Page 45 of The Jinglebell War
“Pretend I’m really this dense.” Damn right I want to hear him say it.
“I’m proud of you. Your business is solid and well-run. Your staff likes and respects you and every client you’ve had leaves glowing reviews.”
“Except for the drunk frat guys who wrecked my snowmobile and tried to blame me.” That one still stings.
“I can make that go away if you’d like.”
“Nope.” I hold out my hand palm up to soften the way I just yelled that word. “It’s okay. I think it should be clear I don’t need help.”
“You don’t need help, but Yuletide isn’t the right place for your business.”
Here we go. I cross my arms over my chest. “Yuletide is a great town, and you just said my business is doing well.”
“The town is full of traditionalists who don’t want to see anything change. I’ve tried to open businesses there, to facilitate travel from Sugar Valley to Yuletide for day trippers, but the town’s never let me do any of it. It’s not the right place to grow a business.”
“Where is the right place, Dad? Sugar Valley?”
His eyes light. “Exactly.”
Clearly, he’s done no research before deciding I should bring my business here. “And what should I do? Have Evergreen Expeditions become part of Riverton Enterprises?”
His brow creases. “It’s your company. I don’t want to change that.”
“I get that you’re trying to help, but there’s already a successful guide business here in Sugar Valley.”
“You don’t think there’s room for you? I’ve looked into them as well and they’re running a shoddy operation. You’ll pull all their clients away from them in no time.”
“Look—”
He holds up a hand. “Hear me out. Do I wish you lived closer to all of us? Yes. Absolutely. But I’m not asking you to make your business part of ours. I’m just offering advice from one business owner to another. You’d have a much clearer path here than you have in Yuletide.”
It takes a moment for his words to sink in, but once they do, relief floods me. Relief and a sense of pride that he just said he sees me as an equal. And his point isn’t off the mark. I could use a smoother path forward. “I’ll consider it. Thanks, Dad.”
He nods. “Just one more thing.”
I brace for impact.
“Don’t give me that look. I was just going to say if you’re looking for some help or a partner, talk to Mav. He won’t admit it, but he’s going crazy being confined to an office all day.”
“He loves marketing and graphic design.”
Dad nods. “He does, but he’s not an indoor cat. Talk to him. See if he’d have any interest.”
I don’t respond to the suggestion, but my brain’s already spinning with the possibilities. Mav and I haven’t always gotten along, but hiking or snowmobiling or snowboarding were always more fun with him.
Of course, that would mean letting my family back in and I’m not at all sure I can trust my parents to stay out of my business or not to take over.
“Hudson says you and Mom are thinking about retiring.”
Dad gets up, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “More than just thinking about it. Come on. Introduce me to this girlfriend of yours.”
He moves awkwardly around the desk, holding onto the behemoth from the early nineteen hundreds like he can’t get around on his own anymore. He’s lost weight. A lot of it.
I get up quickly and wrap an arm around his waist, letting him lean on me. “It’s good to see you, Dad.” I mean it.
“You don’t need to help me.” Dad wraps an arm around my shoulders and gives me one squeeze before stepping away and opening the door to his study. “I’m just a little stiff when I first get up after sitting for a while.”
Together, we walk down familiar hallways and through rooms that look exactly as they have since I was a kid. As we go, he seems to get taller, his gait improving as the stiffness shakes out. It’s a relief that he’s not as frail as I first thought.
