Bags of groceries were piled up on the island and pretty much every other horizontal space. Jason knew some of the bags were filled with paperware and decorating supplies. The lodge was rustic now, but tomorrow was Aunt Marge’s Halloween Party for the family and she’d do her best to transform the lodge to a family friendly haunted horror. The party was one of his earliest Halloween memories, and even as an adult he still looked forward to the cheesy activities and barely organized chaos.
He pulled the cooler of ice cream around to the freezers while Beth made a beeline for the foil covered trays filled with chocolate marshmallow cookies. “Mom will totally know you were the one who opened those.”
Beth made a face, pulling out two of the cookies and handing one to Lisa. “I’m sharing with a friend and there are like eight dozen of them here.”
Lisa looked at the chocolate cookie, shining with a melted marshmallow and chocolate icing topping, then glanced between the siblings. “Am I party to a cookie felony if I eat this?”
“Hrm, felony is a little harsh…maybe just a cookie misdemeanor.” Jason pushed things around in the freezer, making space for the ice cream cartons. He pushed the two containers of Heavenly Hash to the back where they’d get eaten last, and he’d get the best shot at them later. It was his favorite, and Beth always brought extra for him, proving in his mind that she loved him best.
Beth bit into her cookie, talking through the crumbs. “They’re still a little frozen. Totally worth any punishment.”
“Good, because I have more boxes that need to be unloaded.” A new voice came from the door they’d recently walked through, and Beth nearly choked on her cookie. Jason laughed, pushing the freezer closed.
“See?! Mom is always watching.”
While Beth pulled herself together, and picked up the cookie she’d spat on the floor, Jason made his way to his mother giving her a hug. Beverly Miller was a petite woman who had ended up with five children who were all taller than she was, but all had the same dimple she did. She pulled him down and kissed his cheek.
“I saw a couple of extra trucks up top. I’m glad you both made it.” She turned her gaze on Lisa, her 100-watt smile losing nothing of her brilliance. “And I’m glad you could join us, Lisa.”
Lisa smiled in return, though Jason saw her slip the illicit cookie onto the counter. “I’m glad to be here, Mrs. Miller.”
“Please, call me Bev. Around here first names are much easier than trying to keep straight which Mrs., Ms., Miss, or Mlle Miller you’re talking to.” She gestured toward the cookie. “And don’t let that go to waste. My sister’s chocolate marshmallow cookies are legendary, and once rumor gets around that the tin foil has been breached all bets are off.”
Beth snorted and came around the corner to hug her mother. “That may be true, but what she’s not telling you is that she lets everyone at Aunt Marge’s cookies first because she’s hiding sugar cookies in one of the cupboards.”
Bev patted Beth on the cheek. “Hush, you. Lisa doesn’t need to hear all of the family cookie secrets on her first visit.” She adjusted the paisley pink kerchief that held her short hair back from her face. “Jason, have you had a chance to give Lisa the grand tour?” He shook his head, and she continued. “All right then. I’m going to steal your sister away to work off her cookie punishment with hauling labor. Why don’t you show Lisa around? Your father is working on the deck up at the lake. Let him know we’ll have dinner in about an hour.”
Jason nodded, fully approving of his mother’s suggestion. He was happy to help, but he preferred the idea of showing a pretty girl around over carrying more boxes. That it meant a few minutes without Beth in the middle of the conversation didn’t seem like a bad thing either. It crossed his mind that his mother might be meddling, but he decided to go with it anyway. He turned to Lisa and gave her a grin, gesturing back toward the main hall. “Quick, before she changes her mind or someone else comes in looking for helping hands.”
She laughed and nodded, slipping past him holding, not one, but three cookies. He could approve of that kind of initiative.
Lisa found herself impressed not so much by the size of the lodge, but by the way it’d been put together. When she started really looking at it, the only room that was really huge was the main hall, but the rest of it made the best possible use of space. There were little utility closets under stairways and what looked like a narrow closet contained a line of three showers Jason assured her had been used to hose down mud covered children more than once.
