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Jax had spent the entire drive over thinking about how to save the Sierra Vista Lodge from going to a conglomerate while still giving Peggy and Kent their dream of living on the beach. He’d listened to what they’d said, but he’d also read between the lines. They were as unsettled about selling as the rest of them were. Giving up one dream to chase another was always scary. Which, if Lucas had listened, he’d know.
Lucas’s phone rang. He checked the screen and something flickered in his expression. Exhaustion. He sent it to voicemail and pocketed it.
“Was that Mom?” Jax asked. It was a cheap shot, but he wasn’t feeling all that forgiving today.
Lucas understood he was asking about their mom, Cindy. “That was one time, a year ago. Haven’t spoken to her since, which you’d know if you’d stuck around.”
The comment cut deep and Jax felt as if a fist was trying to punch through his sternum. He wasn’t the one who’d had a clandestine meeting with their mom. Wasn’t the one who’d made a decision to keep Jax out of the loop. After five years, their mom had actually reached out for help and Lucas singlehandedly turned her away.
Jax only found out because he’d heard through the grapevine that Lucas and Cindy had coffee at Coffee Run.
“Why stick around? Mom shut me out. You shut me out.” He saw anger banked in his twin’s eyes and Jax met it with equal force. “Seems like I’ve been shut out on a lot.”
“We didn’t shut you out,” Nolan said. “We just didn’t want to bother you with day-to-day things.”
“While this family reunion is sweet, I’ve got to pick up Emma in twenty minutes, so can we get this argument over with?” Harris said.
Jax let out a breath. “I didn’t come to argue. I came to hear what you guys thought about the decision to sell, because I think it’s a mistake.”
“So do we,” Brynn said, waving a hand between herself and Harris. Then she nailed Nolan with a look. “And I’m pretty sure you do too.”
“I do, but Lucas is right in that Mom and Dad deserve to live their life the way they want. We’ve all left the nest to move on to our next chapters. Maybe it’s their time.”
“I’m not questioning that. I’m just wondering why we all can’t pitch in. It’s not like we all didn’t grow up working here. Between the five of us we know the ins and outs of this place,” Jax said.
Over the years each of them held numerous jobs at the lodge, ranging from teaching lessons to doing maintenance on the ski lifts, chopping wood for the firepits to tending bar. When they were kids, it was considered chores, but as they got older, they’d held down actual jobs. It was a rite of passage.
Lucas’s expression stayed even. “And the house in Santa Barbara?”
Here came the part of his ten-minute-ride-to-the-lodge plan that made his stomach churn with uncertainty. “Maybe I buy their Sierra Vista home off them?”
Once again, silence blanketed the room.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Brynn asked quietly.
Jax ran a hand down his face, the stubble a not-so-subtle reminder of how his mind-blowing night had ended. “I need a place when I visit, and Peggy and Kent will too.”
“You can’t just throw money at problems and expect them to magically fix themselves,” Lucas said, and Jax knew he wasn’t just talking about the house. He was talking about how Jax gave their mom money a couple of times when Cindy had popped back into his life.
“Why not?” Jax argued. “Peggy and Kent want to retire. They need money to do that. Correct?”
“They need support.” Lucas’s body language was as frigid as his tone. “And if you’d been around, you’d see why they made that decision.”
“I could see in Peggy’s eyes that she felt trapped between two options.”
“Jax is right. Can you imagine how she’s going to feel when she sees what a chain hotel will do to the lodge? It will break her heart,” Brynn said. “But we can’t ask you to buy their house.”
“You didn’t ask. I’m offering.” Jax wasn’t rich by any means, but he’d done well for himself on the circuit. Plus, his finance guy has been on him to get some write-offs.
“I can pitch in,” Harris said. “I bet we can all throw some money into the pot.”
“Even if we could get them the house in Santa Barbara, do you guys have any idea how much work goes into running this place?” Lucas said. “I do. I’m here every day, all day, making sure this place runs. Making sure things don’t fall through the cracks. We have the Sierra Vista Cup coming up in four weeks. Do any of you know how many hours go into planning this one event? And it’s just the first of the season.”
“If you need help, then just ask,” Harris said. “It’s called words, bro, use them.”
“Here’s a word.” Lucas flipped him the bird.
“Seriously, where can we fill in the gaps?” Nolan asked.
