CHAPTER TWO
Wilder climbed out of his car—the one he left parked at his parents’ house whenever he was away from Serenity—and headed for the ski shop.
On his drive there, he’d swung by the newly constructed ice rink, which fit right in with the resort’s look with its large glass windows and timber supports. He was going to have to check it out some day.
He wasn’t due to start work as a ski instructor officially until there was snow on the slopes, which could still be three or four weeks away. But when he’d called Trev, he’d invited Wilder to come in for the recreational department weekly staff meeting.
The department included the people who took care of all the recreational areas, the instructors, the lifeguards for the hotel’s pools, and the people who worked in the shop. It was usually a good group of people, and Wilder looked forward to seeing a few familiar faces among the news ones.
“Wilder!”
He smiled at the man striding toward him. “Hey there, Trev. How’s it going?”
Trevor clapped him on the shoulder as he grinned back at him. “It’s going great. You showing up means it’s almost my favorite time of year.”
“What? My arrival isn’t your favorite time of the year?”
Trevor laughed. “Nope. Sorry, it’s not. But it heralds it.”
Chatting about the upcoming ski season, they made their way to the staff room at the back of the building.
“So is the skating rink under your supervision too?”
Trevor nodded as he took a seat at one of the tables. “Yep. Although, at the moment, there are only two skating instructors and a guy who takes care of skate sharpening, rentals, and the ice. There’s a café there as well, but those employees don’t fall under this department.”
“Hey, Wilder!”
Wilder lifted his hand for a high five from the young man who’d joined them in the staff room. “How are you doing, Anthony?”
“I’m doing great!” He dropped down beside Wilder. “How are things out there in the big, wide world?”
Wilder thought of the orphanages he’d spent time at. “Some good. Some bad.”
“So kind of like life in Serenity.”
“Yep.”
“Did Trev tell you we have some new employees?”
“We always have new employees.”
“Yeah, but these ones.” Anthony’s eyes widened. “They are… wow.”
Wilder lifted his brows, but then gave a shake of his head. “You certainly haven’t changed in the months since I’ve been gone.”
“Why would I change?” Anthony leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out under the table they sat at, and laced his fingers behind his head. “I’m perfect.”
“And humble to boot.”
“Humility is overrated.”
Wilder didn’t happen to agree, but he also didn’t plan to waste his breath trying to convince the guy of that. He’d learn that lesson soon enough. Perhaps at the hands of one of the new employees.
A few more people joined them, and Anthony took it upon himself to introduce the new employees to Wilder. The young man’s grin grew as he interacted with a couple of the girls who worked as lifeguards with him. They were—of course—very fit, and both had long blond hair pulled back into braids.
“Nice to meet you, Wilder,” one of them said with a flirty smile. “Anthony has told us about you.”
“Only good things, I hope,” Wilder replied.
Both girls giggled. “Of course.”
Wilder could see why these girls appealed to Anthony. They were beautiful, engaging, and because they worked the same job, they already had something in common.
Amy, the taller of the two, kept her attention on Wilder while the other young woman chatted with Anthony and another guy who’d come in with them. “Do you ever swim here?”
“Not usually. I pretty much stick to the slopes when I’m at the resort.”
“That’s too bad,” she said, coming around the table to sit next to him. “You should reconsider. They’ve redone a couple of the pools. One is saltwater, which a lot of people really like, and the other has a rock bottom.”
If he was going to swim in saltwater, Wilder much preferred the ocean. And sometimes that also came with a rock bottom, depending which beach he was at.
Another woman showed up as they talked, glancing around for a moment before sliding her way between people to take a seat in the back of the room. Anthony didn’t introduce her, though his gaze followed her.
It was the next woman who arrived that captured Wilder’s attention in a way the other women hadn’t.
The new arrival was small in build and stature, but as soon as she stepped into the room, she commanded attention. Her dark brown hair was pulled back, leaving just a light sweep of long bangs across her forehead. It was her eyes that stood out most to Wilder. They were a pale icy blue, framed by long dark lashes.
Coming to a stop just inside the door, her frosty gaze swept the room. She stood with her chin lifted and her shoulders back. The confidence with which she carried herself, even in stillness, fascinated Wilder.
It was like everyone was holding their breath, waiting to see what she would do.
