Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) (12 page)

“Me neither. I was furious when Terry first told me a few months ago, but I knew right away I wanted to find a way to talk to you. My husband passed away four years ago, and it breaks my heart he never knew he had a grandson. I’m not sure how much you know about Terry, but things have been difficult with him. Him finally talking to you about me is the best thing he’s done in years. I gave him time to talk to you first, but told him if he didn’t, I’d track you down myself. I’m assuming since you gave permission for him to give me your number that you’re open to the possibility of having Nick meet me.” Helen’s voice lilted toward the end and then broke on a soft sob.

Delia realized she was nodding, but Helen couldn’t see her. She stepped away from the window and sat back down at her desk, needing the chair underneath her. “You guessed right. To be honest, I didn’t know what to think when Terry called. He hasn’t been in touch at all. Since he made it clear he wasn’t interested in being involved in Nick’s life, I didn’t go out of my way to find him.”

Long silences seemed to be the norm in this uncomfortable conversation. Helen broke the silence. “Can you tell me a little about Nick?”

Delia took a breath and did something that was incredibly easy—bragging about her son. Mothers often had to curb that tendency, as it could be annoying to some. For once, Delia had the chance to talk as long as she wanted about all the good things about Nick. At some point, there was a knock at the door and Harry, the floor supervisor, poked his head into her office. When he saw she was on the phone, he nodded quickly and waved her off when she started to stand.

“Excuse me Helen. I’m at work and I need to check on something. Hang on a sec.” She moved the phone away and called Harry’s name. He leaned back into her office.

“Do you need me?” she asked.

“Take your time, but the hostess tonight called out sick. We could use a little help up front if you get a chance.”

“I’ll be out in a few minutes. Let me finish my call and change.”

Harry was already on his way out. His voice floated behind him. “Thank you!”

When she brought the phone back to her ear, Helen spoke. “It sounds like you need to go. Would it be possible for you and I to meet sometime soon? I don’t know if there’s a right way to do this, but if I were you, I’d want to meet me first.”

Delia recalled Ginger’s comment that if Helen didn’t understand the need to move slowly, it would tell Delia a lot about her. Though she didn’t have much to go on, Helen at least had enough sense to acknowledge the strangeness of this situation, along with the necessary patience to take it one step at a time.

“Sounds good to me. I’m not sure how we’ll do that though. I don’t even know where you live.”

“I live in Anchorage. Terry’s father used to work for the legislature for many years, so we were often back and forth between Juneau and Anchorage. After he died, I stayed in Anchorage. I’d be happy to drive down to Diamond Creek. It’s been years since I’ve been there, but it’s a lovely little town. We used to go fishing there sometimes in the summer.”

Delia processed that information and took another breath. Getting through this call was starting to seem like the easy part. Meeting Helen, finding a way to talk to Nick about her and eventually introducing them were the bigger challenges. “In that case, when do you think you could come down for the day?”

Several moments later, she hung up the phone. Restless, she walked to the window again. The sun was bright against the white snow. She turned away quickly. She didn’t have time to dwell on this. No matter what, it couldn’t be bad to follow this through with Helen. She couldn’t fathom keeping her from Nick, so she’d have to take it one step at a time. If it turned out that she wasn’t a good influence for Nick, at least Delia would have given her a chance.

Delia walked to the small closet and tugged out some spare clothing she kept there. She spent most of her time in the kitchen, but occasionally worked out front for larger events and for situations such as now. She quickly changed into a fitted black skirt that hugged her hips and widened to a fluttery twirl at her knees. She topped that with a simple white blouse. Pausing in front of the bathroom mirror, she freed her hair from its ponytail and brushed it loose around her shoulders. She removed the smudges of flour in her hair and on her face. After a swipe of pink lip-gloss, she stepped into a pair of simple black heels and considered herself presentable.

The late afternoon and evening passed in a blur. Guests coming off the slopes piled into the restaurant, along with local residents. From early evening on, the restaurant was at capacity. Returning from escorting a family to their table, she looked up to find Garrett waiting by the entrance. He hadn’t seen her yet, so she had a moment to observe him unnoticed. His elbow rested on the reception stand, and he idly flipped a pen in his fingers. His rich brown hair tended to be just past the edge of tidy, as if he ran his hand through it often. He wore soft, faded jeans and a navy cotton jersey shirt. His muscled chest was outlined under his shirt. Her pulse quickened just thinking about the feel of his body against hers.

