“I spoke to the team doctor, Dad. He doesn’t seem to think I have a problem otherwise they would have already found it. We do get pretty intensive tests.”
His father frowned, glanced into the flames dancing in the fireplace. “I know that but would they test for this if it wasn’t causing you any problems? For my peace of mind, Adam, please go and get it sorted.”
“I will. But…”
“What is it with men in this family?” His mother pointed a finger at him, then his father. “You, Tommy are just as bad as your son. If you’d gone to the doctor when I told you and had a complete health check they may have found this but no. ‘I don’t have time.’ Or ‘I feel fine, stop fussing.’ You’re both cut from the same cloth and it’s so annoying. If it’s something with my health, you can’t race me to the clinic fast enough. Frustrating, the pair of you.”
“That’s not true, darling. This family would fall apart if anything happened to you.” Adam got a sheepish look from his father.
“And just how do you think we’d cope if we lost you?”
“On that note, I’d better get going if I’m going to be there to support Dakota and Mari when the ballot is called out. I’ll leave you two to sort out your differences.”
He leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek.
She held his hand. “Is there something going on here that I don’t know about?”
“Whatever gives you that idea?” Surely his mother couldn’t see what he was thinking.
“You’re different, Adam. Content and then unsettled. Which generally means something is going on and I have a suspicious feeling it has something to do with Dakota. Your face lights up when you talk about her.”
Really, was he that easy to read? “Wishful thinking on your part, Mom. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
He hurried out the door, trying to tell himself he was as keen to find out who got the trees as everyone else in town. That was all there was to it, wasn’t it? He couldn’t help it if his mother read more into the event than was there.
The competition had been brisk. Just about everyone had put their name in for a chance at a tree. It had been a wise decision to limit them. It would drive the bidding up. He could imagine the Lake Hotel would be packed as they drew the six winners. More than a few people would go home disappointed but that all added to the anticipation on gala night.
Thinking about the ballot made him excited, overriding the anxiousness that had been dogging him for the last few days. Perhaps this is what he needed, regardless of the outcome of his test results. To be where his heart was, where he felt the most loved and comfortable. Home at Cherry Lake.
By the time he got back to town, Adam had to park outside his office and walk to the hotel. The amount of people out tonight was insane and parking was at a premium. He walked in the door of the partially refurbished hotel and followed the excited chatter to the bar. It was packed to capacity and it took him quite a while to make his way to the front of the room where he could see the mayor and one of his past school teachers, Clover White, talking to Dakota and Mari.
*
“Adam. I wasn’t sure you’d make it.” Clover took his arm and gave him an affectionate hug.
“Wouldn’t miss it, Clover. Mari, Dakota. How are you?”
Dakota smiled and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, “I missed you.”
Not as much as she missed him. She had to settle her heart rate which had skyrocketed at his words. “Glad to hear it. Now I think it’s time to get this ballot underway. Can you please calm everyone down and start the evening?”
He gave her a lopsided smile, the shadows still hovering and she wondered what troubled him. He was trying hard to override it, she could tell. “Sure. But can we talk later?”
Her heart flipped with anticipation. “Looking forward to it.”
Adam turned to the crowd and put his fingers in his mouth. A loud high-pitched whistle pierced the chatter. Silence filled the room almost immediately. “Thanks for coming tonight, everyone. As you know, we’re all very excited to see who gets the trees to decorate. It has been a vigorous competition and I know my father will be eternally grateful to you all for putting your hands up. Saving the Grange is important to him as it is to a lot of you. Let me give you an update before our esteemed mayor makes six people very happy. Bill has informed me that the trees will be delivered from the Christmas tree farm in two weeks this coming Saturday and delivered here. So the fifth of December, they will be put up in the hotel and our contestants will have access to view them but,” he held up his hand to quiet the crowd, “we have decided that they will only have three days to decorate the trees. That will give the judges time to appraise each one before the gala night.”
“Sounds fair enough.” Clover looked over the crowd. “Everyone happy with that?” A loud murmur of approval rippled over the bar. “Right, then. Let’s get on with it.” She turned to the bar where Mari had set up a revolving barrel with all of the entry forms inside. Clover spun it, watched the entries tumble until it came to a halt. She lifted the latch and pushed her hand into the middle of the barrel, pulled out a piece of paper, making sure she wasn’t looking.
“First tree goes to……Rachel Smyth. Congratulations Rachel.”
The crowd cheered at the delighted squeal from the gift shop owner.
The process was repeated. “The second tree goes to…the Maple family. Congratulations Paula and Rowan.”
“Third tree goes to…Mavis Harrison, Cherry Pines B & B.”
“Fourth tree goes to…Mr. and Mrs. Clarke.”
“Fifth tree goes to…Daniel and Lila Dixon.”
“Sixth and final tree goes to…Dakota Moore. Congratulations everyone. I can’t wait to see what you all produce.”
“I got it. I got a tree.” She grabbed Adam, wrapped her arms around him as she bounced up and down with glee. “Can you believe it? I got a tree.”
