Chapter 1 - Randy #2
I found a parking spot halfway between the entrance and the maintenance slash storage barn. I’d look for Dale—or his son Simon—in the barn first. They both loved Russy and would let my dog tag along for any chores while I went inside to chat with the guest services manager, Tammy.
I knocked on the open barn door before poking my head inside.
“Hey!” Simon said with a grin as he strode over, clasped my hand, then pulled me into a hug. “How ya been, Randy?”
I smiled and hugged him back. “Good. You?”
He released me and shrugged. “Stayin’ busy.”
“That’s good.” I looked around. “Where’s your dad?”
He sighed. “In the office, wrangling paperwork.”
I cringed. “Again?”
He looked around, then lowered his voice. “It’s tearing him apart, but he doesn’t want to admit it.”
“The paperwork?”
He nodded.
“I know he’s not an indoors type of man, but is it that hard on him?”
“Yeah.”
“Why doesn’t he hire somebody?”
He ran a hand through his black hair. “I think… he thinks he’d be dishonoring Papa’s memory if he doesn’t run things himself. But…”
“Even after all this time?”
“Yeah…”
“What’s Ellie think?” I asked, referring to his sister.
“She’s with me. We want Dad to hire a resort manager.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“Not yet. We want to give him a little more time.”
“It’s already been what… four years?”
He nodded. “Almost five.”
I shook my head. “Time flies.”
“Yeah…” He blew out a breath. “Change of subject. What brings ya by?”
I smiled. “Gonna check in with Tammy and the gift shop to see if I need to rotate stock or bring some new stuff in.”
“Gotcha.” He glanced down. “Wanna temperature check the springs with me, Russy?”
My dog barked in agreement.
He laughed, then clapped my shoulder. “You know the drill. If I’m not at the springs, I’ll be checking the garbage bins coming down on the back trails.”
“Got it. I knew you’d take him along.”
He leaned over and scratched Russy’s head. “Of course.” He stood straight again. “You’ll drop by the office and say hi to Dad, right?”
“He won’t mind the interruption?”
“He’ll grumble about it, maybe even to your face. But he’ll appreciate it.
I chuckled. “Typical stoic alpha.”
Simon snorted. “I’m glad Papa didn’t let that bullshit rub off on me.”
I shrugged. “Changing times, too.”
“Maybe. But Papa would thwack Dad upside the head every time Dad tried to tell me to tough it out because I’m an alpha.”
I laughed. “Your papa was a good man.”
Simon gave me a sad smile. “He was.”
There was a moment of awkward silence before he cleared his throat. “I need to get moving. State regulations about how often temperatures are checked.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah. Sorry.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s ok.” He looked down. “Come on, Russy.”
Russy barked and fell in beside Simon as they headed out of the barn. I turned the other direction, towards the main building.
“Hi Randy,” said Claire—a perky blonde who’d been the weekday front desk agent for years—as I walked in. “Tammy’s in her office.”
“Dale’s still in his?” I asked as I leaned on the counter.
She sighed. “Unfortunately.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Things not running right?”
She held up her hands and waved them defensively. “Oh, no. Don’t get the wrong impression. He runs everything fine. It’s just…” she sighed. “He’s not happy up there.”
I let out a long breath. “Simon said something similar.”
She nodded. “It was one thing when he was still actively grieving. But he’s only hurting himself more now.”
I rapped my knuckles on the counter a couple times. “I’ll head up there and see if a visitor won’t cheer him up a bit.”
She smiled. “Thanks, and good luck.”
I chuckled and headed to the stairs. The staff offices were only one floor up, so not worth dealing with the elevator. I popped my head into Tammy’s office to let her know I was there and would check in with her after chatting with Dale, then continued down the hall.
“What is it?” Dale demanded when I knocked on the door.
I poked my head in. “Thought I’d say hi.”
He let out a long sigh, sat up in his chair, and motioned to an empty seat across from him.
The room was dim—the only light coming from the large window behind him. Lining the sill were photos, some of the family, but many of Dale and his deceased mate, Gerry.
“So how ya been?” I asked as I took a seat.
“Busy,” he grunted. “We’ve got a packed summer ahead.”
“That’s good. Lots of family reunions?”
“And weddings. They decided to add a second fishing tournament this year, and we’re hosting. There’s going to be a waterskiing competition on the lake, and the room block is almost sold out for that.”
“That sounds good.”
He nodded. “It is, but it’s a lot to keep on top of.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you have great staff.”
“The best,” he agreed. Then he studied where I was sitting. “Where’s that dog of yours?”
“Checking the temps with Simon.”
He nodded. “Good.”
“Want me to bring him up before we leave?”
He shook his head. “Let me know when you’re ready to head out, and I’ll walk you to your truck.”
“You sure? I don’t want to pull you from your work.”
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I need to get some fresh air anyway.”
“So are you planning anything exciting this summer?” I asked, hoping to get him talking a bit more.
“No,” he replied. “But we’re going to need to do more tree maintenance than usual this winter. We should schedule a day or two toward the end of the season for you to come by and see what you want.”
“A whole day?”
He nodded. “We’ve got some of those trees by the lake you like that will need a good trimming, then we’re doing a lot of thinning up the hill. I figure you could find some treasures.”
“Count me in.”
“I’ll let you know when we schedule the forest guys.”
“Sounds good.”
Dale visibly relaxed over the next few minutes as we chatted about things other than work. He asked about my grandparents—who’d moved south to Arizona to escape the winters—and my parents, my sister, her mate, and their kids.
In return, I asked about his daughter—Ellie—and her wedding late the following summer. While it was still over a year away, he was excited for her, and I’d learned that it was a mostly safe topic of discussion.
Eventually, we were interrupted by an employee needing Dale’s attention, and I slipped out before I could overstay my welcome.
Tammy had a check ready for me when I got to her office, and a list of items the gift shop wanted restocked. We discussed which consignment pieces might need to be switched out, then she asked me to check in with the banquet manager.
A few minutes later, I had an appointment to collect several large charcuterie boards that I’d made so that I could do maintenance on them before the summer wedding season got into full swing.
It wasn’t my favorite task, but smaller boards sold well in the gift shop after event attendees saw the quality in action.
Dale was waiting for me at the front desk when I returned to the lobby, his mood visibly better than when I’d entered his office. But I realized I hadn’t seen him smile until we walked out and Russy barked in greeting, sprinting across the parking lot to say hi.
A grin broke across his face as he knelt and scratched behind my dog’s ears. “Who’s a good boy?”
Simon strode up and gave me a smile as he watched his dad and my dog. “He was the best helper during temperature checks. Kept me company and sat politely where I told him to.”
Dale stood, pulled a treat from a pocket, and tossed it to Russy—who caught it with a slight jump.
“Did Tammy get you all sorted?” Dale asked, turning to me.
I nodded. “Yep. She gave me a check for the consignment pieces that sold, and a list of restocks for the gift shop.”
He nodded. “Good.”
The light changed, and I looked up to see that clouds had started to gather overhead. “I should probably get home and unload in case it rains.”
“Simon?” Dale asked.
“I’ll start looking for lightning alerts,” the younger alpha replied. “And I’ll call up the lifeguard shack for the springs and let them know just in case.”
Dale nodded and grunted. “I’ll head down and talk to the guys on the lake.”
“See you later,” I said as I started toward my truck. “Come on, Russy.”
My dog fell in beside me as I strode back to my truck. A few minutes later, I was home, everything was unloaded, and I was looking forward to a bit of time at the lathe to finish out the day.