Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
HADLEY
Slowly, Sugar Peak Resort has been turning into a winter wonderland. On top of wanting to create a cozy atmosphere for the guests, the grand opening is scheduled for the week after Christmas—so we’re pulling out all the stops.
The lobby has been decorated in shades of silver and gold, including a towering Christmas tree in the centre.
My parents were never huge on the whole decoration thing, so seeing all this opulence laid out before me has me feeling all sorts of giddy. There’s also something magical about snow at Christmastime, and up in the mountains, we have that in spades.
“You sure you don’t want me to do that?” Jamie asks, arching a brow as he sets up his ladder for me.
I nod. “I've got this, and I promise I’ll return your ladder once I’m finished.”
With a shake of his head, the resort’s handyman walks away, leaving me to stare up at the offending wreath on the wall. It was hung up with the rest of the lobby’s decorations, but I noticed last night that it’s crooked and its presence has been bugging me since.
I shove the ladder into place and then I begin to climb. The rungs are a little wobbly under my feet, but I tighten my grip until I reach the top .
“Hadley,” someone calls, “can I talk to you?”
I look down to find Sheila, the resort’s manager, standing beside the ladder. “Of course,” I say, returning my attention to the wreath. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“I’d rather not wait,” she says.
I bite back a sigh of frustration and plaster on a smile. “Alright, go ahead.”
She might not want to wait, but I’ll be damned if I don’t fix this right now. She can talk while I work. My fingers just about close around the decoration when Sheila speaks again.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m resigning.”
The wreath is successfully off the wall, in my hands. Victory . But I could have sworn Sheila just said she’s resigning . That can't be right.
My head snaps toward her. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I’m resigning,” she repeats.
“What do you mean, you’re resigning ?”
The resort manager blinks up at me. “It means I…quit,” she says.
I know what the word means , I want to snap.
Admittedly, I’ve been distracted the last couple days. Running into Brooks—twice—has scrambled my brain a bit. I don’t think I’ve been distracted enough to miss signs of this , though.
“Why?” I ask. I’m still standing on the stupid ladder, but I can’t make myself climb down. “Did something happen? We can schedule a meeting with Mr. Oliveira and talk about it. We can?—”
“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s nothing like that, I swear. A position opened up at another resort that makes more sense for me. It’s closer to my family.”
“But…” I slump against the ladder, the wreath loose in my hand. “The grand opening…”
While our events manager is in charge of the grand opening itself, we were depending on Sheila to keep the rest of the resort running smoothly in the meantime. I was depending on Sheila. The last thing I want is Thiago stepping in when he’s supposed to be taking a break. But if Sheila is gone…
She sighs. “I’m sorry, Hadley, but I need to do this. I’ve left a formal resignation for Thiago, but I wanted to make sure I talked to you, too.”
All of my hopes and dreams and plans begin to swirl down the drain. I like making plans and sticking to them. I create backup plans for my backup plans.
This was not in the plan.
“I’ll finish out the week,” Sheila continues, maybe in an effort to comfort me. But I’m already spiralling. “It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
“You, too,” I say numbly.
She spares me another look and then turns on her heel. I watch her go, silently hoping she’ll change her mind. She never does.
So far, everything with the resort has been operating efficiently. Besides a few minor hiccups, we’ve managed to evade all the disasters that could befall a new business. Until now.
Losing Sheila is going to throw everything off balance.
With a sigh, I return to my redecorating. I stretch to place the wreath above the doorway, properly this time. Doing this in heels probably isn’t smart, but I don’t have time to change footwear. I have a lot to do today—even more now that Sheila has resigned.
Hiring a new manager this late in the game, when the season is already underway, will be a feat. I’ll do it, though. Thiago trusts me to take care of things, and I don’t take that lightly.
My thoughts tangle together as my brain runs in a million different directions. So when someone else calls my name, I startle.
My grip on the ladder loosens. I can feel myself falling, but I also recognize the exact moment my heel gets caught on one of the rungs. I squeeze my eyes shut and brace for impact, but it never comes. Instead, strong arms cradle me to a solid chest.
I peek one eye open and turn toward my saviour .
Brooks .
“I don’t remember you being this clumsy,” he says. His eyes sparkle with amusement.
“You can put me down now,” I say, cheeks flaming.
He lowers me to the floor and takes a step back. I smooth a hand down my front, righting my blouse, and then I turn. As soon as I put pressure on my right foot, my ankle twinges, making me stumble.
“Whoa there.” Brooks grabs my elbow, steadying me. “What’s wrong?”
“I think I hurt my ankle when I”— made an absolute fool of myself —“fell.”
He looks down at my feet and then back up, expression stern. “Why are you climbing a ladder in stilettos?”
I huff. “I don’t need a safety lesson. I’m fine.” I shake his hand away from my arm. “I’ll walk it off.”
Before I can so much as take a step, Brooks scoops me into his arms again and starts heading toward the back office. Despite my protests, which he ignores, he carries me all the way there and then sets me on top of the desk.
Strangely, I feel like something is missing when he lets me go.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask.