Most of her experiences with extended family get togethers had happened in her grandmother’s condo, which fit all nine of them with room to spare. All of this was a little like stepping into another world, a sensation which doubled when Jason instructed her to put her shoes back on and then led the way ‘out back’.
Out back started with a long, covered wooden porch with rocking swings on either end and any number of rough wooden chairs and small tables. It looked so much like something off of a country Christmas post card Lisa hesitated in the doorway. “You sure we didn’t just land in the middle of a country song?”
Jason groaned and rolled his eyes, stepping out of her way and righting a table. “Please don’t tell me you’re a fan. I hear enough of that stuff from Beth.”
Lisa laughed, shaking her head. She finished the last of her purloined cookies before answering. “Not me. Everything I know about country music comes from Beth, too. We have a mandatory ear phones rule at the dorm.”
Jason grinned at her and waved her through. “I knew I liked you. I know all of this can be a bit much, but my grandparents have been molding this place since before I was born. They’ve had a while to get it just the way they want it, and even then Grandma is always coming up with something else we should do to add on or enhance. I think they’re even building some out cabins further up on the property so more folks can stay without ending up in tents or on in sleeping bags on the floor.”
Lisa took a step down and walked to where he stood at the top of more short steps. The view was beautiful, the color strewn trees shivering in the breeze and the mountains rising in the background. Despite the cool air, she felt warmed from his attentions. It’d been months since she’d spent this much time alone with a guy. If she was completely honest with herself, she hadn’t done much socializing since her break up with Charles at the end of the summer. Her phone break up. He’d been too busy to even break up with her right, much less to be engaged in the relationship. She admired, even now, his drive, but she wanted, needed, to be important in his life too. At least she had, but that was over, and Jason was nice. Maybe it was time to start looking into dating again. She could date and hold down her classes. She’d done it before. It was challenging, but fun.
“How big is the property? I admit this is already much bigger than I imagined from Beth’s description.”
He chuckled, standing close enough to touch, but not crowding her. He smelled a little like campfire and some faintly musky cologne she decided she liked. “It’s over a hundred acres all put together. It’s been in the family for a long time, long before the Forest Service laid claim to most of the mountains around here. There used to be a cabin right on the edge of the lake, but it flooded out, so it got changed over into a boat house and Grandpa and his dad started the lodge down here. Beth never thinks of how big it all really is. I don’t think she’s ever hiked the whole of it.”
“And you have?”
“Lots of times. It’s a good hike. There are some great cross country skiing trails up on the top forty and some free climbing cliffs I like to try at least once a year.” He motioned off to his left. “That clearing just beyond the aspens is the fire pit. I think Mom is overseeing Dutch oven ribs tonight, and there will be s’mores later and pretty much every night as long as the marshmallows last. Up this way is the lake.”
Lisa couldn’t help a little feeling of disappointment as he spoke. None of the things he’d mentioned were activities she enjoyed. She’d tr
ied skiing once since coming to Boulder and had given it up forever after trying the bunny slope. Being cold so wasn’t her thing, double so if she was cold and falling down. Sitting in the lodge and reading had been the best part of that entire trip. It was just as well she had a backpack full of reading material this trip, and if she really felt like it, she could start working on the biology project that was due in a couple of weeks. That wasn’t a half bad idea. She liked getting ahead whenever she could.
He walked down the stairs and she followed along, eyeing the path he steered them toward.
“How much of a hike is it to the lake?”
“Huh? Oh, gosh, nothing. It’s almost completely flat after this little rise.” Jason paused, turning to look at her over his shoulder. “If you wanted we could totally do one of the bigger grade hikes, but that’d have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Good heavens, no.” The words flew out of Lisa’s mouth before she thought to censor them. Her mother liked to point out that just because one had an opinion one didn’t always have to say it. Lisa didn’t entirely agree, but she saw the point of expressing her opinions in a way that wasn’t completely rude. She could hold her opinions without denying someone else theirs. “I mean, I don’t really enjoy hiking, or skiing. I like the urban jungle a little more than the real one.”
