Beyond that, he and I had always been close. Hell, we’d even lived together for most of our lives. He didn’t want me to leave. And he definitely didn’t want me to leave so that I could run another business and fall in love with someone he didn’t approve of.
So I appreciated what he had said, and it helped me to smile and shake my head. “Nah,” I told him. “I’m not exactly happy to be stuck in Vegas through the winter, but I promised you I’d help you out, whatever it took. If they need me here, then they need me here.”
Ian clapped me on the shoulder. “I appreciate that,” he said honestly. “Let me take you out to dinner tonight.”
“Deal,” I told him, grinning for real. “But you’re paying.”
49
Adam
Ethan skipped into the kitchen on Tuesday morning just in time for breakfast. I got him seated at the table with a bowl of steaming oatmeal and a glass of milk. “Can Charlie come over after school today?” he asked. Charlie was his best friend from the ski club.
I frowned. “We’ll have to talk to his mom when we see her after ski club,” I said. “But you know you’re probably going to be pretty tired, and you still have that science project that’s due on Thursday.”
Ethan sighed. “I want to show him the BB gun, though,” he said. “Gramps and I were practicing yesterday while you were still at work and I’m getting super good at shooting the cans down.”
“That’s awesome, buddy,” I told him, smiling. “I’m glad you’re still having fun with that. But like I said, maybe not today. But what if we talked to Charlie’s mom about having him come over on Friday after ski club and staying the night?”
“Okay,” Ethan said, and I could tell that he wasn’t thrilled by that suggestion. Friday was a long way away, as far as he was concerned. But he started chattering about his science project as he ate his breakfast.
My phone rang as we were finishing up, and I answered immediately when I saw that it was Bailey. “Hey, Bailey,” I said.
“Hello,” she said, sounding surprised that I had answered so quickly.
“Can I say hi?” Ethan asked, having heard Bailey’s name. “Please, Dad, can I say hi?”
I laughed. “Ethan wants to say hi,” I informed Bailey, passing the phone over to him.
“Hi Bailey! When are you coming back to Utah?” Ethan asked immediately.
I couldn’t hear Bailey’s response, but I felt my heart twist a little. I knew that Ethan really liked Bailey. It was another part of the reason I just had to keep hoping that she was still planning on coming back. It was another part of the reason why I never should have gotten involved with her in the first place.
I knew that Ethan needed a female role model in his life. I was glad that he had taken to Bailey so quickly. But at the same time, it just made things all the more complicated. If Bailey didn’t come back to Utah, Ethan was going to be devastated. I didn’t know how to deal with that.
I took the phone back from Ethan. “Sorry about that,” I said to Bailey.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said easily. “You know I love chatting with Ethan. He’s a great kid.”
“So what’s up anyway?” I asked, pinching the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I carried the breakfast dishes over to the sink and started washing up. I hadn’t heard back from her after I had called the previous day, but I was surprised that she was calling me first thing in the morning in response. But then again, I knew she had been busy there. Maybe this was the only time she had before she was in meetings all day.
“I have some bad news, actually,” Bailey told me, and I froze, slowly shutting off the water and straightening up.
“Yeah?” I asked, worried. Something to do with Ian, or something to do with the resort? Jesus, what if she not only wasn’t coming back but was also going to sell the place or something? Maybe one of those power-hungry ski corporations had made her an offer that she couldn’t refuse. We were still just getting used to her being the new owner; if someone else bought it now, there was no telling what changes they might make.
But for better or worse, it was nothing like that.
“I’m going to have to stay in Nevada for a little longer than planned,” Bailey said, as though I hadn’t already figured that out. She had told me one or two weeks maximum, and those two weeks had come and gone. I already knew that she was staying there longer.
I just didn’t know when she was coming back. But I held back on asking, not sure how to phrase the question so that it wouldn’t sound too needy. I knew that she had business that she was taking care of there, and I couldn’t ask her to drop everything and come back just because I missed her. I didn’t even know how to turn it into a joke about Ethan missing her.
I really was in over my head. I was only starting to realize just how much so.
“I had a meeting with the board of directors yesterday. That’s actually what I was stepping into when you called. Sorry I didn’t get back to you.” Bailey sounded a bit frazzled, and I wondered if I was the only one with too much on my plate at the moment. It made me wish that there was something that I could do to help her out.
And it only emphasized, yet again, how wrong I was for her. She deserved to be with someone who could understand her business woes and help her figure out ways to solve them. That wasn’t me.
“Anyway, the board wants me to stay here and keep an eye on Ian for another month, just to make sure that he doesn’t do anything stupid. I tried to tell them that Ian and I have made a plan and everything, but they’re afraid that the minute I leave, Ian’s going to go rogue again. And if it was just them, it would probably be fine; I could tell them to just get over themselves. But they’re talking about the investors possibly losing confidence in him and pulling out. So I really have to stay.”
