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Nicholas nodded and the three boys headed back out to the limo. Just as another was pulling up.
My mother stopped and I suggested, “Would you like me to show them to their rooms?”
Smiling at me she said, “That would be lovely, thank you.”
It didn’t take me long to show them their rooms and head back down to help my mother. She waved for me to come over. At this point, I easily picked out each Henderson. Each had dark hair, dark eyes, and a gorgeous year-round tan. I was jealous. Since returning home a couple of months ago, I stopped even dreaming of going on a vacation where I could soak up the sun rays and get a golden tan. The only color I was going to get was a red nose from the fridge air.
“This is my daughter Adilyn. Adilyn, this is Shaun Henderson, his wife Morgan, and their daughter Jenny.”
“Welcome to Winterberry,” I said.
“I’m Dean and this is my wife Tessa and our children, Michael and Avery.” Said a very Henderson-looking gentleman.
Avery said, “Can I go and see Pearl and Gwendelyn now?”
“After we get unpacked,” Tessa said.
Avery huffed, and Micheal said, “Let me guess, no slopes until everyone is here.”
Dean nodded, then said, “This is my brother Logan and his wife Cori.”
Cori added, “And here we have Cloe and Clark who don’t want anything to do with skiing.”
“I’ve already started a list of options that I will have for you all to look at shortly,” I said.
“I hate snow,” Cleo said.
There was always one, and here she was. Just going to have a few more things on that growing list now. “Don’t worry. I have plenty of things that don’t include going out in the snow.”
Cleo smiled. “See. I told you Clark that we didn’t need to go skiing.”
“Why don’t I show you all to your rooms,” I suggested.
This time it took a little longer, as Cleo and Clark seemed to be full of questions. Things that had nothing to do with rooms or the resort. But I smiled my way through it all and rushed back down to the lobby as I rattled off all the names trying to memorize them. I arrived just in time to hear the introductions of the next bunch.
Alex Henderson and his wife Ziva arrived with their three children, Charisa, Jason, and Jaxson. I loved Ziva’s accent. It was so different from the Boston accent that all the others seemed to have.
Caydan and his wife Allyson also arrived with their children, CJ and Lexi. So far, those kids seemed to be the youngest of them all. Since Lexi asked if Santa knew how to find the lodge, I figured she was about five. A very magical age, at least it had been for me.
Once again, I showed them to their rooms. Lexi was so cute and held my hand while we went upstairs. And instead of letting me leave to return to my duties, she insisted on showing me the stuffed animals that she had brought along with her. When I finally returned, the lobby was quiet.
There had been one last family to arrive, Rhonda, her husband Phil, and their four children. I didn’t want to go and start my list until I knew they had arrived and were settled in their rooms.
I heard Billy talking to someone as he came into the lobby. I turned around and my heart stopped for a minute. I never thought I’d see him again, and especially here. “Mark? What are you doing here?”
He walked towards me smiling. “Here on vacation.”
I didn’t know why Billy didn’t inform him that there were no rooms available. Now I was stuck doing so, and the last thing I wanted was to send him away. We weren’t a couple or anything, but we’d gone out for pizza several times and chatted often. There was no doubt that there had been some chemistry between us. We shared some very passionate kisses under starry skies, but that was as far as it ever went. And all those sweet moments ended abruptly when I had to leave school and return home without even finishing my second semester.
Don’t think about it. Doesn’t matter right now. Think about work. Think about the lodge.
“Sorry, but it is a private affair this week. You’ll need to come back another time. I’ll be happy to see if another lodge close by has any vacancies for you,” I offered.
“You’re sending me away?” he asked. “Not the welcome I expected.”
Trust me, not the one I want to be giving you either.I missed that playful grin. I missed our long talks about our dreams for the future.I hope your dreams are coming to fruition because mine are on hold for now.
I grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him to the fireplace where we could speak alone. “Mark, it’s not that I don’t want you here, because I do. I’ve been meaning to call or text you, but I’ve been so busy. The lodge has been rented for a private party and even though I want you here, you can’t stay,” I explained.
