Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Jameson
"H igher, Uncle Jay, higher!" Mia squeals, gripping the blue parachute as I lift it skyward, sending dozens of colored balls bouncing into the air.
The children shriek with delight, scrambling to catch them before they hit the ground. It's our most popular activity for the summer day camp. It’s simple, chaotic, and guaranteed to tire them out before their parents return.
Two weeks have passed since Savannah left. Two weeks of throwing myself into work, of avoiding my family's concerned glances, of pretending I don't check my phone whenever it buzzes. Two weeks of telling myself I'm fine Just fine.
"Uncle Jay, you're not paying attention!" Mia protests as a ball rolls past me.
"Sorry, kiddo." I force a smile, shaking off thoughts I can't afford to dwell on. Not during the Elk Ridge Summer Adventure Camp's finale day.
"One more time," I call out, drawing the children's attention back to the parachute. "Everyone grab a handle, and on three, we'll send these balls to the moon!"
As I count down, Bear suddenly lifts his head from where he's been lounging in the shade. His ears perk up, his entire body going alert. Before I can react, he's bolting across the field, a golden streak heading toward the main lodge.
"Bear!" I call after him, but he doesn't even hesitate.
"I've got this," Declan says, appearing at my side. "Jules texted me to take over. Said you may need some backup."
"But the kids?—"
"Will survive without you for five minutes," he finishes, taking the parachute handle from my hand. There's curiosity in his expression, but no hint that he knows what's going on. "Go. I'll handle the chaos here."
Curiosity piqued, I jog after Bear, squinting against the afternoon sun. At first, I don't see what captured his attention. Then a flash of movement near the lodge entrance makes me stop dead in my tracks.
Bear dancing in excited circles around a familiar figure.
Savannah.
She's kneeling on the path, actually hugging my dog, her face buried in his golden fur. She's wearing jeans and a simple blue blouse instead of her usual power suit, a portfolio tucked under one arm. She looks different somehow—softer, more relaxed, more...here.
She hasn't noticed me yet, completely absorbed in greeting Bear. My feet feel rooted to the ground, unable to move forward or back.
"Is that—?" Liam's voice comes from behind me, startling me out of my shock. "What's she doing back? I thought today was her big Denver start date."
"It was," I manage, unable to look away from her. "At least, that's what she told me before she left."
Bear barks joyfully, then races back toward me as if to share his exciting discovery. Savannah looks up, following Bear's path, and her eyes widen as they land on me. She straightens slowly, clutching her portfolio a bit tighter, offering a small, uncertain wave.
Before I can react, she turns and continues toward the lodge entrance, her pace quickening slightly.
"Did you know about this?" I ask, turning to find Liam watching me with an unusually careful expression.
"No, but..." He hesitates. "Mom asked me to clear her schedule for a meeting this afternoon. Something about restructuring our corporate retreat program."
"Restructuring our—" My brain struggles to connect the dots, to understand what this means.
"She's in with Mom right now," Liam says, surprise evident in his voice. "Mom just said she had an important meeting about expanding our corporate retreat program. I had no idea it was with Savannah."
"How could you not know who Mom was meeting with?" I ask, confusion mixing with the shock of seeing her.
Liam shakes his head. "Mom just said to clear her schedule for an important business meeting. You know how she is. Always being mysterious when she's planning something."
I stare at the lodge entrance where Savannah disappeared moments ago. She's back in Elk Ridge. Not in Denver. Meeting with my mother about something business-related.
"So she's not in Denver." I try to keep my voice neutral, to not reveal how my heart is hammering against my ribs.
"Apparently not," Liam says, looking as confused as I feel. "But what that means..."
He trails off as Jules jogs up to us, slightly out of breath. "Did I miss it? Is she here?"
"You knew she was coming?" I turn to her, surprised.
"She called me this morning," Jules admits. "Asked if Evie would be available for a meeting. I didn't know what it was about, just that it was important."
"Important enough that she's not in Denver starting her fancy new job," I say, trying to process what this might mean.
Jules glances toward the lodge, then back at me. "I think you need to talk to her, Jay. Whatever brought her back here instead of Denver seems like something you should hear from her directly."
Bear whines, looking between me and the lodge entrance, clearly conflicted about where he should be.
"Go," Liam says, giving me a gentle push. "I'll handle the kids with Declan."
I don't need to be told twice. With a final pat on Bear's head, I stride toward the lodge, my mind racing with questions. What is she doing here? Why isn't she in Denver? Why come back without telling me?
I find them in Mom's office—Savannah standing beside the whiteboard, pointing to what looks like a presentation slide on her tablet. Mom's expression is focused, engaged in a way she usually reserves for exciting new lodge opportunities.
"—boutique experience that larger corporate venues simply can't match," Savannah is saying. "With the right positioning, Mountain Laurel Lodge could become the premier destination for exclusive executive retreats in the region."
Neither of them notices me at first, giving me a moment to take in the scene. Savannah seems different. She’s still poised and articulate, but there's a passion in her voice I've only heard glimpses of before. Her hair is looser, her posture more relaxed, her gestures more animated.
"Jameson," Mom says, finally spotting me in the doorway. "Perfect timing. Savannah has the most fascinating proposal for our corporate retreat program."
Savannah turns, and for a brief moment, vulnerability flashes across her face before her professional mask slides back into place. "Jameson. Hi."
"Hi?" I repeat, unable to keep the edge from my voice. "Two weeks of nothing and all I get is 'hi'?"
