Page 23 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

Chase went inside the house. “Did I say I missed you? If I did, it was a mistake.”

“Love you, bro,” Gabe said, ignoring the teasing.

“Love you, too.” Funnily enough, he meant it. “Oh, hey, Gabe?”

“Yeah?”

“You will be here for Christmas, right?”

“Uh, like I said, I’ve been—”

“Busy. You’ve said.” Chase blew out a breath. “Just get here for Christmas.”

Chase didn’t wait for his brother’s answer. After hanging up, he wondered if he should have had a heart-to-heart about their grandmother’s health, considering he didn’t think it was right Gabe hadn’t been told. Jonas had been all out of sorts lately, and not having been around much, Chase could only attribute it to their grandmother’s health. All the more reason not to keep Gabe in the dark. If only he hadn’t promised his grandmother not to say a word.

He tossed the phone onto the kitchen counter. Things had gone southwith Jonas, fast. He was clearly pissed about Chase’s decision not to sit in on the interviews but he also guessed it was more than that. He wouldn’t mind putting some distance between him and Jonas for a few months. Maybe a few years.

There was Tana to think about. He didn’t want to be away from her for even a fewminutes.The quickie in her bedroom had been so good, he’d dreamed about it last night in the few hours he slept after making the final list of potential candidates. But with a daughter and a job, did she really want him to stick around?

Chase couldn’t be sure. It felt like a sure thing, somewhere deep in his gut.

He’d thought the same thing about his last girlfriend. He’d been wrong.

A fresh start someplace that didn’t remind him of everything he’d lost called to him. He’d be able to make friends and connections through Gabe. It could be the beginning of his life after skiing. There would be the time before his accident, this strange in-between time, and an exciting new afterward. Whatever that might be.

Oh, he could almost see it. Strolling in the bright west-coast sunshine. Passing by a park with a playground. Lindsey sprinting off toward the swing set. Tana laughing by his side.

Yikes.

Chase pulled himself out ofthatvision and scrambled for something to do. Anything. Food was always a good answer. He pulled a box of pizza from the freezer. Ice particles clung to it and fell to the counter as he tossed the box down.

Tana wanted a career at Elk Lodge. She didn’t want to uproot her daughter to be with a man she’d slept with exactly once. From the pink in her cheeks and the electric way she’d moved afterward, it had been as good for her as it had been for him. But that wasn’t the same as a commitment to each other.

So much for not thinking about her. He stabbed at the buttons on his stove, setting it to 375 degrees. After sliding the pizza onto a pan, he dropped into a seat at his kitchen table to wait for the oven to preheat.

Focus on anything but a crazy dream of a life with Tana.Except the dream, like weeds in a garden, wouldn’t go away.

Chase stared out the window at the snowy backdrop. Several minutes later, a beep alerted him it was time to put the pizza in the oven. He returned to his chair, letting his thoughts drift to life. More specifically, what he wanted from it.

Gabe knew all kinds of people out there—people who didn’t care about skiing or Chase’s past abilities. He didn’t have to worry about working. Hell, he could travel the world, not bothering to put down roots, but that didn’t sit well with him. Instead, he imagined a sprawling house with a balcony, and the sun on his face. In his daydream, his grandmother was still healthy, and Elk Lodge was going strong—it just didn’t needhim.In the dream, he knew he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Even more reason to get away from Cardinal Mountain.

The smell of smoke grabbed his attention. He’d forgotten to set the timer on the stove, and now the edges of the pizza were burned. Chase hustled over, cursing lightly under his breath, and wrapped his hand around a dish towel. When he dropped the pan on the top of the stove, the pizza didn’t look all that appetizing. Different than expected, but still edible—the burned pizza was like a metaphor for his life.

Chase shook his head, not wanting to dwell on something so utterly ridiculous.

14

CHASE

After the burned-pizza incident, Chase needed to get out. Todosomething that didn’t involve meeting Tana on the ski slopes for her lessons. There was plenty to do in the nearby town.

Stores bustled with shoppers, their boots leaving footprints in the dusting of snow on the sidewalk, their breath freezing in the air against a background of Christmas wreaths with red bows and bright bulbs. The tree in the town square and the decorations in the windows reminded Chase of all the things he used to be excited about when it came to Christmas.

He hadn’t been looking forward to Christmas until it came time to do something special for Tana and Lindsey. If they were together—if they had a future—this would be the norm every year.Don’t imagine that now. Focus on the gifts.Shopping for Tana and Lindsey was better than imagining their life out west together, right?

Sure it was.

Lindsey had told him her birthday was coming up, so he made sure to buy her a separate present. In a couple of hours, he’d exhausted his leg and his desire to shop. Chase headed back to the lodge, skipping the main road. He spotted Tana’s car in front of her cottage. He hadn’tplannedon stopping by—not really. But one quick stop to drop off Lindsey’s birthday present and their Christmas gifts shouldn’t be a problem.

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