“Yes, I’ll ring for Tommy, umm, Tom, to help you with your things.” The woman’s smile turned more sincere as she turned to pick up the phone and call for help.
When she turned back to her aunt, Raven noticed Roslyn glaring at Cemal.
“Guests don’t like names they can’t pronounce,” her aunt started. There was so much that Raven wanted to say to her aunt, but she settled for a quick jab instead.
“Guests?” Raven chuckled and looked around. “What guests?”
“It’s off-season,” her aunt threw back at her.
“It’s early summer. In the mountains.” Raven walked over to the large windows and looked out at the side of the mountain. There was still enough snow at the top of the ski runs that she could remember just how wonderful it felt to rush down the hills. “I would think there would be people in the city who need a weekend getaway and this view.” She turned back to her aunt. “One must only give them what they want with the rest.” She glanced around the rundown lobby and made a tsking noise. “Such a shame.”
“Colin and I have done everything we could to keep this place afloat.” Her aunt grabbed her arm, and her long well-manicured nails dug into her skin.
Raven jerked free, then walked over when a young, skinny high school boy came rushing out of the dining room. As with Cemal, the boy’s attire was disheveled, and she realized that here, too, there was no set uniform or required attire.
“Miss.” The boy saw Roslyn and turned almost sheet white. “I…” Then the boy’s eyes turned to her and went wide.
“Holy shit. You’re her.” He practically pointed at Raven. “You’re the Firestarter,” the boy said, still staring at her.
“That’s quite enough, Tommy. Please help take my niece’s things up to her suite,” Roslyn said before turning away. “I’ll contact you when your uncle has returned,” Roslyn threw over her shoulder before disappearing down the hallway leading to Raven’s father’s old office.
Well, that went just as planned, Raven thought as she rode the elevator up to her rooms in the west building. She’d requested to stay in that building not only because it was the newest. It also had the best views, especially from the fifth floor.
Tommy, or Tom, remained quiet as they rode up together. She could tell that the boy was nervous and, at this point, she no longer cared. She wanted a shower and a few hours to shut down before she tried to find something to eat. Spending the past ten hours in the car, thinking about what she was going to say to her uncle and aunt, had drained her emotionally and physically. Worries about how they would react and fears of them tossing her out had played over in her mind the closer she had gotten to home.
Then again, it wasn’t just her family’s response to her return that would be a problem. No, she had the entire town of Cannon Falls to worry about.
Every single person she’d wronged. Every surviving family member of a loved one she’d killed.
When she opened the door to her suite, she genuinely smiled for the first time. Here, at least, she knew that she would be welcomed. The view of the still snow-covered peak warmed her.
Waiting for Tommy to set her bags down, she turned to the boy.
“Do you have a uniform?” she asked him as he waited for a tip. Raven doubted that the kid was popular in school. He was far too thin, wore thick glasses, and had a serious acne problem. She just bet there was a stack of books somewhere he’d been engrossed in when Cemal had called him.
The boy’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yes,” he answered quickly.
“Yes, ma’am,” she corrected.
The boy looked irritated.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said between clenched teeth.
“Tommy.” She walked around him and tilted her head. “If I’m going to take my resort back, I’m going to need to make sure that each of my employees is on my side,” she said clearly.
The boy seemed to take in her words, and his slight frown turned into a pout.
“Your…?” He cleared his throat. “Gosh, this is your place?”
“It is,” she said easily with a smile. “My aunt and uncle have been running it while I was away at college.”
“Well, shit,” he said, straightening up. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Brooks,”
She smiled. “Miss,” she corrected. “You can call me Raven.”
“I didn’t know,” he said quickly.
“No, I take it a lot of employees don’t.” Her aunt and uncle had probably hidden that detail from everyone over the past ten years. “But I bet you could enlighten them.”
Tommy smiled and nodded, then turned towards the door, the prospect of a tip totally forgotten.
“Tom?” she said, getting his attention. “I’ll expect to see you in the uniform next time.”
He groaned slightly. “Miss…” He stopped when she arched her eyebrows. “Raven, it doesn’t fit.”
“It doesn’t?” She frowned. “Well, we’ll have to fix that. Until I have a chance to correct the issue, your best slacks and dress shirt should do nicely.” She motioned to his worn jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers. “And some dress shoes. If you need an allowance to purchase some, see me tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a big smile. “Thanks,” he said and left quickly.
She walked over and opened the doors to the bedroom suite and assessed the large space that would be her new home until she could secure her own place. The bedroom could use some freshening up, as could the bathroom, but she was thankful that the room wasn’t as rundown as the lobby had been.
She headed back into the larger sitting room, pulled open the sliding glass doors, and stepped out onto the balcony. Leaning her hands on the railing, she took in a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh smell of the country air.
There was a hint of the crisp cold snow that floated down from the top of the mountain in front of her, and she took several moments to appreciate it all. Then she turned her gaze to the left and held her breath.
She’d avoided driving through the small town of Cannon Falls when she’d headed to the resort. Normally, tourists or guests would take the business loop directly through town to get there. However, locals knew the old highway that wound around the hills and avoided the heart of the town.
The fear of what she’d see had caused her to take the old route.
Now, she turned her eyes towards the small town of Cannon Falls, the place that had been so close to her heart. The place she’d destroyed.
She didn’t know what to expect. Ten years ago, hardly a single building remained standing. Had they rebuilt it? What did it look like now?
Seeing the outline of the newer trees against the larger ones that hadn’t been destroyed, she felt her heart swell. Where once had stood the charred remains of the forest that had burned down, it was now green for as far as the eye could see. The lines of everything she’d destroyed were blurred.
Her knees buckled and she folded down to sit on the floor of the balcony as her eyes watered.
What had made her think she could do this? Why on earth would she ever return to this place? It had been two months since she’d received the call that her grandmother had passed away peacefully in her sleep. Her father’s mother had been the only family who had welcomed her after the fire. The only person in the world who had cared, really cared for her.