by J. H. Croix
What time is your lunch date?
Now.
Okay then. Don’t forget it’s your decision. Call me when you’re done.
Will do.
She’d run into Marley this morning after the breakfast crowd had thinned out. Marley had given her a mini pep talk before Delia headed out to meet Nick’s grandmother. Right behind Marley, Garrett had swung through her office and nudged her chin up for a kiss. When she’d mentioned Helen was coming down today, he’d nodded and asked if she needed anything. Oddly, the simple fact that he asked was enough to add fuel to the courage she was running on.
While she waited for Helen to arrive, she kept reminding herself Nick would want a chance to know his grandmother, but it didn’t change the reality that meeting Helen opened a door to Terry. Though she’d lamented his absence in Nick’s life, she didn’t trust him. Allowing a relationship to develop with his mother provided a much closer connection to him. She fiddled with her necklace and took a breath.
An older woman approached her table. She was on the short side with long black hair streaked with silver. The same black hair Terry had passed on to Nick. Helen stopped at the side of the table, her brown eyes crinkling when she smiled hesitantly.
“Delia?”
She took a breath and smiled nervously. “Helen?”
Helen nodded. “Yes.” She gestured to the chair across from Delia. “May I?”
Delia nodded. “Of course.”
Helen removed her coat and hung it on her chair before taking a seat. She glanced out the windows and sighed. “Such a lovely view.”
The Boathouse Café was situated on a small rise overlooking Kachemak Bay. It felt as if one was seated over the water with the building high on pilings. The glide and roll of waves lulled her. The sky was dotted with clouds today. They drifted in front of the mountains on the far side of the bay. Seagulls called and swooped along the shore.
Delia turned back to Helen. “That it is. How was your drive from Anchorage?”
“Uneventful, which means a lot in the winter in Alaska. The roads were clear and dry all the way down.”
A waitress stopped by and served them water. “Should I give you ladies a few minutes?”
Helen caught Delia’s eyes. “If you’re ready, go ahead and order. I can take a quick look,” she said as she picked up the menu.
“I’ll take the halibut tacos,” Delia said. “Are you sure you don’t need more time?” she asked Helen.
Helen set the menu down. “No need. I’ll take the salmon burger.”
Their waitress jotted down their order and collected the menus. Delia’s stomach had been knotted with anxiety all morning. Now that Helen was finally here, her tension eased slightly. The anticipation was half the battle.
Helen took a sip of water. Her face was soft and kind. Her warm brown eyes held Delia’s. “I’m sure this isn’t easy for you. Thank you for meeting me.”
“It’s not, but it’s important for Nick to have a chance to know you.”
Somehow they plowed through the first few moments of conversation. Sometimes sticking to the superficial was incredibly helpful. The weather, the view and the latest news were safe topics. Delia recalled her mother’s words so many years ago. Manners were to conversation like bread was to butter—it made things smoother. Helen was gracious and polite and had a host of questions about Last Frontier Lodge.
“Ted and I skied there a few times when we were young. How did you end up working there?”
“Believe it or not, my mother used to manage the kitchen there and my father handled the slopes and grounds. When Gage Hamilton came back to town to reopen it, he hired my father, and my father persuaded me to help with the kitchen.”
“That must be wonderful! Do you enjoy it?”
“I do. I grew up cooking with my mother, so I always wanted to be a chef. Before I had Nick, I thought maybe I’d move to Seattle, but I’m glad I came back to Diamond Creek.”
Their waitress arrived to serve their food. After the brief interruption, Helen shifted gears. “Your mother must be proud to see you running the same kitchen she did.”
Delia experienced a flash of pain, but she’d slowly grown accustomed to her mother’s absence. “My mother passed away a few years ago. Pancreatic cancer.”
Helen’s eyes whipped up. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“That’s okay. How could you have known? It wasn’t easy, especially for my father, but time helps.”
