Hayley grinned. “Ah, I get it. She’s rich.”
“Whatever the word is that means more money than God, that’s her.”
“And we want her satisfied so she’ll not only keep coming here but tell all her rich friends about us.”
Olivia tapped her nose. “Exactly.”
There was a beat of quiet then. A moment of nothing but eye contact and closeness and Olivia felt a flutter in her stomach as her eyes dropped to Hayley’s mouth, again without her permission. Her body was a damn traitor. They hadn’t had any time to really talk again since that laughable conversation outside the fitness center on Monday. The week before Christmas was always a jumble of planning and preparing, and it had kept them both super busy. Olivia had fallen dead asleep the second her head had hit her pillow all week long.
“Hayley, you’re here,” Maddie Dunne interrupted—which was a good thing as far as Olivia was concerned—and they both turned and smiled at her, Olivia relieved to focus her gaze on something other than Hayley’s full bottom lip. Stephanie moved the handset of the phone to her other ear and Maddie kissed her on the cheek, whispering, “Hi, Mom.” She turned back to Hayley and held up her laptop. “I found this amazing new artist the other day.”
“Yeah? Awesome. Show me.” Hayley winked at Olivia, then led Maddie back into the offices. Olivia watched them go, her own smile still prominent on her face. There was something different about Hayley these past few days. Olivia couldn’t put a finger on it, and maybe she didn’t need to. All she knew was that Hayley had become more cheerful, a lot of fun to be around. Not that she hadn’t been those things already, but they’d definitely been at a lower level. Now she just seemed…happy.
Olivia liked it. A lot.
She went back into her own office and took a seat at her desk. She could hear Hayley and Maddie talking and laughing, and something about it brought her a weird, inexplicable sense of comfort.
What the hell was happening to her?
With a literal shake of her head, she punched some keys on her computer and forced herself to focus on work. The Evergreen wasn’t nearly as busy as she’d like it to be at this time of year, and while it wasn’t awful, it wasn’t great. They were about sixty-five percent full. Compared to eighty percent last year, it wasn’t terrific news. There were so many ways they could improve the Evergreen, draw in more guests, but part of her was worried that Markham Resorts had already given up on them. The Evergreen was fairly small compared to other resorts in the area and it was out of date, as she and Hayley had discussed. And as Hayley and Alec from Marquez had discussed. But there were definitely ways to fix it, to bring the Evergreen back to the amazing jewel of the Adirondacks it had once been. It would take effort. It would take money. But it could be done. Olivia called up the new business improvement plan she’d been working on for the past couple of weeks and scrolled through it. It gave insights—in great detail—into how Markham Resorts could not only save the Evergreen but make her the most successful resort in the area. Because if Markham Resorts corporate headquarters should listen to anybody, it should be a person who knew the area, the tourist industry here, what was successful and what wasn’t. It should also be a person who was passionate about this resort. A person who loved it.
That person was Olivia Santini, and she knew it.
With a nod, she hunkered down and worked some more on the proposal.
* * *
It was the Friday before Christmas, and Benton Markham couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Dodge. It was really the only time of year that he took a “vacation.” That was how he thought of it. A “vacation,” complete with air quotes. Because he’d work. He wasn’t fooling anybody. He’d take his laptop and his phone and whatever else he needed to keep abreast of things, bring them onto whatever plane or cruise ship he’d be on. As long as he could get away from the city that Kerry had loved so much, especially at this time of year.
He smiled now as he sat at his enormous desk in his exorbitant office and gazed out the window at the gently falling snow. Sometimes, New York would have very little snow for Christmas, and that would bum his wife right out. She would take it as a personal affront, like Mother Nature herself was trying to ruin the very atmosphere of Kerry’s Christmas. Mostly, though, she simply loved the holiday and loved the holiday in Manhattan even more. She would drag Benton out of work and make him go with her to touristy things like Rockefeller Center or Fifth Avenue to see the decorations. She wasn’t from New York, she was from Kansas, so it was like being married to a constant tourist, one who never got past the amazement of the Big Apple, eyes wide, smile radiantly permanent.
God, he missed her.
Benton swallowed hard as that familiar lump formed in his throat. Jesus Christ, was this ever going to ease up? Would he ever be able to miss his wife without wanting to throw things across the room or jump out a window? How in the world would he ever get through this? It had been almost two years. Two years! Yet he felt like he’d lost Kerry last week.
As almost always happened, his sorrow morphed into anger. He preferred that, if he was honest. He’d much rather be angry than a blubbering mess of emotion. Benton Markham was not an emotional guy, and he hated when he felt like one. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, flared his nostrils as he inhaled, did his best to harness that anger, to shove the sorrow aside and back into its box where he was able to keep it most of the time.
He checked his itinerary. His flight left tonight. Yes, tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, his sorry ass would be on a cruise ship, floating around the Caribbean. He’d be sipping mai-tais and getting a tan and not thinking about his dead wife or the holiday she loved so much.
Yes. This would be good.