From the way that Bailey said it, I wanted to believe she really didn’t want to stay there. But who knew. Again, I wanted to ask if she was ever actually going to be coming back. Then again, I didn’t exactly want to hear the truth if she was planning on staying there in Nevada.
“So,” Bailey said, “basically what I’m saying is that I need you to keep holding down the fort until I get back. I know it’s a lot to ask. I hope things are going well?”
“Things are fine,” I said, still trying to process the rest of it. Still trying to hold back the question about whether or not she was ever going to come back.
“Well, good,” she said. She paused, and I thought she might say something more, maybe about us. But instead, she just said, “We’ll talk more soon. I have to get to work. But thanks for everything.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, feeling slight disappointment course through me. I hung up the phone and got Ethan off to school. Then, I headed to work.
I couldn’t help missing Bailey’s presence around the lodge as I walked in. I couldn’t help feeling stretched too thin as three different people came up to me and told me about customer complaints that morning.
And I couldn’t help feeling that maybe I was doing something that I didn’t want to do for a woman I wasn’t even sure would ever be coming back.
Just when I thought my morning couldn’t get any worse, my phone rang again. This time, it was a call from Ian. I could only imagine what he might want to say to me right now. He had been pissed when he found me kissing his sister in my office. He had done his best to sabotage my job before he’d gone back to Nevada with Bailey to sort out the problems at his own business.
Bailey had assured me, before she left, that Ian had come around, and that although he wasn’t happy to think of Bailey and I as a couple, he had agreed to stay out of things. But still, what the hell was the dick doing calling me now?
I didn’t bother to find out. I ignored the call. I had enough other things to deal with right now.
50
Bailey
I could feel Ian’s eyes on me as I finished up work at the casino on Wednesday evening. We were working on a new promotion to bring people
into the casino, trying to build a new group of regulars to supplement the ones that we had managed to win back in spite of the damage Ian had done to the business’ reputation. Things seemed to be going well, although our numbers still weren’t what they had been before.
But that was none of my concern, really. Things had turned around enough that Ian would be able to keep his job, at least until he screwed up again, and my work here was done. If things continued to improve or not, that was up to him. This was his business, after all.
Yet here I was, apparently stuck here for another month.
“Hey,” Ian said, coming over to me. His brows knit together. “You know, I can tell that you aren’t as interested in this as you were in the ski resort.”
I grimaced. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m doing my best.” I was surprised that he had seen through me, because I’d thought that I was hiding it well enough. But the truth was; “You know that this isn’t what I want to do with my life. I can’t honestly say that I do want to be here.”
“I know,” Ian sighed. “You’re just here because I fucked up.” He shook his head. “Dinner? Sorry I had to bail on you last night, but Bill wanted to chat to me about some stuff. Work meeting.”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, waving away his apologies. “But yeah, let’s get dinner. Where do you want to go?”
We headed to an Italian place that Dad used to bring us to all the time. I smiled across the table at Ian. “A little comfort food?” I joked. “How did you know that that was what I needed?”
Ian shook his head. “Look, if you don’t want to stick around for another month, you don’t have to,” he said. “I can tell how bummed you’ve been ever since your meeting with the board yesterday.”
“I can’t just leave,” I protested. “I mean, you’re right, I’m pretty bummed. I thought I was this close to heading home. I told everyone right from the start that I was only going to be here for a couple weeks. But if it’s a matter of the investors pulling out if I leave? I couldn’t do that to you.”
“I’m the one who got myself into this mess,” Ian reminded me. “I know that I shouldn’t have done what I did with the casino. It was reckless. But I legitimately did think that I was making things better in the long run.” He paused, clearing his throat. “But my reasons for doing it don’t matter. The point is, I’m the one who fucked up. You shouldn’t be punished because of that.”
I shrugged. “It’s not really a punishment,” I said. “Honestly, there are some perks to being here. I get to spend more time with you, for one.” I grinned crookedly. “I just wish it could have come after I was a little more settled in Utah. As it is, it feels like I just left. I didn’t have time to miss things yet!”
Ian laughed, but I could see the concern in his eyes. “I just… I really appreciate you sticking around to help me fix things,” he said. “But I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped here. You can leave if you want to. We’ll figure something out.”
I sighed. “I miss Utah,” I said simply. “But it’s one month. Even if I were to sell off the resort, I own the condo there, and I don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon. I can always go back some other time. No real reason for me to abandon you now.”
“Are you thinking about selling the resort?” Ian asked in surprise. I could hear hope there, plain in his voice, and I couldn’t help sighing again.
“I did think about it a couple times,” I admitted. “Not seriously. But I know that Bill and the others wish that I was still around here for the long-term. And to be honest, I just feel a lot more competent here. I know what I’m doing. I know the industry. I’m still just getting to know the ski industry. That said, I just like the ski resort a lot more.”
“You never really wanted to work here,” Ian said, nodding. He glanced down at his food. “And I guess you probably miss Adam as well?”
“Yeah, I do,” I said frankly, even though I wasn’t sure that I wanted to have this conversation with Ian. He would probably just try to convince me that I was stupid for missing Adam when Ben was practically throwing himself at me.
