Goodbye Gifts_The Steamy Version

by Elena Aitken

  Three rings and the call went to voicemail.

  “Trent. It’s me. I forgot to ask you last night about the contract.” Dylan could have kicked himself after he stormed out of the restaurant and hadn’t even checked with Trent on the status of the most important business deal they’d ever had pending. Carmen was becoming too much of a distraction. This was why he didn’t get involved with relationships. They caused nothing but trouble.

  Dylan shook his head and focused on the task at hand.

  “I need to know where we stand with the Braxtons,” he said into the phone. “It’s crucial that we have an answer and the funds by tomorrow at the latest. Call me back right away.”

  He hung up the phone and pushed up from his chair, choosing instead to pace in front of the window, not like it was going to help.

  If they didn’t get the investment dollars, the entire project would be compromised and Dylan would need to do some quick maneuvering to keep it from going under altogether.

  Suddenly, the room was too warm. He unbuttoned the top button on his shirt and looked at his watch. It was only eleven o'clock, but he'd had enough. He couldn’t stand around and worry. It wouldn’t do any good and until he heard back from Trent, there really was no point in carrying on with anything else. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that he had something else he was supposed to do, but he couldn’t focus on a damn thing anyway. He closed up his laptop and stuffed his things into his case. He was done.

  He knew he could probably find Trent in his office, and that probably should have been where he was headed, but he couldn’t think straight and there was only one person responsible for that. And only one person who would be able to cure it.

  Dylan took a chance and headed for the lobby, since that's where Carmen seemed to spend most of her time, even when she wasn't working.

  Sure enough, just as he'd guessed, he spotted her dark hair bent over the reservation desk. She wasn't wearing her uniform, which he took as a good sign. Maybe he could convince her to take off for the afternoon.

  "Hi."

  She jerked her head up, but he was rewarded by the smile he loved so much when she realized it was him.

  "Hi," she said. “I’m glad to see you.”

  His heart sped up a little. Maybe he wasn’t the only one whose thoughts were completely occupied by the other.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, I wanted to apologize for last night,” she said. “I shouldn’t have taken off like that. I just…well, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He leaned on the desk and resisted the urge to reach out and touch her face. “Maybe you can make it up to me?”

  She smiled, but gave him a questioning look. “Shouldn’t you be working?"

  "Probably." He shrugged. "But I don't have any meetings today and I was sitting in one of those boardrooms in the back getting a few things done, but I kept getting distracted."

  "Oh, yeah?" She tilted her head and her hair fell like a wave over her shoulder. "By what?"

  Dylan propped an elbow on the desk, and looked into her eyes. "It's such a beautiful day, and all I could think about was spending it outside with you.”

  She didn't immediately object, which Dylan took to be a good sign. In fact, there was a glint in her eye and she said, "Did you really?"

  Encouraged, he leaned in. "I did. In fact, that's all I've been able to think about for the last few hours. And I believe you told me there was a lot to do up here in the mountains. How about you show me what Castle Mountain Lodge has to offer?"

  She didn’t say anything right away and Dylan noticed the hesitation that clouded her eyes. She looked down and tapped her pen on her desk. After what seemed like a very long time, she looked up and said, "As a matter of fact, it would be a perfect day to visit Crown Lake. They'll be putting the boats away for the season soon, but it would be lovely out there today."

  "Boats? Let's do it." He grinned. A day in a boat with Carmen would be exactly what he needed to take his mind off the Springs and the precarious situation he was in.

  "Oh, there's just one thing." Carmen's face clouded for a minute, her smile fading. "My parents are here.”

  Dylan stood up and stretched his neck. "That's right," he said. "You did say they were coming. What are they up to today?" He had a feeling he was going to regret the question.

  Carmen flinched. He'd gotten the impression the night before that she wasn't overly excited about their visit, but he'd just assumed she was overreacting the way most people did when they had to entertain family members.

  "You may have noticed I'm not working today?" She gestured down to her jeans and sweater. "I took the day off and promised to spend some time with them, so..."

  “Oh, I see,” he said with a straight face. “So that's why you're standing behind the desk instead of hanging out with them?” He couldn't resist teasing her a little. He grinned and she shot him a look, but returned his smile. "It's okay," Dylan added. And before he knew what he was saying, he added, "Why don't you see if they’re interested in a boat ride. It could be fun.”

  "Seriously?" She tilted her head and blinked at him as if he'd just suggested they all go to the moon and back. "You just busted me working on my day off in order to avoid them, and you're really offering to take them out to the lake?"

  Yes, he thought. He was definitely going to regret it. But more than anything, he wanted to spend time with Carmen, and the alternative—going back to the boardroom to stress about money he didn’t have—was just not appealing enough to make him change his mind. "Yes," he said. "I guess that's exactly what I'm offering."

  "Okay," she said slowly. Her face lightened, and Dylan was rewarded with a grin. "Let's do it. Why not?"

  Carmen called up to her parents’ room and told them about the plan while Dylan went to change. He turned his phone off and stuffed it in his back pocket. There were a million reasons he should keep it on and wait for Trent’s call, but there was one very good reason to ignore it. And she was waiting in the lobby.