They ate in between snippets of conversation. After their plates had been cleared, Helen leaned back in her chair. Her gaze was somber. “I’m sure you know I’d like to meet Nick as soon as possible. I’d about given up on ever having a grandchild. I suppose we should talk about Terry. If you’re worried about me trying to pressure you into involving him in Nick’s life, I can assure you there’s no need to worry. Terry is only intermittently in contact with me. He had a few brushes with the law after he got involved in drugs. I’d like to say I knew when that happened, but I don’t. Terry and his father were close. After Ted died, things seemed to spiral out of control for Terry. I’m not making excuses for my son’s complete failure to be a father to Nick. It is what it is.”
Delia chewed the inside of her mouth. “I was worried about Terry. Not because I don’t ever want him to have contact with Nick, but because it’s not okay unless it’s on my terms. Now that I’ve had a chance to meet you, I’m not worried you would try to force that. I suppose we should work out a time for you to meet Nick. My father would also like to meet you.”
Helen clasped her hands together, her eyes glistening with tears. “Thank you, dear. Just say when and I’ll make it work.”
A while later, Delia walked along the beach. Helen had left with plans to return next weekend. Delia tucked her hands in her pockets and idly kicked at a pebble. A salty breeze gusted off the water. An eagle flew low across the water and landed on a piece of driftwood, regally staring out over the water. She took a breath, the biting air soothing her. The anxiety she’d been carrying ever since she’d picked up the phone and heard Terry’s voice had eased. Nick would get the chance to meet his grandmother, and it felt right.
Her mind shifted gears, turning to Garrett. Thoughts of him ran in a loop in her brain these days. If only she knew what to do. The closer she got to him, the more she worried she couldn’t protect her own heart. It was only a matter of time before he returned to Seattle. He’d brought her alive inside in more ways than one, but she couldn’t be foolish. But you don’t know for certain what he plans to do. He’s told you himself he isn’t sure. No matter how hard she tried to be rational, her silly, hopeful heart kept chiming in.
She turned back toward the parking lot. A gust of wind blew her hair wild. By the time she reached her car, she was shivering. She sat in her blessedly warm car and allowed the heat to seep through her. As she drove back up toward the lodge, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d see Garrett again tonight. The problem was she liked him far too much for her own good. Combining that with the fact she practically melted inside and out when he was anywhere near made him almost impossible for her to resist.
Chapter 13
“Hey Nick, you riding up with us today?”
Garrett turned at Gage’s question, recalling that Nick had asked about coming with them today. He and Gage were in the utility room off the hallway by the kitchen getting their tools organized and tugging on their winter gear. In Garrett’s case, he was layering himself in borrowed winter gear from Gage. He most certainly didn’t have his own. Rather, he had a closet full of almost identical suits.
Nick came skidding down the hall. “Can I?” he asked, his eyes wide with excitement.
Garrett grinned down at him. “Like I said last night, as long as it’s okay with your mom. Let’s go check.”
He rested a hand on Nick’s shoulder as they walked into the kitchen. Delia’s hair was in a loose knot atop her head. A few honeyed curls had escape
d and fell around her face. Her apron was streaked with a variety of colors. She was currently stirring something on the stove. Nick dashed to her side. “Mom, can I go with Garrett and Gage? You said I could if the weather was okay.”
Delia paused in her stirring, her eyes snagging with his briefly before she looked down at Nick. “I sure did.” She glanced out the window. The sky was overcast with the sun breaking through here and there. “Looks good enough for now.” She dropped a kiss on Nick’s head and turned to Garrett. “See you when you guys get back.”
Garrett kept a firm grip on the impulse to kiss her and merely nodded. Nick spun around and raced back into the hallway. Moments later, they were zooming up the slopes. They were headed to the most distant slopes today. Gage wanted to do some repair work on the roof of one of the ski huts, in addition to installing the remaining two heaters.