Mom glances between us, her intuition immediately sensing the tension. "I think I need to check on that... thing. In the kitchen." She gathers her notepad, giving Savannah's arm a gentle squeeze as she passes. "We can continue this later, dear."
The door closes behind her, leaving us alone in a silence heavy with unspoken words.
"I thought you'd be in Denver by now," I finally say. "Corner office. Regional Director. Everything you've worked for."
"I was in Denver," she says quietly.
"And yet here you are. In Elk Ridge." I cross my arms, trying to protect myself from hoping too much. "Why?"
She sets her tablet down, her fingers lingering on the edge as if needing something to ground her. "I took the job, signed the contracts, and toured the office. Everything was perfect, exactly as planned."
"So what happened?"
"They asked me about my vision for the future," she says, meeting my eyes directly. "And I couldn't answer. Because all I could think about was..."
She hesitates, and I hold my breath.
"You," she finishes. "Your family. This place."
My heart stutters, but I stay rooted in place. I've been here before. Thinking she might feel something real, only to watch her retreat behind her plans and spreadsheets.
"I realized I was planning my life around what looked good on paper," she continues, taking a step toward me. "A prestigious title, an impressive office, a salary that would make my parents finally proud. But none of it made me happy."
"And what does?" I ask, holding onto caution even as hope begins to unfurl.
She takes another step closer. "Teaching Mia origami. Listening to Evie's stories about the lodge's history. Even Bear shedding all over my clothes." A smile tugs at her lips. "Mostly, though... you. The way you make me laugh. The way you challenge me. The way you believed in me even when I was just a business arrangement."
My throat tightens. "You weren't just a business arrangement, Savannah. Not to me."
"I know that now," she says softly. "It took standing in that perfect Denver office, surrounded by everything I thought I wanted, to realize what I actually needed."
She's close enough now that I can catch the subtle scent of her perfume, can see the uncertainty mingled with determination in her eyes.
"So I quit," she says. "I gave back the signing bonus, walked away from the corner office, and spent the last week putting together a proposal."
"A proposal?" My voice sounds strained even to my own ears.
"To establish a boutique corporate retreat planning service, based right here in Elk Ridge." Her eyes never leave mine. "Using Mountain Laurel Lodge as my premier venue."
I try to process what she's saying, what it means. "You're staying?"
"I'm staying." She takes a deep breath. "If... if that's something you want."
The walls I've built over the last two weeks start to crumble. "What about the arrangement? The pretending?"
"I don't want to pretend anymore," she says, her voice steady despite the vulnerability in her eyes. "Not about the engagement, not about my career, not about what I really want."
"And what do you want, Savannah?" I need to hear her say it, need to know this is real.
"You." The simplicity of her answer steals my breath. "Us. A chance to see if what started as pretend could be something real."
My restraint shatters. In two strides, I close the distance between us, my hands coming up to frame her face as I kiss her. Not gently, not tentatively, but with all the emotion I've been holding back for weeks. Her arms wind around my neck, pulling me closer as she responds with equal fervor.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathless. I rest my forehead against hers, unwilling to put any more distance between us.
Wordlessly, I reach into my pocket and pull out the leather bracelet with the wooden mountain charm. The same one I offered her that night in the kitchen, the one she couldn't accept then. I've carried it every day since, a tangible reminder of what might have been.
"Still have this," I say, holding it between us.
She touches it gently, fingers tracing the outline of the carved mountain. "I wanted to take it that night," she admits softly. "I just wasn't brave enough then."
"And now?"
"Now I'm exactly where I want to be," she says, holding out her wrist.
With a smile I can't contain, I fasten the bracelet around her wrist. "Perfect fit."
The door swings open suddenly, and Bear bounds into the room, followed by what seems like half my family. Mom, Declan, Jules, even Mia, who squeals in delight when she spots Savannah.
"Savannah! You came back!" Mia races over, wrapping her arms around Savannah's waist. "Are you staying? Can we make more origami foxes?"
Savannah laughs, genuinely and freely in a way I've rarely heard. "Yes to both," she says, her eyes finding mine over Mia's head.
"So," Mom says, taking in our interlaced fingers and the leather bracelet now adorning Savannah's wrist. "Should I assume the engagement is back on? Or was it never really off?"
Savannah and I exchange a look, a silent conversation passing between us. It's time for the truth.
"Actually, Mom..." I take a deep breath. "The engagement was never real to begin with."
A ripple of surprise passes through the family, but Mom just tilts her head, looking more curious than upset.
"It started as a business arrangement," Savannah explains, her voice steady despite the vulnerability in her eyes. "I needed to impress Mr. Bennett for the contract, and Jameson agreed to help."
"We were pretending," I add, squeezing her hand. "Until we weren't."
Mom studies us for a long moment, then a slow smile spreads across her face. "Oh, I had my suspicions. No one falls in love that fast." She pauses, eyes twinkling. "Well, except your father and me, of course."
"You knew?" I'm genuinely shocked.
"I know my children, Jameson," she says simply. "But I also saw how you looked at each other. That part wasn't pretend."
Mia tugs on Savannah's sleeve. "So you're not getting married?"
Savannah kneels down to Mia's level, her smile gentle. "Not yet. But I am staying in Elk Ridge."
"And the rest," I say, meeting Savannah's eyes with all the hope and promise I feel, "we'll figure out together. No more pretending."
And before she can say anything, I kiss her again, right there in my mother's office, surrounded by my family, Bear barking happily at our feet. Because some things are too important to hide, too precious to rush.