Her gaze met Wilder’s for a moment, just long enough for him to give her a smile—which she didn’t return—before moving on to the woman beside him. When she did move again, it was to head toward the woman who’d arrived just before her.
Once she’d taken her seat, Trev got to his feet.
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” he said. “I won’t keep you too long. However, we’ve started to move into a new season, which means we have some new people joining our team. I thought it would be a good time to introduce everyone and to answer any questions you might have.
“First, introductions. I’m Trevor White, the recreational supervisor.” He motioned to Anthony, giving his name as he introduced the aquatic employees before moving on. “Wilder is our head ski instructor. He’s worked here the longest, so if you have any ski related questions, talk to him. Most of the ski crew will be starting in a few weeks, depending on the snow situation.”
Wilder nodded in acknowledgement. He knew from past years that Trev tended to be fairly hands off when it came to the ski instructors because he trusted Wilder to keep them in line.
“We have three new employees who’ve been hired to work at the skating rink.” Motioning to a middle-aged man who stood near the door, Trev said, “George is in charge of skate sharpening and rentals, along with ice maintenance. Alexandra is in charge of the rink and helping to people who need it on the ice. Talya is part-time, working the two days that Alexandra is off to supervise the rink’s use.”
Alexandra . The name held a regalness that matched the way the woman held herself. It made Wilder very curious about her. Maybe he would see what Kayleigh could tell him about the newest resort employee.
Although, asking any of his siblings about a woman was a sure way to crank their matchmaking attempts up to maximum. He wasn’t ready for that.
Alexandra kept her gaze on Trev as he finished his introductions and moved onto his expectations for staff members of the recreation department. Trev might come across as easy-going and laid back, but he ran the department with a tight fist. There was no way he would have kept his job at the resort if he didn’t.
There had been a few employees over the years who had mistakenly thought he’d cut them slack when it came to timeliness or the tidiness of their uniforms. They were now working elsewhere.
“Any questions?” Trev asked once he was done. “None? Okay. Just remember that you can always come and speak to me about any questions or concerns you have. I like to keep the lines of communication open.”
When no one else spoke up, Trev dismissed them. Anthony flashed Wilder a peace sign as he left the room with the other lifeguards. Wilder stayed in his seat, watching as Alexandra spoke to Talya. The other woman seemed a bit uncomfortable, which didn’t surprise Wilder too much.
Some people probably found the confidence that Alexandra carried to be intense. They didn’t know how to react to it.
In some ways, Alexandra reminded Wilder of Kayleigh. His sister also carried a very confident air and had always been focused and determined. She’d worked hard to earn—and keep—her position as manager of the resort. Sure, she was now married to the son of the owner, but she had earned the position well before she’d met Hudson.
Trev headed over to the two women. “Is everything okay at the rink, Alexandra? No concerns with the schedule or the building?”
“No. Everything is fine, though it seems to be rather dead most days.”
“I think it will be like that for a little while longer,” Trev said. “It’s something new at the resort, so it might take some time for it to garner more interest. Are you able to fill your time when there’s no one skating?”
Alexandra nodded. “I spend most of my time on the ice, whether or not people are there.”
Wilder wondered what sort of skater she was. He imagined they would want to make sure they had people who had some knowledge about skating. Even on the slopes, they didn’t just hire people who liked to ski. They had to have enough knowledge of the sport to be able to coach others—especially those who were skiing for the first time.
He’d wager it was easier to teach someone to ski than to ice skate. Back when he’d been learning both sports, he’d definitely found that he picked up skiing faster than skating. But that could just be him. He enjoyed his time on skis more than on skates.
However, he might make the time to do some skating at the new ice rink.
“I have a couple of girls coming for a lesson on Saturday morning,” Alexandra said.
“Are they guests of the hotel or from Serenity?”
“From Serenity. Apparently, their previous teacher quit.”
Wilder’s brows rose at that. Was she talking about Layla and Amelia? He knew Charli had spoken to Kayleigh about the girls getting some coaching from the new employees at the rink.
He might just have to tag along.
Wilder watched as Alexandra got to her feet. The top of her head barely reached Trev’s shoulder, but she seemed to stand taller.
“I’d better get back to the rink. I got a call from the front desk saying they’d had people ask about rink availability today, so I want to be there when we open.”
