Page 37 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

She changed lanes around a van with a ski rack on top and switched the radio station, too. Lindsey needed her to be at her best, and this was most certainly not her best. She just needed a minute or two. Maybe an hour or two.

Several times she considered calling her mother to warn her she was coming, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It felt too much like the times she’d had to call them after Lindsey was born, asking for help. She’d find out soon enough anyway.

They pulled into the driveway as the afternoon light was beginning to fade. That was good—Lindsey wouldn’t fight bedtime as hard if it was dark, and Tana needed time to collect herself. She’d thought to pack enough to stay for a few days without needing to buy anything.

Through the front window of her parents’ house, Tana saw her mother sitting in the living room, reading a book. As a kid, she’d taken her parents’ relationship for granted because they’d always been so comfortable together. Their routine was always so pleasant, orderly, and happy. Something she never had with her ex, whom she’d found exciting, and would never have with Chase. How could she even have hoped for it? Her heart was a silly creature.

Tana helped Lindsey out of the car. “Are we there?” Lindsey rubbed her eyes. “We were driving for a long time.”

“Yes, we’re here.” Tana took her hand and led her up to the front door, where she knocked. For one horrible instant, Tana thought her parents might not be happy she was showing up unannounced, but then her father opened the door, a big smile on his face.

“My favorite granddaughter.” He opened his arms wide and Lindsey ran to him. “And my daughter’s not so bad, either.” He looked from one to the other, and Tana caught the slight concern in his eyes. “I take it you’re here for the night?”

“A couple of days maybe, if that’s okay?” Lindsey would have to miss the last couple days of school before they broke for Christmas, but it couldn’t be helped. Tana wondered when she was going to be able to make it on her own. Was thatevergoing to happen?

“It’s always okay,” he said, pulling her in for a hug, and kissing her temple. “My girls can come here anytime.”

“Is that Tana? I saw a car pull up in the driveway.” Her mother, book still in hand, came out and surveyed the scene. “Itis. Hi, girls.”

“Hi, Grandma.” Lindsey let out a huge yawn.

“Let’s go into the guest bedroom, Lindsey,” her dad suggested. Code for giving Tana and her mom a chance to talk. “Do you have a show you want to watch?” He led Lindsey away with a backward glance and a thumbs up.

“Frozen 2. I just watched the first one in the car. And it’s not really a show, it’s a movie, but I really like movies.” Lindsey followed him down the hall.

Tana was exhausted and wished she could go straight to bed, but that wouldn’t be the case, and she knew it.

Her dad closed the door to the guest bedroom softly, and for the second time that day, Tana felt something inside of her snap. She’d beendonecrying, and now her face was leaking sadness. Tana slapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the sobs, and a moment later, her mother’s arms went around her.

“Come here, hun. Let’s sit down. It’ll be all right. Whatever it is, it’ll be all right,” her mother said, trying to soothe her the same way she’d always done.

The two women sat together on the sofa, Tana’s mom rubbing her back as she cried. Every time she took a deep breath, a fresh wave of sobs came up. Time became meaningless. After what seemed like forever, the awful pressure in her chest subsided. Tana took a fresh tissue from her mom and wiped her eyes.

“You want to talk about it?”

Tana took a shuddering breath. It was now or never, wasn’t it? She couldn’t stand to have this conversation more than once, even with her own mom. “I met a guy at the resort.” One sentence and the floodgates were opened. She told her mother everything. That first meeting on the ski slopes when he rescued her from that guy. Staying at his house. How Chase had such a different life from her own. The job interview, the cupcake debacle, the presentation—all of it. She told her about her ex, about being questioned by the cops, the missing bracelet, and the way she’d been left behind.Including falling in love. Tana tried to hold her broken heart together with both hands. Losing Chase was the worst.

“And now I might need to move in with you again.” Tana had reached the part of her story that she’d desperately wanted to avoid. The job at Elk Lodge was supposed to seal the deal and make sure she never got to this place again. “If things don’t work out with the job. I know how these places work.”

“We’ll figure everything out. It just takes a little time,” her mom said. “We love having you. It’s not an imposition at all, Tana. You can both stay as long as you need.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. It might not be an imposition for her mother, but it felt like giving up. Tana wanted to sink into the sofa and never get up again. “I don’t want to put this on you, but I have to play it safe while I find a new job.”

“I understand. I really do.” Tana’s mom gathered her into a big hug.

But Tana had a hollow pit in her stomach. She was doomed to be alone forever—that was the main truth at the bottom of everything else that had gone wrong.

Her parents—they were the heroes in all this. They were always waiting to catch Tana when she fell. If only she could stop falling.

“Mommy?” Lindsey appeared at the living room door, dressed in a fresh set of Frozen pajamas.

“Hey, honey. What’s up?”

Lindsey padded across the room, her small brow crinkled. “Just call Chase. Make things better. I miss him.” Her daughter’s dark eyes met hers, and Tana wanted badly to tell her that it would be fine. That they could see him the next morning. But she didn’t know if she wanted to go back to that place. The old humiliation of being accused of theft—and now for a second time—seemed imprinted on Elk Lodge now.

“I do too. But I don’t think we can see him. It’s just not the right time.”

The agonized wail that came from her daughter tore into Tana’s heart, shattering what was left of the little pieces. Tears were an endless resource, it turned out, and Lindsey had plenty of them. “I want to go back and see Chase,” she sobbed into Tana’s shoulder.

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