It was a long few hours helping Gage with the roof repair. Once they got up there, it quickly became apparent they were dealing with more than a few damaged shingles. Garrett became more impressed with Nick’s behavior, and by extension Delia’s parenting, because Nick was forced to wait on the ground while he and Gage climbed up and down the ladder. By the time they finished with the roof, the wind had picked up and it was freezing.
Garrett stepped into the ski hut, set the toolbox on the bench and rubbed his hands together.
“It’s damn cold!”
Gage was a step behind him with Nick on his heels. He slammed the door shut and tossed his hood back. “Wind’s up. Let start a fire in the woodstove while we work on the heater.”
Garrett pulled his gloves off and threw them on the bench. Before he said a word, Nick opened the small woodstove and starting placing wood inside from the rack nearby. Moments later, they had a fire going. They nibbled on snack bars from Gage’s backpack before starting to work on the heater.
Roughly an hour later, Garrett slid out from behind the heater and nodded to Nick. Nick scrambled out from his position where he’d once again tightened the fittings and triumphantly tapped the on button. The very quiet hum of the heater started and warm air came out.
Nick stepped in front of Garrett, his palm held high. “High five!”
Another thwack of palms with Gage, and Nick flung himself on the bench, his eyes traveling to the window. “Uh oh. When did it start snowing?”
Garrett looked out the window to see nothing but white. Snow blew sideways, thick and heavy. “Oh…” He bit his tongue to keep from swearing. “…boy.” He caught Gage’s eyes. “This must’ve blown in fast.” He stood and stared into the blinding white before plunking down on the bench.
Gage strode to the door, opening it a crack. Snow swirled inside, along with a fierce burst of wind, before Gage slammed the door shut. “I’ll say. Looks like we’ll be sitting tight for a bit.”
Nick stood on his toes, his hands curling on the windowsill. “We can make it down okay. Let’s go.” He turned to them, his eyes anxious. “My mom’ll get worried if I’m not back soon.”
“Your mom’ll give us a talking to if we take off in this weather with you,” Garrett replied. “She knows it wasn’t like this when we left, so you won’t be in trouble for this. It’s safer if we wait.”
Gage nodded firmly. “Absolutely buddy. Let’s give her a call and let her know.” He tugged his phone out and handed it to Nick.
Nick quickly dialed and held the phone to his ear, his eyes traveling to the window over and over. “Mom? It’s me. Garrett and Gage said we have to wait to come back. Is that okay?”
Garrett heard the rumble of her response while Nick nodded. “Okay. He’s right here.” He held the phone out to Garrett.
Delia’s voice came out rapidly as soon as Garrett brought the phone to his ear. “I tried calling you guys a little while ago when it started to snow. How come you didn’t answer?” Her voice was tight, her worry reaching through the phone line and grabbing his heart.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t hear the phone ring. Gage and I were working on the roof for a while. It must’ve started snowing not long after we came inside, but we were so busy with the heater, we didn’t notice.”
“Okay, okay.” He heard her take a deep breath and wished he were there with her. He cursed himself and Gage for not noticing the snow coming their way.
“Can you do me a favor and stay put until this blows over?” she asked.
“That’s why we called. We’re sitting tight until the visibility is better. We’ll stay until you’re comfortable with us heading down. Okay?”
“Okay. Please tell me you got the heater running.”
Garrett could see her wry smile, could sense her trying to tamp down her worry. “Yup. It’s running. Nick’s a pro at these now. We also have the woodstove and plenty of wood stacked in the corner.”
Her laugh had a forced edge to it. He wished like hell he didn’t have the audience of his way too perceptive brother and Delia’s curious son in the small hut. He wanted to say something to soothe her, but privacy was impossible. “Okay if we check in in a little bit? We should have an idea if this snow is going to slow down sometime soon.”
“That would be great. Can you put Nick back on?”
“Of course. Here he is.”
He handed the phone to Nick. He leaned his head against the wall while Nick chattered with his mother, excitedly giving her a summary of their day. Gage caught his eyes and arched a brow. He slid across the bench, which stretched across the entire wall, and came to a stop beside Garrett.
