Hidden Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  “I was hoping she could go to the child- care room.”

  “Castle Cub’s Club?”

  Bo shrugged. “Is that what it’s called?” He smiled to himself. He’d never given the Lodge’s child-care program any thought. He’d never had to. “It’s cute,” he said and then quickly added, “I told you. It’s just for a little bit. I need to make some calls. I think she has some family out East.”

  Carmen raised an eyebrow in his direction. But when she turned to look at Ella, she smiled and nodded her head. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll clear it with the powers that be.”

  “Thank you.” Bo breathed a deep sigh of relief.

  “This isn’t a permanent solution.” Carmen’s voice permeated his thoughts.

  “Don’t I know it,” Bo said with a vague nod. He partly listened as Carmen continued to speak about getting a room key. But his focus had already shifted squarely back to the little girl sitting on the couch. She looked so lost, so scared, and so alone. At least they had that in common.

  Chapter Two

  Morgan’s bedroom was tiny. It had just enough room for a single bed and a dresser. Fortunately, the view out the window made up for whatever charm the room lacked. It didn’t matter how many times she looked around, she couldn’t get over the raw beauty of her new home. At least the outside of it.

  She tossed one of her duffles onto the mattress and moved back out to the living room of the small staff residence apartment she’d be sharing with the roommate she hadn’t met yet. Morgan would have preferred to get her own apartment, but apparently that wasn’t an option as the Lodge had a lot of employees and not enough accommodations. She wasn’t happy about it, but she’d make the best of it. Besides, it might be good for her to get to know someone. If she were determined to make her new life work out, she’d need some new friends.

  Andi was one of her best friends, but she couldn’t understand why Morgan was dead set on leaving. Before she’d left, they’d had what was becoming a very familiar conversation.

  “I don’t get it,” Andi said. She’d been lounging on Morgan’s bed, watching her unpack. “You know I love it here, but living here?”

  “Why not?” Morgan hung another shirt and turned to her friend. “I’ve been listening to you go on and on about this place for so long—what better place to get a fresh start?”

  “That’s just it, Morgan. Why a fresh start? You’re a child psychologist. I don’t understand why you’d give up a great job to—“

  “I told you,” Morgan turned away again, “I can’t work with kids anymore.”

  “That was only the opinion of one doctor, Morgan. You’ll have—“

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  And she didn’t. Nothing Andi could say would take away the sting of the doctor’s news. She’d tried to push past the diagnosis, and for a while she went to work as if nothing had changed. But every day it got harder and finally she put in her notice, giving up the career she’d worked so hard for.

  “It’s time for a change,” Morgan said more to herself than to her friend. “This will be good.”

  “It will be good.” Silently, Andi got up from the bed and slid her arm around Morgan, giving her a squeeze. “You’re going to love it here. After all, it is kind of a magical place.”

  Morgan turned to face her and laughed. “Just because you met Colin here doesn’t mean everyone finds their Prince Charming in the mountains. Besides that, I’m not interested.”

  “You say that now.”

  “And always. Now help me unpack or get out of here.”

  Together, they unpacked all of Morgan’s things and then she did leave. As nice as it had been to have Andi introduce her to Carmen, and help her get a job planning events at the Lodge, it was nice to have her friend leave so she could get settled.

  Alone, Morgan looked around her new accommodations. It was definitely small, but it was cute. And a blank slate. There weren’t really any decorations to speak of, not that she had any. But maybe her mysterious roommate would have a flair for decorating?

  Morgan wandered over to the patio door and slid it open, letting a rush of crisp mountain air inside. She’d been hoping to ask Carmen about who her roommate might be, or even when she’d be arriving. But they’d been interrupted before she could ask her question. Interrupted by a very handsome man, she thought with a smile. She wrapped her sweater tightly around her and stepped out onto the balcony. He may have been nice to look at, but he’d been a total jerk, interrupting them the way he had. Who does that? Morgan shook her head, trying to get the man out of her thoughts. The last thing she needed was a man, even one that good-looking, in her life.

