Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) (9 page)

Gage was quiet for a long moment. “Maybe you’re not.”

“Not what?”

“Not doing a shitty job of it. It depends on how you look at it. If it’s to get back to Seattle and the life you led there, then maybe so. If it’s to give yourself a little time to figure out if you’d like to do something else with your life, then maybe you’re doing exactly what you need to do.”

Garrett nodded slowly. “Okay then. Any idea how long I should give myself? ‘Cause right now, I feel like I’m casting about in the dark.”

Gage flashed a grin. “You always did love a deadline. Hate to tell you, but you might have to let that go for this.”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “Great, just great.”

“Since it looks like you’ll be around for a bit, why don’t you move into one of the lodge suites?”

Garrett started to protest, but Gage cut him off. “Don’t go thinking we mind having you, but I know you’re used to having your own space. One of the suites will be available after tonight. I told Harry to keep it open for you.”

“You don’t need to give up bookings for me.”

“Consider it a selfish move. You getting away from the treadmill of your job and Seattle is the best thing that’s happened to you in years as far as I’m concerned. I figure the chances of you sticking around are better if you’re not shacked up in a tiny spare bedroom. Don’t worry about bookings. The lodge is doing far better than I ever expected for its first winter.”

“I’m damn proud of what you’ve done with this place by the way.”

Gage’s return smile was wide. “Took a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” His eyes sobered again. “I’m guessing you’re gonna tell me to shut the hell up, but I have to ask. What’s up with you and Delia?”

Garrett’s mind flashed to Delia’s bare body, her legs curled around his waist as he thrust inside of her. He didn’t quite think that’s what Gage had in mind, so he took a breath and tried to think of a better answer.

“Okay, so I guessed right,” Gage said, his tone one of resignation.

“You guessed what?”

“I’m not blind, and I’m your brother, so I know you better than I’d like sometimes. I guessed you had a thing for her, and I can tell by the look on your face that you do.” Gage paused, his eyes considering. “I know you’re not an asshole and you wouldn’t purposefully hurt her. Delia has a heart of gold. I’ve never asked, but far as I can tell, she hasn’t been involved with anyone for years. She’s too busy being a single mom and working. Don’t consider anything with her if you’re after a fling. She’s not that kind of woman. Don would love for Delia to find someone, but he would definitely be upset to see her get her heart broken by my big-city brother.”

Garrett ran a hand through his hair and eyed Gage. “I’m not going to break her heart.”

Gage considered him and nodded. “I know you wouldn’t plan on it.”

“Does anyone plan something like that?” Garrett asked sarcastically.

“Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Delia would be furious if she knew I said anything to you. For all I know, she’s not the least bit interested, but my gut tells me she is. Just keep in mind she’s not like the women you date in Seattle.”

Garrett felt a twinge of chagrin. “Didn’t mean to be an ass. You didn’t need to tell me Delia’s not like the women I usually date. While I can’t make many promises, I can promise the last thing I want to do is hurt her.” Emotion knotted in his chest and throat. He leaned his head against the wall and took a slow breath. “Ah, hell. I’m in way over my head with her, if you’re wondering.”

Gage’s eyes softened. “What do you mean?”

“If I could explain, I would. Just that she drives me half out of my mind. It’s not something I’ve had much experience with, that’s for sure.”

Gage chuckled softly. “Starting to wonder if I need to be as worried about you as Delia.”

Garrett shook his head and pushed himself up from the wall. “Nah, I’ll be okay. Let’s get back to the lodge.”

Gage didn’t push the topic of Delia further and accepted Garrett’s abrupt end to the conversation. Much to Garrett’s relief because Garrett found talking about Delia disconcerting. Thinking about her was like riding on a boat in a storm—tossed and buffeted by the waves of emotion she elicited.

***

Delia walked into Sally’s where she was meeting Marley and Ginger for lunch. Sally’s was a fixture in Diamond Creek, a restaurant and bar housed in an old renovated barn. The kitchen was situated in the center of the structure with the bar on one side and a restaurant with booths lining the walls and long tables in the center. Evenings were busy here, but lunches tended to be quieter. Delia veered to the restaurant side and made her way to the booth where Marley and Ginger were already waiting.