“News flash. You can stop trying to play it low with Delia. The way you feel about her is all over your face,” Gage said, his voice just above a whisper.
Garrett’s heart thumped—hard—in his chest. Gage pushed away a little. Garrett looked up and met Gage’s knowing eyes. “That obvious, huh?”
Gage shrugged. “Another time, maybe not. Since I recognize that look now, yeah.”
Nick was still busy talking to Delia. Garrett ran a hand through his hair. “You recognize it?”
Gage held his eyes, his gaze steady with a hint of concern. “I saw it every time I looked in that mirror after I met Marley.”
Garrett’s chest tightened with emotion. He wasn’t ready to put words to how he felt about Delia. Gage loved Marley, really loved her. It scared the hell out of Garrett to consider love might be what he felt for Delia.
***
Delia threw herself into baking. Kneading dough and prepping pastries could keep her busy for hours. She needed busy right now. Rationally, she knew it was just a snowstorm. She’d been born and raised in Alaska and been through more snowstorms than she could count. Yet, she didn’t feel comfortable with Nick high up on the mountain in a tiny ski hut. Even with Garrett and Gage there and the knowledge he was warm and snug inside, anxiety bloomed in her chest.
As the hours passed, the wind increased in its intensity, howling outside, the snow flying so hard and fast it pelted against the windows. Skiers had been streaming in from the slopes for the last few hours. As usual, there were a few stragglers. The kitchen staff pumped food out and the bar kept drinks flowing as darkness fell.
Delia slid another tray of pastries in the oven when her father came into the kitchen and leaned against the baking table. “What’s up, Dad?”
Don’s eyes were sober. “Two missing skiers. Our best bet is to ask Gage and Garrett to check on them. They were up on the advanced slopes.”
The anxiety she’d been managing to hold at bay flashed through her. Only an hour ago, Nick had called to check in and reported they were playing cards and eating snacks.
“Are you sure that’s the best option?”
Don nodded slowly. “Any of us down here will be fighting to get up there in this wind. It’s two teenage boys. Their parents are pretty stressed out. I wished they’d reported it sooner, but they said they kept thinking the boys would make it back.”
Delia knew what he suggested was the most sensible plan, but she didn’t want Garrett to leave the ski
hut. She knew they would tell Nick to stay put. Her worry ballooned, but she fought to keep it from showing.
“I guess that’s what we do then. Have you called up there yet?”
Don shook his head. “Wanted you to know before I did. I’ll call right now.”
Don stepped away, tucking his phone against his shoulder. The murmur of his voice carried to her. She needed to be alone and walked to her office, shutting the door behind her. Moments later, there was a quick knock and her father stepped inside.
“Gage said they’d head out in a few minutes. He promised me Nick wouldn’t be leaving the ski hut. I talked to Nick as well. He knows outside is no place for him right now, so don’t worry about him.”
She knew Nick would know everyone wanted him to stay put, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t make a poor choice at the wrong time. She batted that worry away and nodded quickly, her throat tight with emotion.
Her father cleared his throat. “Garrett can take care of himself. He’ll be okay.”
Her head whipped up. “Dad…”
“Honey, I know you’ve been trying to be discreet, but I see the way you look at him. No need to hide from me, you know. I worry about you, but you get to make your own decisions.”
Tears were hot against the back of her eyelids. She took a shuddering breath. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything. I just…ugh. I don’t know, Dad. I can’t talk about this right now. I just need to know they’re gonna be okay. Maybe Garrett can take care of himself, but he hasn’t had much experience with snow like this. He only just learned how to drive the damn snowmobile since he got here a few weeks ago. This weather is no joke!”
Her father slipped his arm across her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I know, hon. He might be new to this weather and just getting the hang of driving in it, but he’s quick and has good judgment. Gage’ll be with him too.”