  Morgan peered over the edge of the balcony, letting the cool air clear her thoughts. Three large staff residence buildings circled around an open green field that held some picnic tables and a large fire pit. The buildings reminded Morgan of rustic dorms, especially as there were people coming and going, carrying boxes and bags. At least she wouldn’t be the only newbie.

  “You’re going to freeze to death out there.”

  Morgan turned to see the source of the voice. A tall, extremely thin woman stood behind her in the doorway. She was wearing what looked like a fisherman’s sweater over a long skirt and tights; a bandanna on her head held back dozens of long, tiny braids; and a gold hoop in her nose sparkled in the sunlight. Morgan tried not to stare, but she’d never seen anyone quite like the woman who stood in front of her.

  “My name is Astrid,” the woman said. She extended one long thin arm, bracelets and bangles jingling with the movement.

  Morgan took her hand and shook it. “Morgan,” she said. “You must be my roommate.”

  “The one and only,” Astrid said with a smile. Her green eyes sparkled and she did a quick spin on the balcony, stopping with her arms raised to the sky. Her sweater slid down, revealing bare skin, adorned with intricate brown lines and swirls. “We’re going to have a brilliant summer,” she said, and in that moment, Morgan decided that maybe having a roommate wouldn’t be so bad after all. It might, in fact, be quite interesting.

  “So you’re going to be in event planning?” Astrid asked. Morgan was sitting on their brown couch, sipping a mug of tea, watching her new roommate buzz around their living room.

  “I am. I’ve worked with my friend in her business a little bit, so I have some experience, but I didn’t go to school for it or anything.”

  “School?” Astrid stopped, a bright purple cloth dangling from her fingertips. “Like college?”

  Morgan nodded.

  “That’s cool,” Astrid said. “I find the idea of higher education oppressing. But I get that for some people, they need the accomplishment of finishing a program.”

  For a moment, Morgan thought she should be insulted, but she wasn’t. In the last few hours, she’d come to see that Astrid spoke her mind, without much regard for what other people might be thinking. She wasn’t a malicious or mean person, just straightforward, and Morgan liked it.

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  Astrid laughed. “I know it’s kinda cliché, but I can’t help it. I just don’t get the whole school thing.”

  Morgan shrugged. There was a lot about Astrid that was cliché. But the fact that she didn’t seem to care is what made her so unique.

  “So if you didn’t go to school for parties,” Astrid continued, “what did you go to school for? Because you do look like the type that went.” She laughed and again, instead of being insulted the way she thought she should be, Morgan laughed along with her.

  “I have a degree in child development.”

  Astrid stopped and stared at her. “Child development? As in, how children develop?”

  “That’s the kind.”

  “So you’re here because…”

  “Because the last thing I want to do is work with children.”

  Astrid narrowed her eyes in question but Morgan only offered her sweetest smile as way of explanation.

&nb
sp; “Makes perfect sense to me,” Astrid said. She turned and grabbed something that might have been a vase out of a box.

  It was actually kind of refreshing to be honest with someone about her career choice. At least, partly honest, anyway. But the way Morgan justified it, it wasn’t her fault Astrid didn’t ask her why she didn’t want to work with kids. So as long as she didn’t ask, Morgan didn’t need to tell and that’s the way she preferred it.

  “So where do you work?” Morgan asked, happy to shift the focus off her. She was enjoying sitting back and letting Astrid decorate their space. The decor was shaping up to be a really unique mixture of hippy and outdoorsy with a bit of modern convenience thrown in.

  “I’m in housekeeping,” Astrid said. “I know it’s not glamorous and front line and all that, but I really like it. You can learn a lot about people from their rooms.”

  “And you want to learn about the guests?”

  “Sure I do,” Astrid said. “It’s only by learning about others that we learn about ourselves.”

  Morgan put down her tea and picked up a picture frame Astrid had placed on the table. Dozens of tiny pebbles were glued to the edge, making it quite heavy, but there was no picture inside.