Disappointment flashed through his eyes, and Lisa tried not to cringe. She knew she couldn’t please everyone, and she normally didn’t bother trying. However, she did want to get along with Beth’s family. She liked Beth, and she wanted the trip to be pleasant. A smile followed the flash of emotion. “Well, you’re in luck then. The grade up here is so level Grandma can take it on her scooter. We offered to pave it a couple years ago, and she hit my dad in the shins with her cane as punishment for trying to take away her fun.”
He led the way up the little rise which, true to his word, quickly leveled out into a path almost wide enough to drive a small truck down. The silence drew out between them, broken only by bird song and soft wind. Finally, Lisa spoke up. “Your grandparents sound like interesting people. Will they be here this weekend?”
“Grandma will get here tonight. Grandpa passed away two years ago.”
Lisa pushed her hair back from her face. “Well, there goes my reputation as a stellar conversationalist. If you wait for a minute I’m sure I can find some other tender point to verbally poke at.” She kicked a rock down the path. “I’m sorry. Maybe we should retreat to music. If you don’t like Beth’s country music, what do you like?”
“You think music is a safer subject?”
There was a teasing tone to his voice, the warmth returned to his expression as he watched her. He didn’t seem to need to watch the path not to stumble over the rocks and divots like she did.
“Go big or go home?” Lisa paused to pick a little purple flower, twisting the stem around in her fingers. “I’ll even go first. I like alternative ballads, pop, and classic 80’s rock.”
Jason’s lips turned at the edges and she could tell he was trying to hold back a smile, though his eyes gave him away. “Classic 80’s rock huh. ZZ Top or Bon Jovi?”
Lisa waved the flower at him, amused at his choices. She never would have picked him for a ZZ Top fan. “Pshaw. Who doesn’t have a digital Bon Jovi playlist? But GNR over ZZ Top, every time.”
“Huh…” Jason raised both eyebrows, the smile coming through. “Never would have pictured you as a GNR girl. I…” He paused as a shout echoed down the path, and his expression went from amusement to concern in a flash. “Dad!”
Lisa blinked as Jason took off up the path, picking up speed with each stride. His urgency was contagious, and she took off after him, though at a slower pace since she didn’t know the way and feared twisting an ankle on something.
The trail remained mostly level, taking a turn after a few more yards. As soon as she made the turn she could see the small lake Jason’d mentioned glittering through the trees. It was a scene she wanted to take more time to take in, but at the moment she needed to catch up with Jason and find out what was happening.
She cleared the tree line and slowed to a walk, sucking in air and trying to catch her breath. There, on the edge of the lake, was a small dock and an attached boathouse. A man sat on the edge of the roof, a ladder lying on the ground beneath him. He didn’t look hurt, at least as much as Lisa could see, but he did look stuck.
Jason came to a stop under the stranded man and by the time Lisa caught up, he was setting the ladder back up. He glanced at her and shook his head. “This wasn’t exactly how I meant to show you the lake.”
“It’s okay. It looks like you needed to make a rescue instead.”
Jason nodded, holding the ladder in place as the other man descended, stepping lightly on the rungs as he went. “Yeah. Lisa, this is my dad, Steve. Who is NOT supposed to be on ladders, in particular ones that aren’t properly tethered to the roof, leaving him stranded.”
Steve snorted at the criticism, stepping to the ground. “There’s too much family around for me to be stuck for long.” He smiled at Lisa, the similarities between father and son even more striking than they had been with Jason’s mother. Steve Miller had white silver hair and many more lines around his eyes and mouth, but he was nearly as well built as his son, dressed in similar flannels and denim with comfortable hiking boots topping off his fall outfit. The family looked a little like they could have stepped out of an autumn spread in a clothing store magazine, a thought that amused Lisa.
