Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
OLIVER
I t was getting harder to sneak out while Carolina was sleeping, but I had to get home to Joey. Maeve had school the next morning, so I couldn't stay overnight at the hotel. I'd told Maeve I was working longer hours because Eli was out of town with Scarlett. But I didn't want Joey to think he was being neglected. Last night, I'd gone home for dinner, then had Maeve come over after he went to bed so I could see Carolina again.
I'd lain awake last night, reliving every second of our night together. I didn’t want to keep Joey a secret. I wanted to tell her what was going on, that my time wasn't my own because I had Joey waiting at home for me.
But I wasn't sure how she'd react, and I wasn't ready for this thing between us to be over. She was here for two more days. Then it wouldn't matter. She'd go home, and I'd be a single dad again. There was no need for her to know.
This morning, Joey was practically bouncing off the walls because Maeve told him about a snow storm that was expected to come through tonight.
I turned on the local news for the weather report. The forecasters predicted a large storm that could close schools ahead of the holiday break. Storms like this one stressed me out because it meant guests had trouble getting in and out. With schools closed, I had to watch him while I worked, which wasn't easy.
I wouldn't be able to spend time with Carolina because Joey would be with me, and I hadn't even told her about him. There was a possibility that it was just a regular storm and there was no reason to worry, so I told Joey to settle down and get ready for school. It wasn't supposed to arrive until tonight, so I had time. He'd at least make it to school today. I'd get everything in order at work and plan to stay the night at the lodge in case it was a big storm.
Once I got Joey to school, I packed us a bag, locked up, and headed into work. As soon as I walked into the office, my phone rang. It was Eli, probably checking on the storm.
"You heard about the storm?" I asked him instead of saying hello.
"You want me to come home?" Eli asked, his voice tight.
I rubbed my temple, which was starting to ache. "Of course not. You're on vacation. I can handle everything here."
"Are you sure? I looked at flights, and we can probably get on one this afternoon and be there before it hits."
I heard the soft murmur of Scarlett's voice in the background. No doubt she was trying to soothe him.
"You haven't been on a real vacation in years." He'd taken over the business since he was the oldest and most interested in managing the place. He deserved this break.
"If you need me, I can be there."
"Let me handle this. You've been talking about trusting the rest of us with more responsibility for years."
"Do you have help? Is Xander there?"
"He's already in the office," I lied, even though I hadn't seen him at all this morning. He usually came in late, right before his lessons started. But there weren't many this week.
"Good. That's good. "
"There's nothing to worry about. We have very few guests booked this week. And none are scheduled to arrive until after Christmas."
"What about that conference? Isn't it today and tomorrow?"
I frowned, clicking through the screens to get to the resort calendar. "It is."
"You might want to send everyone home today so they have time to travel."
Carolina wasn't going to like that. It might mean less money for her and the vendors, and disappointed clients. "If that's what you think we should do."
"If it's going to be as big as they say, then I don't want the guests stuck at the lodge in a storm."
"You're right. I'll talk to Caro about it."
"Caro?" Eli asked, confusion etching his voice.
I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I meant Carolina. I was just talking too fast. You know how I get when I'm stressed."
"That's why I think I should come home." I could practically see him running his hands through his hair, debating what to do.
"I've got this, Eli. Let me handle this for once."
The phone clicked over to speakerphone, and Scarlett came on the line. "I'm sorry, Oliver. Eli just wanted to check in, and now we have a day of sightseeing planned. He won't be calling you anymore because we're both confident that you can handle a little snow storm." Her tone was saccharine.
Eli grumbled in the background.
I chuckled. Scarlett knew how to handle him. "Thanks, Scarlett. Enjoy the rest of your vacation."
"We plan to," Scarlett said as she clicked off.
I shook my head. I hadn't expected Eli to fall so hard for Scarlett, especially when she was Chance's younger sister, but they were all in. I suspected they'd get engaged soon. I tried not to let that possibility bother me, but it did .
I liked Carolina, but there was no guarantee that she'd be okay with me having a son, and Joey came first. I shouldn't even be thinking about adding another woman to his life. Especially when his mother was absent most of the time.
I had a resort to run and a conference to shut down. I just hoped Carolina wouldn't be upset. I watched the forecast again, checking several different channels before heading to the conference room. I almost never came down here because it was Eli's domain.
The room was loud and filled with table after table with holiday crafts for sale. There were blankets, lawn ornaments, and even baked goods. My throat tightened as I walked the room, looking for Carolina.
There were too many people here, and it was hot. When I didn't see her, I looked around for the exit. There were people everywhere now, walking from table to table, a few breaking off to pick up an item.
I walked with the crowd, wondering if I should have texted Carolina instead. Why did I think it would be easy to find her? I never realized how busy these events were. Everyone was happy and excited. I caught a few questions about the impending storm, but mainly people were talking about the holidays and the gifts they still needed to buy. How was I going to shut this down?
There was no way I was going to find Carolina in this crowd. I weaved through the throngs of people until the door was in sight. That's when someone touched my arm.
"Oliver, what are you doing here?"
Carolina stood at my elbow. She tugged me off to the side, away from the people. "I was looking for you."
She frowned. "Is everything okay?"
I sucked in a much-needed breath. "There's a big storm coming in tonight."
She tipped her head to the side. "This is Colorado, right? Aren't you used to snow? "
"It's supposed to be a big one. Blizzard conditions. Whiteouts. Eli wants to give everyone an opportunity to head home if that's what they want to do."
Her forehead creased with concern. "What are you saying?"
