CHAPTER TWELVE
Wilder had hoped to run by the resort—the rink, to be precise—the next day, but when his dad asked if he could help him paint at the house, he’d had no good reason to say no. Without significant snow on the ground, he was still killing time, waiting for his job to start.
There was snow on the higher slopes, but they needed a good dump all around to be able to open. He’d known when he decided to come home earlier than usual that he’d have downtime before getting to work, so he wasn’t that upset about it.
His desire to go out to the resort that day had more to do with checking to make sure Alexandra was doing okay. Even though he knew that there couldn’t be anything romantic between them, he enjoyed hanging out with her.
The frosty exterior he’d been faced with when they first met was slowly melting. That woman probably wouldn’t have agreed to go on the Segway tour with him. It made him hopeful that Alexandra would continue to open up and do things she hadn’t experienced before.
More and more lately, she’d become Lexi in his mind. Alexandra just seemed so formal, and the more he got to know her, the less formal their friendship became. He had no idea what she’d say if he started calling her Lexi.
Maybe he’d give it a try. He was known to live dangerously at times.
“What’s making you smile, son?” his dad asked from where he was adding more paint to the tray for the roller.
“Have you heard about Alexandra?” Wilder asked as he slowly rolled the sage green color his mother had chosen for one of the guest bedrooms on the large wall.
“Is she the ice skater that Kayleigh hired?”
“Yep. Did Kayleigh tell you anything about her?”
His dad pounded the lid back onto the can. “Not much. Just that she wasn’t sure why Alexander had built the rink or hired someone like her to work there.”
“Someone like her?” Wilder returned the roller to the tray for more paint, wondering what Kayleigh had shared about Alexandra with their parents. It didn’t sound like it was positive.
“She just said that Alexandra is definitely overqualified for the job, given her experience as an Olympic gold medalist.”
“I get the feeling that she’s been blackballed in the skating community because of what her dad did. Her coaches and her partner all dropped her when he was arrested, and it was revealed what he’d been doing.”
“That’s a shame,” his dad said as he picked up the roller he’d been using and continued his work on the opposite wall. “Unless she played a role in what he did, she shouldn’t have to pay the price.”
“I’m sure it’s been difficult for people to separate her from her father. It’s probably why she’s ended up here. Sort of like a place to hide.”
“So you brought her up after I asked you what was making you smile,” his dad reminded him. “Is she making you smile?”
“Not in the way you think.” Wilder carefully maneuvered the roller toward the upper part of the wall, mindful of not getting paint on the ceiling. “I was just wondering what she’d say if we started to call her Lexi instead of Alexandra.”
“You don’t think she’d react well? Nicknames can be a sign of a person’s affection and desire for a closer friendship.”
“Two things that would probably scare her off,” Wilder said. “She’s a bit standoffish and aloof, so I’m not sure she’d accept a nickname.”
His dad grinned at him. “Only one way to find out.”
Wilder laughed. “Well, you might have to use Mom’s blow dryer to thaw me out if Alexandra doesn’t like the nickname. She’s got a look that I’m convinced can freeze a person in their tracks.”
“If you try it out, be sure to let me know what happens.”
“Will do.”
“You two need to quit chitchatting,” his mom said as she walked into the room. “You’re never going to finish.”
“Yes, ma’am,” his dad said, snapping a salute at his wife.
“All you’re missing is a whip,” Wilder told his mom. “Where’s the threat?”
“I’ve got plenty of threats for your dad,” she said with a wink. “I’ll figure something out for you.”
Wilder grinned as he went back to work. Though he might have liked to go to the resort, he also enjoyed hanging out with his parents.
He appreciated that, aside from encouraging him to go to college, they let him live his life. And they’d become more involved in it when they’d joined him at the orphanages that he’d visited.
“Are you staying for supper, sweetie?” his mom asked. “I’m making spaghetti.”
“I guess I’ll risk it.”
“Ha. Very funny,” she said. “It’s not that bad.”
“I think it’s one of your better dishes these days.”
“It is,” she agreed. “Even your dad likes it.”
“As long as I don’t have to make it after painting all day, I’ll eat pretty much anything.”
“Well, I’ll leave you two to it, so you’re done in time for supper.”
They continued to work steadily, getting all the walls painted. They had to work around the furniture since it had all been pushed into the middle of the room, but they managed to get it done.
Once the walls were all painted, they cleaned up the brushes and rollers they’d used. The trim for the windows and the door was in the garage, where his dad had already painted them white. They’d install them and move the furniture back after supper, when, hopefully, the walls would be dry enough.
