Page 13 of Wild Nights

I nodded, pleased. "That's adding to the bottom line."

A slow smile spread over his face. "And how nice would it be to have cabins to offer the newlyweds?"

"I see the appeal. I just don't want to overextend us."

Eli sighed. "You're so practical."

That stung. It was too close to what Tina had said about me. Was I unwilling to take any risks? I just wanted to be stable for Joey. "I want to make the right decision. Our parents are relying on us to continue their legacy."

"I know they are, and we will."

Eli was always so confident, so sure his way was the right one. I was constantly in his ear, reminding him to look at the numbers, to consider the impact on the resort for years to come. But in the end, he'd do whatever he felt was right. He was the manager and made all the final decisions. He'd take my opinions into account, but I could tell I irritated him with my conservative ways.

His life hadn't changed with two blue lines on a pregnancy test. My entire life had changed that day, and it would never be the same. But I loved Joey. I'd do anything to ensure his future.

"What is the conference schedule looking like? I'm loving the income we get from those. Guaranteed reservations, and they spend all their free time in the restaurants and bars. They're the perfect addition to our offseason."

I pulled up the conference schedule, tilting my screen so he could see it. "We have quite a few scheduled this year." I wondered how many would be organized by Carolina. How often Eli talked to her to coordinate the details. I was afraid to ask about her. As far as Eli knew, I didn't know Carolina. I didn't work directly with any of the vendors. I was always in the background, crunching numbers and dealing with payroll and taxes.

Eli moved close so he could see the screen. "We're starting to get repeat bookings. It's a good sign. I'm happy about that."

"I am too." I loved guaranteed money, and conferences meant the rooms were booked. I worked with our attorneys on a contract that would ensure we kept the initial deposit if it was cancelled. I'd heard that could be a problem when there was bad weather.

"Rework the numbers for me." Eli stood and headed toward the door.

"Will do." I would, but I knew Eli would only give it acursory glance. When he wanted to make something happen, he'd find a way.

Eli paused by the doorway and turned to face me. "You have our next adventure planned?"

"I signed us up with Dax for our training for skydiving out of a plane."

"Excellent."

"I'll send an email with the details. In the meantime, I thought we could test our new zip lines."

"Perfect. Set it up." Eli slapped the door with his hand. "And don't work too late."

I had a spreadsheet for our outdoor adventures, color coded for what we'd already done, hadn't done yet, enjoyed, or disliked. My brothers made fun of my organization skills, but they reaped the rewards. These outings were the only thing I allowed myself outside of Joey and work.

I checked off zip lining as our next activity, sent possible dates to my brothers, then shut down the computer. I needed to get home in time to make dinner with Joey. I had a sitter that watched him after school, but I preferred to be home to cook dinner and spend the evening with him.

At home, I found Maeve at the kitchen table with Joey, their heads bent over a coloring book. Maeve lifted her head to smile at me.

Joey jumped down from the chair and ran across the room toward me. "Daddy!"

I swung him into my arms. Each time he greeted me like this, my heart melted a little more. I couldn't believe that Tina was missing out on his hugs. "Hey, buddy. How was your day?"

"Eh. It was okay. We had health."

The days when he had health were the toughest. He preferred art, library, or gym class.

Maeve tidied the markers in the box. "We ate a snack, then did homework."

Homework consisted of math flash cards and the occasional vocabulary list. "Thanks for working on that with him."

"It's my pleasure." Maeve smiled, then ruffled Joey's hair. "I'll see you tomorrow after school."

Joey went back to his coloring, and I followed Maeve to the door where she grabbed her bookbag. "Thanks again."

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