Page 18 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

I didn’t listen to the rest of what she said after that part because my head was flying with thoughts. So Allie had a son? She never mentioned it, even at dinner. I wondered if that had to do with the emergency she had.

Why didn’t she say anything?

Because she probably didn’t want me to know.

I really should let it go, but I couldn’t. I needed to know more.

“You said that their resort was struggling?” I asked.An idea started forming in my head.

SEVEN

ALLIE

I should have steeled myself for it when Athena called to tell me that Dad was calling a family meeting.

I left Caleb at home with my neighbor—who also happened to be his second favorite babysitter—because I could tell from my sister’s voice that the meeting was going to get potentially contentious. I made Caleb promise not to throw a tantrum while I was gone, letting him know that I would be back within an hour or so. I didn’t know if he understood, but he nodded, and I gave him some more kisses before I left.

The snow started falling again today, and there was a brisk wind, so I bundled up in about three coats before I stepped out, starting the fifteen-minute walk to the resort.

When I arrived, Jeremy, the front desk guy, wasn’t there. The place looked almost abandoned, but that was to be expected. We hadn’t had any guests for a good few months now, so I didn’t blame him for taking off. I sighed, continuing up the stairs until I got to the meeting room.

Everyone looked up when I arrived. I froze.

It was like someone had died.

From the minute I walked into the informal resort conference room, which used to be my dad's office, I could feel the doom and gloom in the atmosphere. Athena, my parents, and my brother, Adam, were sitting around in a circle, so I knew it was going to be bad news.

“Who died?”

My dad’s lip twitched, and he gestured for me to come in. I went over and hugged him, wrapping my hand around his slender frame before letting go.

“How are you doing, sweetie?” he asked.

“Good,” I said. “How are you?” I noticed the eyebags under his eyes and had to bite back the urge to lecture him once again about stressing himself out. My father had been a workaholic his whole life, and even though he’d promised to take a back seat from running the resort, he was still very much involved in the everyday activities most of the time.

“I’m doing great, all things considering,” he said. “Your mother still won’t let me touch any of the eggnogs I specifically saved for Christmas time.”

“You know what the doctor said,” my mother reminded him as I came over to hug her.

“Who cares about the doctor?” my dad stubbornly countered. “I’m halfway sure that man is a quack anyway.”

“I’m sure the Harvard-educated cardiologist is a quack, and you’re the one who knows what they’re talking about.” Adam winked at me conspiratorially as I went to hug him. He pulled me close and asked, “How are you doing, Allie bear?”

“Don’t call me that,” I said but smiled anyway when he tweaked my nose.

I sat at the empty spot beside my father, and he held my hand for a few seconds before looking around the table. Then, he began to speak slowly and very deliberately.

“Okay, now that everyone’s here, we can start.” My dad took a deep breath, shut his eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them again. “It is with a very heavy heart that I’m announcing to you all that I’ve decided to make the hard choice to sell Valley Heart Resort.”

There was a punctuating hush in the room, and no one said anything for the longest time. It wasn’t necessary to mark the utter devastation of the moment. We all knew it was coming, and we knew my dad wouldn’t have made the decision if he had had a choice.

Still, it was a monumental loss.

The resort had been in his family for generations. It was his father’s father’s business. It was where we came every Christmas and where we had some of our fondest memories as children. It was also what the town knew us for. They respected my father to a large extent because the resort had pulled in a lot of tourists, which ultimately made the town some money.

To lose it just like that was a blow to everyone.

“Are you sure there’s nothing that can be done?” Adam asked, and it was one of the few times my brother’s tone didn’t have the tell-tale joking effect.

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