Chapter 11 #2
It would be great if they could just stay like this all day, but unfortunately, they had other responsibilities.
“Let’s get everything cleaned up and head up to the lodge,” Connor announced. “I need to check in with my staff, and I know Slater’s probably waiting for you, Lex, before he can leave for his vacation.”
“I’m sure he is,” she agreed. “But I was thinking maybe we can call Ruth and see if she can help us out today? All things considered, she could really be a lifesaver.”
“You’re right. If you want to call her, the kids and I will get this cleaned up.”
It took very little time to rinse all the dishes and put them in the dishwasher since he had cleaned everything else up while he was cooking, but once they were done, he sent the kids to wash up while he waited to see how the call went.
“She’ll be here in an hour,” Lexi told him. “So…I don’t know if you want to bring Annabeth up to the lodge, or…”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I hate for her to witness another argument because you know there’s going to be one.”
“Sadly, I do.” After a moment, she smiled slowly. “Okay, how about you hang out here with the kids until Ruth gets here. This way, I can go up and meet with Slater. Then once everyone’s settled and Ruth gets the gist of what’s going on, you can head up to the kitchen.”
The bark of laughter was out before he could stop it. “That almost sounds too easy. And considering the way the morning has gone…”
“I know.” She kissed him softly on the lips. “That’s why maybe you need a little extra time here to relax and just hang with your daughter. And Jonah,” she added with amusement. “I can bring him up to my office if you’d like.”
“No, no. I love having him here. You go, and I guess I’ll see you at some point later. I know you’re going to be busy, so…”
Once it was decided, Lexi hugged and kissed both kids goodbye before heading out. And as much as he wanted to go with her, she was right. This was where he needed to be right now.
Thank God Connor had agreed to stay behind. She was a woman on a mission, and she didn’t want anything or anyone to distract her.
And Connor was definitely a distraction.
Up at the lodge, she went in the back way and said hello to everyone in the kitchen before stepping out to the lobby and heading down to her office. Slater and Nora were both in there and looked up in surprise when she walked in.
“Hey! We weren’t expecting to see you anytime soon,” Slater said as he got to his feet. “Is Annabeth okay?”
“She’s fine, thankfully. Connor’s down in the cabin with her and Jonah and they’re waiting for Ruth to arrive.” She glanced around briefly before facing him. “So, um…what time do you absolutely need to leave here today?”
He grinned. “I need to leave for the airport by noon. I’m flying out to Montana for a few days. How come?”
Pulling out her phone, she looked at the time. “Okay, good. Do you happen to know if Connor’s parents left yet?”
“Um…I don’t think so? They gave Walker, Harlow, and Axel hell when we all got back here. They might be on their way back down to the cabin right now for all I know.”
“Dammit. I hope not.” She gave them both an apologetic look. “I need to go and deal with this. I’m so sorry because I know I just got back from vacation, but…”
“Lex, you don’t have to explain anything, okay?” Slater assured her. “Go and do what you need to do. We’ve got things covered.”
Unable to help herself, she hugged him.
And then Nora.
“Thank you! Wish me luck!” she called out as she raced from the room. In the lobby, she literally ran into Walker. “Oof! Sorry!”
He smiled as he reached out to steady her. “Hey! You okay?”
“I’m fine. Really. Have you seen the Winslowes?”
He groaned. “They finally went up to their room about twenty minutes ago. I had people babysitting them while they ate breakfast. We told them they weren’t allowed down to Connor’s for at least an hour. It’s been longer than that now, so all bets are off, unfortunately.”
“That’s okay. I’m going up to their room to talk to them,” she said with a grin.
“Lex, come on. Why would you do that to yourself?”
“Because I’m done with them messing with our lives. Something terrible could have happened to Annabeth today, and they need to realize that their words and their actions have consequences. What room are they in?”
“Lexi…”
“If you don’t tell me, I can just as easily go over to the front desk and ask.”
He stared hard at her for several long moments before he caved. “Fine. They’re in room 543. Keep your phone handy. I’ll stand down here and watch the elevators in case you miss them.”
She hugged him. “Thanks, Walker!”
The ride up to the fifth floor had her practically bouncing on her toes, but she’d waited over fifteen years to get these words off of her chest, and she was finally going to say them today!
“Finally,” she murmured as the doors slid open. Storming off the elevator, she made her way down the hall, and at room 543, she paused and let out a long breath. “Let’s do this.”
Knocking loudly, Lexi stood tall and couldn’t wait to unleash on Mr. and Mrs. Snooty. She hoped she shocked the smiles right off their stupid, snooty, smug faces.
But it wasn’t a smug face that opened the door, but a…crying one.
What the…?
Mrs. Winslowe stood there with tears coming down her face, but Lexi didn’t trust her for one minute. This was probably just an act she had prepared for whoever came to see her so she could garner sympathy.
