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The other night had spooked her.
Hell, it had spooked him too. Or so he thought. But the more days that passed without seeing her, the deeper this strange emptiness in his chest grew.
Thursday morning couldn’t come fast enough. But when he got there, instead of seeing Milly at her desk, he found Peggy and Kent in the conference room, with the kids gathered around for the weekly board meeting.
Dropping his computer bag off in his office, he joined everyone. He glanced at the big pink box in the middle of the table and froze. When controversy was imminent, Kent used sugar to sweeten the blow.
“So it’s a chocolate sprinkles kind of meeting?” Jax asked.
“There’s a jelly-filled in there as well,” Harris said with a smile.
“Will you two stop,” Peggy said. “Your dad just thought it would be nice to bring along breakfast. Now, grab one and take a seat. We’re just waiting on Brynn.”
Jax took his designated chair, noting how tired Lucas looked. His shirt was wrinkled, his tie loose, his eyes bloodshot, his hair mussed. His starched and polished demeanor was seriously lacking today.
“You look like shit,” Jax said in a You okay tone.
“Thanks for the commentary,” Lucas said.
“Well, either you’re wearing yesterday’s clothes because you got laid or because you spent the night in your office. And since your screw-you factor is coming in at an impressive twelve, I’d go with the latter,” he said in a tone low enough that only his brother could hear.
“I spent the night organizing some of the financials for the due diligence. Matrix Resorts wants it by May, which gives me a little more than three months to get my shit together.”
Which gave Jax three months to figure out a plan that accommodated everyone. He knew there was a solution. It was right there, just out of reach. But the more invested he became in the Sierra Vista Cup, the more invested he became in the lodge and its future.
“How much work are we talking?” Jax asked.
“A deal this size? Four hundred pages of financials, ledgers—current and historic—operational contracts, supply contracts, property surveys, employment records … ”
Four hundred pages of things Jax knew nothing about. His communication skills were best suited for social settings. If Jax believed in something, he could sell it to anyone. It was how he managed to land so many sponsors so early on in his career. He didn’t do analytics and minute details, Jax did things big and loud.
Lucas, on the other hand, worked silent wonders with spreadsheets and presentations. He was a man who controlled his world with confidence and great authority. Right then, he looked like he’d gone to battle with Ares and lost.
Jax could feel Lucas’s quiet defeat as if it were his own and that cut all the way to Jax’s soul. He hated to see his brother struggle like this.
“How can I help?” Jax asked, and Lucas did a double take. “I know that most of what you’re dealing with would be Greek to me and I type like shit, but I’m a great sounding board and a fast learner.”
Before Lucas could answer, Brynn strode into the room. Dressed in her National Guard jumper, combat boots, and a slicked back bun, she looked like a bad-ass helicopter medic.
“Hey, fam.” She gave a salute and then reached for a doughnut. Right before she could grab one, Harris pulled the box to the center of the table, making it impossible for the pint-sized paramedic to get her sugar fix. “You remember I was the top of my class in hand-to-hand combat?”
Harris grabbed the last jelly-filled, Brynn’s favorite, and took a giant bite, scarfing down a third of the pastry.
“Harris, stop teasing your sister,” Peggy scolded.
With a smirk, Harris set the doughnut back in the box and slid it across the table. “It’s all yours, sis.”
Brynn defiantly picked up the doughnut and shoved the entire thing in her mouth, then gave a jelly-coated smile. Around bits of pastry, Brynn asked, “What did I miss?”
“Nothing,” Kent said. “We were just getting started.” Peggy and Kent shared a look that had unease winding through Jax’s chest.
Peggy rested her hand over her heart and gave a watery smile. “We wanted to start off by saying all your help with the Cup hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
“Oh boy,” Jax said. “This is sounding like a double-fister kind of talk.”
“Is this because you still don’t get the whole birds and bees talk?” Harris asked, looking right at Jax, and the rest of his siblings broke off into laughter. Even Lucas cracked a slight smile.
Peggy silenced them with a single clearing of her throat. “Now, where was I? Oh yes, I was talking about how sweet and considerate my children were. But really, watching all you kids work together has warmed our hearts. It brings me right back to when you were all still living in my nest, with family ski days, snow-castle contests, arguing over who gets to work the ski lift.” She eyed them all. “And don’t think I didn’t know that was to talk to the girls.”