Over spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad, they talked about the orphanages. His parents had stayed in touch with the people running them, so they had constant updates on the kids and the ministry.
“I would like to do a fundraiser for them,” his mom said. “They each have a stateside organization set up, so donations could go directly to them.”
“I’m sure we could come up with something.” Wilder knew his siblings would jump at the chance to help. “Too bad we couldn’t combine the skate thing Alexander wants with a fundraiser.”
“What skate thing?” his dad asked.
Wilder explained to them what had been going on with Alexandra and the skating program. “It’s all up in limbo at the moment. We’re hoping that Kayleigh or Hudson can get some clarification on what exactly Alexander wants.”
“Alexander and Alexandra,” his mom muttered. “How confusing.”
“Yeah. I’m assuming that Alexandra was named after Alexander. He’s her godfather.”
“I guess that’s probably why he’s helping her out.”
Wilder nodded. “That’s what we’re all assuming.”
“Well, maybe we should talk to Kayleigh and see if we could combine the program with a fundraiser.” His mom smiled. “Who knows? Maybe Alexander would cough up a sizable donation. That would be wonderful for the orphanages.”
“It would be,” Wilder agreed. “I plan to go up to the resort tomorrow, so I’ll see if Kayleigh has time to talk. Having a specific goal might help to give the program some direction.”
“Do you think we can pull something together in less than two months, though?” His mom didn’t sound convinced.
His dad leaned over to kiss the side of her head. “Honey, you know that when our family sets their mind to something, we can make it work.”
“Just let me run this by Kayleigh, and possibly Hudson, first,” Wilder said.
His mom nodded. “Try to get her to see how beneficial this could be all around.”
“I will.” Though he and Kayleigh were quite different in their approach to things, he knew she would at least listen to what he had to say.
By the time he got back to the house, it was almost nine. He was tempted to call or text Alexandra, but he knew that she got up early to train. He didn’t want to take the chance of keeping her up later than usual.
Besides, he really didn’t have a reason to call her.
Late the next morning, Wilder drove out to the resort. He’d called Kayleigh, and she’d said that she and Hudson could meet with him for lunch. Since he knew they were both busy, he was glad they were willing to squeeze in some time with him.
He parked outside the entrance to The Steakhouse, then headed for the doors, hands in his pockets to ward off the chill of the day. Dark clouds hung heavy in the sky, and the forecast was for snow. Wilder hoped that, for once, they weren’t wrong.
Inside the restaurant, the hostess greeted him by name with a smile. “On your own, or are you meeting Kayleigh?”
“I’m meeting Kayleigh and Hudson. Are they here?”
“Not yet, but I’ll show you to their usual table.”
Wilder followed her through the restaurant to the table he’d sat at before with his sister. He settled into the booth, then pulled out his phone.
He’d given himself enough time to stop by the rink to say hi to Alexandra, but she hadn’t been there. So now he was early for his lunch with Kayleigh and Hudson.
As he waited for them to show up, he checked the stats of his latest video, then went through his social media, responding to comments and answering DMs he’d received.
He contemplated texting Alexandra but decided to just stop by the rink again after lunch to talk with her. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too busy.
“Hello, brother dear,” Kayleigh said as she slid into the booth across from him. Hudson followed, unbuttoning his suit as he settled next to her.
“How’s it going?” Hudson asked.
“Good. My shoulders are a little sore from helping Dad paint the guestroom yesterday.”
“Better you than me,” Kayleigh said.
“Mom made me supper as a way of saying thank you.”
Kayleigh laughed. “Then definitely better you than me.”
“Hey. It wasn’t that bad. She didn’t mess up the spaghetti at all.”
Their waitress appeared with a tray holding three glasses of water and set them on the table in front of them. “Do you need menus?”
“We don’t,” Hudson said. “How about you, Wilder?”
“No, I don’t either.”
The waitress smiled. “Alright then. What can I get for you?”
They quickly placed their orders, then once they were left alone again, Wilder laid out what he and his folks had talked about the night before. Since he had just the lunch hour to present the idea to Kayleigh and Hudson, he didn’t want to waste any time.
The waitress returned with their food mid-conversation, so they took the time to pray for their meal before diving back into the discussion.
“I could see Alexander getting on board with this,” Hudson said. “He’s pretty generous when it comes to good causes.”
“Maybe instead of making it strictly a performance for Alexandra, we could have it be a skate with Santa and Mrs. Claus sort of thing,” Kayleigh said. “Then we could also have some elves available to skate with kids.”