But to my surprise, Ian nodded. “I’m sorry that I dragged you away from him. And that I did everything I could to screw things up for you while you were there.” He paused. “I’m not going to lie, I still think you could do better. But part of why I was so frustrated to find out you guys were together was that I was really hoping that you were going to get sick of Utah and come back here to the casino business.” He grinned crookedly at me. “But that’s never going to happen, is it? Even if Adam wasn’t in the picture.”
I shook my head slowly. Suddenly, Ian’s motives for trying to drive me away from Adam made a lot more sense. “Even if Adam and I don’t work out long term, I’m pretty happy in Park City,” I explained. “I mean, you’ve seen what it’s like doing business there. It so much calmer than working here. It’s less fake. I don’t have to deal with all the stupid glitz and glam. The stuff that I hate.”
Ian laughed. “Come on, you’re great at schmoozing people,” he said.
“Honestly, yeah,” I said, shrugging. “And I’m sure I’ll find ways to use that with the resort. But it just feels a lot more genuine, you know? Plus, it’s a challenge. Here, I guess I kind of know exactly what I’m doing. Dad practically raised me into my job with the casino business. I feel like I could do it in my sleep. There’s nothing exciting about it. But with the resort, it’s different.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” Ian said reluctantly. He shook his head. “I mean, like I said before, I can tell that you were happier there.” He paused. “And Adam is part of the picture, I guess.”
“He is,” I said, nodding. I shrugged. “To be honest, we haven’t talked as much as I wish we would since I’ve been here. He’s so damned hard to get to open up, and I don’t know if it’s just that he hates talking on the phone or what, but he really only wants to talk about the business stuff. And that’s just making me miss him more.”
“Have you tried telling him that?” Ian asked.
“I don’t know how,” I sighed. “If he’s having second thoughts about us, I don’t want to push him away even more.”
“If he’s having second thoughts, then he’s an idiot,” Ian said succinctly, and I had to grin at him.
“Yeah, I hope it’s nothing like that,” I said. “I’m sure he’s just busy. I’ve put a lot on his plate since Mike had his accident. But I can’t wait to get back there and talk to him in person again. I miss him.”
Ian was quiet for a moment, considering me. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you care about someone this much before,” he finally said. Then, he grinned teasingly. “You know, other than yours truly.”
I laughed. “You’re my brother; I’ll always care about you more than anyone else,” I said. Then I frowned. “But yeah. Ian, I really like him. And Ethan. I want to be with them. Or at least, I want to see where things could go. I don’t know how things will work out long term, but I want to explore this relationship. And I know that you’re not exactly thrilled with that, but for right now, that’s just the way things are.”
Ian nodded at me. “Then I won’t get in the way of that,” he said. “Except, you know, with the fact that you’re stuck here for another month because of my stupidity.” He smile, and I laughed again.
51
Adam
I was talking to some customers at the resort on Friday when I looked up and blinked in shock. Ian? What the hell was he doing here?
I tried to focus on the rest of what the customers were telling me about some flickering lights in one of the condos. They were both being a bit over-dramatic about it, telling me that it had felt like the start of a horror movie the night before when they had first noticed the issue. I had to fight not to roll my eyes. But I was the maintenance man and current acting-head of the resort, which meant that it was my job to listen to their complaints with a straight face and assure them that we would do everything we could to fix anything that wen
t wrong.
Yet another thing on my list of tasks for the day. I had been hoping that I could take the next day off to spend some time with Ethan, but I was starting to wonder if that would be possible at all. There were too many things to do.
And now Ian was here.
I finally managed to satisfy the couple with assurances that I would get things fixed and throw in some free spa time as well. It still galled me that I had to give out freebies like that, but Bailey had told me not to be stingy about that kind of stuff, so I was trying to be better about offering it. If it meant our customers walked away satisfied, then that was a good thing. And right now, if it meant that they left me well alone, even better.
I turned towards Ian. I didn’t really want to talk to him, but I knew that I couldn’t just ignore him. Bailey hadn’t told me that her brother would be dropping by, so I had to assume that she didn’t know he was here. It made me wonder just what he was doing here. Had he come to kick my ass for some imagined slight to his sister? Or because I refused to take his calls?
Whatever it was, I didn’t need this right now. But there was no escaping it.
“How’s it going?” Ian asked as he walked over to me.
I shrugged one shoulder. “Well, it’s going,” I said, not sure what exactly to say to him. I felt totally on edge. Ian had tried to tamper with things even when Bailey had been there. Now that she wasn’t there and he was, who knew what kinds of things he might try to pull. And it would be my responsibility to stop it since I was the one in charge right now.
I could feel a headache coming on, and he hadn’t even done anything yet. That I knew of.
“Look, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Ian said. “Could we head into your office? I’d rather not be interrupted, and I also think the less people who see me here, the better.”
One Shot At Love: A Billionaire Single Father Romance Page 29
