I looked around, seeing that the heated patio was unfortunately empty right now. “Over here,” I told him as I headed over there, wanting this to be over as soon as possible.
Simon followed me inside, closing the door behind him. Taking in his longer beard, I wondered what I ever saw in this man. “Tell me what you’re really doing here.” He let his shoulders fall at my question.
“I ran into Beth at a party and she told me where you were,” Simon admitted as I sighed. I forgot that’s how I met him sometimes since Simon and her fiancé were part of the same social circle. Reuben wasn’t nearly as arrogant as Simon, thank God. “I didn’t know what happened after I went to your apartment, and you weren’t there. They wouldn’t tell me anything.”
I wish I warned Beth to do the same thing, but it was too fucking late now. “It’s a shame it didn’t stay that way, Simon. I have no desire to see you.”
“I want you back, Avery. I fucked up and I know that, but I’m opening a new restaurant in the spring. We can partner up again and make it work this time.” He told me as my mouth fell open in shock.
“You lost the last place because you don’t know how to run a business. How do you expect to do it right this time?” I asked as he held up his hands.
“Chris steered me wrong with the direction I needed to go with that one. I fired him and I’m going about it differently this time. I want you to work for me and I want you back in the city, Avery,” Simon told me as I shook my head in disbelief. “You can’t be happy living here. There’s nothing in this little town. Even you told me you didn’t want to stay here before.”
“Well, someone lost the restaurant I worked at, and I lost a lot of fucking money because of that. Do you have that for me, Simon?” I asked, as he paled at the mention of the money he owed me. “I’m here because of you.”
“Are you going to stay here and be bored? What do you even do all day?” Simon asked as I considered telling him exactly what I’d been up to lately.
“This is my family’s lodge, Simon. I work here and I stay plenty busy. This is a successful business,” I shot back as he narrowed his eyes. “Besides, it’s the holidays. Shouldn’t you be home with your asshole parents right now? Christmas is right around the corner and there are a lot of parties for your mother to throw.”
I hadn’t been with him long enough to experience one of the parties that seemed to be famous among the wealthy class of the city, and I never did. I’d heard enough through word of mouth.
“I miss you, Avery. I miss what we had.” Simon told me as I fought the urge to scream at him. “I’m here through the twenty-sixth in one of the cabins and I want to talk to you about coming back to New York. You’re all that matters to be, baby.”
“You’re staying here as a guest?” I asked as he nodded, making me realize I couldn’t make him leave. “It’s Christmas, Simon. What were you thinking?”
“I need you, Avery.”
“Go fuck yourself,” I muttered as I left him standing there, needing to get away from Simon. I vowed to not let him ruin my day, much less my holiday, by staying here that long, but I needed to keep the peace with a guest.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
BEN
I made my way through the hall of the lodge, mentally checking my list of what I needed to pack to head to Syracuse later today. I always went to see my parents for Christmas, but I did want to know that everything would be good here for a few days.
I just wanted to pop into Jefferson’s office to check with him.
I paused when I noticed Avery on the heated patio with some stuck-up jerk that looked like he was straight out of Manhattan. He didn’t come from Lake Placid, and I watched as she appeared to yell at him.
Avery was normally so even keel and I frowned as she gestured with her hands, seeing the curses fly from her mouth. That definitely wasn’t her style and I wondered if I should step in and make sure that everything was okay.
She strode past the man and pushed the door open, entering the lobby with bright red dots on her cheeks. Avery looked livid and I forgot all about the lodge as I walked towards her, calling her name. “Avery? Are you okay?” I asked as she turned her head to see me.
“Ben,” she murmured, seemingly sidetracked for a moment. She glanced in the direction of the patio and sighed. “Come with me.”
I followed her across the room to the dimly lit bar that was closed right now, but Avery had a key to everything in the lodge much like I did.
We walked in and she secured the door behind me before walking to sit down in a booth, cursing again.
“Who is that?” I asked her, sitting across from her as I tried to see her face.
“I can’t even believe this. That’s the ex from New York,” she finally admitted as I arched a brow at her.
“The restaurant asshole?” I asked as she nodded slowly. “What’s he doing here?”
“I met him through my best friend there, Beth. They ran into each other at a Hanukkah party, and she told him how well I was doing here and that I had a job interview back there.” Avery said as anger crossed my face. “She hates him as much as I do but he runs in the same circles as her fiancé.”
“Why would she tell him that about you?” I demanded as she sighed.