20. Carter
Chapter twenty
Carter
D ex’s eyes pop when he spots us, but he turns his focus back to the drink he’s mixing without saying a word. That’s one down, the entire town to go.
Sloan links his fingers in mine and drags me behind him to the far side of the room where Maddox and Cade are in a booth, saving our spots. I would’ve been fine for the two of us to go out alone, but Sloan thought easing into our public declaration would be easier, and I have to admit it’s nice to see them. Maddox can relate to my childhood—his family is just as wealthy as mine—although I get the impression they’re more close-knit than my own. And Cade’s just a likable guy in general.
After hugs and handshakes, Sloan and I take the seats opposite Cade and Maddox, facing away from the bar and the dozens of eyes seated there.
“We gave you that side, so you don’t see everyone staring at you,” Maddox says, offering a sympathetic smile. I rest my left arm on the back of the booth so I can run my fingers over Sloan’s shoulder.
“You’ll probably feel it though.” Cade tips his chin up with a knowing wink .
I feel my brows pull together at that unappealing thought. “How long does this go on for?”
“You’ll stop feeling it before they stop looking.” Cade grins good naturedly. As a lifelong resident, he’s immune to the quirks of small-town life, and might even revel in them a bit.
“And even the biggest news fades after time,” Maddox adds as the waitress sets a pitcher and four pint glasses in front of us.
“No dirty shots?” I arch an eyebrow as Cade starts pouring drinks.
“Only when I need to defend my title. Or get my husband excited.” He wags his eyebrows at Maddox, who smacks his arms and gives him a warning glare. “What? We’re newlyweds. It’d be weirder if I didn’t try to get you excited.”
“I would’ve thought as newlyweds you wouldn’t have to work at that,” I quip as he passes out glasses.
“I don’t. I just like to make my husband blush.” Cade laughs and clinks his glass against mine.
Since Sloan is blushing too, it’s impossible not to join in his laughter.
For the next hour, we talk about life in Katah Vista. Cade shares his thoughts on some of the best features of the area, most of which I’ve yet to experience since I’ve hardly left the office. There are a number of trails for hiking and biking he suggests I explore, and there’s even a small lake with a beach where people paddleboard and canoe.
Maddox and Sloan tell me about their favorite events, Pedal being top of the list, although the last day of the ski season is a close second because of all the costumes on the slopes, and the live bands that play at the base area. I vaguely remember seeing the festivities from my office window a few months back, though I didn’t partake in anything. I was too busy analyzing the numbers from the season .
As we’re finishing our first round, Cade’s cousin Deacon spots us and heads our way.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming out tonight, cousin,” Deacon says as he pulls up a chair.
“Didn’t know I was until I got home and Maddox told me we had plans.”
“Maddox,” Deacon makes a tsking sound as he shakes his head, “you promised you weren’t going to take over his social calendar just cause you two got hitched.”
“It’s one night, Deacon, and we’re at your favorite spot so why are you complaining?”
“I’m not complaining. I’m just making sure you stick to your word.” He winks at him and signals his friend over by the bar, who heads our way with another pitcher.
“You remember my cousin Deacon and our friend Ryder from the bike race?” Cade asks me.
“I do. How’s it going?” I offer them each my hand, and they give it a brief but firm shake, each of them registering my arm around Sloan’s shoulders as they take their seats. They tense under my fingertips for just a moment before they relax, as if he just remembered we’re not hiding anymore.
“Can’t complain.” Ryder shrugs as Deacon says, “Not bad.”
“Ryder races on the snowboard circuit,” Cade tips his head toward the man wearing a ski cap over his dark hair despite the fact it’s summer. "The resort has been sponsoring him for years."
“I’ve heard good things about you,” I tell Ryder. Although I didn’t get involved with the racing program last year, I kept tabs on it since I have such a soft spot for snow sports, and he’s rumored to be the guy to beat for the upcoming season. “We’ll have to get together sometime to talk about your sponsorship. I'd like to know how it's working for you.”
Ryder’s eyes flash wide for a moment before he gives me a curt nod. I wince inwardly, regretting how much I isolated myself from people I should’ve made a point to interact with, people I probably would’ve enjoyed. Hopefully, it’s not too late to correct that.
“Cade was just telling Carter about some of the biking trails he should check out in the area,” Maddox steers the conversation back on track.
“You bike?” Deacon asks me.
“I’m more of a winter sports guy, but I’d like to see what it’s about since it seems to be popular around town.” I can’t see myself hurling down a mountain on a bike the way I do on skis, but I’m willing to try it if it could help me better relate to people here.
“Biking’s the same as skiing, it just hurts more when you fall.” Deacon says with authority.
“Well, that and you have to go up before you go down, so it’s more work,” Ryder adds.
