He knew what it was like to want to move away. Sure, when he was a little kid, things had been good at home. Back then he couldn’t imagine ever leaving the Greene Summit. But his entire life had changed the day his mother died. His father’s drinking had increased. The yelling and fighting quickly escalated. Nothing Jason did was right. His waning ego craved a chance to prove himself as a man. Yet he couldn’t leave behind the one woman who loved him—Kara.
Swept up in his need to show the world he wasn’t the screwup his father accused him of being, he’d convinced Kara to become his army wife. When she’d suggested dropping out of college and starting their adventure right away, he’d agreed. Even then he knew he wasn’t being fair to her, but he’d convinced himself he’d find a way to make it up to her.
Looking back now, he realized how wrong he’d been to attempt to drag her into his messed-up life. After learning Kara had dropped out of college anyway—she’d never finished her degree—he felt awful. Another of her dreams dashed. The guilt on his shoulders doubled. Holding Kara back now wouldn’t be fair to her. If moving on was important to her, he wouldn’t stand in her way.
But above all, he was a businessman. The success of the resort had to be his priority. He had employees relying on him for a paycheck. And more importantly, he wasn’t the only investor in this endeavor. He had people to answer to if he didn’t produce a profit.
When he glanced up, the worry in her green eyes ripped at his gut. He needed to come up with a solution that would work for both of them. That would leave Kara with an out.
“Work for me at the Summit until after the New Year. Just until I get a handle on everything,” he offered, even though he’d much rather have her and her wealth of knowledge on hand for a lot longer.
She eyed him. “What’s in it for me?”
He couldn’t resist smiling at her resilience. She would definitely land on her feet, no matter where she ended up. “How about three months’ severance?”
“And?”
“And...a glowing recommendation. Do we have a deal?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” He jumped to his feet and turned toward his home office. “Fine, you think about it. I have work to do.”
“While you’re working, what do you expect me to do?”
He paused and faced her. “There’s got to be something around here to amuse you. Maybe check the stash in the loft. You should find some of my grandmother’s books. Feel free to bring down whatever you want. I don’t have any use for that junk.”
He strode away, disappointed that she hadn’t jumped at the chance to stay on at the resort. Still, the worry over whether she’d accept his offer was a welcome distraction from his continual battle with his blasted attraction to her.
In hindsight, he had to concede that she was right to weigh her options. He certainly would if he were in her shoes. Now he just hoped she came to the conclusion that would benefit them both.
* * *
Kara watched until he disappeared into the shadows. He wanted her to work for him—well, temporarily. The fact he wanted her input for the reopening had her straightening her shoulders as a tiny smile tugged at her lips. The knowledge that he recognized her accomplishments was quite satisfying.
But even with this recognition, was it possible for her to set aside the past and work closely with a man who could melt her insides with one heated glance?
She’d tried so hard to put the past behind her. She couldn’t let him tear down all her defenses. The surest means of doing that would be to turn down his offer. No pondering. No wondering. Just a simple “no.”
Oh, who was she kidding? She couldn’t just walk away—she didn’t have another job lined up. How would she make the mortgage payment at the end of the month? Or buy Samantha some desperately needed shoes after her latest growth spurt?
In desperation, Kara considered turning to her parents, but they simply couldn’t afford to help her out financially. Her father had been laid off last year from the job he’d held for more than two decades, and had had to take a lesser paying position with the local mall security. No, approaching them for assistance wasn’t an option.
/> Until she found the right position, Kara had no choice but to deal with working with Jason. But for now, he didn’t have to know she’d made up her mind. He could sweat it out a little while. If he thought she had alternatives, he might not take her for granted.
Eager to find a distraction, she glanced around. Her bag of knitting supplies was waiting by the front door, but Jason’s invitation to explore the books in the loft was too good to pass up. She rushed over to the spiral staircase. Their steepness forced her to slow down, having already had enough accidents for one night. At the top, she pulled on a chain hanging from a bare lightbulb, which illuminated the area. Stacks of cardboard boxes littered the floor. Surely not all of them contained books.
Like a kid on Christmas morning, she grabbed the first unmarked box and carried it to a vacant spot near the stairs. She dropped to her knees and flipped open the flaps. Inside, she found heaps of old clothes—shirts and pants that definitely had seen better days. What in the world had his grandmother been thinking, to keep this stuff?
Then a thought struck Kara. Maybe she’d stumbled across a way she could repay Jason’s generosity for letting her ride out the storm here. She scampered back down the stairs and found a pen on the coffee table. Once back in the loft, she marked the box “Old Clothes. Trash.”
Box after box she visually inventoried. There were old newspapers, magazines, threadbare towels and other unnecessary items. All of which she tagged for disposal.
With no more room to stack the sorted boxes, and growing tired, she pulled one last carton from the heap, hoping to at last locate a romance novel. She folded back the flaps and lifted some discolored tissue paper, to find an assortment of handblown glass balls. She grinned, feeling like a child who’d found buried treasure.
These Christmas ornaments had been lovingly wrapped and stowed away with great care. Kara vowed then and there that they would not see the inside of a Dumpster, even if it meant her taking them home.
A piece of red felt stuck between two small boxes. Intrigued, she pulled it out, to discover a stocking with white fur around the edge, with Jason’s name stitched in gold thread along the instep. Her index finger traced the stitches. This had been created with love, a love she was certain Jason hadn’t felt in a very long time.