  Morgan pointed to where a picture should be and Astrid said, “It’s bad karma to surround yourself with old memories.”

  Morgan raised her eyebrow, looked at the frame once more and put it back on the table. “I like that theory.”

  “You have some old memories you’d rather not be surrounded by,” Astrid said. It wasn’t a question.

  The image of Justin, her last boyfriend, flashed in Morgan’s mind, but she immediately pushed the thought of him away. It’d been six months since they’d broken up, but still Morgan couldn’t help but think that things might be different if only she’d been different.

  She shook her head and focused on her roommate as Astrid asked, “How do you feel about candles?”

  “I don’t know if I’ve ever had an opinion one way or the other about candles.”

  Astrid stood in the middle of the room with two large waxy pillars in her hands. “Really? You strike me as the romantic type. You don’t have a boyfriend?”

  “I need a boyfriend to enjoy candles?”

  “That’s not what I said.” Astrid positioned the candles on a large cabinet that held a small television. “You just seem like the type of girl that has a boyfriend. You don’t have one?” She moved back to a large shopping bag, pulling out a selection of pinecones in a variety of shapes and sizes.

  “I don’t,” Morgan said. “Have a boyfriend, I mean.” She watched while Astrid arranged the pinecones around the candles. The display was simple, but surprisingly beautiful. “That’s nice.”

  Astrid turned around, a smile on her face. “That you don’t have a boyfriend?”

  “No. Well, yes.” Morgan felt her face heat up. She jumped off the couch and moved to the shopping bag. “I meant the pinecones and you know it. What else do you have in here?” She dug through the bag and produced a clay sculpture of a moose—or maybe it was an owl—a few more candles, a large silk cloth that Astrid grabbed from her hand and draped over the couch, and a glass bowl. “You have a very interesting style,” she said to Astrid.

  “You like it?” She asked the question, but it was obvious Astrid wouldn’t care either way.

  “I do,” Morgan said. “It’s perfect. Where did you get it all?”

  “Here and there,” she said. ”Some I picked up on my own, but most of these things were gifts.”

  “Gifts?” Morgan picked up the clay figure again. “Really?”

  “You’d be surprised,” Astrid said with a small smile. “If you’re open and accepting of them, there are hidden gifts all over the place. When you least expect it, the universe will be very giving.” Astrid took the figure out of Morgan’s hands and stroked it lovingly. “Stay open, my friend, and ready to receive.”

  Morgan barely had time to let her words sink in before Astrid turned with a flourish. “Anyway, there’re more candles, for when you have a boyfriend.” She winked and Morgan tried not to groan. She’d been hoping that getting away from the city and her friends would get her away from the constant pressure to have a boyfriend, get married, and have kids. She didn’t want that. Not anymore.

  “Not to worry.” Morgan tried to sound firm. “There will be no boys.”

  Astrid let out a sharp laugh and threw her head back. “Oh, sweetie. Why do you think I come back here every summer? There’s nothing but men in the mountains. And what’s more,” she said, “you’re going to meet some tonight.”

  “I didn’t take you for the boy-crazy type,” Morgan said. “And anyway, what’s tonight?”

  “Boy-crazy?” Astrid snorted. “Hardly. But I do like to be entertained. And what better way?” She winked and started tidying up what was left of her decorations. “Tonight is the start of that entertainment. The night before summer season, there’s a welcome barbecue and bonfire in the common.”

  Morgan looked to where her roommate was pointing, out the window to the large grassy field that their balcony faced. “Sounds good,” she said. And to her surprise, found that she meant it. Besides the fact that Morgan had no interest in men or the type of entertainment that Astrid was looking for, she had to admit it would be fun to get out and meet some new people. “What time?”

  Chapter Three

  Bo watched Ella wander around the hotel room that would be her bedroom. There should be toys. A little girl should have dolls and stuffed animals, not the elegant furnishings of a hotel suite. Even with his limited experience with children, he knew that.

