Page 89 of Wild Promises

Irritation shot through me. I was tired of being judged in this situation. I stopped him by raising the palm of my hand. “I have to say something. Mom and Dad gave the lodge to us to run, all of us. That includes Killian, Walker?—”

Oliver frowned. “Of course it does.”

“You haven’t called one of them back and asked them to pledge their loyalty to the resort. In fact, neither of them does much of anything here.”

“Well, Killian’s competing, and Walker’s enlisted. You know that.”

“But I’ve worked here nonstop since I was a kid. Whether I was in high school or taking college courses, I’ve been here.” I tapped my fingers on the table. “Yet for some reason, I still haven’t proven my loyalty. I get that I hadn’t taken an interest in the business decisions, but that has changed. I feel more confident in my role here and my business ideas, but I’m done proving anything to you. I’m good at my job. The guests love me, and if you can’t see what I bring to the table, then I’ll figure something else out.”

When Oliver and Eli remained silent for a long awkward moment, I stood, ready to walk out.

Eli stood too and said, “Wait.”

I turned and placed my hands on my hips. “What is it now? What hoops do I have to jump through to prove myself to you and Oliver?”

Eli let out a breath. “We weren’t going to do that, and we’re sorry if the last few weeks felt like we were testing you.”

I didn’t answer, just waited for him to continue.

“We wanted to tell you that we want to have papers drawn up indicating that each of us owns an equal share of the company. That includes me, Kylie, Oliver, Killian, Walker, and you. Oliver has a son, and Walker might have a daughter. We’re continuing to expand as a family. We need to have this in writing, so there’s no question.”

I hadn’t expected that. “Mom and Dad are okay with that?”

“We talked to them, and they’re on board. They trust us to run the lodge and resort as we see fit. And I’m not talkingabout me and Oliver. You’re right; they intended for us to run it together. All of us.”

I nodded tightly and resumed my seat. “I’m listening.”

“We don’t want there to be any question that we’re co-owners of the property and the business. Any one of us is welcome to build a home on the property or to utilize his or her talents to participate in the business. If Killian and Walker retire from their respective positions, then we’ll find something for them to do here. If Kylie wants to officially walk away and run her nonprofits, that’s fine too. But regardless, they are co-owners,” Oliver said.

“We’re sorry if we put pressure on you, if we made you think that you didn’t have a place here. We were wrong to approach it the way we did,” Eli added.

“Then why did you?” I asked.

“It seemed like you weren’t invested in the business, but we can see now that we misjudged you. You’re great with the guests, and you pull more clients in for lessons and adventures. The guests rave about you online and consistently request you over anyone else. You also offered Christopher a job here, which is what Mom and Dad would have wanted. You represent the Wilde ideals, and we’re sorry if we didn’t see that before and made you doubt yourself and your abilities.”

“Thank you.” I was surprised that they’d done a one eighty. Not only had they changed their minds about me, but they also wanted to ensure that all of us were officially co-owners of our business.

“Any Wilde who wants to contribute is welcome,” Oliver said.

“That’s a business I want to be part of.” I was prepared to move on and find something else, but my heart was here at Wilde Ski Resort. This was my dream.

“We’d like to continue our community outreach by offering college scholarships to local youth and jobs to those who needthem, like Christopher. What you’re doing with him far exceeds giving him a job. You’re a mentor to him.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” I had taken Christopher under my wing and showed him how to ski, teach, and even interact with the guests. Eventually, he’d be able to direct his own lessons, and I hoped he’d carry the skills he learned into college. I was positive Noelle wanted the same things for her brother.

“We’d like to continue the winter festival every Saturday leading up to Christmas. We were able to secure the carriage and horses for December so we can continue offering buggy rides.”

“Do you think I could use them one night? I owe someone very important to me a ride.”

Eli nodded. “That can be arranged. We’re happy that you’ve decided to continue working here. After the way we behaved, we know it’s possible you could have walked away.”

“I can see how my attitude before made you think that I wasn’t all-in with the resort. I made the necessary adjustments, and I feel better being more involved with the day-to-day business decisions. It made me see that this is where I want to be.” And it forced me to get closer to Tori, leading to our relationship. I couldn’t be upset about that. Not when I was happier than I’d ever been. I had everything I ever wanted.

Tori held a to-go mug of hot chocolate that I’d just made for her. She gazed out at the snow that was coming down. “You’re not staying at the lodge for the storm?”

“Not for this one.” The nerves kicked up in my stomach. Would she like my surprise?

Tori frowned as I turned toward her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’ve only just secured your position with the business.”

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