Page 26 of Worth the Chase

“I don’t really care.”

“Good to know.” She slapped a hand on the bar top and turned on her heels. “I need to make sure they aren’t loading the freezer wrong. I’m glad we had this chat.”

“Addi, wait!” I said, suddenly remembering Anna’s request from earlier.

When she spun around to face me once more, I knew she thought Matthew was still going to be the topic.

“Anna ruined her grilled cheese today. She says there’s no way to get the cheese to melt without burning the bread. Any tips?”

Addi laughed. “Tell her it happens to the best of us. And the trick is to use a lid. Medium to low heat. Lots of butter on the bread. The cheese can’t be too thick, or it will always have trouble melting in the center, but covering it is the key. Low and slow. Too high of heat will burn the bread and leave the cheese unmelted.”

“She’ll be so happy. Thank you.” I smiled and set the glass on the drying rack and pretended like my thoughts weren’t filled with the one guy I’d been trying to convince myself I wasn’t still interested in.

TIME TO GET A LIFE

MATTHEW

I’d been half-assing it at our family’s resort ever since my return. I knew that my brothers and my dad had been taking it easy on me, but I was starting to get the idea that their patience might be wearing a little thin. None of them had said anything outright, but I still sensed it lingering. Or maybe it was just me.

I was in charge of all the social media—which, to be honest, I felt like any idiot with a cell phone could do these days.

It wasn’t challenging.

And it sure as hell wasn’t fulfilling.

As I walked through the lobby, which was decorated in a stunning display for spring, I did what was expected of me and snapped a few shots with my phone to post online later. There. Less than two minutes, and a full day’s work was completed, if not more.

Shaking my head, I walked down the long hall toward Thomas’s office, trying my best to avoid my dad from seeing that I was on the property. When I reached my brother’s door, I knocked on the wood and poked my head inside.

“Matthew, hey! Come in,” he said with a grin.

It was scary how much we looked alike.

“What’s up?” he asked, leaning back in his chair like he didn’t have a care in the world.

I thought that was what finding the right person did to a man. It made him happy. It made him whole. It made all the other bullshit seem less important.

I sat down and grimaced. “What the hell am I doing?”

He reared his head back and folded his hands in front of him. “Can you be a little more specific?”

“Here. At the resort. This social media bullshit. I know you guys gave me the job as a favor, but I hate it.”

“Really? You hate it?” He sounded absolutely surprised. “I only say that because your pictures are really fucking good. I had no idea you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I want to do more,” I blurted out without thinking. I hadn’t thought any of this through before showing up here.

“Are you ready for more? I think that’s all we’ve been wanting to hear. None of us wanted to push you,” he said.

While I was thankful for their consideration of my feelings, I felt like it wasn’t helpful.

“We’ve got to figure out a different job for me here,” I said, running my fingers through my hair. “I have no idea what, but there must be something more important that I could do.”

Working at the resort had always been my endgame. I had known I’d move back home to Sugar Mountain and run the place with my brothers, and I’d truly looked forward to that day. It just wasn’t supposed to have happened so soon. My hockey career wasn’t supposed to be over already.

Thomas gave me a crooked grin, and I knew he had an idea. I could tell just by the look on his face.

He put up a finger and reached for his phone. “Give me one sec,” he said before dialing. “Patrick. Can you come to my office real quick?”

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