He held her as she squealed. When she looked up at his face, she frowned. A sense of sadness filled his eyes even though he was smiling.
“Adam, are you alright? Something’s bothering you and I want to help.”
He laughed. “I’m actually wondering if you want to take back your decorations. I figure you’re going to need them for the tree.”
“Why on earth would I want them back? They were a gift to you.” She practically danced, too excited to keep still.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and she basked in the touch. “Because, the rule of thumb for tree decorating is as follows, and I quote my mother because she considers herself an expert – for every one foot of tree height you need one hundred lights, nine feet of garland, and twenty ornaments.”
Dakota stopped moving. Her eyes bugged and her mouth dropped open. She’d never decorated a real tree on her own before. Her condo hadn’t had room for more than a small fake arrangement that stood on a coffee table. Last year’s tree had even come with its own built in lights. It even got packed away with the decorations still in place. She was in for a huge awakening.
“Yep. And do you know how big these trees are going to be?” Lights twinkled in his eyes and her heart sunk. This wasn’t sounding that good of an idea after all. “Ten feet is the minimum.”
She gulped, quickly calculated how many ornaments she would need. “Oh.” There weren’t that many in her store now that she’d made a huge delivery to Rach at the gift shop earlier in the week. She couldn’t go and ask for them back.
“What are you going to do, Dakota?” Mari moved into her line of vision. “I can see what I can get from my suppliers in L.A. but you really need your tree to be unique if you want to be in for a chance at owning the winning tree.”
“Oh my goodness, what have I done?” She bit her lip, worried the skin with her teeth. This would take some serious planning and she hated to admit she was caught more than a little lacking. Her mind raced over what she had in her st
ores for decorations and how many she had left that were complete. Would she be able to get another shipment of glass before then? Beads and copper wire would be needed as well.
“Bother. I might need some help. I don’t think I have enough copper wire either. I have to go home and do a stock count.”
“Want me to come with you? We can talk over coffee.” Adam looked at her with hope in his eyes. “Or if you prefer, I can grab a bottle of wine.”
“Sure.”
“Hey Adam.” Jake pushed his way through the crowd, Cory clinging to his arm. “Cory was hoping to find out if you managed to get an answer from your teammates about coming out for a coaching clinic? Had a chance to call them yet?”
Dakota heard the intake of breath and saw the panic cross his face. His fingers gripped her arm.
“Hell, I knew there was something else I had to do today.”
The moan of frustration coming from Cory shocked her. “Typical big talker. Just like your father.” He pulled away from Jake and pushed his way out of the crowded room.
“What the heck…”
“Let him go. Adam, can we talk?” Jake dragged him away to the side of the room and Dakota went with them, her fingers held captive in Adam’s.
“I’m sorry, Jake. Things didn’t go as I planned today and I, look I hate to admit it but I forgot.”
“I understand with what you have on your plate, but you can’t do this to a kid. Especially Cory and it’s not because he’s my son either.” Jake jammed his hands in his jeans pockets and looked down.
“Why then?”
“Because your father did the same thing the last couple of years. Promised to get you out here for a coaching session not long after we lost his mom. Never eventuated and now you’ve let him down too. I didn’t want him saying anything to you but I guess you needed to know what happened and why it means so much. A kid doesn’t need that, okay? Not any kid.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll get right on it, Jake. You can count on me, promise. I’ll call a few of the guys tomorrow.”
Jake nodded his head but the look on his face gave Dakota the impression he didn’t believe it. With a grunt, Jake turned and left them alone.
“I think we need to get out of here. Seems you have some explaining to do, Adam.” How could she have been so wrong about him? The joy of getting a tree was overridden with the pain of seeing Cory let down by someone he hero worshipped. Adam had better have a good reason for disappointing Cory like that because the last thing Dakota needed was someone in her life who treated people like her ex had. At the time she hadn’t noticed how he only cultivated people that could further her career and thus gave him contacts for his budding investment business. Currently he held the crown for being the let-down king. Adam had better not be threatening to take it off of him after she’d made the mistake of enjoying his company and thinking he was better than that. And not after she’d decided to speak plainly to him and try to sort out what put the shadows in his eyes.
Chapter Ten
“I’m not really good company right now.” Adam sat on the couch and let Tiny jump onto his knee.
“I can see that but guess what, I’m giving you a chance to change things. But first, coffee or wine?” She stood near the kitchen, tempted to go and kiss the frown off his forehead but didn’t think he would appreciate it.
“Wine would be nice, thanks.”
Dakota pivoted around and took two wineglasses from the shelf and opened a bottle of red she had stashed in the bottom cupboard. They hadn’t bothered to stop and buy one after all because Adam seemed far too preoccupied to stop. When she walked back into the room, he had a small smile on his face.
“This dog is far too cute for her own good.”
Dakota handed him a glass and agreed. “She does have a knack of tugging at your heart strings.” She sat down near the fireplace, grateful for its warmth. “Right, want to tell me why you’ve been so down lately? Are you worried about your father?”
“He’s doing well, so that’s all good news.”
“That’s great.”
