Page 86 of Wilder

The woman had file cabinets full of envelopes containing the swatches of each and every costume she’d made. So she’d havethat for this particular set of costumes, which would be helpful for her if she agreed to work with Lexi.

“Are you diving right into things tomorrow?” he asked.

“I assume so. Irina hasn’t given me a definite schedule, but I’m operating under that assumption.”

She’d been surprised at how quickly Irina and Mik were returning, but she knew they were anxious to get things going. And they were right. The more time they had to practice before Nationals, the better.

“I talked to my friend’s dad about whether they had any rentals available, and he said they have two one-bedroom apartments at one of the fourplexes they own.”

“Really? That might be perfect for them.”

“What are they doing for a car?” Wilder asked. “There’s no public transportation out here from Serenity.”

“Mik said that they’d be renting a vehicle at first, but his dad will be driving Mik’s car out for them to use.”

“That’s good.”

It would be good as long as she didn’t have to see the man. He’d been one of the many willing to take his anger out on Lexi and her mom. No one seemed to want to believe they hadn’t been aware of what her dad was doing.

Over the next few minutes, they talked about their weekends, which hadn’t been terribly exciting since they’d both been working. As it neared time for Wilder to go to work, he said, “So you’ll be training early in the morning each day?”

“That’s the plan. Kayleigh said we could use this rink during the hours when it’s not open to the public. Hopefully, it will beenough for Irina. If not, we’ll look into using the rink in town whenever it’s available.”

Lexi had no doubt that they would both object to the setup. It was definitely a few steps down from the rink her dad had had built just for her and Mik. They hadn’t had to work around anyone else’s schedule, which had been perfect. That wouldn’t be the case in Serenity.

It just showed how desperate Mik and the coaches must be. Even knowing the setup and that they’d have to train around her work schedule, they were still willing to tackle it.

Only time would tell if it was going to work or not.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Wilder jogged down the stairs after taking a quick shower and changing into clothes that would be appropriate for their family’s Thanksgiving dinner. His hair was still a little damp, but it would dry quick enough.

“Is Lexi joining us?” Charli asked.

Wilder frowned at the question. He’d invited Lexi, but she’d said she’d be working. “Nope. She’s working.”

“I offered her the time off,” Kayleigh told him. “But she said she was fine to work.”

“I still think it’s ridiculous that everything at the resort is open on Thanksgiving,” Charli muttered.

“It’s because we have people coming specifically for the long weekend,” Kayleigh explained in an exasperated voice. “They’re not choosing to come to the resort expecting everything to be closed. It’s the nature of the business.”

Wilder had worked until three, though the slopes were open until four. Trev had had no problem letting him leave an hour early.

They were having their family dinner at four there at Charli’s. Most of the family who were coming were already present, though noticeably missing were Zane, Cole and Skylar.

It was a typical Halverson gathering with lots of chaos as they all stepped in to help get the dinner on the table. The older kids were keeping the younger ones occupied while the adults pitched in.

“Okay, everyone,” Charli said loudly. “Let’s sit up.”

There was a flurry of activity as parents rounded up the children and got them into their seats. Wilder waited until all of them were settled, then he sat down on an empty chair next to his dad.

Once they were all seated, his dad said a prayer for the meal, adding on a prayer for those who weren’t there. Absent were Zane, Cole, and Skylar. Zane not being there wasn’t unusual. Cole and Skylar not being there was.

When he’d asked Charli about Cole and Skylar’s absence, she just said they’d decided to stay at college because of their jobs. Hopefully they’d be able to make it home for Christmas.

“Here you go, son,” his dad said as he passed him the platter with turkey heaped on it.

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