And then there were the family houses.
Three of them, to be exact. One for each brother if they chose to live there. The houses perched off the same access road as the lodge and looked down over the property. Jonas had moved into the first one years before. The other two had sat empty most of the time, used only when he and Gabe came home for the holidays.
Chase decided to cut across the parking lot, hoping to miss seeing anyone he knew. The convenient shortcut back to his house was one he’d used a lot lately, even if it did take him past staff intent on decorating everything at the resort to within an inch of its life.
The trees lining the parking lot boasted strings of Christmas lights, all in the same classy white, every other one decorated in red tinsel. They’d gone so far as to wrap silver tinsel around a bower at the edge of the parking lot—the same one Chase had to cross under to get to the path. He could stand to skip it, but sometimes in life a man had to confront decorations where he didn’t want to see them. They just weren’t his thing this year.
Three rows of cars in, he spotted Tana crouched low next to a blue Honda, muttering something under her breath. He’d put five dollars on a series of curse words, her voice rising enough for him to catch some of them. He bit back his smile, realizing she was upset and needed help, not mockery.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said, staying back a few feet so as not to scare her. “Looks like you’re having a bit of trouble running that errand, ma’am. Anything I can do?” he offered, teasing her with the ma’am thing to make her smile. It worked.
Tana wrinkled her nose. “Do you have a spare tire? Because this one doesn’t look drivable. Want to give your opinion on this, too?” she teased.
She got to her feet, and Chase moved closer. “Looks like it might go totally flat the second you drive it off the lot.” The two of them looked down at the ruined tire. “You don’t have a spare in the trunk? I can change it if you want.”
She nudged him with her elbow, her playfulness sending sparks of awareness up his arm at the touch. “I can change a tire, but no, I don’t have a spare. And I’m already running late.”
“I have some wonderful news,” Chase said, unable to squash his grin. “I have an entire car.”
“But does it have all four tires?”
“You’re in luck. It does. How about a ride?”
Tana shook her head. “Sure. I’d love a ride if you’ve got the time to spare,” she said, her answer the opposite of what she intended to say.
“I have nothing but time. This way—my car’s parked at my place, which isn’t far from here.” Chase led the way, ignoring the way his leg protested the quick pace. He might not be a professional skier anymore, but he wasn’t going to let a little pain slow him down when it came to helping Tana. Because by helping Tana, Chase was helping the resort, and by extension, his grandmother. This was about family and not because he found her attractive and wanted to spend time with her.
They cut along a snow-covered path that led them through a narrow stand of trees and ended at his driveway. Chase pulled his keys from the pocket and hit the fob button to open the garage. A second button started the car.
Tana nodded approvingly. “Nice setup.”
“What? You don’t have remote start?” He winked.
She laughed as they climbed into his Audi, a car he’d bought shortly before the accident. “I wish. Maybe if…maybe if things go well for me this year, I’ll save up for a new car. Or I could just get a ride from you every so often. This baby still has its new-car smell.”
That’s not what he noticed. Tana’s scent reminded him of snow and sunshine and a bare hint of aloe, and that was better than any expensive scent Chase had ever encountered, including new-car aroma. “It does,” he agreed. “I don’t come across people with flat tires very often.” He flashed her a teasing smile.
“You only drive this when people get a flat tire? No wonder it’s still brand-new.”
“That’s right,” he teased. “Everything I could ever want is right here.” A beat went by, the tension crackling between them. “At the resort, I mean.”
“Honestly, everything I could ever want is at the resort, too.” Tana sounded a little wistful. Chase’s mind raced ahead, out of control. Was she talking about him? No way. Couldn’t be. And even if she was, it would be a mistake for them both. His grandmother would kill him if he was caught trying to seduce an employee. “Nice slopes. A good job. A guy who’s confident enough to walk up to me in the middle of my day and give me random advice—”
“Ah, good. I was hoping you were into that.”
Tana laughed. “So, you did notice the big crowd around me today. I’ll just choose one of them. Oh, wait—everyone I saw today was under the age of ten. Turn here—my errand is this way.” Tana guided him through several turns.
Chase had never been more aware of someone sitting in the passenger seat. He heard every breath. His body felt every move hers made as she shifted to get comfortable. He had to get his mind off how unbearably sexy she looked in her snow gear. It made no sense—there was nothing Chase found inherently sexy about heavy coats. But with her hair spilling out from under the cap and the tight shirt he could see with her now unzipped jacket, he couldn’t stop the rush of heat. “Do you like it? Teaching.”
Tana frowned. “You think I would admit to you, Mr. Owner of the Lodge, if I didn’t think my job was great?”
“Of course you would. Or at least I hope you would. Just pretend I’m some random guy you recently met, trying to get to know you better.”
She smiled, sparking a touch of pride in the knowledge he’d put it there. “Fine, I’ll bite. I do like teaching. Kids still have an enthusiasm for things. They’ve got all the energy in the world. Teaching them keeps me grounded. Do you ever work with kids? It’s this right, up here.” She pointed out the window.
Chase steered the car around the corner, a solemn expression on his face. “Not if I can avoid it,” he intoned. “I’m a no-kids kind of guy.” He expected a laugh, but Tana was looking out the window. Maybe she hadn’t liked the joke. Chase swallowed down a bolt of nervousness.
“Great,” Tana said. “Just stop right here.”
He parked the car in a spot by the sidewalk. The road was teeming with other vehicles, making him wonder just exactly what her errand was.
Tana pushed open the car door and stood, waving her arm over her head.
A little girl stepped away from the crowd of people and looked their way.
“Mommy!” the little girl screeched and started running their way, her face one of pure joy. She was the spitting image of Tana.
Chase’s heart skipped a beat as he watched Tana open her arms wide to catch her daughter up in a big hug.
4
Tana led her daughter to the car, helping Lindsey into the backseat and confirming she was buckled up. She hadn’t missed the shocked expression on Chase’s face. It was a look that told her everything she needed to know. The man is not a kid kind of a guy. At all.
It was a bit of a shame because they’d had such a pleasant conversation even after getting off on the wrong foot. But it was probably for the best. Maintaining her professionalism was what mattered most, especially since she was in the running for the promotion. Tana slid into the front seat and put on her seatbelt.