CHAPTER SEVEN
Lexi was certain she must be in a dream. Or maybe it was a nightmare. Whatever it was, it was her living a life she’d never dreamed of or even wanted.
Though she’d managed to not sound like she hated the idea when she’d told Wilder about it, she, without a doubt, one hundred percent, hated the idea.
An 80s themed night?
While ice dancers had to stick to a theme for their short programs—and she thought 80s had been one of them—that was not a part of Lexi’s skating experience. The only constraints put on the music she and Mik had used were for time, permission to use songs, and their own desires.
And choreographing a Christmas program? No thanks.
Her choreography had always centered on making sure the required elements flowed and got them the maximum points through where they were placed in the program. It took skill and time.
Christmas wasn’t that far away. How on earth was she going to organize a program when she didn’t even have skaters? All while she put together an 80s themed night…
It was utterly ridiculous, and she hated all of it.
“So, how difficult do you think it will be?” Kayleigh asked.
They were currently sitting at one of the tables in the rink, drinking coffee. It was during their open hours, so there was some noise around them, but the rink wasn’t too busy.
“Challenging, I think, is the word I would use. Choreographing a program for people around Layla and Amelia’s skill level isn’t difficult. The challenge comes in rounding up the skaters who are willing to participate and then figuring out costumes for them all.”
Kayleigh looked contemplative but undeterred as she lifted her mug and took a sip of her coffee. “We could probably spread the need for younger skaters through Charli at the school. If we need older kids, my brother-in-law, Will, could probably help spread the word since he teaches at the high school. We could also post information at the local rink in town. And I can put out feelers at our church to see if anyone wants to participate.”
“You do know that this rink isn’t really set up well for good viewing, right?”
Kayleigh glanced over toward the ice, frowning as she realized that she couldn’t see past the couple of people who were standing at the board watching what was happening on the ice. “We would need bleacher style seating.”
Lexi nodded. “Is there anything like that around here?”
“Well, yes. The local rink has that since they host hockey games. But since we want this event to focus on the rink here at the resort, I’d rather not use that one.”
“What other options do you have, though?”
“I wonder if we could do an outdoor rink.” Kayleigh picked up her phone and tapped the screen rapidly. “I’m going to ask Wilder if he could take care of getting some information on whether or not that would be feasible.”
“Still doesn’t solve the issue of the bleacher seating,” Lexi pointed out.
“True, but if we can get a good rink area set up, we could possibly rent bleachers to put around it.”
“This seems like… a lot of work.”
Kayleigh sighed. “I agree, but Alexander was the one to suggest it. And by suggest, I mean, demand it. He said—and I quote—we’re coming for Christmas, and I’d like to see a Christmas ice program.”
Did her godfather actually hate her? Was he trying to make her pay by throwing a nearly impossible task at her?
“Okay.” She could hardly let down the man who had given her the space to retreat from the scandal, all the while letting her continue to skate and earn a living. “First, we need to figure out if the outdoor rink is possible. If so, then we have to make sure we can get the bleachers.”
Kayleigh nodded as she tapped the screen of her phone. She didn’t seem upset that Lexi had taken control and was rattling off a list of what they needed to do. Lexi was used to being methodical when faced with a task. Even a task that she hated. Though such tasks had, fortunately, been few and far between.
Over the next few minutes, they hashed out a plan, then Kayleigh said, “I want to get Wilder involved in all this too.”
“Why?” Lexi asked. It wasn’t that she objected, really, but she was curious about what he brought to the table.
Kayleigh glanced at her. “Well, he’s familiar with the area and what’s available, plus he knows lots of people. He can connect you with many who can help out with the event.”
Lexi thought of the handsome man with friendly brown eyes and an easy-going personality. Would they be able to work together? She wasn’t going to be pleased if he dragged his feet on things when she was trying to work her way through the list that she’d set up with Kayleigh.
“He’ll be a big help,” Kayleigh said. “I promise you.”
“I guess as long as he doesn’t mind giving up his time to help.”