“How is that different than skiing?” Sloan asks.
“You don’t ski uphill, you take a chairlift. Around here the only way to ride a bike down the mountain is to pedal up it first,” Ryder answers.
“Around here?” I latch onto that comment as the memory of an article I read in a trade publication comes to mind. “There are some resorts that have modified their lifts to take bikes. Would people want that here?”
“Absolutely.” Cade leans forward, an eager grin on his face. “I mean, I love earning the downhill ride with a punishing climb up, but sometimes you just want the thrill of blasting down the trail, you know? ”
“Not personally, no. Though like I said, I’m game to try it. And if it makes sense, I’d explore adding something like that here.”
“Don’t tease me.” Deacon places a hand above his heart. “You add a bike park, and I’ll have to make this my permanent home.”
“It’s not already?” My eyes dart to Cade, looking for confirmation, but his eyes are focused on his beer.
“Deacon’s a landscape architect,” Ryder volunteers with a snort. “Dude didn’t consider that a degree in flowers and trees would mean he’d be jobless three quarters of the year when he moved here.”
“In my defense, flowers and trees are tough to maintain at altitude. And those aren’t my only specialty, it’s just the type of work Cade has available.” Deacon raises a glass to his cousin as if to say things are all good.
“If I build a bike park or develop more of the mountain, I’d need help planning the layout of the new features. Is that something you’re qualified to do?” I ask Deacon.
“I’ve never built a bike park, but I’ve got the right training,” he stutters, looking around the table like he’s waiting for the punchline. “Are you doing that?”
“I’ll build more ski runs as long as Maddox can help me convince the board and get the new development permitted.” It’s a gamble to say that before I’ve got the green light for any of my plans, though I’m hoping my admission earns me some goodwill. “And I’m willing to explore a bike park.”
“Don’t put that on me.” Maddox shakes his head, eyes wide with panic. “I have no sway with your board much less the agencies you have to apply to.”
“You have more sway than you think considering you’re the author of the environmental report. All you have to do is defend your conclusions,” I assure him with a warm smile. “And if the board agrees with my vision, I’m going to need a lot of local resources to pull it off, including contractors, environmentalists, and landscapers.” I nod toward Cade, Maddox and Deacon in turn.
“You’re doing it again, man.” Deacon shakes his head. “You fill my head with crazy ideas and I’m gonna go pull my application from Lennon thinking I don’t need a second job.”
“What application?” Cade and Ryder exclaim in unison.
“Lennon needs more help now that Sloan’s cut back his hours, and I need more money to stay here.” He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, although the crease in his forehead says he doesn’t love the idea of working at Murphy’s.
“You’re too easily distracted by a pretty face to make a good server.” Ryder shifts his head from side to side.
“I know, right?” Deacon agrees. “But I gotta do what I gotta do.”
“Working for Lennon is actually fun.” Sloan tries to reassure him with a friendly look. “He’s a great boss and there are a lot of nice perks, including good food.”
“I know, it’s just not the job I envisioned for myself.” Deacon returns his smile.
“Don’t change plans yet, but I should be getting word about my proposed changes in a few weeks. We can talk more after that,” I tell Deacon.
“Hey, that’d be great. Thanks.” He lifts his glass to mine and clinks them together loudly.
The group changes topics to the next big community event, the Fourth of July parade, and who’s bringing what to the parties afterward. I try to follow the conversation, though the appreciative gleam in Sloan’s eyes, and the way his fingers lightly circle the inside of my thigh, make that damn near impossible. If I’d known making nice with his friends would get him to look at me like this, I’d have done it a lot sooner.
Damn I want to kiss him. Can I do that here?
“Hot pussies, three o’clock.” I look up in time to see Ryder elbowing Deacon, who covertly directs his gaze toward the bar.
“That’s my cue.” Deacon stands with a predatory grin on his face. “Catch you guys later.”
The two of them stalk toward the bar under the admiring gaze of a pair of busty women as Cade shakes his head with a heavy sigh.
“You aren’t proud of your protégés?” Maddox casts a wicked grin in his direction.
“I’m never gonna live that down, am I?” He snatches his husband’s hand and kisses his knuckles.
“Where’s the fun in that?” He waggles her eyebrows at him.
Their open show of affection has me itching to get Sloan home, now . Before I can suggest it, Cade turns to us with an apologetic look.
“If you don’t want to witness some truly cringe-worthy pickup lines, I suggest we call it a night,” he says.
“Way ahead of you.” I reach for my wallet and drop a few bills on the table, waving away his attempt to do the same.
“Seriously, man. You don’t have to pay for us,” he protests.
“I won’t always, but you guys gave me some ideas for the resort. Buying your drinks is the least I can do.”
