Chapter 6
Niko
“I hadn’t heard the lodge was looking for an instructor.
Don’t get me wrong, the lodge is nice and the athletic accommodations for the athletes are great.
But you can only eat at the lodge restaurants so many times before you start craving real variety.
The twenty-minute drive here is scenic and easy, and with the team practicing more on Witt Mountain, you should have a solid base for at least seasonal business.
But you’re right, you need a few more things to draw people in. A big-name restaurant would help.”
“That’s our problem,” I sigh. “No one is doing anything. When asked what businesses have been recruited or contacted the mayor always says ‘we’re working on it’. If the mayor with all his ‘connections’, can’t be bothered to chase down new businesses, who will?
“He hasn’t even taken care of what we already had.
The town use to have an ice-skating rink.
The kid’s hockey teams played against other nearby towns.
Now that’s gone. We could have snowmobile and ski rentals.
Maybe a trendy bar with live music. And that creepy old mansion outside of town would be perfect for escape rooms.
“The issue is not the people. Everyone who lives here works hard. The issue is there’s no vision in the current mayor or town council. They don’t know how to work or inspire or entice businesses to open here.
“And you won’t see any of them helping with the Christmas event either. They don’t have small children anymore. Not one of them have offered to look for donors for the event expenses. They have their money. They don’t care about anyone else.”
“When is the next board or mayoral election?”
“Next year.”
“You should run.”
Her eyes go wide. “I—I don’t have the education.”
“What you’ve got is more important. You care. You have the heart and it’s not about filling your own pocket. I believe you could do it and do it well. Look at it this way, you couldn’t be worse that what they have, right?”
“That’s a valid point,” she laughs.
She glances down the street. “I want another coffee from where Sall works. Want one?”
“Please. With cream. I want to look at these old building some more. Do you mind?”
“Go ahead. I’ll be right back.”
I wander to the window of the shuttered high-end restaurant.
The Italian owner’s name is familiar to me.
Not as big or as well-known as my mother’s restaurants.
He did have a solid reputation. The inside looks large, but I can’t see the kitchen or the condition.
On the plus side, the building next door is also available and could allow for possible expansion.
I snap a few pictures of the outside, one of the streets going in each direction and one of the listing agent information, then send them to Mama and Baba.
After five minutes I call.
“Niko, where are you? Where is this place you send me pictures of?”
“I love you too, Mama.”
“Pfft. You know you are my favorite. Do not tell your father or siblings. That is our secret. Where are you?”
“In that little village I told you about. The town is struggling because of mismanagement. It’s close to the mountains where I ski. You said you want to expand in a new direction. This place could be perfect.”
A beat. “Something is in your voice. What have you done?”
“I might look into a job here. The lodge is looking for an instructor. Mama… this is my last competitive season. I’m done. It’s not in my heart anymore.”
She’s silent so long I think I might have lost the connection. “Mama?”
“The pictures I sent you. The ones for your friend Dominic, who you are staying with. This is the same place, yes?”
“Well—yes. But Dom had to leave. I’m staying with his sister. She was the one who needed the pictures.”
“She has a house?”
“Her family has a cabin in the woods. But we aren’t far from the town. Like I said, the town is struggling. Businesses are closing and people are losing their jobs. She’s an event planner trying to still have the town Christmas party so the children can at least get one gift and a hot meal.
“The people I’ve met here are good, Mama. It reminds me of how hard you had to work in the beginning.”
“Send me everything. About the town. The lodge. Now. I love you.”
My mother has been wanting to expand again—Manhattan, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Chicago—two and three Michelin stars.
But for the last two years she’s wanted something different, something for families.
For everyday people. She’ll never lower her standards.
She will lower her prices because she believes everyone deserves real food made with heart.
She’s gonna love Wynter.
Just like I do.
I lean a hand against the building and press my forehead against the cool glass.
Just like I do.
Three deep breaths steady me. When I raise my head, I spot her down the street, leaving the coffee shop. She’s talking animatedly to Sall, before pausing and giving her friend a one-armed hug and whispering something that makes Sall wipe her eyes and smile
That’s what I love. Her compassion, her loyalty, the way she shows up. She’s real. And I am not going to let her go.
I meet her halfway. “Is everything okay?”
She shakes her head. “Sall’s brother’s job shut down today. He’s a construction contractor and his crew does a lot of the work in town. It’s always a little slower in winter. He may have to leave town to find work until spring. Last time he was in Albany for almost six months living in an SRO.”
“What is that?”
“Single Room Occupancy, like the old boarding houses. You get a single room to yourself but share everything else in the house. It’s not ideal but he can’t afford an apartment and there is no way to commute back and forth.”
“How soon will he have to leave?”
“He’ll start checking today and hopefully have something lined up for the first of the year. They have three little kids.”
“There’s nothing happening around here?”
“No one can afford to do stuff themselves, let alone pay someone.”
“You mentioned the Ice House and the old mansion on the outskirts.”
“A little over a year ago the roof partially collapsed on the Ice House that had the ice rink. Insurance refused to pay full replacement saying it hadn’t been maintained properly by the city. The city doesn’t have the rest of the money to fix it.”
“Do they still have the money?”
“They should.”
“How many jobs would repairing the rink create?”
“Several, I would think. Sall’s brother, Chad, would have a pretty good idea. He did one of the bids for the job. Plus, once it reopens, the people who worked there before could get their jobs back.”
“Let’s head back to the VA. We need to get the tree up. Can you get Sall’s brother’s number for me? I’d like to talk to him about the rink later. I might know someone willing to invest.”
Her eyes brighten with hope. “Really? That would mean everything to this town.”