In the meantime, he needed to give somebody a kick in the pants. Somebody who had been avoiding him for the past week. He did not enjoy being ignored. He picked up his cell phone and hit the right numbers. Just when he was preparing to leave a pissed-off voice mail, the call was answered.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hayley,” he said, extra gruffly in order to keep the surprise out of his voice.
“How are things?”
“Things are fine. How are things there?”
“I found this very cool art studio behind that art supply store I told you about. The owner is super nice and lets me have a space there to work. And really, it’s so much better than trying to paint in my suite. I can be messy and not worry about it. The lighting—”
“I meant…how are things at the Evergreen?” He’d cut her off midsentence, which was rude, he knew, but listening to her talk about her art was like listening to Kerry. Their voices were identical and Kerry had said many of the same things. The space, the light, and…he just couldn’t. So he did what he did best: yanked things back into business mode.
There was a beat before Hayley answered, and he imagined she’d had to regroup slightly from his abrupt shift in subject, because why wouldn’t she? There was a quiet sigh, one he almost didn’t hear, and then she spoke. “It’s fine. We’re not as full as we were last year, Olivia says, but we’re okay.”
“And why isn’t it as full?”
Now she was nervous. He could tell by the slight tremor in her voice. “Um. Well, there are some outdated things. Stuff that might benefit from replacement equipment. Old items and things…stuff like that.”
Benton closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. “You’re making very little sense, you realize that, right?” Hayley started to speak and he cut her off again. “Look. Write up a report for me. A proposal of some kind telling me what needs to be fixed and why. Include cost analysis in it.”
“But, Dad, I don’t—”
“I’m tired, Hayley. I’m tired of having to draw you a map every time I need you to do something…”
“Dad…”
“You’re on thin ice already, young lady.” His voice was sharper than he’d meant it to be, but he’d had a day.
“Oh, I’m aware. Belie
ve me. And just so we’re clear, you’ve never drawn me any maps.” Her anger was very slight, an edge, like she was trying to hold it back. She’d done the same thing as a kid. “By the way, Merry Christmas.”
Benton opened his mouth to reply, but the line was dead. She’d already hung up on him. And he deserved it, he had to admit. He exhaled slowly as he set the phone down.
“Why are you so hard on her?” Susan’s voice was gentle, not at all accusatory, but firm. Apparently, she’d been standing in his doorway long enough to hear the conversation. Pretty much the whole company had gone home for the holiday with the exception of a few stragglers. Susan was one of them. She was always one of them. His secretary—were they called that anymore?—had been with him for more than twenty years and was unfailingly loyal. If he was in the office, she was as well.
“Why are you still here?” Benton consciously softened his demeanor and smiled at Susan.
“I asked you a question first.” She stepped into the office, handed him a small stack of papers, and took a seat in the burgundy upholstered chair across from him. Then she crossed her legs, folded her hands on her lap, and waited him out.
Susan Travers knew him well. Probably better than anybody. Of all the people in his life, he spent the most time with her. Sometimes, he loved how well she knew him. Others? He hated it. He sighed before answering her question with a total cop-out. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
With a shake of his head, Benton turned to look out the window.
“All right. Let me help.” When he looked back at Susan, she was sitting forward, her folded hands on the front of his desk now. “You miss Kerry, especially at Christmas. Hayley reminds you too much of her, and you’re angry about that.”
He gave her a look, knowing she was exactly right.
“Honestly, I don’t understand why the two of you can’t just talk to each other about it.” Her voice had grown in intensity, and now she seemed to consciously lower it a bit—but not a lot, because her next words held an edge. “Don’t you think she misses her mother, Ben? Do you really think it’s just you?”
“Of course I don’t think it’s just me.” He said it like that was a ridiculous notion, but he also knew there was an element of truth to Susan’s words. “We’ve just never been the kind of father and daughter who talk about…emotional things.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Kerry always took care of that stuff.”
“Well, Kerry’s not here, and you’re all that girl has left.” Benton’s eyes went a bit wider at the words, but Susan pressed on. “And I know you think she’s all her mother, but there’s a lot of you in her.” She punctuated her words by pointing a red-lacquered finger at him. “She’s just as stubborn as you are, you know. And she’s smart, but you don’t give her a chance. You put her in impossible situations and then you’re mad when she doesn’t come through.”
Benton opened his mouth and closed it again. Held up a finger indicating he had a point to make, then lowered it again.
“You’re aware that the only experience that girl has running a resort is whatever she’s garnered from growing up as your daughter. Yes?”
“Yes.” He said it grudgingly. There was no other way he could have. Susan was right. He knew it. She knew it, though to her credit, she didn’t look at all smug about it. Rather, she looked sympathetic, and she reached across the desk to close her hand over his.
“I know you miss Kerry. I know it. And so does Hayley. You have to talk to her. Okay?”
He nodded, felt that hateful lump settle itself in the middle of his throat. “I can’t—” he began, then did his best to clear the lump away. “I will. I just…I need a little time. To get away. This is a really rough time of year—” His voice cracked and he looked away, embarrassed.
“I know,” Susan said softly. Any other employee of Markham Resorts would be horrified to see Benton Markham choking up like a child. They’d be looking for the nearest exit. But not Susan. She simply tightened her hold on his hand and waited for him to collect himself.