She considered that the way she saw him probably wasn’t the way he usually was. The man she’d heard him to be before she met him was different—at least in her imagination. He was a wealthy corporate lawyer in Seattle. He probably wore suits every day and night. His hair might still be mussed, but she doubted it. When she’d hoped to eventually find a man, she’d never considered a man such as Garrett. For starters, he likely had his pick of women in Seattle. If she’d met him in his world, he’d have intimidated her so much, she couldn’t even imagine talking to him. Yet here in Diamond Creek, he wasn’t what she expected. She knew Gage and had met the rest of his family, so she knew he had loving parents and a close family that tended toward boisterous. She’d pictured a sharp, cold man when she’d heard about Garrett. Instead she found a warm, funny, strong, dark and sexy man—one who took her breath away and pushed her body to stratospheres of pleasure she’d never known existed.

Garrett turned his head, a slow smile spreading across his face when he saw her standing in the archway between the reception area and restaurant. She walked over to the desk, her heels clicking on the floor. When she reached his side, he whistled so softly, no one but her could hear it. Heat suffused her, a whole body blush racing through her.

***

Garrett watched Delia walk toward him. She wore a black skirt that hugged her lush bottom and flared around her knees, accentuating the dip and curve of her waist. Her fitted white blouse was simple, yet the tease of her skin in the vee at the top and the way her breasts strained against the fabric heated his blood. He shifted on his feet. Now was definitely not the time and place to look like a foolish teenage boy with a hard on. When it came to Delia though, he felt like a foolish boy most of the time. When she reached his side, he couldn’t stop himself from giving a soft whistle. Her cheeks pinkened. He resisted the urge to tug her close for a kiss. They were far from alone, and she was working.

Her heels tapped on the floor as she walked behind the desk. He toyed with the pen on the reservation list. Her hair fell forward as she leaned over. Her blue eyes lifted to his. His brain went soft. All he could think about was how her lips would feel under his. They were soft, pink and full. He flipped the pen back and forth, trying to corral the lust racing through him. She arched a brow and cleared her throat.

“Hey there,” he said.

“Any chance I could borrow the pen?” she asked with a small smile.

He stilled his hand and slowly slid it across the desk to her. Her fingers brushed his as she picked it up. It was ridiculous that such a small, casual touch could make his heart pound against his ribs, but it did.

She quickly crossed a name off the reservation list and glanced up. “Is the Taylor party here yet?” she asked the room at large.

A woman raised her hand and stood with four children and a man rising at her side. Delia caught Garrett’s eyes. “Be right back.”

He nodded and watched her walk away, her hips swinging with her steps. Long moments later, she returned. He immediately handed the pen over. After she crossed the next name off, she returned the pen to his hand and rested her elbows on the desk. This afforded him a tantalizing view. Tiny freckles were scattered randomly. His fingertips remembered the lush give of her skin. His eyes traveled along her neck, past the soft beat of her pulse and down to the shadowed curves of her breasts. He fought the urge to lean across the desk and drag his tongue down into that valley where her skin was dewy and scented with vanilla.
Holy hell.
He was in serious trouble.

After he’d obsessed about whether or not Delia was the main reason he was so reluctant to return to Seattle, he’d reminded himself he’d never even thought of her when he walked out of that courtroom and impulsively booked his flight to Alaska. The trouble was now he couldn’t sort out his feelings. She brought him to his knees, literally and figuratively. He forced his eyes back up and found hers. They held a glimmer of uncertainty, the tiny flicker making him want to wipe it out of her eyes and heart. She made him feel all kinds of things he’d never even considered—this overriding need to be with her that went beyond physical, and a desire to protect her and take care of her. He took a breath and reminded himself—
again
—where they were.

“How was your day?” he asked.

Something passed through her eyes, but it was gone before he had a chance to guess at it. She shrugged. “Okay I guess. Busy. Our hostess tonight called out sick, so I’m pulling double duty. How about you?”

“Busy. The old snowmobile got cranky today, so I spent most of the day helping Gage fix it. When all was said and done, we got it running, but that thing’s on its last legs. Gage is stubborn though. He’s not ready to give up on it. I’m thinking I might go behind his back and buy another new one. If I ask him about it, he’ll say no.”