“Okay, thanks.” Cade holds out his fist just as I extend my hand. We awkwardly mimic each other before finally making fists at the same time and bumping them together, and I shake Maddox’s hand just before Cade slings an arm over his shoulders and heads toward the door. Watching them go, I have another pang of envy over their innocent yet public display.
Fuck it .
I take Sloan’s hand in mine and pull him to me, planting a soft kiss on his lips in full view of anyone watching. Then I lead him outside knowing the entire town will be referring to him as mine by morning. If they spot the goofy grin on my face, they’ll know I’m damn happy about it, too.
***
“Charles Quinn is on the line.” Janice’s voice drifts through the speaker on my phone. It’s more proper than usual, as if she’s afraid my dad would know if she referred to him as anything other than Charles. His unerring formality seems to have that effect on people.
“Thanks Janice,” I reply before picking up the receiver. “Hello, Father.” Apparently, he has the same no-nonsense effect on me.
“Carter.” I hold the phone away from my ear as his voice booms over the line. He’s not particularly loud in person, but his voice seems to rise several decibels when he’s holding a receiver up to his ear. It’s another of his traits I hope not to mimic.
“I have the notes you sent over for the board meeting next week,” he continues. “I thought we should go over them before you present.”
“Is there anything wrong?” At the last minute I added a section about a bike park, and I expect it to be a sticking point since I doubt most of the members will know what it is.
“Not a problem per se, though I am concerned about the expert ski terrain you’re proposing to develop. Why the limited expansion when you could offer so much more with beginner runs and a secondary base area?”
I walk my father through the environmental studies that were done on both areas, and the financial implications to develop each of them. It’s his way of prepping me for the presentation to the full board, although I’m sure it’s also a convenient opportunity to make sure I won’t embarrass either of us in front of his associates next week. He likes to say reputation is everything, and while that used to frustrate me, I see the truth in it now.
We cover the rest of the items on my agenda—to my surprise he has no objection to exploring the bike park since it could generate summer revenue—though he throws me for a loop when we’re done with work talk.
“Your mother is planning a dinner party next month, and she’d like you to attend.”
“What’s the occasion?” In my experience dinner parties are where deals are made, and since I’m not currently part of the family business I have no business attending that I can see.
“Her friend Susan has a son she’d like you to meet. He’s a nice boy, a few years younger though smart as a whip. You’d like him.”
Not for the first time, I’m torn between feeling grateful for having parents that accepted my sexuality from day one, and resenting how that support manifests itself in these matchmaking exercises. I thought I’d escape this interference by being gay since many families in our social circle still frown upon that, but if anyone can find a needle in a haystack, it’s my mother.
“Doubtful.” I pinch the bridge of my nose between my finger and thumb to stave off the headache that always accompanies those words. “I’ve never liked anyone Mother tried to set me up with.”
“That doesn’t mean you won’t like this one,” he insists.
I could tell him exactly why he’s wrong, but I was hoping to get past the board meeting before bringing up Sloan. I’d like to think our relationship won’t come under fire if I tell them about it after I’ve presented them with a viable plan to move forward.
“And how do you think this man will feel about me when he realizes I’m tied to a tiny resort town without a five-star restaurant and whose residents consider clothing without holes to be formalwear?” I’m exaggerating of course, though not by much.
“Your mother hasn’t married you off, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. She simply worries that you’re too isolated out there and she wants you to meet a nice man. Someone you may come home to visit from time to time.”
“You mean someone who will encourage me to give up this silly idea,” I correct. My parents may have helped me pursue this venture, but neither of them understand it. From a business perspective, my father is supportive. Though on a personal level, I’m confident they both want me to give it up.
“If I thought this idea was silly, I wouldn’t have backed it.” My father’s gruff voice rings in my ear. “That doesn’t change the fact that we both worry about the kind of life you’re living.”
“Just because it’s not the lifestyle you enjoy doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. I happen to love being closer to the mountains than the city. I don’t miss the restaurants and the shops.”
“What about friends? You haven’t mentioned any of those since you moved there. Your mother just wants to make sure you’re not lonely.”
“I’m not lonely,” I exhale heavily.
“Fine. Come to dinner and put your mother’s mind to rest.” His tone suggests that’s the end of it, but I choose not to listen.
“Not if dinner is code for setting me up with a man I don’t want to be matched with.” I know my parents too well to think they’d un-invite their guests on my behalf .
“What’s the harm in meeting someone, Carter?” I can actually feel him grinding his teeth though I can’t see it. It’s the same thing I’m doing.
“I’m not looking for a boyfriend,” I grit, my composure waning.
“Which is precisely why your mother worries about you. Is it too much to ask that you honor her wishes?” His voice is just shy of yelling outright.
“Yes.” I raise mine to match his.
“Why?”