There was very little activity to be heard. It was two days before Christmas, the building eerily quiet as the snow fell softly outside the window, and Benton—God help him—was thankful for Susan’s presence.
They sat quietly for what felt like a long while just…being. Benton tried to occupy his mind by thinking about the deal he was working on to build a resort in Sedona, the forty-five-year-old Scotch he had waiting for him at home, the cruise he’d be taking tomorrow. He did his best to focus on those things, but he wasn’t completely successful because somehow, some way, his brain always shifted to Hayley.
He wondered how his daughter was spending Christmas this year.
Chapter Sixteen
Olivia was nervous.
She could admit that. It wasn’t easy, but she could.
It was 5:00 on Saturday. Christmas Eve. Hayley had dismissed her, promising that she had everything under control.
“Please. Everybody’s checked in. Nobody’s checking out until Monday. Split Rail is all set with dinner. The front desk will be manned at all times. I got this. Go.” She’d seemed a little…off today, Olivia had noticed, but she’d kept things light as she made shooing motions with her hands like she was trying to wave a fly out the door. “Go. I’ll see you at six thirty.”
There was a big storm headed their way and it had already begun, the edges of it drifting over Evergreen Hills, dropping big, fat snowflakes that were only going to increase in volume as the night went on. But Lenny and his guys were ready to handle snow removal. He was a good guy who never minded overtime, even on a holiday, and Olivia trusted him implicitly to take care of the driveway, parking lot, and sidewalks.
She had nothing to worry about for now. Living next door to her mother had its advantages—and was such an Italian thing to do, according to Tessa. But she didn’t have to drive anywhere, she could stay as long as she wanted and wouldn’t worry about the snow because she and Walter would just trudge through it to their house. Ann Marie still lived with their mother while she tried to save money and pay off the loans she’d taken out for cosmetology school. Tony had his own apartment downtown, but he and Priya would probably sleep at their mom’s tonight.
And then there was Hayley.
Hayley would be spending Christmas Eve with her and her family tonight. And she was invited to join them tomorrow as well, that was a given. Olivia had such mixed emotions around the whole thing that she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. On the one hand, she bristled at the idea of Hayley being in her safe space, around her family, taking part in their traditions. On the other, the thought of Hayley spending Christmas alone was more heartbreaking than Olivia cared to admit. She might have balked, but the truth was, she was glad her mother had invited Hayley. Maybe she could get more out of her than Olivia had been able to in the past month and a half.
Doing her best to push all of that aside for now, Olivia got dressed. While she knew Ann Marie would most likely be the picture of comfort in leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, Olivia tended to dress up a bit for holidays. It felt like she should. It felt…respectful somehow, both to her mother and to the holiday itself. While she hadn’t been to church in a very long time, she often felt a pull to go on Christmas.
Her sweater dress was black, long-sleeved with a mock turtleneck. It was warm but elegant, and she added some silver bracelets and big hoop earrings. Her mother had had the day off and had been to the house already, gathering the extra things she’d stored in Olivia’s refrigerator. Olivia had taken the gifts she was giving over to her mother’s earlier in the week and Walter was already there as well, probably being spoiled rotten with bits of meatballs and bites of pasta. She only had to grab one gift, then she donned her boots, coat, hat, and gloves and trudged along the path Tony had snow-blown between the houses. The wind was kicking up a bit and the path had slight drifts in it here and there.
Walking into her mother’s house always enveloped her in warmt
h and comfort, but on Christmas? That feeling was multiplied a hundredfold. The tree was big and lush where it stood in the front window, multicolored lights twinkling happily, lighting up the dozens of homemade ornaments Olivia and her siblings had created as children. The fireplace glowed with warmth and the smells coming from the kitchen—a little savory from the meatballs, the sauce, a little sweet from the cookies and pies. There was no place in the world she’d rather be in that moment, and she felt any and all tension in her body just seep out of her and onto the floor.
“Hey, there she is.” Tony greeted her from the living room couch where he sat with a beer in one hand, his arm around Priya. He got up and crossed the room to greet his sister with a hug and kiss on the cheek. Priya followed.
“I love this dress,” she commented, rubbing the sleeve in her fingers. “It’s simple but gorgeous. You look amazing.”
Olivia felt herself blush and she thanked Priya, then hung up her coat and took off her boots.
“Mama?” she called as she headed toward the kitchen and the delicious smells. When she entered the room, the sight made her snort-laugh. Her mother stood near the counter where at least fifteen meatballs were sizzling in her electric frying pan. She wore an apron that had belonged to Olivia’s great-grandmother and held a pair of tongs. At her feet sat Walter, looking up at her with such hope and adoration that Olivia simply shook her head and grinned. “I see now why you couldn’t be bothered to come see who was at the door,” she said to her dog, squatting down to pet and kiss him. He gave her a quick lick, but then moved his head any time Olivia blocked his view of the meatballs. “Traitor,” she muttered with affection, and kissed his head before standing back up. She kissed her mom on the cheek and asked, “Need help?”
“Yes, you can open the wine. I was waiting for you before I started.”
One Walk in Winter Page 17