Delia giggled and nodded. “You’re absolutely right. Gage is great, but he’s a fixer. My dad shares that tendency, so I’m used to it. I say go for it. He already got one new snowmobile, so he’s hanging onto that old one no matter what.”

Garrett nodded. “The rest of us inherited the lodge with Gage, but he’s the only one working his ass off to make a go of it. I figure if all I do is help out with equipment and supplies, it’ll be better than nothing.”

Delia nodded and turned away when a new group of customers walked in. She checked her list and gave them a time frame before turning back to him. She picked up right where their conversation left off. “Gage doesn’t mind you all aren’t working up here. He says all the time that he feels lucky you guys are supporting him to try to bring the lodge back to life.”

“Try? He did more than try. It’s done.” Garrett felt a flush of pride when he considered how hard Gage had worked to bring Last Frontier Lodge out of retirement. Before Gage moved to Alaska, he’d had a rough few years. He seemed at loose ends after he retired from active duty with the Navy SEAL’s and had seemed burdened after the death of his best friend on a mission. Garrett had initially thought Gage was half-crazy to uproot himself and try to resurrect the lodge, but once he’d come up to visit over Christmas, he’d known Gage had made the right choice for him. Now, with Garrett’s own misgivings about his career, he had a better sense of what Gage had been seeking—a sense of purpose that what he did mattered personally. Garrett recalled Becca’s words about how she thought he’d eventually need to find something more meaningful.

Delia’s voice broke into his thoughts. “You should tell him that.”

“Huh?”

“That you think he’s succeeded with the lodge. I think he’s happy here, especially since he’s met Marley, but I know he wonders here and there if you all think he’s crazy. He was so happy when everyone came up for the holidays. Even though you were only here for a few days,” she said with a wry grin.

Garrett nodded slowly. “Right. Maybe I will. And maybe I was only here for a few days at Christmas, but I’m here for a bit longer now. I didn’t realize what I was missing.”

His heart thumped—hard. He wasn’t sure where he intended to go with this conversation, but for some reason, he wanted to talk with Delia about his confusion. He was saved from this impulse when Don entered the waiting area with Nick on his heels. Nick raced to Garrett’s side.

“Hey Garrett! Can I help you and Gage again tomorrow?”

Garrett glanced down at Nick and ruffled his almost-black hair. “If it’s okay with your mom, it’s okay with me. Not sure what we’ll be doing tomorrow, so you might have to wait on that.”

Nick’s blue eyes widened with his smile. He bounced on his heels and looked up at his mother. Delia smiled softly and shook her head. “You know I usually say yes. But,” she paused, her gaze sobering. “…it depends on the weather. If it’s bad out, you won’t be going anywhere on the slopes.”

Nick clapped his hands. “Thanks Mom!” He raced past her through the swinging door into the kitchen where he’d likely get all kinds of tasty snacks from the line cooks.

Don clapped Garrett on the shoulder and leaned against the desk beside him. “You’re good with him. Not everyone’s a fan of little boys who talk non-stop.”

Garrett met Don’s warm blue eyes. “No problem. He’s a good kid.”

Conversation carried on around Garrett with Delia checking in with customers and Don chatting up locals he knew. At one point, Garrett found himself alone with Don for several minutes. Don met his eyes and cleared his throat.

“Delia’s my only daughter,” Don offered.

Garrett held his eyes and nodded. “I know.” He waited, sensing Don needed to say whatever he was about to say.

“If you’re wondering, she hasn’t said a word to me about you, but I’ve been around the block. I see the way she looks at you and vice versa.” Don paused for a slow breath. “I like you and I get the feeling Delia might mean something to you. Do me a favor and just be straight with her.”

Garrett stared at Don, his thoughts scrambling. Of all the situations he’d talked his way through, this one flummoxed him. Don was a good man. Garrett respected him. How the hell could he explain his feelings for Delia when he didn’t fully understand them himself? Not to mention he didn’t know if she reciprocated them. He realized Don was waiting. “Look, I’m not gonna lie to you. I like Delia—a lot more than I bargained on. If you’re worried about my intentions, it’s fair to say I don’t know exactly what they are. You might think I’m out for a fling, but I’m not. When I came up here, I wasn’t sure what my plans were. Right now, I’m thinking about staying for a while.” He ran out of words and paused for a breath.