“Checking your ankle to see if you sprained it,” he replies.
“Last I checked, you weren’t a doctor.”
He shrugs. “You have been gone a long time, Hads. Things change.”
I roll my eyes. “Not that much.”
“Fine. But can you at least take a second before you jump back in headfirst?”
“I can’t! I have to get back to work!"
Work, where I have a million things to do. My email inbox is likely growing by the second. I know I have a message from Mia, the events manager, that I need to respond to.
“Your work will still be there in five minutes.”
Crossing my arms, I say, “You can’t just keep me here against my will.” He ignores me. “Brooks?—”
Next thing I know, he’s leaning into my space. My thighs are parted, leaving room for him to step between them. He places his hands on the desk on either side of me, caging me in. I have nowhere to run—if I wanted to run.
But…I don’t think I want to.
The other day under the mistletoe caught me off guard. This feels different. And for once, I let myself sink into the idea of what it would be like to kiss him again.
The scent of his cologne washes over me, like the night I saw him at Dirty Dick’s. And meeting those brown eyes… God, they’re so pretty. Getting lost in them has always made the rest of the world go quiet.
It’s been eight years, but it doesn’t feel like it when he’s staring at me like that . My blood heats, roaring in my ears. Am I really that hard-up? Apparently I am, because I have the urge to wrap my legs around his hips and pull him even closer.
And it’s because of all this that I do something I probably shouldn’t.
Uncrossing my arms, I grab him by the shirtfront and then drag his mouth to mine. The press of his lips is familiar, but the ferocity with which he kisses me back is new. We took our time when we were younger, exploring each other. But there is nothing slow or exploratory about this kiss.
This kiss is a pillage.
I hardly register throwing my arms around his neck. With one hand still braced on the desk, Brooks uses the other to angle my jaw the way he wants it. His fingers are warm against my skin. Familiar. Everything about this feels comfortable, like I’m taking my first deep breath after the longest time without air.
When we pull apart, my eyes blink open, and then they go wide. Oh, no. I just kissed my ex. I just made out with my ex. This is all Sam’s fault. She filled my head with these stupid ideas and now …
“Oh, God,” I say. I touch my swollen lips with shaking fingers. “I am so sorry.”
“Fuck, Hadley,” Brooks groans. “I’m not.”
His eyes pierce me, and he looks like he could, in this moment, devour me. I’m not as opposed to the idea as I should be.
No . This is bad . Very bad .
I shake my head. “No, I— I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Hadley.”
My eyes shoot back to his. “Yeah?”
“Stop freaking out.”
My lips clamp shut as Brooks stands to his full height. Now that he isn’t so close, I feel less flustered. Somewhat.
I offer him a wry smile. “But I’m so good at it.”
He laughs, and the action transforms his face. My heart does a funny little skip, seeing that amusement in his expression. I missed it. I missed him .
He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re very good at it. The best. But right now, I just need you to breathe.”
Breathe. I can do that .
I force myself to inhale, filling my lungs, and then I slowly release. He nods as he watches me, satisfied.
Then the door handle jiggles, and all sense of calm flies out of my body. I jump off the desk, forgetting all about my sore ankle.
“Shit,” I curse as I stumble.
Brooks sets a hand on my waist to steady me just as my boss walks into the room.
After all the times Brooks and I fooled around as teenagers, our first time getting caught had to be now. Life sure has a funny sense of humour.
“Hey. I’ve been looking for you,” Thiago says. “Should’ve known I would find you here.”
I laugh nervously. “Here I am. I was planning to come find you, actually.” Before I stuck my tongue down my ex boyfriend’s throat . “Sheila just handed in her resignation. But I’ll figure it out! I’ve already got plans to put a post up for her replacement, and I’ll?—”
Thiago holds up a hand. “Hadley. Slow down.”
I bite back my words, taking a moment to pause. “Sorry. But I really do have everything under control.”
I hope .
Thiago smiles, and the unworried expression he wears eases my anxious thoughts. “I know you do. I can always count on you.”
I nod. “Of course. Always.”
His eyes flick to Brooks behind me. “Who is this?”
“Oh, him?” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder for unnecessary emphasis. “He’s nobody.”
Lies .
Brooks sidesteps me and holds out his hand. “Brooks Dawson. I work the lounge bar part-time.”
Thiago’s brows raise as he shakes Brooks’s hand. “Thiago Oliveira.”
I can tell he’s still wondering why Brooks is standing in the office with me. There’s no reason for Brooks to be back here.
With a sigh, I resign myself to this awkward conversation. “We went to high school together. We were just catching up.”
Brooks snorts, and I elbow him in the side. Hard.
“Right,” Thiago says, looking like he doesn’t believe me at all. “Do you have a minute?”
“Totally.” I nod, much too enthusiastically. Then I turn to Brooks, socking him in the shoulder lightly. “See you around, buddy.”
“Oh, I’ll be seeing you, pal ,” he says pointedly, a gleam in his eye I can only describe as wicked.
I think I might be in trouble.