“Lexi?” she said, wiping at her tears. “What can we do for you?”
Don’t be fooled. They’re not to be trusted.
“May I come in?”
Stepping aside, Mrs. Winslowe motioned for her to come in. Lexi spotted her husband sitting on one of the upholstered chairs looking equally miserable.
Stay strong…
“Did Connor send you up here?” Mr. Winslowe asked, his voice oddly hopeful.
“Um, no. Sorry. This was my idea to come up and speak to you both,” she began, proud of herself for her steady voice.
Mrs. Winslowe quietly sat in the other upholstered chair and looked…yup. Still devastated.
“Fifteen years ago, you made Connor break up with me because you deemed me unfit for your family.”
No reaction.
“You pushed your son into a loveless marriage to a woman you both thought was appropriate, and yet, it all ended not only in a divorce, but with a mother abandoning her child.”
There were some sniffles, but still no major reaction.
“By some stroke of luck, Connor and I have reconnected and realized we’re still in love with each other. I adore Annabeth, and Connor feels the same about my son. We were so happy until the two of you showed up yesterday and proved that you haven’t changed. You’re still unforgiving snobs.”
“Lexi,” Mrs. Winslowe demurely began, but Lexi wasn’t going to allow her to interrupt.
“Do you have any idea of the havoc you caused? First between myself and Connor and then with your granddaughter? Do you realize what could have happened this morning?” she demanded loudly.
“Thank God Annabeth’s okay, but that’s no thanks to the two of you!
You show up here and totally disregard everything that Connor asked of you!
And not only that, but you did also it in front of his child. You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
Mrs. Winslowe broke into tears, with her husband quickly rushing to comfort her.
Ugh…
“But I want you to hear what I have to say,” she went on, undeterred.
“Now, you don’t have to like it, or understand it, or even approve of it, but Connor and I love each other and we are going to have the life we should have started years ago.
And I love not only your son, but I love your granddaughter, too.
There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for that little girl.
She deserves to have a mother who wants to be there for her because she’s awesome, not because of her father’s bank account. ”
For a moment, she swore they looked…ashamed? No. No, that wasn’t possible.
“From this day forward, Annabeth is my daughter. This morning when I heard she was missing, I was scared to death. Jonah and I immediately joined the search for her, and thankfully my son knew all the places she liked to hide.” Letting out a long breath, she shook her head.
“But it never should have happened. Do you understand that? Connor’s a grown man and doesn’t need the two of you interfering in his life.
I think it’s wonderful that you’re concerned for your granddaughter, but threatening to take her away from her father crosses every line there is. ”
Was she done? Was that all?
No, wait, she still had a little something left.
“And just so you know, it was never about your wealth or your last name. I fell in love with Connor because he is a good and decent human being. Which surprises the hell out of me considering who raised him,” she spat.
“If you ever even tried to look at all that he’s accomplished—as a restaurateur, a resort owner, and a father—maybe you’d see how proud of him you should be.
I always knew Connor was destined for great things.
I believed in him. It’s a shame you don’t.
” Another break for breath, before she ended with, “If you really want to do what’s best for Annabeth, you should ask for her forgiveness and then leave her alone for a while.
She loves you both, but not right now. Don’t punish her because you did a shitty thing. ”
And now she was done.
In her head, she thought she’d wait to see what they had to say, but now she realized she didn’t need to. Nothing they were going to say was going to change anything. Years ago, they had the last word, and it tore her world apart, hopefully this returned the favor.
She left the room, letting the door slam shut behind her. And as she strolled to the elevator, she tried to gauge how she felt.
Happy?
Satisfied?
Vindicated?
Unfortunately, it was none of those things. All she truly felt was sad that the Winslowes didn’t realize how lucky they were. They had this amazing son, who was the father of the most incredible little girl, and they were too consumed with their own wealth and power to appreciate it.
“Note to self, call Mom and Dad today and tell them how much I love them,” she murmured, because it had been over a week since she’d spoken to them.
Although she had sent them pictures from the water park, it wasn’t the same as getting on the phone and having an actual conversation.
With that decision, she hit the down button and waited for the elevator.
Now she could focus on her work. Slater was going to be gone for a few days, and Nora was handling all the big activities for guests.
They had hired an entire activities crew to interact directly with the guests, but most of them were starting at the grand opening.
Lexi’s job was coordinating all the schedules and just overseeing everything and looking for new and exciting projects and entertainment as well.
That was something she was going to follow up on today—some musicians and stand-up comedians for weekend concerts.
The elevator chimed its arrival, and she was smiling and feeling great, ready to tackle all the tasks. But when the doors slid open, she found Connor standing there looking more than a little ticked off.
Uh-oh…