“And we could have the café there sell hot chocolate, apple cider, and coffee. Maybe have some decorated Christmas cookies, too.”
Kayleigh smiled. “I think this will work so much better. We just need to see if Alexandra will be on board with it.”
“I think she will be,” Wilder said. “But I don’t think we should hype it up using her fame, if you know what I mean. Wearing a costume would help her keep a lower profile, which is what I think she would want.”
“Will you talk to her?” Kayleigh asked. “The two of you have seemed to hit it off.”
“We get along,” Wilder agreed.
“Once you’ve had a chance to talk to her, let me know what we can do to help. We’ll need to get posters designed and printed, and maybe start spreading the news on social media.”
“Sounds good.” He paused then said, “Something else that might sound good is if you bail on the 80s night idea. I just don’t think it’s going to fly.”
Kayleigh sighed. “Yeah. Let’s put that idea on the back burner for now.”
“Put it into the garbage as far as I’m concerned,” Wilder said.
Hudson chuckled. “I’m with Wilder.”
Kayleigh waved her hand dismissively at them. “We’ll talk about it in the new year.”
Wilder could live with that, and he had a pretty good idea that Alexandra would, too.
They finished up their meals, then Wilder left out the front door, planning to go back to the rink, while Kayleigh and Hudson returned to the hotel part of the resort where their offices were located.
He noticed a shiny Audi parked in the lot by the rink that hadn’t been there earlier and wondered if it belonged to Alexandra. Getting out, he headed for the entrance to the rink. There weren’t many cars in the parking lot, but that didn’t mean anything, since guests often used the golf carts with drivers that the resort offered to get them from place to place.
As he stepped into the rink, Wilder’s gaze swept the space, looking for Alexandra. He spotted her on the ice, so headed in that direction.
She had a couple of kids on the ice with her, so Wilder just stood next to the boards without calling out to her. A woman he assumed to be the mother of the children stood a little further down the boards, her gaze on the trio.
Alexandra wore her usual fitted black workout jacket and leggings. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she had a pink band on her head that covered the tops of her ears.
“Look at us, Momma!” one of the kids called out.
“I see you, sweetie. You’re doing great!”
The kids each had a skating aid that they were holding on to as they made their way around the rink with Alexandra. She was showing them how to glide, which the older one was picking up much quicker than the younger one.
“Are you a guest here?”
Wilder turned to see the woman had moved closer to him. “No. I’m not.”
“Do you really think it’s appropriate for you to be hanging around watching children like this?”
There were so many things that Wilder wanted to say to her. Stuff like My sister is married to the son of the man who owns this whole place, so I can go where I want. Or I’m actually watching the woman, not the children.
Instead, he just said, “I’m here to speak with Alexandra. And while I’m not a guest, I am an employee.”
“I’m afraid you’re making me uncomfortable. Can I have your supervisor’s name?”
He debated whose name he should give. Technically, Trev was his supervisor, but Kayleigh could probably get the woman to back down better than Trev could.
“Sure. I can even give you her phone number.”
While the woman fished her phone out of her pocket, Wilder sent off a quick text to Kayleigh to give her a head’s up on the incoming call.
“What’s her name and number?”
“Her name is Kayleigh St. James,” he said, then gave her Kayleigh’s number. “And my name is Wilder.”
Her brows lifted when he volunteered his name, but she didn’t say anything as she focused on her phone.
Hopefully, Kayleigh wouldn’t kill him for causing a problem with a guest. He understood why the woman might be concerned, but he had absolutely no interest in her children. All his attention was on the woman skating with them.
While the woman made her call, Wilder wandered over to the café and ordered himself a coffee. The guy working there knew him, so punched in his employee discount, even though, technically, he wasn’t an active employee yet.
Rather than return to the boards with his coffee, Wilder headed for one of the tables that had a great view of the forest around the resort and the mountains in the distance. Soon, he’d be on one of the closer ones.
From his seat, he could see Alexandra but only the tops of the kids’ heads. He wasn’t surprised when his phone rang after he’d been there for a couple of minutes.
“Hey, sis,” he said when he saw Kayleigh’s number on the screen.
“Don’t hey, sis me. I can’t leave you alone for five minutes…” she said with a sigh. “What were you doing?”
“I came to the rink to see if Alexandra was busy, and all I did was stand at the boards while she worked with a couple of kids. I guess their mom thought I was creeping on them or something.”
Kayleigh sighed again. “Sometimes…”
“She’s not hunting me down, so you must have said something to reassure her.”