“Sounds good.” Trev turned to Talya. “Thanks for coming out for the meeting. I hope you remembered to log in. You’ll be paid for your time.”
“I did. Thanks.” She gave him a quick smile, then followed Alexandra out of the room.
Trev stared after them for a moment before turning to face Wilder. It was just the two of them in the room once again.
“I’m never sure how to deal with her.” Chuckling, Trev sank down in a nearby chair. “She actually intimidates me.”
“I can see why.” Wilder didn’t think he’d be intimated by her, but that was probably because he was used to dealing with confident women. Alexandra did seem to take it to a whole new level, however. “Is she local?”
Trev shook his head. “She’s a top-hire. Alexander Remington sent her to us.”
“Really?” Wilder wasn’t surprised that the man had involved himself in the staffing at the resort. He’d been instrumental in the positions Wilder and Kayleigh held, though most didn’t know the connection. “Do you think the rink is going to be popular?”
Trev shrugged. “I think we’re going to need to make it a bit gimmicky, at least at first, which isn’t something I ever thought we’d want here at the resort.”
“Gimmicky?”
“You know. Have theme nights. Stuff like that.”
Wilder remembered that the old roller rink in town had been like that. It made sense to utilize something similar at the resort, but he wasn’t sure that Kayleigh or Alexandra would agree. They both looked like they didn’t buy into gimmicky stuff.
“Well, I’m due to grab some lunch with Kayleigh,” Wilder said as he got to his feet. “I’ll probably be around, but I won’t show up to officially work the slopes until the snow is here. However, if you need me for anything, you know you can call me.”
“I do. I appreciate your willingness to help out.” He held out his hand for Wilder to shake. “I think we’re good for now.”
Wilder walked through the front of the building, where people could come to buy or rent ski equipment or just hang out near the fireplace. It was quiet at the moment, but once the slopes were open, that would change.
Cool air greeted Wilder as he stepped outside. He glanced around as he strode to his car, checking to see if Alexandra was still in the vicinity. There was no sign of her, so Wilder climbed into his car and set off for the hotel.
A few minutes later, he was greeting the hostess at The Steakhouse. She was someone he knew from his time working there, so he chatted with her for a couple of minutes before she left him at the table Kayleigh had reserved for them.
Wilder spent some time looking through his social media while he waited for his sister to appear. He didn’t have much to respond to since he hadn’t posted a video in a few weeks. He still had to finish editing his sponsored video from Iceland, along with a couple of other videos he’d taken while in Asia.
In addition to his videos, he also did some digital marketing. His degree was in business with a focus on marketing, and he’d slowly been building up a portfolio. He was a digital nomad, which meant that he could do his work from anywhere as long as he had an internet connection.
He knew his family thought he was just about traveling and posting videos of the places he visited, and then working as a ski instructor in the winter. Both of which were true, but he was also building another business. He knew that he shouldn’t put all his eggs into one basket, which was why he had several streams of income.
“Hey.”
Wilder looked up to see Kayleigh settling into the seat across from him. “Hi.”
“It’s good to have you back,” she said with a smile. “I must say I breathe a sigh of relief whenever you and Mom and Dad come back home.”
“You worry about us?”
Kayleigh shrugged. “I think that’s natural given the places you visit sometimes. They’re not always safe for foreigners.”
“Sometimes they’re not safe for their own citizens either,” Wilder said, thinking about the street kids he’d seen.
“True. But you’re the ones I love.”
Wilder hadn’t been especially close to Kayleigh growing up since she was a few years older than him. He’d been closer to Lee, Charli, and Janessa. But since they’d begun working at the same place, they’d grown closer.
“Is Hudson around?”
Kayleigh shook her head. “He’s off in New York meeting with Alexander. He’ll be home later this afternoon.”
It had been a surprise when Kayleigh had gotten involved with Hudson, but now that Wilder had gotten to know the man, he could see how perfect they were for each other. He also appreciated how Hudson had fit so well into their family.
“How did your meeting with Trev go?” Kayleigh asked.
“It went well. He introduced some of the new employees for the season.” Wilder paused before adding, “He mentioned that he was intimidated by one of the new employees for the ice rink.”
Kayleigh laughed. “Alexandra?”
Wilder nodded.
“Yep. I think she intimidates most people.”
“Kind of like how they are of you.”
