I giggled. “Aren’t you the charmer?”
“I try. Maybe you could put in a good word with my wife. She hasn’t found me charming in years.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
“Don’t let it go to your head. Johnny could flirt with a tree trunk.”
“Ouch, cuz.” He placed a hand on his heart as if wounded. “I’m hurt.”
Giles turned to me. “Don’t let him scare you off. He can be a bit much.”
“On the contrary, I find his jolliness quite refreshing.” I looked back at Giles teasingly.
He raised his eyebrows as if pretending he didn’t know what I was trying to imply.
“So, Mattie. What do you think of our humble lodge so far?” Johnny leaned on the desk.
“It’s fantastic. I can see why it’s so popular.”
Giles snorted and I ignored him.
“Any grand ideas for the place?” Johnny continued his polite line of questioning, something that was apparently not impossible for the men in this family.
“Well, definitely a lot of odds and ends that I’ve already written down. I do have one crazy idea that I’m pretty excited about.”
“Do tell?” Johnny asked at the same time I swear I heard Giles mumble, “Spare me.”
“Well, I was talking with Bev about the old breakfast place, and I brought up maybe trying to turn it into a casual lounge.”
She had loved the idea. She didn’t want to be overwhelmed with work, but when I convinced her I could handle it, she was practically glowing with the idea of restoring the place to some of its former glory.
Johnny looked interested.
Giles, on the other hand, scowled at my idea. “What do you know about running a restaurant?” he demanded.
“I said lounge, not restaurant. And not a ton, but I have a degree in hospitality, and Bev mentioned a few people in town who would love to help get the place back up and running.”
“The guests don’t need to eat here. They can go into town.”
I refused to let Giles’s snide remarks get to me. “It would be for more than just the guests. Bev said we already have a liquor license. We could open the place up to anyone skiing here for the day. We can have daily specials and get the Après-ski crowd.”
“What would you know about Après-ski?” Giles glared at me.
“You’d be surprised by the information you can find on the internet nowadays.”
Johnny chuckled.
“It wouldn’t work. We’ve got enough going on as it is,” Giles insisted.
“Bev seems to think it’s worth a shot. I’m great with decorating on a budget. And I’m not talking about a full menu or anything. Just some small bites that are easy to whip up and a couple of bartenders.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Johnny said.
“That’s because you’re too nice. It’s a terrible idea. It’s hard enough to find staff here in the winter. We can barely keep the lights on as it is, and you want to add more to our plate?”
“I didn’t think—”
“Of course, you didn’t think,” he snapped.