“Because I already have one,” I shout. Fuck .
I’ve only rendered my father speechless on one other occasion, when I told him I wanted to manage a ski resort. I don’t remember it being this uncomfortable.
“How long?” His voice is unreasonably steady. I’m not sure if that’s from shock or disappointment.
“I’ve been seeing him for about a month.”
“Why am I just learning about this now?”
I could give him any number of excuses, but that would only make him skeptical, and piss him off even more when the truth comes out. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, bracing myself for the inevitable fallout.
“He’s employed by the resort.” I don’t have to elaborate any further.
“Jesus, Carter,” he seethes. “I taught you better than that. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“It’s a temporary position in the spa until there’s an opening in the field he really wants. There’s no reason to…”
“Worry?” he interrupts. “Overreact? About you sleeping with someone who works in the spa? Do you expect me to believe you haven’t put yourself or the resort on shaky legal ground by sleeping with a subordinate? How na?ve are you? ”
I can’t help wincing since those exact thoughts ran through my mind not too long ago. It makes me briefly glad to be having this conversation over the phone so he can’t read my expression.
“I’m aware of the risks, which is why I took precautions before getting involved. And Sloan isn’t the type of man to take advantage of the situation.”
“Said every man just before getting sued for sexual harassment,” he snorts. “I don’t suppose your precautions included a legal disclosure that this is a consensual relationship? That there won’t be any repercussions to either of you if you dissolve your arrangement?”
My silence is the worst possible answer.
“I didn’t think so. How long were you planning to keep this a secret?”
Rubbing my forehead with my free hand, I let out a sigh. “I was planning to introduce you to him when you’re here next week. If you’d just meet him, you’d see…”
“Meet him? Are you out of your mind? I won’t be complicit in your lapse in judgment. Thank God I learned about it now instead of later. One month is still a month too long, but it’s manageable. You’ll tell him the upcoming projects at the resort will demand too much of your time to balance a relationship. And for God’s sake, don’t fire the man. Just break it off, leave his job intact.”
“I’m not breaking up with him. If you would just listen…”
“You most certainly are breaking up with him,” my father cuts me off. “If we’re lucky he’ll accept that without argument. You aren’t out of the woods on this but ending it now gives us a good chance to avoid repercussions.”
My protests bounce around in my head faster than I can put them into words. “It’s not like that. I can’t just toss him aside. ”
“Then you forfeit the resort.” My father’s cool tone echoes through the receiver. “I can’t trust you to run a multimillion-dollar company if you’re going to be this careless with your decisions. It’s the man or the job. You have until I’m there next week to make your decision.”
The low buzz of the dial tone reverberates through my skull, broadcasting his rejection better than words ever could.
Dammit . I knew his initial reaction to Sloan would be disappointment, but I thought he’d at least hear me out. And I never would’ve predicted the ultimatum he just threw at me, especially given the progress I’ve made so far.
He didn’t say it, but the fact he challenged my plans without objecting to them means he approves. At least, he thinks they have merit, which is as close to approval as it will ever get with him. I should know since I’ve been trying to pull that reaction out of him for close to two decades. Yet, he’s willing to remove me over Sloan?
What the hell am I supposed to do now? I’m on the verge of turning this place into the anchor the town needs to sustain itself long-term, something that would preserve the livelihoods of hundreds of people for generations to come. I can’t just turn my back on it–on them . But how do I choose that future over one with Sloan, especially since he helped bring that goal within reach?
I can’t. I won’t. The board will have to make the choice for me if they don’t approve. I’ll make my case next week, and if they disagree, I’ll walk away. I only hope if it comes to it, they’ll let me suggest a replacement. Finn would be an excellent candidate. I’m sure Sloan would…
Shit .
He won’t agree. He won’t even let it get to that point. If he finds out I’m willing to risk my career by refusing to choose between it and him, he'll walk away. He’ll sacrifice us to save my dream, and the town, even though I can’t separate the two in my mind. If I want a shot at convincing the board, and my father, that I can have both, I can’t tell him what he said today.
A hesitant knock on the door snaps me back to the present. I hang up the receiver that was spewing its disapproval in my ear and call for my guest to come in.
“Is there anything else you needed before I head home for the evening?” Janice asks as she pokes her head around the door. Her unusually quiet voice tells me she heard at least some of what transpired on the call with my dad.
“No, thank you, Janice.”
She starts to retreat then pauses. “You know you have my support. Sloan, too.” She gives me a motherly smile, the kind that says she wishes she could fix things we both know are outside of her control.
“Thank you, Janice. I appreciate that.” I give her a little wave as her head disappears behind the door. Then I crack open the scotch I keep in my desk drawer, hoping it will help me come up with a backup plan in case the board sees things the way my father does.