Page 17 of Never Finished

I needed to get out more. It was so easy to hide away inside in LA. While there was amazing scenery there too, the smog and crowds kept me from enjoying the outdoors.

Once I was deep in the woods, though, all the worries I’d been carrying seemed to melt away. I spotted two more songbirds and a golden eagle, and the further I walked, the more it became a game to see what I could spot. I’d just spied another finch when a strong breeze blew through, rustling the leaves on the trees and the scent of my mother’s perfume overwhelmed me. “Mom?” I breathed, then felt instantly silly.

But when the finch started singing, it didn’t seem outside the realm of possibility that it was Mom saying hi. By the time I returned to the resort, I felt dizzy and euphoric from the fresh air.

I marched back to my room with a fresh wave of determination and feeling more at peace than I had in a long time. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so crazy that I’d been reunited with Jaime. This place could be magical as long as you respected it and knew when to be still. At least that’s what my mother always told me. She’d said one of the hardest things in life to figure out when it was time to shut your mouth and just be still.

When I opened the door to the suite, Caroline was still in her bathrobe, sitting on the couch eating breakfast and watching Let’s Make a Deal.

“Oh my God, I have been worried sick about you,” she said around a mouthful of Denver Omelet.

I didn’t bother to hide my amused smile. “I see that. So worried, you could barely eat,” I teased.

She swallowed her food hard, then sniffed at me. “We all have our ways of coping. Where have you been?”

“Didn’t you read the note? I went for a hike.”

“Yeah, but that was like two hours ago.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “So? That’s not that long. How long do you think a hike should take?”

She pulled a face. “How the hell should I know? The last time my people hiked was to get the hell out of Ireland. Sullivan thighs haven’t hiked shit since the potato famine.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m pretty sure you’re full of shit, my dear.”

She huffed. “Fine. These thighs haven’t… well, I take that back. I had to hike to get to those nosebleed seats for that Backstreet Boys concert, but it was totally worth it,” she said with a smirk.

I laughed. “Well, I think you would find this ‘totally worth it’ too. I can’t believe I’d forgotten how beautiful it is out there. I can take in a deep breath of fresh air and not start hacking and coughing. It’s amazing. Plus, the birds were in fine form singing this morning. I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow—you should come with me.”

Caroline’s eyes widened. “Whoa now, I’m glad you enjoyed your little communion with nature, but let’s not get too wild. Besides, I have my eye on some cute little boutiques that are calling my name, so I guess you could consider that my birdsong.”

I smiled at her, not surprised by her protestations. “Let me get cleaned up, and we can hit the town. You can get a first-class tour from your own personal Silverpineian… Silverpineite? Shit, what do we call ourselves?”

“Nuts seems appropriate,” Caroline teased. “I’m all for a girls’ day out, but I’m surprised. I thought you had to get ready for your business dinner this evening.”

I waved a dismissive hand. “I have bored myself to tears looking at those numbers. Besides, if it means I have to stay a little longer to get the merger done, it’s no big deal. You need the time away, and I could use some more time in the mountains.”

“Mm-hmm,” Caroline said as she set her breakfast plate back onto the room service cart. “And more time with a certain bartender?”

I looked at her sharply, but decided not to conceal the smile that was overtaking my lips. Instead, I shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ll see what happens.”

Caroline grinned. “That’s the Emma I remember… this is going to get interesting.”

I certainly hoped so.

***

Sitting in The Lounge across from Andrew Jr. later that evening, I was grateful for my hike this morning and that Caroline and I had spent the day having fun. She’d been skeptical about how much fun could be had in a place as small as Silverpine, but I easily put her doubts to rest.

It was the first time in a long time I allowed myself to just let loose and it made me realize how little time I’ve taken for myself since my mom died.

While I wasn’t expecting to have fun at my business dinner with Andrew, I couldn’t believe one person could be so boring. We had yet to discuss the merger because he’d been too busy distracting me with stories about his ski trips to Aspen and reunions with his frat brothers, which was more exciting than sleepy little Silverpine. “Not that there is anything wrong with this place,” he added quickly, a nervous laugh in his voice, “it’s just… so small.”

I raised a brow. “Indeed it is, and that’s the way we like it. Despite its size, I have some figures here that show the impact Pine Crest Resorts has on Silverpine and the surrounding communities. Our profit is everyone’s profit. And since Get Outdoors has an established brand, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to expect a profit within the first year of operation,” I said as I pulled out a folder of projections.

I opened the folder, intending to summarize the reports, when Andrew reached out, covering my hand with his own.

I resisted the urge to tug my hand away. “Do we really need to look at those boring old figures? I mean, what are we really talking about here, Emma?”

---