Page 2 of Ms. Fortune
I was always an afterthought. Never feeling like part of their two-person family.
I didn’t know what would’ve happened to me as a child if my grandparents hadn’t stepped in and taken over my day-to-day care. They had made sure I had a roof over my head and did their best to raise me into a decent human being, even if I often came second on their priority list after the resort. They put in the effortto show I was loved, just not as much as the property I was trying to preserve. I never wanted for anything, other than someone’s time and attention. I appreciated what it looked like to be loved unconditionally because of how my parents loved each other, and the way my grandparents loved this mountain.
I had a home and stability while my parents wandered in and out of my life as it suited them. My grandparents made me feel important because I was part of the thing that mattered the most. They let it be known I would always have a place to call home, and that I was the person they trusted most with their prized possession. I never questioned whether they loved me, but sometimes, I was uncertain if they loved me as their granddaughter, or as their number one employee.
Regardless of how they viewed me, my grandfather, in particular, would always be my hero and have my undying devotion because he was absolutely indifferent to my chronically bad luck.
My parents treated me like I was the plague, and their love came with so many conditions that I lost track of them all before I turned six. If my mother had had her way, she would’ve named me Jinx instead of Lucky. Having someone in my life who didn’t act like I was going to hex the whole family was wildly important to me.
Now that I’d moved back to the small mountain town in Colorado where I’d grown up and refurbished my grandparents’ legacy, my parents made it a habit to check up on me more frequently. They made no secret that they wanted me to sell the lodge and split the payout with them. The money from a sale would continue to support them, as they lived life like they were still teenagers without a care in the world. Too bad for them, my grandparents had left the lodge, cabins, and the land it was all on to me when they passed.
My father was an only child, and my extended family on that side was sparse and spread all over the globe. My grandparents—especially my grandfather—knew my mom and dad were inherently selfish and never wanted them to get their hands on the property they’d put their everything into. I was the person he’d trusted to keep this place as it was always meant to be and to protect it from threats, both inside and outside the family. I took the job seriously.
I tapped the phone screen to accept the call and added another hefty splash of wine to the coffee mug in front of me. I didn’t bother to find a wineglass in the dark because, with my luck, I would send the entire set crashing to the ground.
“Is the power out again on the mountain? Do you have guests staying there? You’re going to get terrible reviews if you keep operating the lodge without updating everything, Lucky. It’s a money pit.”
I listened to my mother’s sharp words and didn’t bother to frown or sigh in response.
Her refrain was always the same.It was going to cost a fortune to keep the lodge up and running properly. I was too young to saddle myself with such an enormous investment. Wouldn’t it be better to sell the place and take the money and invest it in my genuine passions?
But God forbid I asked the woman if she had a clue what my true passions might be. I knew for a fact that she couldn’t answer. I didn’t think she even remembered what my middle name was.
I snorted a laugh and looked down at the glowing phone through narrowed eyes. “I don’t have a middle name. You forgot to give me one.” It was very off-topic from her tirade, but I couldn’t stop the complaint from spilling out.
“What?” My mother’s shrill voice broke through the darkness at the same time the kitchen was suddenly illuminated by thestorm outside. “Are you listening to me at all? Your father and I are concerned about you.”
I took a sip of the wine and made a face at the bitter taste. I looked longingly at the expensive bottles but refrained from cracking one open. I knew I would regret it later if I gave in to my impulse.
“The entire mountain lost power. It happens during bad weather. That’s why we have a generator. You know that. You and Dad grew up here. It’s a price you have to pay to live in and visit paradise. I’ve checked on all the guests, and everyone is fine. Don’t make it sound like they’re suffering and being neglected. I know what I’m doing, Mom. I’ve been doing it since I was old enough to help out around here. Thanks for your concern.”
I tapped the edge of the coffee mug with my nails and lifted my eyebrows as I asked, “How did you know the power was out? Aren’t you and Dad in Hawaii right now? Or is it Cancun this month?”
Wherever there was a beach and a laid-back atmosphere, my parents gravitated to that destination with no plan or purpose in mind. For them, it was constantly spring break, and life was nothing more than one big party. Thank goodness I was also an only child. I couldn’t imagine trying to constantly explain their wanderlust and make excuses for their neglect to a younger sibling.
“Of course we monitor what’s going on back home. We worry about you being on the mountain all by yourself. I still can’t believe you moved back there after spending so many years in Denver. What’s the appeal of that tiny town in the offseason? You’re the only person who views it as a year-round oasis. How are you supposed to meet someone and fall in love in a town full of tourists and seasonal residents? You know all the locals, and none of them are worth the time of day in your eyes, oryou would have settled down with one of them forever ago. Your father and I just want you to be happy the same way we are.”
I silently scoffed and rolled my eyes at the shadows sliding across the walls. The only way to be happy like my parents were was to forget about everyone else on the planet and focus solely on myself. I would never be that selfish and single-minded. It was no surprise she forgot that the people who had raised me—because she couldn’t be bothered—also considered the lodge and this mountain heaven on earth.
“I always planned to come home when I was finished with school. I told you that when Granddad got sick.”
My grandmother had died right before I started college, and my grandfather passed away a few months after I graduated. My plan was to move back to Blue River and take over the lodge with a fancy education and degree in hand. However, I was delayed by a bout of my worst luck to date. I got tangled up with the wrong man, and his love turned my life upside down. As a result, the lodge had sat empty for nearly five years, and the property had been neglected until I freed myself from the lethal love trap I’d fallen into.
It was a slow, agonizing process, bringing both myself and my grandparents’ legacy back to life. But I was doing it. Step by determined step. My parents should have been proud of me, not trying to hinder my slow growth and potential. I was painfully aware that day would never come.
“Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing, Mom.”
“So stubborn. You’ve always been that way. You never do what’s easiest. You always have to make everything as difficult as possible.”
I couldn’t hold back a sigh. It wasn’t like I needed a weekly hint that I disrupted my parents’ happy-go-lucky life by simply existing.
I downed the rest of the wine and told her, “Thanks for checking in on me. I’ve got things under control.”
“That’s what you always say.”
The pointed reminder rankled me. Exactly how she had known it would.
I said a rushed goodbye and gathered the stuff to make s’mores now that the pounding rain had lightened. I wasn’t sure if the adventurous couple still wanted to ride out the storm on the deck, but I wanted to be prepared for anything because I was certain the couple in the last room was going to hightail it out of here as soon as they could. I needed as many positive reviews as I could get to counteract the inevitable terrible ones and wasn’t above bribery to ensure getting them.