  By the time he returned to the lobby, Linda and Bill Kincaid were already there and anxiously awaiting their departure. It took Dylan only five minutes to determine that her parents were nice people who simply wanted to see their daughter more often. It was also easy to see how frustrated Carmen got with them, and he decided to make it his mission to make sure all three of them enjoyed their afternoon on the lake as much as he planned to. Dylan figured if he could keep her parents happy and entertained, maybe he'd win a few more points with Carmen and maybe he'd finally be able to sneak in a kiss later on, since all Dylan could think of when he looked at her was how good her full lips would feel on his.

  “Dylan, would you mind driving the Jeep for me?"

  "Of course.” He tried to focus on what she was saying about the rough roads, and the tight trails, but it was impossible to concentrate on anything when she looked at him like that, and stood so close, and smelled so damn good. He took the keys from her hand and let his fingers brush along the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist. "I'd love to drive," he said.

  She swallowed hard and looked away. "Good. I've never been comfortable on the bumpy roads. We should get going."

  He grabbed her arm before she could slip away.

  "Carmen?"

  She turned and looked down at his hand gripping her arm.

  "I just wanted to..." Dylan couldn't think of a thing to say, and he certainly couldn’t kiss her, which is what he really wanted to do, with her parents standing only a few feet away. "Tell you I was looking forward to the lake," he finished lamely.

  Her lips curled up into a smile. "Me too."

  "Are you kids ready to go?" Bill came up behind them and Dylan pulled his hand away from Carmen.

  "We're ready," Carmen said.

  The drive didn't take long and Linda chatted the whole way, asking Carmen questions from the back seat about the trees, and potential wildlife they might see. Dylan was impressed with how much Carmen knew, but then
again if she'd made Castle Mountain Lodge her home for the last few years, it wasn't surprising. She really did seem to love it. A flash of guilt crossed his mind as he remembered his promise to his brother about asking Carmen to move to the Springs and work for them. He'd also promised her he wasn't going to poach any of the staff. He couldn't very well go back on his promise in the biggest way possible by poaching her. He glanced across the seat to Carmen, who was pointing out some type of tree to her mother. But it would be nice if she was at the Springs. Maybe he’d have to reconsider his whole stance on dating and relationships. Dylan almost laughed out loud at the idea, because the more time he spent with her, the more he realized he’d been reconsidering from the moment he’d met her.

  "Just pull over there," Carmen said. "By the hut. The lifejackets and paddles are inside the boathouse.”

  Dylan did as directed and soon they were all standing next to the Jeep, looking at the amazing scene in front of them.

  "Carmen, how come we've never been up here before?" Linda asked as she stared open-mouthed at the lake.

  The water was a cool green color that matched Carmen's eyes almost perfectly. Dylan also knew the color of the water meant that it was going to be very cold. The lake itself wasn’t very big, and mountains completely surrounded it, giving it a secretive feeling. Despite the look of it, Dylan could tell it would take a good effort to paddle all the way across. Although he was game to give it a shot. The mountain on the far end of Crown Lake was covered in ice and snow. It must be the very same glacier that fed the lake and the streams below.

  "This is amazing," he said. "It's so still." He walked to the water's edge and peered in. "You can see clear to the bottom. It's almost like it isn't real. Amazing."

  Carmen came up next to him. "It's one of my favorite places,” she said. "I don't get up here nearly as much as I'd like. It's especially nice at this time of year because there's barely anyone here. And the larch trees are all changing color.” She pointed to the hills that were dotted with trees that looked like pines, but were a vibrant shade of yellow. She looked around and took a deep breath. “And today, it looks like we’re the only ones out here. Shall we go get the boats?”

  They all followed as Carmen led them to the boathouse and unlocked the door. They all suited up in life jackets, and Dylan handed everyone a paddle. Linda paused and shook her head slightly when he held one out to her.

  “I don’t think I can,” she said. “I thought it would be a motorboat. I don’t know about paddling.”

  “Mom.” Carmen sighed. “It’s a glacier lake in the middle of the mountains. There are no motors allowed. Besides, that’s not the point. The whole idea is to enjoy the peace and quiet. If you don’t want to go, you can stay here and—“

  “No, no.” Linda shook her head. “I want to go. Of course I want to go. Don’t be silly, Carmen. I was just saying—“

  “Here’s your paddle.” Dylan handed her the oar before she could object and they all headed outside to the canoe rack.

  “We can fit two per boat,” Carmen said. She looked over the group, obviously unsure as to how to split them up, so Dylan jumped in before anyone else could make the decision.

  “How about you take Linda out,” Dylan said to Bill. He leaned in, and whispered, “It could be kind of romantic, don’t you think?”

  Bill gave him a wink and a nudge in the ribs, and a few minutes later, the canoes were in the water and they were off.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Carmen wasn’t sure how Dylan had convinced her mom and dad to share a boat, but she could have kissed him for giving her the gift of a few minutes away from them and their constant barrage of questions about her life. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the inquisition she’d get about Dylan. So far they hadn’t said anything about his presence, which in itself was a small miracle. Carmen knew they hadn’t accepted Carmen’s explanation of the two of them being work friends and she knew the questions were coming. And knowing her mom, she’d already started planning the wedding.

