Chapter 20
The Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge, situated on a pristine alpine lake in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, was beautiful.
The scenic view from all the lodge room windows enticed guests to appreciate being surrounded by the beauty of nature.
For the holidays, the Steeles had rented the entire lodge, which offered amenities including five adult game rooms, a fully equipped fitness center, a theater, a snowboarding park, golf courses, hiking trails, bike paths, and many more.
As planned, everyone arrived two days before Christmas.
After a welcoming brunch, the kids went to watch Christmas movies in the state-of-the-art theater.
Some of the women assembled in one of the large private rooms to relax, while others explored a couple of the boutiques and spas on site.
A number of the men had gathered in one of the entertainment rooms to shoot pool, while others were in the sports room watching the football playoffs.
Several couldn’t resist a poker game initiated by Quade Westmoreland.
The men who’d assembled to shoot pool were enjoying drinks and catching up on what they’d been doing since the last time they were together as they waited their turn at the pool table.
“I don’t like him,” Eli Steele said, loud enough for all to hear.
His brother Mercury, who had just finished making a shot, looked at him curiously. “Who don’t you like, Eli?”
“That guy who came with Tiffany and introduced himself as her fiancé ─Gary Palmer.”
“He seems like a nice enough guy,” Reese Singleton added, sipping his beer. “What is it about him that you don’t like?”
“I’m not sure. He seems too sure of himself. Too smooth and over-confident,” Eli replied.
“Sounds a lot like you are most of the time,” his brother Galen said, grinning. “Did Chance know Tiffany had gotten engaged?”
“I’m sure he did,” Winston Coltrane, a friend of the Steeles, said. “I can’t imagine her getting engaged to Gary without Chance and Kylie meeting him first.”
“Well, I know for a fact they didn’t know. Chance and Kylie were as surprised as we were,” Sebastian Steele said about his brother and sister-in-law.
“Tiffany must really be taken with this guy,” Mercury Steele said, frowning.
“One thing that’s for certain,” Gannon Steele said, chuckling. “That’s not one of your rings on her finger, Zion.”
Zion Blackstone, an internationally renowned jewelry designer, chuckled as he moved toward the pool table for his turn. “Cut the guy some slack. Not everyone can afford a ring designed by Zion.”
“I heard Tiffany tell Leah and Jocelyn that the guy’s pretty well off. His family comes from old money,” Reese said.
York Ellis, another family friend, sipped his drink. “If that’s what he told Tiffany, he lied.”
Everyone turned to stare at York. “Why would you say that?” Jonas Steele asked.
“I did a background check on him right after Tiffany introduced him to me,” York said.
“You’re kidding, right?” Sebastian Steele asked.
“I am not kidding,” York replied.
“What made you do that?” Mercury’s best friend, Jaye Colfax, asked.
“I have an uncanny ability to read people. The guy seemed to get a little nervous when Tiffany introduced us, especially after she mentioned what I did for a living,” York said. He was a former police officer who currently owned a security and private investigative firm.
“How did you do the background check so quickly? Did you contact someone in your network?” Sebastian inquired.
“No. That would have taken too much time. The information came to me through this,” York said, holding up his wrist to show an expensive-looking gold watch.
“Don’t let all this gold fool you. It’s high-tech.
All I have to do is pretend I’m touching my nose to angle the face of my watch to a person’s eyes.
Bingo. Some people don’t realize that facial recognition on devices is the way of the future.
My watch told me everything I needed to know. ”
“So, what did you find out?” Morgan Steele asked, a deep frown settling on his face.
When York hesitated, Donovan Steele said, “If you know anything else, spill your guts.” He placed his cue stick down on the table and stared at York. “Tiffany is my niece.”
“Ours, too,” Sebastian and Morgan said.
“And she’s our cousin,” Galen, Mercury, Jonas, and Gannon Steele chimed in.
York stared at the men. “And if I had any more information, what would you do with it?”
“Tell Chance and demand he end their engagement,” Morgan said.
“Do you honestly want to do that?” Xavier Kane, another family friend, asked.
“Tiffany isn’t a kid anymore. She’s a twenty-six-year-old woman.
She might not take too kindly to anyone sticking their noses into her business.
Besides, young people are known for stretching the truth about their wealth.
That’s nothing new. Cameron and I did it all the time in college, trying to gain entry to certain parties on campus.
Those were the parties with the best food.
You guys need to chill. If Palmer hasn’t killed anyone, I don’t see why there’s a problem. ”
“That’s the opinion of a man who has sons and no daughters,” Virgil Bougard?the father of two daughters?said, shaking his head.
“Yeah, those of us with daughters definitely think there’s a problem. The guy’s dishonest. I say we tell Chance,” Donovan said.
“I say we don’t,” Tyson Steele said, speaking up for the first time. “I agree with Xavier. I hear it’s not cool to let anyone know you’re broke these days. Young people make up stories about their wealth all the time.”
“But they don’t lie to the woman they intend to marry,” Galen Steele said, disagreeing with his brother.
“I agree with Xavier and Tyson. Gary Palmer hasn’t broken any laws. His financial status and social class are between him and Tiffany, and we should mind our own business,” Bronson Scott, race car driver extraordinaire, said as he lined up his shot.
As if the majority had decided to follow Bronson’s advice, a conversation between the men started up again. Everyone was listening to Mercury, a sports agent, discuss a high school kid he was keeping an eye on for a potential future NBA deal.
When there was a lull in the conversation, York grabbed another beer and added, “Oh, and just so you all know, Gary Palmer isn’t his real name.”
**
The room got deathly quiet. No one moved, and all eyes stared at York. Finally, Sebastian spoke. “What do you mean, Gary Palmer isn’t his real name?”
