Page 1 of Because You Loved Me

ChapterOne

Controlled chaos.

There was no other way to describe the steady stream of people coming in and out of the lodge. Some guests were checking in, while others were already headed out to the ski hill for a day on the slopes. The bellboys in their red and black flannels were shuttling carts full of bags to rooms, while in the lounge the servers were loaded down with trays of drinks. Children hopped up on the complimentary s’more station in the courtyard darted around, only narrowly avoiding crashing into the giant Christmas trees that were set up throughout the lobby.

Forget controlled. It was straight-up chaos.

But Asher Carlson loved every minute of it. As the CEO of the Carlson Corporation, there were many aspects of the business he had to oversee, but the main lodge at the base of the ski hill was always his home base. Especially during the busy winter ski season.

His siblings would all tell him he worked too much, but they didn’t understand that he thrived on the busyness of it all. Just the way his father and founder of the business, Michael, had, Asher preferred a hands-on approach, and he was tired of trying to explain it to them.

“Penny.” Asher pulled out the barstool next to him as his general manager, Penny Daniels, walked into the Black Diamond Lounge, where he’d been working from the far end of the bar. “Sit.”

She glanced up from her ever-present clipboard and met his gaze with glazed-over eyes. The worry lines on her forehead were deeper than normal, and Asher knew, without looking, that her fingernails would be broken and bitten way too short. She thought she was so sneaky, hiding her nervous tic from him, but Asher didn’t miss a thing.

“You look far too stressed out,” he said as soon as she sat and Brian, the bartender on duty, slid her a cup of black coffee.

Penny glanced at the coffee. “Is it too early for tequila?” She shook her head and sipped at the hot liquid. “Did you know we’re completely booked?” It was a rhetorical question. Of course Asher knew. “The restaurant is already taking two sittings for dinner every night, and don’t even mention the room service orders.” She shook her head and took another gulp of coffee. “And now, the banquet staff…” She stared into space for a moment before turning to face him. “Whose idea was it to host a wedding over Christmas?”

Asher lifted his eyebrows and tilted his head. It took a gargantuan effort on his part to keep his mouth closed, because pointing out the obvious to his number-one employee wouldn’t help the situation.

A moment later, Penny groaned and dropped her head onto her clipboard. “I know, I know. I thought it was a good idea at the time, and really, it’s going to be fine. I’m just?—”

“You just need to breathe.” Asher reached over and rubbed Penny’s shoulder. “You are ridiculously tense. You should see if Claude has any openings for a massage.” Judging by the look she shot him, there were no bookings available in the spa either. “You know I’d volunteer for the job,” he added with a chuckle. “But we probably shouldn’t go there.”Again.

Penny laughed and slapped his hand away. “Don’t tempt me, Asher. I just might take you up on that offer one day.”

They both knew she wouldn’t. A few years earlier, before Asher had taken over as CEO and she’d been promoted to the general manager position, they’d hooked up a few times. It hadn’t been serious. None of Asher’srelationshipsever were.

That hadn’t changed, only now he kept his hookups far away from anything to do with Carlson Corp, which was not always easy in a small town like Trickle Creek. Still, complicated was the last thing he needed.

Fortunately, there had never been any weirdness between him and Penny. They worked well together, which definitely wouldn’t have been the case with all the women he’d dated over the years. He’d always been upfront with what he wanted, and more specifically, what he did not want. Still, it never failed that, every once in a while, a woman would be convinced that she could change him and make him fall in love with her.

She couldn’t. He wouldn’t. End of story.

“What can I do to help, Penny?” He refocused on the problem at hand. “Where are you at with the wedding? I couldn’t help but notice the sign.” He used his head to gesture toward the lobby where a massive red and gold sign announcing “Alessandra & Ryan Forever” had been positioned next to the huge river rock fireplace.

“They really have taken over,” Penny said with a laugh. “But I kind of love it. It’s cute to see how excited the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom are.”

Asher didn’t bother mentioning that it should be the bride and groom who were excited because truthfully, he had no idea. He’d never paid much attention to weddings beyond the ones that were hosted at either the Trickle Creek Lodge in the winter, or the club house in the summer, and even then, he had Penny to handle the details.

“As long as everyone’s happy, that’s all that matters.” Asher gestured to Brian for a refill on Penny’s coffee, but she shook her head.

“If I have any more, I’m afraid I’ll start to vibrate. It’s not a good look.”

“You always look good, Penny.” He winked and turned in his stool to see his big sister Charli walk into the lounge, his brand-new niece in her arms.

He swallowed down a lump in his throat. Poppy was only a few weeks old. There was only one reason his sister would make the effort to visit him at work.

“You know how to find me if you need anything,” he said to Penny as he excused himself and made his way through the busy lounge to Charli, who had already been surrounded by staff and visitors, all clamoring to get a peek at the newborn.

“Hey, sis.” He squeezed through the small crowd and led her gently to a quiet corner of the busy lobby and a free seat. “It’s always good to see you.” He looked down at the sleeping bundle. “Both of you. She’s sweet.”

“Do you want to hold her?”

Instinctively, Asher took a step back. “Hold her?” He looked in horror from his big sister to his baby niece. “Char, she’sbrandnew.”

She laughed. “I’m well aware of how old she is. I was there for it, remember?”

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