  She looked across the canoe at Dylan, who’d insisted on doing all the rowing. He’d stripped off his sweater, warmed from the heat of the sun and the effort of his exertion. She admired him for a moment, and it really was admiration. He’d handled her parents so well, not giving them any opportunity to make her crazy. And he was so easy to be around. She was suddenly very thankful that Trent had bullied her into taking his brother out. The fact that Morgan was right, and she’d need to tell Dylan the truth before things went any further, was just a small detail. But she didn’t want to think about it. At least not yet.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked her. He lifted the paddle out and let the boat glide, cutting through the stillness of the water.

  “I’m just thinking about how much I owe you for this,” she said, giving him the half-truth. “And you didn’t have to do all the paddling, you know. These canoes are meant for the effort of two people. And I’m not afraid of a little work.”

  “I know.” He dipped the oar back into the water, and with a smooth stroke, propelled them forward again. “And I’m sure you’d be amazing at it. But if you were paddling too, I wouldn’t be able to look at you, would I?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No, I suppose not.”

  “And you are definitely the most beautiful thing out here.”

  “Aren’t you full of all the good lines, today?”

  He grinned. “I’m learning,” he said. “Is it working?”

  “A little.” Carmen dipped her head and smiled, enjoying how good it felt to flirt with him. “What else have you got?”

  Instead of feeding her another line, Dylan kept quiet and gazed out over the water. “It really is amazing up here,” he said after a moment. “Thank you for bringing me.”

  “I’m really glad it worked out,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my parents, and really, they haven’t even been here twenty-four hours and I’m already ready to kill them. I love my mom and dad, but sometimes I just wish they’d just…” She drifted off as she gazed over the lake to where her parents were paddling along the shoreline. Her mom seemed to have gotten over the fear of putting in a little effort with the oar. They’d bickered a little at first, but now they were cruising along, and although Carmen couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could tell they were having a good time.

  “What?” Dylan prompted.

  “I don’t know,” she finished. “I really do love them. It just gets harder and harder when they come to visit because they won’t take no for an answer. And it doesn’t matter what I say, they don’t seem to understand why I’ve made the choices I’ve made.”

  “What choices have you made?”

  “This,” she said, raising her arms to encompass their surroundings. “I chose all this, and the Lodge, instead of going to school, or more importantly to them, getting married and having a family. They think the most important thing for a woman is to get married and have babies. They’ve never understood why I wanted to have a career. And don’t even get them started about my career in the hospitality industry. They think working at a hotel is a summer job type of thing, not a long-term career.” She sighed and stared out over the water.

  “But you love it.”

  It wasn’t a question, but a statement and Carmen nodded. “I do.” She turned back to Dylan, who seemed to be listening intently. Carmen couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken to anyone about her life who’d actually seemed to care about what she was saying. “The funny thing is, I originally came up to Castle Mountain to get away because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew was that I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing, which was nothing really. My parents just assumed I was waiting for life to happen to me. And by life…they meant a man. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew what I didn’t want. So I left.”

  “And you didn’t want a man?” He grinned, but Carmen could see there was more to the question.

  “It’s
not that I didn’t want one,” she said. “It just wasn’t all I wanted.”

  Dylan nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “Is it fair?”

  “Of course.” Dylan stopped paddling again and put the oar up so it was crosswise over the boat. “It’s all about what you want, Carmen. There’s no right or wrong way to live your life. No set of rules you need to follow in order to do it properly.”

  “My mom and dad would disagree with you.” She dipped her fingertips into the water and let them create a trail as the boat kept gliding along.

  “That’s because it’s all they know,” he said.

  He spoke so softly that Carmen knew there was more behind his words than he was saying. “What about you, Dylan? What’s your family like?”

  She realized she’d been so caught up in her own family and own troubles, she hadn’t even asked him. She didn’t know much at all about Dylan, and she genuinely wanted to know more.

  Dylan looked at her and raised his eyebrows before picking up the paddle and dipping it back into the water. “Every family has their own thing,” he said. “You bucked the trend and did something different from how you were raised and what your folks wanted…I didn’t.”

  “What do you mean?” She lifted her fingers from the water and wrapped them in the hem of her sweater to warm them up.

  “My dad was Mister Business,” Dylan continued. He didn’t look at her, but seemed to focus on a point on the shore behind her. “Marriage—or relationships of any kind, really—weren’t important to him. I think he’s on his fourth or fifth wife now. I lost count after number three.”

  There was a pinch in Carmen’s chest as she listened to him speak about his family. He wouldn’t admit it, but there was a pain behind his words that she could sense. The urge to reach across the boat and hug him was strong, but she held herself back. She couldn’t be sure he’d be receptive to that, and anyway there was a very real chance they’d both end up in the lake if she moved too much. Instead, she asked, “What about your mom?”