“Because it’s not,” York responded. “I’m not sure if it’s an alias or if he changed his name at some point.”
“Why would anyone want to change their name?” Reese Singleton asked.
“Trust me, I intend to find out,” York said, taking another sip of his beer. “My men are on it.”
“The fake name is a game changer,” Bronson Scott said. “I was trying to cut Palmer some slack, but this smells fishy.”
“Listen, guys, I suggest that we not jump to conclusions until York finds out more. The guy might have had a reason for changing his name. We need to know all the facts,” Xavier said.
“Spoken like a true attorney,” Zion said.
“Well, this attorney has an opposing view,” Eli said, frowning. “I agree with Bronson. I’m beginning to smell a rat.” He switched his gaze to York. “How soon will your men wrap up their investigation?”
“I put a rush on it. I told them to enjoy Christmas, but I wanted the information before New Year’s. I have no reason to think I won’t get it.”
“Good,” Sebastian said.
“In the meantime,” York said, scanning the room and meeting the gazes of all the men there. “We can’t give anything away. Especially to Palmer. If he’s up to something unsavory, we don’t want him to know we’re on to him.”
“That will be hard to do. Like I said, Tiffany is my niece,” Morgan said, frowning. “And when I married Lena, Tiffany also became my goddaughter. I don’t like the idea of this guy not being sincere.”
“Well, there’s a possibility that he’s not. Until we find out for certain, you need to work on your attitude or avoid him,” Bronson said.
“I agree,” York added.
“What about Chance? When do we tell him what we suspect?” Donovan asked.
Sebastian rubbed a hand down his face. “I suggest we not tell him anything until we have facts.”
“I agree with you on that,” Morgan said. “Our oldest brother has a horrible poker face. He will give something away, especially if it concerns his daughter. You think my attitude is bad, Chance’s will be worse. He’s Mr. Nice Guy until it involves a threat to the family.”
“In that case, we need to keep things from Chance.” York said.
“In fact, I suggest we keep this to ourselves until we know more. We shouldn’t tell anyone…
including wives. I’ll mention it to Quade because he still has connections with security agencies within the government.
You never know when we might need help getting information. ”
After taking a deep breath and then releasing it, York added, “Unfortunately, we’re just going to have to wait it out. Most places have shut down for the holidays. We’ll just have to act as normally as possible.”
“That’s easier said than done,” Tyson Steele said. “But we will try.”
The other men nodded in agreement.
**
Drew and Eden entered the mini-lodge, the same one where they had spent those ten days forty-one years ago.
Both the exterior and interior had changed.
The porch was wider and now adjacent to a covered deck that included a firepit, comfortable chairs and a swing, allowing guests to sit outside to enjoy nature’s beauty.
The renovations had been done in such a way to not detract from the lodge’s architectural beauty.
The interior was where most of the remodeling had been done.
It looked completely different. More square footage had been added to create a larger living room and dining area, which provided an expansive view of the lake and mountains.
And there were more appliances. In fact, there was now a full working kitchen.
In addition to a refrigerator, there was a stove, microwave, and dishwasher.
New countertops had been installed, along with new light fixtures, flooring, and an additional bathroom.
They couldn’t wait to see what changes had been made to the bedroom.
The bed was still gigantic, and the sight of the mountains and lake was still amazing.
Drew held Eden in his arms as they glanced out the bedroom window.
They were looking forward to waking up to this view over the coming days.
“That was nice of Charlie to arrange for us to have a complimentary, additional night’s stay here in our mini-lodge.
His son, Seth, seems to be just as accommodating as his dad,” Drew said.
“Seth said his father wants the chef to prepare a special dinner for us in their new dining area, which has been totally renovated,” Eden added. “He called it a bonus treat for New Year’s Eve.” She glanced around. “I can’t believe it’s been forty-one years…”
Drew chuckled. “We won’t remember how the dining area looked before. We took all our meals in here.”
“That’s true,” Eden said. “And I have no complaints.” She took his arm and cuddled closer to him. “The family will be leaving the lodge on the morning of the 31st. I understand our sons have early flights that day ─they have a number of New Year’s Eve parties at home to attend.”
“So, I heard.”
“Since we’re staying behind at Mountain-Scape Lake Lodge alone, why don’t we do as we did on our first New Year’s here together ─spend the entire day in bed making love and ordering room service. Then we’ll go to dinner that evening,” Eden suggested, giving him a seductive smile.
“Hmm, I love the way you think, and that sounds like a good plan to me, Mrs. Steele.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer.
“What a difference forty-one years make,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m glad we were able to get this place.
Regardless of the renovations, it holds a lot of memories for us. ”
They visited here one weekend six months ago.
Before the ‘Christmas with the Steeles’ planning committee would give their final approval for the lodge, they wanted Eden to come check it out to make certain that it would accommodate all their needs.
While here, Drew and Eden inquired about the mini-lodge and were told it was occupied at the time, so they hadn’t been able to tour it.
However, they’d made a reservation to stay in the suite while they were here with the family for Christmas.
She nodded. “Lots of memories. Can you believe that when we were here that week, forty-one years ago, there were no cell phones? How on earth did we manage?”
Drew threw his head back and laughed. “We managed, sweetheart. It was the best time of my life, getting to know you.” He took her hand. “Let’s see if there is still a hot tub in the bathroom.”
There was. In fact, it was bigger. The shower was larger as well. Eden turned to Drew. “I’m going to love being back here reliving memories.”
“Me, too, sweetheart. And making new ones.” He swept his wife into his arms and headed back to the bedroom. Eden Tyson Steele would always be the woman who had his heart, and Drew was grateful all six of his sons had finally settled down and found beautiful, kind, and loving women as well.
The Phoenix Steeles were growing, and he anticipated–like Eden–even more grandkids in their future. Life was good.