  “I know it’s not very fun,” he said. “Maybe we can get you some toys?” Ella turned and looked at him impassively. She blinked twice, her dark eyes giving nothing away. She turned and picked up the clay deer that adorned the dresser. “Maybe you shouldn’t—“

  He was going to tell her to put it down, that she shouldn’t play with the decorations, but as he watched, Ella stroked the back of the little sculpture and looked up at him with her wide, innocent eyes. She popped her thumb in her mouth and looked at him expectantly.

  “Never mind,” he said. It wouldn’t hurt if she played with it. After all, the poor kid didn’t have anything else. “I’m going to be in the kitchen if you need anything, okay?”

  He waited for Ella to respond, which she didn’t. After a moment, Bo let out a deep sigh and made his way down the hall.

  In the kitchen, he poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the breakfast bar. He ran his hands through his hair and for at least the hundredth time that day, tried to figure out what he was going to do about the little girl in the other room.

  He barely even remembered her mother Tessa. What they’d had together could hardly be classified as a relationship, which is probably why she hadn’t bothered to contact him when she found out she was pregnant. Which is why it didn’t make any sense that she would leave her daughter in his care, even for a little while. And it would only be a little while. There was no way he could be a father.

  Bo’s thoughts flew to the conversation he’d had with Clara Kersey, the woman from Social Services, only a few days earlier. They’d been standing in the lobby of the Best Western hotel. A small grey suitcase stood next to her, a little blond girl on her other side.

  “It took us quite a while to find you, Mr. Clancy,” Clara had said. “But I’m glad we did. Tessa wanted Ella to know her father. It’s all in the letter.”

  Bo looked down to the little girl who had yet to look at him and back to Clara. “You’ve read the letter?”

  “I have.”

  “And she wanted me to take Ella?” Bo asked. His brain swirled. He couldn’t wrap his head around what was happening. “I don’t know anything about children. I can’t be a father.”

  “Turns out you already are.” The woman’s voice was brusque. “Look,” she said, this time a little softer, “I know this must be a shock. But when there
is a clear order of whom the child is to live with and that person checks out as you have, we’re very inclined to follow that directive.”

  “But, I—“

  “You are the biological father,” Clara said.

  “Surely she must have family?” Bo raked his hand through his thick dark hair. “Grandparents— an aunt or uncle? Someone.”

  “She does have an uncle on the East Coast. We’ve been in contact with him. He hadn’t seen Tessa in years and he didn’t even know about the child.” Clara shifted so she was facing slightly away from Ella, who stood unmoved. She lowered her voice and said, “Look, Mr. Clancy, I’m sure you weren’t really expecting to wake up this morning and be a dad, but it is the situation. We are extremely overworked with children who are in much more precarious situations. And you are the biological father.”

  Bo shook his head slowly but stopped when he saw the little girl staring at him with dark eyes so much like his own. “Where are her things?” he asked Clara, without taking his gaze off the child.

  “This is it.” The woman gestured to the suitcase and efficiently flipped open her clipboard. “I’ll need you to sign here, Mr. Clancy.”

  Blindly, Bo signed the paper. In no time, Clara was gone and it was just Bo, alone with his daughter.

  Looking back, it seemed as if it’d happened weeks ago, or even months. But it’d only been forty-eight hours. And Bo couldn’t even begin to think about how he was going to survive another forty-eight. But there didn’t seem to be a choice. The Social Services lady had more or less told him there was no where else for Ella to go. He stared down the empty hallway towards her room. Would it be better for her to go into the system, he wondered. He didn’t know whether he could answer that honestly. Not yet.

  “Ella,” he called gently.

  After a moment, the girl appeared in the doorway of her room, but made no move to walk towards him. He wasn’t surprised when she didn’t say anything. So far, Ella had only uttered a few words to him. So obviously the child could talk— she just refused to. Bo had no idea whether it was normal or not, but either way, he was getting used to her silence.