29. Heath
CHAPTER 29
heath
I was a grown man of forty-two, and I was nervous.
“Seriously?” Wyatt asked when he saw that I’d changed my tie twice and my shirt once.
“I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing,” I muttered.
“Can we go before you’re late for a party you’re hosting?” Wyatt looked pointedly at his watch.
When I told my brother about my plan for the annual Royal Golf & Ski Resort event—a gathering for local hospitality owners, the Aspen elite, and their families to mark the start of the tourist rush—he immediately insisted on being my plus-one. The fall colors would soon reach their peak, signaling the beginning of the busiest time of year, and this party was the perfect way to set the stage.
We walked into the resort's Grand Ballroom, which was decked out and opened into the large garden. A band was playing, and a dance floor was set up. String lights draped across the vaulted ceilings, and long tables lined the ballroom with platters of fresh seafood, farm-to-table hors d'oeuvres, and elegant floral arrangements that screamed understated luxury.
“She’s going to be here,” I said uneasily.
“Is that a question or…?” my brother teased.
I sighed. “I’m behaving like a fucking wet-behind-the-ears teenager.”
“No shit.”
Wyatt and I looked like brothers. We were around six-three, both of us, but he took pleasure in telling me he was slightly taller, which he was. He kept his hair long, now tied into a ponytail, while I kept mine short. He worked out a whole lot more than I did, so he was jacked—while I was fit . But we had the same eyes, the same demeanor, and expressions.
Casey and Mackenna had promised they’d get Sable here, but my stomach was tied in knots. I didn’t trust anything until I saw her walk through that door. And if she didn’t? What the fuck would I do? Well, I’d just find her and drag her here. That was that. The hell with being careful and giving her time. I was tired of giving her space. I was tired of being the jackass who fucked my life up. I wanted Sable back! I wanted my second chance at love to flourish, not flounder and die as it was threatening to.
“Relax,” Ellie, my assistant, murmured as she came up to us, a glass of champagne in hand. “She’ll come.”
“How does it feel to see your usually stern boss turn into a Romeo?” Wyatt asked matter-of-factly .
Ellie laughed. “It’s charming. I love a good love story. I’m a romantic.”
“Then why are you still single?” Wyatt flirted.
“No. No. No.” I warned both of them. “She works for me. You can’t, Wyatt.”
“Mind your own liaisons,” Wyatt mocked, “and leave me to handle mine.”
Ellie chuckled. “I’m not married because I don’t believe in the institution. I’m also on a break from men of all kinds.”
Wyatt put a hand to his heart. “You wound me.”
While they flirted, to my chagrin, I scanned the room, catching sight of familiar faces—business owners, ski instructors, boutique owners, hoteliers. They were all here. So were the Vikars.
Alexa stood near the bar, talking with Natasha and Grant. She’d been behaving. It had been a shock for her when Juno said she needed a break from her mother and wanted to live with me full-time. I’d tried to convince Juno otherwise, but she’d said she’d go back once school started, but during the summer, while she interned at the current mayor’s office, she wanted to stay with me.
I caught a glimpse of Mackenna, who gave me a thumbs-up sign, and the band around my chest eased. I watched for Sable, and she didn’t disappoint.
She wore a simple black dress, her hair swept to one side, and a wary look on her face. Casey was animatedly chatting beside her, probably trying to distract her from whatever suspicions she had about why she’d been dragged to my party. Casey had told me she hadn’t wanted to come but Casey, Mackenna, and Natasha had campaigned hard.
Sable had been uneasy, Natasha told me, feeling like she didn’t fit in. But she did, I thought. She so did. She had a thriving business, and right now, with her courage, her grace, and her elegance, she outshined everyone in the ballroom. This town had a lot of amends to make—I had several to make as well to this woman who’d stood strong when the world had turned on her, including me. I couldn’t take back my words, take back the hurt I inflicted on her—but we could move forward. At least, I fucking hoped so.
“That her?” Wyatt came up to my side.
“Yeah.” I took his glass of Scotch and downed what remained. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to her.”
“I cannot wait.”
By the time we reached her, Sable was frowning.
“Sable, I’m so glad you made it.” I wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but I curbed that. It would only piss her off.
“They made me.” She wiggled her eyebrows to indicate Mackenna and Casey, who stood on each side of her, preventing her from escaping, I thought.
“Hi.” Wyatt held his hand out. “I’m Wyatt, Heath’s much better brother.”
