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Once Ellie agreed to work with me, things got a lot smoother.
We mapped out a game plan for the list JJ gave me, and then, true to my word, we started working on her next event together. Besides the end of season parties, Ellie liked to throw a few smaller events per season. During the slower fall and spring seasons, she welcomed employees and their families to use the resort amenities.
She laid out her idea for me, and I had to admit, it was solid. Since it involved resources that already existed and were underutilized during the season, it didn’t cost the company much aside from time. All employees who wanted to take part would work a half day so they could participate in the festivities the other half of the day. The few guests on the resort would be steered to another part of the property. Ellie had blocked out the horseback rides for the entire day, as well as one pool area and the ski hill nearby.
Employees and their families could go on trail rides, downhill mountain bike using the chair lifts, swim, or enjoy a variety of lawn games that we’d set out on the grassy field that housed the base of Peak 9 during the winter. Aside from the price of food for the lunch barbeque, the only cost to this event was our time planning and coordinating it. The employees working volunteered their hour shift at the event, which allowed everyone to have a good time.
“This is… outstanding,” I commented after looking everything over. Ellie flushed prettily under my praise and allowed her gaze to drop for a moment. “Have you done this before? It looks like a pretty solid plan. I’m not sure what needs to be worked out.”
“Thank you, yes this is my third year hosting this particular Fall Fest. It’s by far the most popular one we put on. We try to hold it before the season really kicks into fall—we get busy with leaf peepers when the colors are near peak—so I’ve done most of the planning already. But we need to coordinate our volunteers, get people signed up for the trail rides since those have limited slots, and get our list of participants so we know who needs a half day off for the event. Would you prefer morning or afternoon?”
She glanced up at me abruptly, her pen poised over paper to take down my answer.
“I’m sorry, what?” I stuttered out a response, not quite following.
“Would you prefer to bring your kids up in the morning or the afternoon? It’s on a Sunday, so it doesn’t interfere with school.”
“Oh.” I scratched the back of my neck. “Should I? I mean, this seems like something more for the hourly employees. I don’t want to take anything away from them.”
“Nonsense. It’s for all employees. Besides, Dad particularly likes management to show up to these things and mingle with the other employees. I recommend the morning. It’s usually nicer.” She glanced at me with sly blue eyes. “If it makes you feel better, you can volunteer for an hour or two in the afternoon. Most of the VPs and managers help with the barbeque.”
“I see what you did there,” I replied with a laugh. “Alright, you got me. Sign me up for a trail ride for three in the morning. I’m assuming seven is old enough to ride? That’s my youngest.”
“We’ll put you down for two horses. The youngest can ride with you. And I’ll sign you up for an hour at the grill at noon? That way, you’ll be able to sit your kids down to eat while you work, and they can run off and play when they’re done. You’ll be able to see them from the patio.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“It’s what James, my brother, does. In fact, I’ll sign you guys up to work together. That way, your kids can hang out and maybe make some new friends. You two should meet.”
“That’s great, thank you. Does their mom come too?”
Ellie’s gaze dropped again. “My sister-in-law died a couple of years ago.”
“I’m sorry, I had no idea.”
“Don’t worry about it. There’s no way you’d know. It was big news in town, of course, local resort owner’s wife driving off the mountain in a snowstorm. But you didn’t live around here then.”
My stomach dropped. “That’s awful. How are they handling it?” It was one thing for children to be without a parent because of a divorce. It was another completely to have their mother ripped from them because of a terrible accident.
My brain made a startling realization: that’s exactly what some of my friend’s families went through, when the Airman got killed in battle and it left the family without them. It was a reality we all accepted, but I’d never stopped to consider what it was like for the family. Only from the perspective of the one who could be gone. A sick feeling swirled in my gut; that was the reality Cheryl lived with, and I’d never taken her concerns about it seriously.
“They’re doing pretty well, all things considered. James works a lot in the winter, since he runs the ski resort. He keeps the kids busy with skiing and his nanny then, but he’s able to spend a lot of time with them the rest of the year.”
I forced myself back to the present. “One benefit to a seasonal job,” I agreed.
“Yeah, if only we could all be that lucky,” Ellie snorted.
That note of derision surprised me. “You don’t like your position?”
She glanced again at the door, as if to confirm it was still closed. “It’s not that—it’s that I didn’t even get a choice. Dad decided what rolls we’d fill far in advance, along with the Blackwells and their kids. They didn’t give us any say in the matter.”
“What would you have chosen, if given the chance?”
She backpedaled quickly. “I don’t mean to say I’d do anything else. I’ve just never felt like I had a choice in the matter, you know what I mean? It would have just been nice to be asked. But I’m happy enough with my lot, and now that I’ve found a place where I can really make a difference—our employee satisfaction—it’s a lot more meaningful for me.”
“I understand,” I replied, swallowing down the stab of guilt that hit my chest. She had agreed to work with me on JJ’s list, but she wouldn’t like the other item on my agenda… it would be an issue when we had to face it. Luckily for now, I could set it aside.
* * *