“Hey there. Sorry I’m a few minutes behind. Nick forgot his backpack, so I had to double back.” Delia hung her jacket on the corner of the booth and sat down beside Marley.

Ginger glanced up from the menu and smiled, her blue eyes crinkling. “I barely beat you here. How’s it going?”

“Busy, as usual. You?”

Ginger shrugged, her shiny brown hair falling off her shoulder. “Same, same.”

Marley turned to Delia. “Harry was totally freaking out this morning. He says too many things go wrong when you’re off.”

Delia shook her head. “What now?”

Marley tucked her auburn hair behind her ears and shrugged. “Something about the breakfast buffet. That’s all I know.”

Their waitress arrived to take their drink order. When she left to get their drinks, Delia leaned back and listened to the back and forth between her friends. Along with Marley, Ginger Sanders was an old childhood friend. Ginger was outspoken, feisty and funny. When Marley called Delia this morning about getting together for lunch, Delia figured the timing was perfect. She needed some blunt advice, and she could count on Ginger for that. Marley would counter Ginger’s occasionally harsh observations with her softer touch and wry warmth.

While hearing Ginger’s latest grievances about trying to date in Diamond Creek, Marley glanced slyly at Delia. “Well, I think Delia might be interested in someone.”

Delia flushed instantly. Ginger swung to her, her eyes narrowing. “What are you keeping from me?”

“Nothing!”
Marley angled her head to the side and arched a brow. “Really?”

“Oh, all right. There might be something with Garrett.”

“You mean Gage’s brother, the super hot and sexy lawyer? Spill it,” Ginger demanded.

Still flushing, Delia took a breath and considered what to say. Where to start when she’d jumped from no dating and no sex for six years straight to the hottest, most mind-blowing sex she’d ever had? Just thinking about it, her pulse quickened and her blood heated.

“Wow, I’d guess there’s more than nothing going on,” Ginger said wryly.

Delia glared at her. “Cut it out. I don’t know what to say. Garrett and I…” She shrugged. “We had dinner last night. I don’t know that it means much of anything to him. He’s only here for the month. I figured I might as well since if I ever plan to try having a relationship again, I’d better get some practice at dating.”

“Sounds like he’ll be here more than a month,” Marley offered.

Delia’s heart pounded and hope unfurled its wings.
Don’t be silly. You know there’s a time limit to anything with him, so don’t get your hopes up for anything else.
Her practical mind quickly asserted itself, but it had little power over her body and her emotional state. She glanced at Marley. “What do you mean?”

Marley leaned back as their waitress arrived. Delia impatiently waited through the delay of having their food served. Once the waitress walked away, Marley replied. “Gage said he talked to Garrett yesterday, and Garrett doesn’t know when he’ll go back to Seattle. Gage set him up in one of the suites for now. He’s hoping Garrett will change gears and maybe get out of Seattle.”

Delia couldn’t snuff her questions. Her curiosity about Garrett was almost constant. By the end of lunch, she’d learned that Gage had been worried about Garrett working too hard for years and he’d never thought Garrett could be satisfied with his career as it was. The more she got to know him, the more she could see why Gage would wonder. The surface of Garrett’s life was of wealthy lawyer who catered to corporate interests. Yet, the man she was coming to know was down to earth and caring.
 

“You think he’d want to leave Seattle?” Delia asked.

Marley took a swallow of water and angled her head to the side. “You realize you probably know Garrett better than I do by this point,” she offered with a grin.

Delia flushed and shrugged.

Marley continued. “Gage thinks Garrett might be better off if he got out of the rat race. If he stays in Seattle, it’ll be hard for him to do that.”

“What do you think?” Ginger asked, archly.

Delia twisted a lock of hair around her finger. “I don’t know him that well yet, but I can’t see him being happy just doing the corporate law thing. I bet he’s really good at it, but it seems like he’d, I don’t know, want more.”

“So you’re saying corporate lawyers are shallow, then?” Ginger asked with a sly grin.

“No! I’m saying it doesn’t seem like he’s satisfied with that. As for moving away from Seattle, that’s another thing altogether. I’m not sure what to think about that.” She fought her blush, but it was impossible. Speaking aloud about the hopes and dreams that she kept trying to shove away brought her feelings too close to the surface.

Ginger caught Delia’s eyes with another grin. “Well, if you were planning to play it cool, you blew it.”