“So does this mean Jason has finally brought one of his lady friends to meet the family?”
Lisa raised her brows. Lady friends? It seemed like Jason got around, at least enough for his family to tease him about it.
Jason rubbed his hand over his face, looking rather mortified. “No, Dad. It means Beth brought her roommate with her for Fall Break.”
Steve laughed and extended his hand to Lisa. “Of course it does. It’s nice to meet you, Lisa. Welcome to the Lakeside Lodge. If you need anything don’t be afraid to grab any one of us and ask. We’re generally a helpful lot. I look forward to getting to know you. Hopefully you’ll attend Margie’s party tomorrow as well.”
The information came in a rapid burst giving Lisa little chance to do anything but nod in agreement. “I think that was the plan.”
“Good, good.” He released her and waved to Jason. “If you’ll get the ladder for me, I’ll go see if I can make myself a bother to your mother. The repairs up here will wait. We’ll see you both for dinner.”
It only took a minute before Steve disappeared around the bend, leaving Jason and Lisa to the themselves and the quiet of the lake.
Jason shook his head and went to lower the ladder and hang it on a set of rungs which ran vertically along the outside of the boathouse. “I’ll totally understand if you decide to run for it. I’ll give you a cover story and you can probably make it all the way to the truck without encountering any other relatives with embarrassing questions.”
Lisa chuckled and went to pick up a hammer which lay forgotten on the dock, offering it to Jason to be put away as well. “The potential of 60 relatives at one party is, admittedly, a little daunting, but I’m up to the challenge. It’s just a Halloween party.” Her voice became wry as she continued. “Besides, it’s Beth’s truck, and I don’t know how to drive a stick shift.”
“Seriously?” Jason glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t drive stick. Learning stick is pretty much a requirement in our family.”
Lisa shrugged, walking a bit down the deck and looking out at the lake. It smelled different than she thought it would from book descriptions. Crisp, yes. Cold, not that she’d really thought about how cold smelled before, but, yes, it smelled cold. But there was also a slightly fishy under effect she hadn’t expected and wasn’t sure she loved. “Statistically most cars—and even trucks—being built these days are automatic transmission. Most of the ones that aren’t are either really old, or things like moving t
rucks, and even those are shifting to something more modern. I never saw a reason to bother.”
“Um, because it’s fun?”
“I don’t drive for fun. Driving requires dealing with all of the idiots on the road who are keeping me from listening to my book or studying. If I take the train I can get in a couple of extra hours studying or reading, and most of the time I can get where I need to go on foot.”
Jason reached into a ratty wicker basket, which rested on the edge of the dock, coming up with two flat stones. He offered one to Lisa, then turned back to the lake. “I guess that makes a kind of sense. I’ve never really thought about prioritizing my travel time based on opportunities to study. I suppose I’d get better grades if I did.”
Lisa took the stone, not entirely sure what it was for until she saw him lean back and send his stone flying across the lake. He flicked his wrist at the last minute and the stone skipped half a dozen times before sinking. They kept a basket just for skipping rocks on the dock. The idea was so foreign to her, but not without a certain kind of charm. “I didn’t know you were going to school.”
“Oh yeah. I’m a senior down at Southern U. They’re kind of far from here, but they have a good CS program and the price was right.”
Lisa had heard of Southern U. It was a small school in the south part of the state that barely qualified as an actual university. Most people she knew thought of it as a university for people who weren’t smart enough to get into a big school. Lisa didn’t believe that, but she did believe it was an easier school to get through. Most of the majors they offered didn’t require the kind of study and drive the majors at the University of Colorado did. “CS, huh? What are you planning on doing with that when you graduate?”
Discovering You (Miller Lodge Romance Book 1) Page 2