“What do you think?” Julianna asks, staring at me, wanting my input. I’m sure she wants me to side with her and suggest that the arcade and water slide are the way to go for the off-season times.
“I think that’s a pretty big investment and a decision that’s entirely up to your father.”
Logan quirks a grin. “Thanks for staying out of it.”
I hold my arms up in surrender. “I won’t be here to enjoy the amenities of either.”
He groans. “Just what I need, you to drown on a water slide.”
Our time spent together feels too short, too fleeting. In the blink of an eye, I’m heading back to the airport, flying home, back to Los Angeles.
The sun is warm, the sky bright, and there’s no snow here in December. It’s perfect. Except it’s missing one thing, well, technically two things. Logan and his daughter.
I spend the holiday making three different video reviews for Blue Sky Resort. All of them praise the amenities that they have to offer. Bridget can decide to use one or all three if she’s so inclined. She’s always praised me for giving her options, so I save the files when I’m done and load them to the cloud.
Ordinarily, I’d shoot off an email to her, but it’s Christmas day, and that seems tacky. Just because I don’t have a life, doesn’t mean other people aren’t busy.
Besides, Bridget doesn’t need to know that I’m spending my holiday working. It’s not like I’ll get a bonus or extra pay. I’m a contractor. There’s no salary. No benefits. Sometimes it’s grueling. But getting to stay at hotels, living lavishly, and eating and vacationing for free has been a dream come true.
And it’s not on my dime, which makes it even better.
I text LoganMerry Christmas. Not that I expect to hear back from him. He’s busy with his family, as he should be.
My phone pings with a notification. I shouldn’t feel quite so giddy about getting a text from him. He’s not my boyfriend. I’m honestly not sure what we are, or aren’t, for that matter.
What are you up to?
His text brings a smile to my face. The grumpy single dad seems to have turned a corner. Maybe he’s not quite so difficult after all.
Just curled up on the sofa with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s.
You should have stayed here for Christmas. I could have flown you back first thing in the morning.
A heavy sigh escapes my lips.I had to get my work done this weekend. Which, I might add, is amazing. You’ll be so surprised by what I did that it’ll leave you speechless.
Good or bad?
You’ll have to wait and see, I text, hoping he knows it’s good. I just like keeping the man on his toes.
If it’s bad, I’d hope you’d tell me what went wrong, and I could rectify it for other guests.
Is he worried I’ll give him a one-star review and blast the resort? I put my ice cream container down on the coffee table while I text him back.
Do you mean falling from the ski lift and nearly dying wasn’t cause enough?
I’m joking with him. At least, I think he should know that much about me by now. We’ve spent enough time knocking heads and a few times, boots, to get past the bad stuff that happened.
He begins typing. Three dots flash while he’s answering before disappearing.
Silence.
It’s Christmas Day. He’s probably busy and got pulled away from his phone by Julianna or Wyatt.
That’s all it is, right? I was joking. He had to know that I’d never write or say a bad thing about him or his resort.
When the vlog is posted, he'll see that I gave him five stars and a rave review.
The next day at work, I’m at my desk in my office, piecing together one last clip. Not that Bridget needs a fourth, but I want something fun that showcases Logan. I took a few clips, zooming in on his thick, bulging arms tattered in ink. An angry and fierce shot of him storming away, his hands are balled into fists at his side.