Pressing a hand to her chest, Kayleigh batted her eyelashes. “Intimidated by little ol’ me?”
“You both might come in small packages, but you sure pack a wallop in personality.”
“What did you think of her?”
“She seems very confident,” he said. “Which could make her intimidating, I suppose.”
“Alexander hired her.”
“Is she a hidden daughter?”
“Ha. No. He told Hudson that she’s his goddaughter.”
“Does Hudson know her?”
Kayleigh shook her head. “Nope. All Alexander said was that she was the daughter of an old friend of Candace’s, and that he was her godfather. I don’t know much about that kind of relationship, so I have no clue how close they really are.”
“What type of skating experience does she have? She comes across as a performer.”
Kayleigh didn’t have a chance to answer before their server approached the table. Since they both knew the menu well enough, they went ahead and placed their orders.
Once the young man had left them, Wilder prodded Kayleigh for the information again. “Experience?”
“I don’t know if it’s supposed to be confidential, but since she skated under her real name and she’s still using it here, I can’t imagine it’s a big secret.”
“Well, that sounds ominous.” And definitely ramped up Wilder’s curiosity about the woman.
“It’s not the best of situations,” Kayleigh said. “Bottom line is that her father got involved in some illegal activities and will probably have to spend the rest of his life in prison. He defrauded a bunch of people, including her skating partner and his parents, and their coaches. Her partner dropped her, and she was basically shunned by the figure skating community.”
Wilder would never have guessed that by the woman’s demeanor. “So she’s not skating competitively anymore?”
“She has no partner, and it seems that people thought she’d had knowledge of what her father did. Kind of hard to get a partner and coaches without trust and money.”
“That must be tough.”
“Definitely.” Kayleigh thanked the server when he returned with their drinks. “Part of me thinks that Alexander built that ice rink just to give her somewhere to go.”
“Alexander… Alexandra… Was she named for him?”
“It’s possible. Alexander didn’t say.”
“What type of career did she have competing?”
“Pretty illustrious. They were national champions for a few years and had several medals at world championships and an Olympic gold. She and her partner had been favorites for the gold at the upcoming Olympics, which are next year, when everything fell apart.”
“So she wasn’t just a pretty face with lots of money. She had the talent.”
Kayleigh smiled at him. “You think she’s pretty?”
“You don’t?”
“Well, yes, I suppose she is beautiful.”
“I think anyone with eyes could see that. I’m sure it helped her career. Beauty and talent are always a deadly combination.” Recalling the comment Alexandra had made, Wilder asked, “Is she going to be giving the girls lessons?”
“Yep. Their first one is tomorrow. They’re very excited. Well, Layla is excited. Amelia’s a little nervous.”
“How do you think Charli and Blake are doing with all the changes in their lives?”
Kayleigh’s expression turned contemplative. “I think they’re doing okay. Charli’s struggling with being back to teaching full-time and away from the baby.”
“Yeah, she mentioned that.”
“But other than that, I think she and Blake have really stepped up and done what is necessary for their family. The girls seem to be thriving as well.”
Over the past couple of days, Wilder had enjoyed hanging out with Layla and Amelia. The latter was still a bit shy around him. Considering he hadn’t had much time to spend with her before he’d left in April, it wasn’t a surprise. Hopefully she followed Layla’s lead and warmed up to him because even though there was no blood tie between them, Wilder considered her a niece as much as Layla was.
“Are you coming to pizza night tonight?” Wilder asked.
Kayleigh shook her head. “With Hudson just getting home, I’ll be hanging out with him.”
“I think there’s a game at the high school this evening too, so some of us will probably be going to that.”
As much as Wilder enjoyed the freedom of navigating the world on his own, he also enjoyed the traditions and familiarity of being in Serenity. Hanging out with his family and going to the basketball games that Jay coached were definitely at the top of the list of things he liked to do.
He wondered what Alexandra did with her time. Did she have any friends who had stayed with her after everything that had happened with her dad? Wilder hoped so, but he knew that not everyone was a friend who stuck with a person through the rough patches in life.
It was possible that with her intimidating personality, she didn’t have an easy time making friends. Or keeping them.
Good thing for Alexandra, if she needed a friend, Wilder would be happy to be one.
If he could just get past the walls it seemed like she’d erected with her intimidating personality.