Page 77 of Wild Promises

Eli nodded. "The kids are going to love it. They'll probably want us to maintain it for longer than a day."

"I'll do my best."

"Is everything ready to go for the festival?" Eli asked.

"We have a few things to finish setting up," Xander said," but I was wondering what you would think about a permanent ice-skating rink on the property."

"That would be amazing. It would cater to people who don't want to ski or just want an extra option for something to do in the evenings. Even locals could take advantage of it," I said. When the guys looked at me, I added, "Sorry, this was the first I'd heard of the idea, and I couldn't help but think out loud."

"I've never thought about that, and I have no idea what it would cost, but I like the idea."

"Numbers are Oliver's problem, am I right?" Xander joked, and Eli's entire expression relaxed.

"Right. It's nice to have someone else coming up with ideas and driving Oliver crazy."

"I live to drive Oliver crazy," Xander said, and we all laughed.

"I'm going to head inside. I have a few phone calls to return. Keep up the good work." Eli turned to walk away, and I slapped Xander's arm. "Why didn't you tell me about the ice-skating rink?"

"It literally just came to me. Now that I started focusing on possibilities, more ideas are coming to me all the time. It's not that I'm not good at business; I've never thought about things this way before."

"I'm happy for you. I think the festival and the rink will be amazing additions to the resort." One was an annual event and the other permanent. Plus we could use a larger outdoor rink. The downtown had a mini one but was only useable for younger kids. It was fun for them, but it would be nice too have something the entire community could use.

Xander pulled me close. "I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"You would have figured it out." I was positive about that.

"You helped me believe in myself, and that's everything."

"You support me too. That's what you do in a relationship or a friendship," I was quick to add. I didn't want him to think I'd forgotten the fake piece of our relationship.

The light in his eyes dimmed, and he stepped back from me. "I better get back to work. I don't want Eli to catch me goofing off again."

I frowned. "It didn't seem like he saw it that way."

"You know I have to work harder to prove myself. Was there something you needed?"

I couldn't even remember why I'd come, other than to see Xander and spend some time with him. "I guess I'll head home and start dinner."

Xander waved a hand. "Don't bother waiting for me; I'll be busy here."

"Do you still want to look at houses this week with the realtor?"

"Yeah, that's a priority. The apartment is getting too small, don't you think?"

I wanted to mention that he wasn't there much, so it was really just me. But I didn't. "Right."

"Let me finish this up. Then we'll be able to look at a few houses. I know what I want, so I think it will be easy to make a decision."

"That's exciting."

Xander flashed a smile in my direction, but I could tell his mind was on what he needed to do to finish the snowball course. I headed to my car, feeling off.

Our relationship was supposed to be pretend, but it had veered off course into real territory, and now I didn't know how to treat it. Because my feelings were big and very real.

I had no way of knowing where Xander stood, and we couldn't have that conversation at the lodge while he was working. I needed to talk to him when we were alone, but those moments were few and far between. When we did get some time together, we were usually having sex.

I loved the physical connection, and I was worried if I brought up my concerns, I'd ruin everything. What if he didn't feel the same? What if he didn't think we had a future together?

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