrick attested. “I wouldn’t risk it if I wasn’t.”
Was that supposed to be a dig of sorts, she wondered, as Patrick opened the glass door. Did he think she’d taken too big a risk when she’d allowed Melanie to take her girls skiing on the mountain? She figured if he had, too bad. It wasn’t his concern how she raised her children. She told herself if he really knew her, he would know the last thing she would do would be to place her children in danger. A small voice reminded her that was exactly what she’d done when she’d remained married to an abuser. But that’s for another time. Tonight, I simply want to enjoy being with my daughters and Melanie.
Trusting he knew what he was doing, Stephanie allowed Patrick to lift Amanda inside the boom. Ashley wasn’t nearly as excited as her sister about climbing into the small bucket.
Holiday Magic Page 6