“Right now, he’s not working since the slopes aren’t open, so he has the time. Once he starts work, he’ll have to do anything we need him to do outside his hours on the slopes because they count on him for instructing during the ski season. He’s very popular with the guests.”
Lexi could understand why that might be. “Do you have a lot of regulars here?”
“Yep. We have people who return yearly. Some even more frequently than that.” Kayleigh frowned, then said, “By the way, Wilder wanted me to make sure that you are aware that if any guest bothers you, you should speak to me or the HR manager right away.”
“Bothers me?” Lexi asked. So far, the people she’d come in contact with had mainly been young men and women who traveled in groups. None of them had paid her much attention.
“We’ve had some guests over the years who’ve felt that since they’ve paid for an employee’s time that they are entitled to more.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And that applies to both genders. Wilder has dealt with it from wealthy women who thought he’d be flattered if they wanted more than just ski instruction from him. He’s had to change his phone number at least once after a guest got hold of it and started to harass him. We have a strict policy about not giving out the phone numbers of our employees. And I would suggest you not give anyone your number either. If they want to book a slot of time with you, tell them to do it through the main desk at the hotel.”
“I never even considered something like that happening.”
“I hope it never does, but just know that it’s something we take seriously. Don’t think you have to tolerate any kind of behavior that crosses the professional line.”
Lexi had never been the sort of person to accept someone behaving in an untoward way to her. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might run into that at the resort, but she supposed it made sense. Some people with money assumed those without would be at their mercy or would be appreciative of the attention.
“Anyway, Wilder just wanted to make sure that you knew how we handle situations like that here.”
She had a moment of awe. A guy who barely knew her wanted to make sure that she knew how to keep herself safe. And as she considered it, Lexi realized that not once had he made her feel unsafe around him.
It wasn’t something she thought a lot about since her life had been fairly insular, and it was rare that a man who she didn’t know well had access to her. And for the ones she didn’t know well, she’d never been left alone with them.
“Thank you for letting me know,” Lexi said. “I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.” Kayleigh smiled at her, and for a moment, Lexi had a glimpse of Wilder in her features. “I need to get back to my office, but do you have any questions before I go?”
“Will you speak to Wilder about us meeting together, or do you want me to do it?”
Kayleigh picked up her phone and tablet and got to her feet. “I’ll talk to him about it, then he’ll probably contact you to set something up. Since the slopes still aren’t open, his schedule is more flexible than yours.”
Lexi walked with her to the door of the rink, then returned to her office once Kayleigh was gone. She sat down behind her desk and leaned back in her chair as she thought back over their meeting.
This was all so far out of her comfort zone, and it made her want to just run away. The possibility of failure was high, which wasn’t something that Lexi was comfortable with.
The unfortunate part was that there was no way she could impose her high standards on a group of casual skaters. And yet, the idea of putting out something that wasn’t perfect made her feel a little sick.
A skating program with a crowd of people—many of them children—was just asking for trouble. All she could envision was all the ways something could go wrong.
On Friday morning, Lexi was at the rink early to meet with Wilder. He’d called her the day after her meeting with Kayleigh, enthusiastically on board with what his sister wanted.
Lexi had hoped that he would tell Kayleigh that what she wanted was impossible, but nope. The man had sounded so excited on their call that Lexi knew that the event was going to go forward, regardless of her apprehensions.
Taking a seat at a table near the corner, she relished the warmth coming from the nearby fireplace. Outside the rink, it was a gray day, and light snowflakes drifted down. November was off to a cold start, though they weren’t forecasting too much snow just yet.
It wasn’t too long before Wilder stepped through the door, pausing to stamp the snow from his boots on the large mat in front of the doors.
Glancing around, he smiled when his gaze found her. Lexi gave him a quick smile in return, then watched as he walked toward her with something in his hands. He had an easy gait, his long legs quickly eating up the distance between them.
“Good morning,” he said when he reached the table.