Sable’s eyes glinted with amusement as she shook my brother’s hand. She introduced him to Casey and Mackenna.
She mingled. I mingled.
I watched her. She ignored me .
Wyatt flirted with her. She was entertained by him.
“Can’t believe your brother is doing you like that,” Natasha teased as she leaned into her husband, Fred, who had an arm around her.
Alexa was not with them any longer. She’d taken her seat at her table with her father. I’d expected her to decline the invitation, but she’d come and brought her father along. It was her way of making peace, telling me that we were going to behave like good co-parents and exes. I hoped to God she wasn’t going to revert back to the bitch that went after Sable and accused her daughter of not being loyal to her because she didn’t like her ex-husband’s girlfriend.
Everyone settled at their tables, and the first course was served. The music continued, and I walked around the tables, checking in with everyone, which was part of my job. Another part of my job was to give a speech after the main course was cleared and dessert was served.
The band had just finished a song, and the timing couldn’t have been better. I strode up the few steps to the microphone, my heart pounding harder with every step. The chatter in the room began to quiet as people turned their attention to me.
I adjusted the mic, cleared my throat, and started.
“Good evening, everyone. I want to thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate another promising start of the season. This is always one of my favorite nights of the year—seeing all of you, the people who make this town and its businesses thrive. ”
There were murmurs of agreement, polite smiles, and a few scattered claps.
“Tonight, I want to talk about us as a community and what that means,” I continued.
I spoke to large crowds all the time and wasn’t the type who had any kind of anxiety—but this time, I was getting a little warm around the collar. A hundred pairs of eyes were on me, including Sable’s.
“As many of you know, I’ve been in Aspen for nearly a year and a half now. And in that time, I’ve seen a lot of things I admire about this town. But I’ve also seen things that troubled me.”
I glanced around the room, taking a power pause to collect myself.
“Too often, I’ve seen some people treated like outsiders. Like they don’t belong here, and not because they don’t contribute to this community—it’s because of where they come from or how they started.”
I took a breath and then looked directly at Sable. She was holding a glass of wine. I’d made sure we’d served a Malbec from Mendoza with the main course.
“Now, I know that we’re a small town, and everyone knows everyone’s business. It comes with some amazing benefits. People help each other. They are there for each other. But when you screw up, everyone is also watching. Yeah?”
There was a smattering of laughter.
“There has been a lot of talk about the Wildflower Tavern lately. Ben Greyfeather, as you know, ran that local meeting place for decades. ”
People clapped, and Ben rose and took a bow. We’d planned this.
“There has been a lot of gossip about the new owner.”
There was a ripple of whispers through the room, and I saw Sable stiffen, her eyes widening.
“As you know, Sable Nees owns the Wildflower Tavern.” I took the leap. “She continues to maintain it as a place that celebrates this town—a place that brings people together. She’s kicked it up a notch, didn’t she?”
People were nodding, some clapping, some looking at Alexa, who was smiling. I was fucking proud of her. This was costing my ex-wife big time, but she wasn’t backing down. I’d told her that she was welcome not to come because I’d be making a speech, spilling my guts about Sable. She’d told me she would support me no matter what. I’d told Juno that. She’d been surprised, but I could see that she was getting ready to forgive her mother.
“My kid and her friends won tickets to the freaking rodeo on Trivia Night. My fifteen-year-old is as excited as if she won Taylor Swift concert tickets,” I joked.
People laughed.
Sable stared at me.
“Jazz Nights.”
People clapped now, hard. Alexa did as well. She smiled tentatively at me and nodded. I was grateful.
“I know that most of you heard about what I said to Sable and how I treated her at the farmer’s market.”
Daniel Vikar was almost up from his seat then, but his daughter yanked him down. At Sable’s table, Casey held her hand, kept her seated, and whispered something in her ear.
“Sable didn’t deserve what I said to her,” I admitted. “She hasn’t deserved to be treated like she isn’t a contributing member of our community.”
I turned to face Sable directly, meeting her eyes. “Sable, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for what I said, for what I did, and for not standing by you when I should have. You didn’t deserve that, and I’ll spend as long as it takes to make it up to you.”
Her face softened, but she remained still, like a statue.
I turned back to the room. “But this isn’t just about me. It’s about all of us. We’re a community. And that means lifting each other up, not tearing each other down. We should measure our success based on who we include, not who we exclude.”
The room was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, the applause started. At first, it was a few people—Natasha, Ben, Alexa, Wyatt, Fred—and then everyone followed.