“Sure it is. But it’s not quite that simple. So much going on in my life right at the moment and I know I’m going to sound like a killjoy if I unload it all onto you.” Adam sipped the wine and then leaned forward, putting the glass on the table.
“But I asked you here, remember? I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t want to know or to help you.”
He stared at her for a moment. When he relaxed back, he started to talk again. “I’ve been tossing around the idea of retiring from soccer. It’s a young man’s game and while I’m not in my dotage yet, another decent injury would see me forced out. I don’t want that but I’m having trouble reconciling that it might be the best thing to do.”
“None of us like to give up something that’s dear to us. I don’t care if you play soccer or sell houses, Adam. We both felt the connection. You can’t deny it.”
“I know you understand but it gets more complicated than that. My father, well my father has a hereditary heart disease. There’s a fifty-fifty chance I have it too.”
No wonder he was a mess. What a horrible thought to live with. Dakota got up and moved over to sit beside him. She looped her arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, snuggled into his arms. “I don’t care. We can face anything if we put our minds to it.”
“I have to wait and find out if I have it or not. If I do, it means no more soccer regardless of when I choose to retire. It’s too dangerous.”
“What’s worrying you the most, dropping dead or leaving the game?”
Adam glanced at her. “Both of those options make me sound like a spoiled child losing his favorite toy.”
She shrugged. “I’m sorry but you’re right, they do. Some people never get that chance, you know. Life gets snatched from them and it’s all over. Look at Cory’s mom. How terrible to lose your mother when you’re just a little kid. At least you’ve been luckier than most.”
“That’s another thing. I let him down. Made promises I haven’t kept. I have to take the blame for what my father tried to do too.”
“Why?”
“Because he kept asking to get me home and I wouldn’t commit because of the way my schedule was stacked up and then life got in the way and I simply forget, which is unforgiveable. I knew the kids were great fans and a visit from me would have been such a boost to them. Always too busy. Somewhere else to go, other people to see. I should have realized that the ones that were most important were the ones at home. Only time I made the effort to come back here was when I thought Dad was going to die.” Adam ran his fingers over Tiny’s ears and she closed her eyes. “I’m a lousy son and a worse role model. Those kids needed me and I was too busy thinking about myself more than them. I’m not boyfriend material. This isn’t the time for us to get involved, Dakota.”
“I think that’s a decision I can make on my own, thank you very much.” Her hackles rose and she was ready to fight for what she wanted but perhaps this wasn’t the time. You had to know when to choose your battles and maybe she should leave this one until Adam had his head sorted.
“No, this time I’m going to do what’s right. I’ve thought of myself and only myself for the last few years. It’s time to be considerate of others and I’m not going to get into a relationship with you until I know what’s wrong with me, if anything. Its better this way, Dakota, regardless of how we feel. I don’t want to let you down too.”
“You’re such an idiot. As if I would dump you because you might have the same condition as your father. Men!” She stood up and paced the lounge room, wishing she could shake some sense into him. The way he was at the moment, she doubted it would work. Time to play him at his own game. More than one way to skin a cat. “Fine, let’s be friends then. See if it makes you any happier. But one thing you have to do is sort out Cory and his friends. Something I won’t stand for – letting down a poor motherless child that hero worships you and hangs onto your every word. It’s n
ot fair to do that to him.”
“I didn’t mean to forget, alright? I had other things on my mind.”
“Oh I get that, I really do. But all excuses are equal, something my father once told me. You need to fix it and make sure you do it in such a way that they’ll forgive you and not feel as though you’re just offering them a patch up job. That would be even worse in my opinion.”
He put Tiny on the couch and stood up. “Yeah, you’re right, I do. I’ll say good night and hopefully I’ll see you around, Dakota. I’ll still be there for you and the Christmas gala. Thanks for the chat.” He stalked out her front door without making eye contact.
She stood there listening to his car drive away. Perhaps she had overdone it but he had it coming. Someone had to snap him out of his poor me mood. “Men! Seriously, little poodle, you don’t know how lucky you are.” Dakota put the wineglasses on the counter, the screen in front of the fireplace and turned off the lights. Tiny snuggled into her arms as she carried her little dog to the bedroom. “This day has gone on for far too long. Let’s snuggle down and see how we’re going to get enough decorations for that huge tree. Me and my big mouth.”
Two hours later, and multiple drawings tossed on the bedroom floor, she sat up, scattering her pencils. “I have it, Tiny. I know exactly what I’m going to do for the tree to make it special.”
*
“Sorry man, I’m busy. If you’d asked me yesterday, I could have said yes.” Buzz’s voice rumbled over the phone. “Love doing workshops with kids, you know that, but my mama made plans and I can’t disappoint her.”
“I meant to ask yesterday but I had something on my mind. Completely my fault, I get that. I was hoping to get a day in before the school broke up for Christmas break.” He gripped his forehead, desperately trying to stave off the stress headache throbbing behind his eyes.
“You could ask a few of the other guys. Not sure what their plans are for Christmas but you might get lucky.” His teammate paused. “How about giving Ryan a call? He’s always up for a trip to somewhere quiet.”
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