He set down a container and a tray with two cups on it, then unzipped his jacket and took it off, revealing a sweatshirt with a college logo on the front. After hanging it on the back of the chair, he sat down across from her.
“I didn’t know if you drank coffee,” he said as he worked one of the cups free, then set it in front of her. “But I brought you a cup. I also brought some sugar, sweeteners, and cream.”
“Why didn’t you just get coffee here?” Lexi asked as he reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out a bunch of stuff that he put on the table.
Wilder grinned at her. “To be honest, I forgot about the cafe.”
“Well, thank you.” Lexi wrapped her hands around the cup, enjoying the warmth that seeped into her fingers. “I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I do indulge once in a while.”
“Indulge?” Wilder asked. “You think coffee is an indulgence? Personally, I find it’s a necessity.”
“It had to be an indulgence since I don’t like to drink it black.”
Wilder frowned. “So because you added cream and sugar, you couldn’t have it every day.”
It didn’t surprise Lexi that he couldn’t grasp how things had been in her life when she’d been performing. Few could. “When you demand a lot of your body, you have to make sure that what you intake is the best fuel possible. Sugar was a definite no-no.”
“Hmmm. Well, if you’re still watching sugar intake, you’re really going to hate me when I open this.” He tapped the lid of the container he’d also brought with him.
“Why’s that?”
“My brother’s mother-in-law made fresh cinnamon buns.” He peeled open the lid, then tilted it so Lexi could see. “They’re to die for.”
Lexi stared at the baked goods in the container, convinced that she could feel herself gaining weight just by looking at them. “Uh… they do look delicious.”
“I don’t know if you want some, but I’m going to have one.” Wilder proceeded to produce some napkins and a knife from the other pocket of his jacket.
“Did you bring everything but the kitchen sink?” Lexi asked as she watched him use the knife to cut one of the cinnamon buns and lift it out to place it on the napkin.
“Yep. But I’m gonna wish I had the kitchen sink to wash my fingers off in a minute here. These are sticky, sticky.”
He ripped off a piece from the pastry and popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes and humming in appreciation as he chewed. It was so, so tempting to indulge with him. But after she’d doctored the coffee to her satisfaction, she wasn’t sure further indulgence was good for her.
On the other hand, she wasn’t competing anymore, so she didn’t need to keep her body in top physical condition. However, if she ever returned to competing, she couldn’t have let herself go because the climb back to the top would be even harder.
But what was the likelihood of that happening?
“I didn’t realize it would be this difficult a decision for you to make,” Wilder said. “I don’t want to tempt you to do something you’d rather not.”
When he reached for the lid to put it back on the container, Lexi put her hand on his to stop him. For a moment, she stared at the contrast between their hands.
His large and strong. Hers smaller but no less strong. His skin was tanned, while hers was pretty much as fair as a person could get without being completely white. Her mom had drilled into her the necessity of sunscreen whenever she went outside, in order to keep her skin looking young.
“Change your mind?” Wilder asked.
“I…” Lexi moved her hand from his, for some reason feeling like she was standing on a precipice. It was ridiculous to feel that way over a cinnamon roll, and yet, there she was. “Yes. Yes, I have.”
Wilder grinned at her, almost as if he was proud of her decision. “You won’t regret it. I promise you.
Lexi wasn’t so sure about that. In the past, when she’d eaten things not part of her plan, guilt had come swiftly, chasing away any pleasure she might have gained from it. Would that be the case for this? Or would it be different because she was no longer training? No longer under the strict eye of her dad, Mik, and her coaches.
“Here you go,” Wilder said, holding the knife out to her. “Cut yourself however big of a piece you want. I’ll eat whatever you don’t.”
Lexi wanted to throw caution to the wind and claim a whole bun, but in the end, she took half of the half that Wilder had left. She waited for Wilder to make a comment about it, but he just kept smiling as he ate.
Her fingers sank into the soft bread as she lifted it to take a small bite. She expected it to be super sweet, but she discovered that it was the perfect blend of buttery, sweet, and spicy.
