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I pretend they’re only here for me as I hug each one of them. But as they shake Jamison’s hand and he handles them like a pro, I see them all relax, even Callum, the antisocial one, and I wish they’d just let me handle this on my own.
Jamison is entirely too smooth. I can’t believe I didn’t see right through him the night we met. No one this charming could be up to any good.
CHAPTERSIX
CONNECTIONS
JAMISON
The Landmark siblings are an intimidating bunch.
Attractive, smart, and confident…a couple broodier than others, but I’ve always loved a challenge. With the exception of Scarlett, our first meeting notwithstanding, I think I win them over fairly quickly. And from what I can tell, I really like them too.
The meeting goes well. Turns out the pastries are a common occurrence around here in the morning, so that wasn’t anything new, but they seem appreciative anyway. I tell them about the cocktail party and they seem excited about that, and I lay out just a few of my ideas for updating the resort and getting new guests coming in, but I go easy on them this first time. We’ll get to know each other and maybe some of my ideas will go over better with a little time.
I can tell Scarlett is the one who will challenge everything, and that’s okay. It’s obvious she cares about the lodge, so it’s understandable that she’d feel strongly about things.
I can’t help but wonder why the resort didn’t go to her. The brothers are here as a courtesy today—I’d be surprised if I see them at another meeting—but with each topic I bring up, Scarlett has a question…or statement.
Like when I suggest that we renovate the south wing that isn’t getting as much occupancy as the rest of the resort.
“When you say renovate, do you mean to match the charm of the rest of the lodge?” she asks.
“I hope to keep the charm but to update…and I would like to eventually update the entire resort, so this would be the first wing to showcase that.”
“So youdon’twant to maintain the integrity of the resort.”
“Ido,” I insist, trying my damnedest not to smile too big.
My smiles seem to make her angry.
Everything I do seems to make her angry.
I just find her so entertaining. And still can’t believe my luck or curse, whichever it might end up being, that she’s here in the first place. I’m choosing to believe it’s luck.
“I’ll be happy to show you some examples of what I mean between now and our next meeting,” I add.
She glowers at her large, fat notebook, writing something furiously.
I end the meeting by saying something I hope will convey how much this place means to me.
“My family and I came here twice, once when I was eight and the next when I was seventeen. The first time, my brother and I lived on the slopes and our parents could barely get us to stop and eat.”
There’s a rumble of laughter in the room.
“It was magical. I’d never been down such long runs and loved being able to ski right out of the condos…I could probably figure out which one it was if I go out and study each one.”
Another pause while they laugh. Everyone but Scarlett.
“The second time, I remember thinking we weren’t skiing nearly enough, but we hung out in town more because my parents insisted we spend time with our grandparents who were with us. I adored my grandparents, but skiing and girls were more important at the time, so I wasn’t as happy about the arrangement. But man, the memories we made at The Pink Ski…I still remember their fries with that fancy sauce.”
More chuckles.
“The bear sauce,” someone calls out.
“And the one and only time I ever saw Pappy drunk was on that trip, at The Dancing Emu, to be specific.” I smile, remembering it like it was yesterday. “He sang all the way back to our condo, with Gran giggling behind us, as my brother and I flanked him on either side.”
Everyone cracks up, and even Scarlett looks like she’s trying hard not to smile now.
