Page 62 of Because You Loved Me

“But, I?—”

“She’s feeling a lot of emotions this week, kiddo. It’s been…well, it’s been rough. When you disappeared…” He dropped his head, unwilling to meet her eyes, and the guilt she’d been trying to push down and not think about all week, flared to life.

“Oh, Dad. I’m so sorry. I hope you didn’t think that?—”

“We didn’t know what to think, Noa.” He looked her in the eyes again. “It wasn’t until we got some confirmation that you were okay that your mother could sleep again.”

Guilt and sadness crashed through her. It had never been her intention to cause her parents any actual worry. If she were being honest, she hadn’t even given any thought to what it might mean for her family and what kind of emotions would be brought up. All she’d thought about in that moment, and for all the days since, was herself. She’d been so selfish.

“Dad, I’m so sorry.” Noa reached for her father, but he pulled away as he stood.

“It’s probably best to give her a little bit of space for the moment.”

His smile didn’t come close to reaching his eyes, and it broke her heart that she’d done that to him again after all this time. They’d only just started to recover from losing Tom and then she’d gone and?—

“I’ll talk to her, sweetheart.” He reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’m glad you came. I can’t tell you how good it feels to see your beautiful face again. I don’t know if you’re staying now or…well, I’m just glad to see you, kiddo.” He gave her a sad smile and then he was gone.

ChapterFifteen

He would have preferredto hide in his suite, but because that was no longer an option, Asher retreated to the only other place that felt like home. The lounge.

He took up his familiar end spot at the bar and it didn’t take long before Brian appeared with a cup of coffee.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, boss. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Brian.” He reached for the mug and lifted it to his mouth. “I’m not really here. Just killing a few minutes before…” There was no real way to explain why he was there.

“Just wave if you need anything, boss. I’ll leave you to it.”

Asher nodded, thankful that Brian was a perceptive man.

Old habits died hard, and after a few sips of coffee, Asher felt fortified enough to turn around and survey the room and the lobby beyond. It didn’t take long to see that everything was running smoothly. It was one of the busiest days of the year, which meant there was the most potential for something to go wrong: an employee to call in sick, a shortage of something in the kitchen, lost luggage, or even a broken water pipe.

All catastrophes that Asher had dealt with at various times. But if anything was going wrong behind the scenes, his staff was doing a good job of hiding it.

His staff.

Were they still his staff, when he’d been stripped of his role? And even if they were still his, did they even need him anymore?

It sure didn’t look like it.

He turned around and focused on his cup of coffee before he accidentally caught a glimpse of Noa and her family. When she’d walked away from him and gone to them without so much as a glance behind her, it had sparked something deep inside him that he didn’t even know he was capable of feeling.

Jealousy? Longing? Hurt?

Asher couldn’t even begin to name the feeling that was so new to him. And at the same time, he didn’t think he should search too hard for what it might mean. The last few days with Noa had been unexpected, but he wasn’t naive. It couldn’t last. Not forever. And walking through the doors of Trickle Creek Lodge and watching her walk away from him to her actual family had been a sharp reminder of that.

“A beer please.”

A voice next to him pulled him from his thoughts. Brian poured a draft beer and slid it across the bar to the man who’d taken up the seat next to him.

“Merry Christmas.” The man raised his glass in his direction. “Are you celebrating?”

“Christmas?” Asher shot him a look. “I wouldn’t say that.” He lifted his coffee mug. “Merry Christmas to you, though.”

The man shook his head and took a deep pull on his beer. “I’m not much for the holidays,” he said. “Not anymore. And especially not this year.”

Asher wasn’t looking to get into a conversation with anyone, let alone a stranger at the bar who needed to talk, but given that he didn’t have a lot of other options, he turned slightly to face the man and give him the option to open up further.

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