“Good, right?” Wilder said, making Lexi realize that she’d made an audible sound of appreciation, much like he had.
“Very good.”
Wilder cut the remaining cinnamon roll into four sections, then took another piece. When Lexi finished her piece, she picked up her coffee and took a sip. She thought Wilder might encourage her to eat more, but he didn’t. And he didn’t say anything when she caved and indulged in another piece.
“So I hear we’re planning a Christmas skating program,” he said after he’d finished his third piece. “Is it all Kayleigh’s idea?”
“I don’t think so. Apparently Alexander told her they were coming for Christmas, and he wanted to see a skating program. Maybe we could blame him.”
Wilder chuckled. “I’m on board with that. So, how are we going to make that happen without you losing your mind?”
“What makes you think I’ll lose my mind?”
“The Christmas programs at the school usually do that to Charli, so I thought this would probably be comparable.”
Lexi gave a small nod. “I’m not sure how to pull it off with so little time to practice. And if I have to judge every person’s skating level beforehand…”
“You could just say that it’s impossible and refuse to do it.”
That would be the ideal response, but there was a part of her that didn’t want to let Alexander or Kayleigh down. They’d given her a chance when she’d been floundering for a new direction in her life.
This direction, however, seemed fraught with rough ice. She really had no idea how she was going to make it work.
“I can’t refuse to do it,” she said, which felt like admitting a weakness. If he forced an explanation from her about that, she’d have to admit that she needed this job. To help her out financially, but also to help her mentally. She needed to move past her competitive skating career, and this job was the first step to doing that.
Wilder regarded her for a moment as he took another sip of coffee, then he said, “Okay. Refusal is off the table. What are we left with?”
We?
A knot she hadn’t even known existed loosened inside Lexi. She’d missed being part of a team. Because she was a pairs skater, she hadn’t even gone on the ice alone like single skaters had. She’d taken her best friend—the man she loved—out there with her.
When everyone had abandoned her, she’d felt very adrift and alone. Even her mom had moved on with her life, leaving Lexi behind.
It wasn’t until that moment, when she realized she wouldn’t have to deal with this program on her own, that Lexi felt like maybe she had found a place where she could plug in again.
“I guess we’re left with checking the feasibility of where to have the program and planning the program itself.”
“I can definitely help with the former,” Wilder said. “Not too sure about the latter.”
For the next little while, Lexi laid out for him everything that she and Kayleigh had discussed. After she was done, he turned in his seat to survey the rink.
When he got to his feet, she stood up as well, curious what was going through his mind.
“I don’t know about doing an outdoor rink,” he said. “My biggest concern is weather. We have no way of knowing how cold it might be, or if we get a lot of snow, creating and keeping the ice in good skating condition might be an issue.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think about that.”
Wilder flashed her a grin. “You’re used to doing your winter sport indoors. Because I’m outdoors for a good chunk of time, I’m more aware of how the weather can impact things.”
“So, what other options do we have?”
“If we moved all the furniture that’s currently in here out, I think we could bring in small sets of bleachers to put around the entire rink.”
“You think so?” Lexi tried to picture that but had a difficult time.
“Depending on the dimensions of the bleachers and how portable they are, I’d say that’s our best option. Unless Alexander wants to build another rink more suited to performances.”
That got a huff of laughter from Lexi. Given how rich the man was, he could probably do it if he had the time. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure that even he could get it together in the time they had until Christmas.
“I’ll phone around and see what I can find out about bleacher rentals. Once we have that, we’ll know exactly what we’re working with.”
“Kayleigh said you could also help me figure out how to recruit skaters.”
“Let’s sit back down,” Wilder said, then led her back to the table.
The more she and Wilder discussed the details, the less Lexi felt like it was an impossible task. He broke it down in ways that her brain could handle, and he was more than willing to take on the responsibility for several things.
Maybe… just maybe… this wouldn’t be the catastrophe she’d thought it would be. All thanks to this man who had unexpectedly stepped into her life and offered the support that she’d been so desperately missing.