“Yep. I told her that you were there at my request to speak with Alexandra.” She paused, then added, “And I told her that I thought you had a bit of a crush on Alexandra.”
“Kayleigh! What?”
“Hey. It’s all the truth!”
“You think I have…” He glanced at the rink, then lowered his voice. “You think I have a crush on Alexandra?”
“Well, you seem to be spending a lot of time with her.”
That was true, but it hadn’t been prompted by him having a crush on her. “I don’t have a crush on her.”
Kayleigh hummed in response. “Regardless. The woman seemed happy enough with that explanation, so be glad I got her off your back.”
“Thank you,” he said, meaning it, though he was still annoyed with her.
“Anyway, I’ve got to get back to work. Try to stay out of trouble.”
Before Wilder could give her a snappy comeback, she hung up on him. Wilder set his phone on the table and picked up his coffee to take a sip. He hoped that this wasn’t going to be the start of rumors among his siblings, but he figured that was too high of an expectation of them. His sisters, especially.
Finally, the kids came off the ice, turned in their skates, then left with their mom. Wilder got up as Alexandra also skated to the break in the boards and bent to slip the guards on her skates.
“Hey,” he said as she straightened.
She gave him a brief smile. “What brings you by?”
“I wanted to run something by you. A possible option to the Christmas program.”
“Sure. Just let me return these to the skate rental,” Alexandra said, patting the skating aids.
“I can do that for you,” Wilder said. “Why don’t you go sit down? Do you want a coffee or something?”
“I’d like a cup of tea, please. If you tell Luke it’s for me, he’ll know what I want.”
Puzzling over why he wished that he knew what she wanted to drink, Wilder went to the skate rental place and returned the skating aids. When he stepped up to the counter at the café, Luke said, “Back for a refill?”
“Sure, why not? But also, Alexandra wants tea.”
“I’ll get those for you right away.” Luke moved to where the coffee machine sat and quickly filled a cup with coffee, then another one with hot water and a tea bag. When he returned with the two cups, he said, “Want a cookie or a cinnamon bun? They were made fresh today.”
Wilder considered it for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll take two cookies, please.”
He doubted that Alexandra would eat one, but he didn’t mind eating both if that ended up being the case. “Thanks.”
Cups and cookies in hand, Wilder headed back to where Alexandra waited at the table he’d been seated at earlier. She had her legs stretched out, her skates balancing on the back of the blade.
“Here you go,” Wilder said as he set her cup of tea down in front of her, then sat down across from her. “Did you want a cookie? Luke said they were freshly made.”
Alexandra stared at the cookie he held out to her, then slowly, she reached out and took it. That surprised Wilder, but he kept his thoughts to himself. If she wanted to enjoy the treat, who was he to draw attention to it?
“How did the lesson go?” Wilder asked after he’d taken a sip of his coffee.
“It went well, though it was a bit weird at the end.”
“Why’s that?”
“As they were leaving, the woman said to me that he looked like a nice guy and that I should give him a chance. I have no idea what that means.”
Wilder fought the urge to facepalm himself. “Oh, well, I can probably shed some light on that.”
“You can?” Alexandra asked, her eyes wide.
“Yep. When I got here earlier, I was standing at the rink watching your lesson. I guess the mom got a little concerned that a guy was standing there watching her girls. She demanded to speak to my manager.”
“Oh dear.”
“It was fine. I gave her Kayleigh’s number, so she was able to talk her down,” Wilder said. “However, she wanted to make sure she didn’t try to bring it up again in the future, so Kayleigh made it seem like I was hanging around the rink because I have a crush on you.”
Alexandra choked on the sip of tea she’d just taken, covering her mouth in time to keep it from spraying everywhere. “What?”
“Kayleigh made it seem like I had a crush on you so the woman would understand I wasn’t there to watch her young daughters.”
“So… it’s not for real?”
“Only in Kayleigh’s imagination.”
No emotion crossed Alexandra's face, so Wilder had no way of knowing if she was relieved or disappointed. However, given their conversations of late, he was going to go with relieved. Which, in turn, made him feel rather disappointed.
“I’m glad she’s protective of her children,” Alexandra said. “But there’s no need to go after every single guy she thinks is watching them.”
“Hopefully, Kayleigh put her mind at ease, and she’ll leave me alone.” He thought back to the incident he’d had where he’d been accused of sexually harassing a woman. Was there something about him that made people think he was a good candidate to accuse of stuff like that?
“Anyway, I did have a valid reason for stopping by,” Wilder said. “And it had nothing to do with a crush.”
Or at least he didn’t think it did.