Delia grinned and shook her head. “You know I’m terrible at playing it cool.” She paused, considering the other issue she’d hoped to discuss with her friends. “On that note, I need some feedback, and it’s not such a fun topic.”

At Marley and Ginger’s simultaneous nod, Delia continued. “Terry called the other day.”

“What the hell? What did he say?” Ginger demanded.

Marley’s questions were right on the heels of Ginger’s. “Are you serious? What did he want?”

Delia held her hands up. “He was calling because his mother found out about Nick and wants to meet him. I told him he could give her my number, but now I’m freaking out. I have no idea what to say if she calls. Should I let her meet Nick?”

Ginger leaned back and set her fork down. “Damn. They don’t give you instructions for this kind of thing.” She glanced in Marley’s direction and back to Delia. “Short answer: yes. Long answer: when the time is right. You’ve never even met her, right?”

Delia shook her head. “Never. Terry and I dated in college for maybe four or five months. It wasn’t like I brought him home to meet my parents, or vice versa.”

“In the long run, if Nick has a chance to get to know his grandparents, that’s a good thing. It’s the kind of question where you have to think ahead. How would Nick feel if he found out later he had this chance and you refused to let him have it?” Marley asked.

“I know. Even though it’s hard because Terry hasn’t been there—at all—I would never want to keep Nick from anyone in his family. It’s more how to go about it.”

“So does Terry want to meet Nick?” Ginger asked.
Delia shook her head slowly. “He didn’t ask. He did say he hasn’t been too stable and didn’t want to try to be something he couldn’t. I suppose I should appreciate that, but it’s not easy. Not because I want to have to deal with him, but because of how it affects Nick. He used to ask about his dad more often. Now it’s only once in a blue moon.”

“It makes me mad for Nick, but it’s better for Terry to be honest,” Marley said.

“I know. It doesn’t change anything for Nick though.”

“No, but at least he called when his mother asked to meet Nick. He could’ve blown her off,” Marley commented.

Delia nodded. “I know. For that, the only thing I can think is to start with a few calls and go from there. I’m sure she’s going to want to meet Nick right off, but I don’t think I’ll be comfortable until I have a chance to get to know her a little.

Ginger nodded vehemently. “She’ll have to understand that. If she doesn’t, that tells you a lot right there.”

Delia left a while later, considering she’d thought she’d needed her friends’ help around how to deal with the call out of the blue from Terry, but in the end they’d merely validated what she already thought. She would have to wait to hear from Terry’s mother and go from there. As for Garrett, hearing that he might stay beyond a month only left her stirred up inside. Her foolish hopes danced inside—her mind was having a more and more difficult time keeping her heart quiet.

Chapter 9

The following afternoon, Delia was up to her elbows in dough when Nick came racing into the kitchen. He skidded past her and tossed his backpack on the couch in her office.

“Slow down, Nick!” she called.

Nick spent afternoons at the lodge once school was out, just as she had done when her mother ran the kitchen here so many years ago. Gage’s flexibility about scheduling and his easy attitude around allowing children to be at the lodge when needed made her job worlds easier. She and several other staff had children who were dropped off by the bus after school. They took turns keeping an eye on them.

Nick had started to run back out of her office and shifted to a walk in response to her admonition. He made his way to her side, hugging her waist before stepping away to glance up at her. “What’s for snacks today?”

“Apple slices and peanut butter.” She lifted a hand away from the dough she was kneading and gestured to a small platter in the corner of the kitchen.

Late morning and mid-afternoon were the slowest times in the restaurant, so she usually prepped a few snacks for Nick and the other children. He instantly left her side and helped himself. While Nick was busy chewing, Don came through the swinging door from the back hallway and ruffled Nick’s hair.

“Hey bud, how was school today?”

Nick launched into a summary of his day for his grandfather, chomping noisily on his apples in between words. Delia finished kneading the dough and transferred it to an oiled bowl. Wiping her hands on her apron, she was in mid-conversation with one of the line cooks when Garrett and Gage walked into the kitchen. Her belly fluttered and her pulse kicked into gear. Gage went straight for the massive refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of juice and tossed one over to Garrett who caught it easily. He leaned against the counter by Don and Nick and started casually chatting with them.