"He wants me to shut it down. You can finish today, but he doesn't want you to hold the second day. If the storm is as big as they're saying, no one will be able to get here tomorrow to shop."
Her shoulders slumped. "Oh, Oliver."
"This is Eli's decision. He's worried about the guest's safety. Not just the ones staying at the lodge, but those who came for the event. He wants them to have the option to drive home or catch a flight before things shut down."
"Do you really think this is necessary?"
"They're already talking about closing schools. Not something that happens here often."
Her shoulders sagged. "It figures I'd host my first holiday event during a once-in-a-lifetime storm."
"I'm sorry." I felt helpless to do anything for her. Eli made the right call. Safety was paramount.
"I guess this is why most conferences are held in November. No one wants to deal with the weather in December."
I nodded. "I would think so. What do you need me to do?"
"I can send out an email to everyone and make an announcement. The vendors aren't going to be happy."
"If they want to send me their websites, we could share them with the guests who bought tickets. They can still buy online."
"That's not the same as taking things home today, but it might placate them."
"It's something and free advertising."
"That would go a long way to soothe the vendors. Thank you for doing that." She was looking around the room, probably listing all the things she'd have to do.
"Of course."
Then she looked at me. "Let me deal with this. Will I see you later?"
I frowned. I planned to pick up Joey from school and bring him back here so I could be at the lodge during the storm. I'd send most of the staff home too. There was no point in keeping the restaurant or bar open when there were very few guests. I'd have one chef, Marcus, on hand to serve the guests that were staying, but that was it. "I have to deal with the storm."
Carolina nodded. "Of course."
"But let me know if I can help with anything related to the conference."
Her forehead creased. "I have to take care of this."
She walked away, already tapping at her phone. I hated to shut down the conference, but I didn't have a choice. The possibility was outlined in the contract, even though it was a rare occurrence. The rest of the day, I was dealing with the early shutdown and helping guests get rides or flights out of town.
Thankfully, we didn't have any reservations for the next few days. So I didn't have to worry about delaying anyone's arrival. I wasn't able to check in on the conference again until six. By then, Joey was tucked away in my office playing on his tablet.
The room was bare again except for the tables. There was trash that Carolina was picking up: empty water bottles, cups, and discarded boxes.
"You don't have to do that. I have a cleaning service that comes through, and we don't have another conference scheduled until February."
"It's not a problem," Carolina said.
I crossed the room, helping her to pick up the stray water bottles and packing materials left behind. "How did everyone take it?"
She smiled sadly. "Not everyone was happy. I'm not sure I'll be running this particular conference in the future."
I frowned. "You can't control the weather."
"The vendors are asking for half of their table fee. So my client's out the money. When anything goes wrong, it's my fault."
That didn't sit right with me, but there was nothing I could do. It was Eli's call, and I agreed with it. As the day went on, the forecast just got more worrisome. "Are you planning on heading out? You could probably try and catch a flight."
Carolina's shoulders raised. "I don't have anything to rush home for."
"I would think you'd want to get home for Christmas with your family."
Her face pinched. "Everyone has their own plans this year."
My stomach dropped. She was planning on spending the day by herself?
"That's that. I'm going to scrounge up some food. Is the kitchen open?"
"Everything's shutting down, but you can ask Marcus in the kitchen for a sandwich. He's sticking around through the storm so that the skeleton staff and the few guests are fed."
"I'll see you around then. Let me know if you need any help around the lodge."
All I could think about was how was I going to keep Joey a secret from her if we were all staying in the same building. "We'll be okay."
"Goodbye, then." Carolina dipped out of the room, and I was still holding the garbage bag.
That felt final. As if she hadn't planned on seeing me again. I couldn't run after her and protest because I had Joey and the lodge to consider .
I tied off the bag and dropped it by the door. I turned off the lights and locked the room. Joey was beyond excited about the storm and the prospect of sledding. But I was the one in charge. I couldn't let anything go wrong. Eli was counting on me.
I had to prove that I was capable of running the place in his absence. He hadn't contacted me again, but that was probably Scarlett's doing. She was distracting him. I'd have to thank her when they came home.
I made a round of the building, checking in at the front desk to make sure everyone had gone home who planned to. Then I headed back to my office. Joey had a walkie-talkie if he needed me, but he was usually so engrossed in electronics he was okay.
I opened the door to find him spinning in the chair with his eyes on the screen.
"Hey, bud. You ready to go up to the condo?"
He looked up from the screen. "Marcus said we can eat in the dining room tonight."
"He has a special dinner planned?" He must have talked to Joey when we were in the kitchen earlier. I was busy worrying about the food that might go to waste if we were closed for a day or two.
Joey lifted his head. "He said we were going to cook burgers and hot dogs and make s'mores. I want his special hot chocolate."
"Is that what he plans to make for everyone?" I asked, wondering if everyone would be okay with that. I should tell Carolina dinner would be served and free to everyone who wandered down. I just didn't want her to run into Joey. Not until I could tell her about him privately. I wanted to judge her reaction. You could tell a lot about a person when you mentioned you had a kid for the first time.
"Dunno," he mumbled as he turned back to his screen.
"Enough of that." I made a move to grab the tablet, but he spun out of my reach. I sighed, attempting a different tactic. "Let's go eat dinner. Then we can watch a movie."
"Yay!" Joey proclaimed as he dropped the tablet on the desk and hopped off my office chair.
I let out a sigh of relief. Sometimes it was tough to know what the right thing to do was. I tried to limit screen time, but if I was working, it was hard. And today, I didn't even have my brothers here to entertain him.