Page 336 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“I guess so,” Adam said, shrugging and looking uncomfortable.
“No, come on. You were the one to tell me about all the whacky stuff that Ian ordered and everything,” I said.
“That’s just because my job involves all those things,” Adam said, frowning.
“Yeah, well. Look, I just need someone to keep an eye on the place while I’m gone. Keep me in the loop about everything. And I know that’s a huge favor to ask you on top of all the work that you already do, but I’d pay you extra to write up a weekly report for me. And of course you’d get a little raise if you were running the all-employee meetings and stuff.”
Adam stared at me and then shook his head. “I’m not the person you want for that,” he said immediately.
“Why not?” I challenged.
“Uh, because you already pay someone to be the general resort manager?” Adam tried, sounding like he could barely believe we were having this conversation.
I shook my head. “I know that,” I said. “But I’m not looking for some cut-and-dried feedback about bottom lines and company morale. I want to know what’s really happening around here. If people are upset with the way things are being run, I want them to be able to air those grievances. Now, I’d love to be here so that people can bitch to me about whatever’s bugging them, but that’s not possible right now. So I need someone checking in with people on my behalf.”
“Kayla would be better at that than me,” Adam said, shaking his head.
“Maybe,” I said. “But Kayla’s a little too emotional, herself. I want someone who’s going to be able to calm people down, let them know that their griping has been heard, and that things are going to be fixed as soon as possible. Or else someone who can explain to them why things are done the way that they are.”
“Still doesn’t sound like something you’d want me for,” Adam said. “Look, I don’t have any sort of business skills. I can’t tell them why things have to be done a certain way.”
I snorted. “Bullshit,” I said. “You’re smart. And you know how this place should run. And I saw the notebook on your desk with all your ideas for long-term improvements for the resort. Hell, you’re probably the person who should be running this place full-time, not me.”
Adam stared at me for a moment. “You’re really serious about this,” he finally said, and I could hear the surprise in his voice, like he could barely believe it.
But I nodded gravely at him. “Honestly, I was thinking about this even before I found out that I was going to have to go to Vegas,” I told him. “I’ve seen you with everyone around the resort. Hell, I’ve seen you with Ethan. You’re good with people. And I know it’s some extra work and a lot of extra responsibility. If you don’t want that, let me know. But don’t try and tell me that you can’t do it, because we both know that that’s a lie.”
Adam was still silent for a long moment, and I felt my hopes start to wilt. I had a feeling that he might not want to help me out with this. I’d spent half the night trying to come up with some way to get him to agree to it anyway, but the only surefire way I could think of was to remind him that I was the boss.
I didn’t want to feel like his job was on the line if he didn’t agree to help me out, though. I knew that I was asking a lot of him, and more than that, I knew that if I forced him to help me out, I was only going to make things worse in the long run. He would resent me as a boss, and he would never want anything to do with me in a more intimate way in the future.
And I hated the thought of either of those things.
I knew that he and I were already on thin ice. I didn’t know what exactly Ian had said to him, but from the surprised look that Adam had given me when I hinted at it, I could tell that there had been something. And even if there hadn’t been, well, it was no secret that Ian had tried his best to sabotage Adam’s job ever since he had come back to Park City. Adam had been worried about getting involved with me in the first place, and I had only given him a dozen reasons not to want to be with me anymore.
And now, I was asking him to add even more to his crazy workload, all so that I could take time off to deal with a personal problem. It just wasn’t fair to him at all.
Still, I sighed minutely. “Sorry,” I told him. “I shouldn’t have asked, I know that. I just didn’t know who else I could rely on.”
Adam stared at me for a long moment and then cleared his throat. “No, I’ll do it,” he told me. “I’m not making any promises about how it’ll go, but if this is what you want, then I’ll do it.”
Relief coursed through me. “Thank you, Adam,” I said quietly.
He nodded at me, then raised an eyebrow at me. “Is that all?”
I stared at him for a beat. Then; “I’ll miss you,” I blurted out.
Adam stared at me for a moment, his lips quirking up into a smile. “I’ll miss you too,” he said quietly, getting to his feet.
I got to my feet as well, coming around the desk towards him. “I wish that things hadn’t gotten so weird,” I said. “And I’m sorry for that. I know the drama was all my fault.”
Adam cocked his head to the side for a moment. “Not all of it,” he finally said. He shrugged. “I’ve got a bunch of baggage as well.”
“Are we okay?” I asked, even though I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to hear his answer. Not that the question was all that specific. It wasn’t like I had asked him if we were in a relationship or anything. He could say yes and simply mean that, yes, he was willing to keep working for me.
But Adam stepped closer to me, pulling me close with an arm around my waist. He kissed me deeply, his lips plying mine until I was breathless. But I didn’t dare pull away from him, not even to catch my breath. He nuzzled his nose against mine. “We’re okay,” he whispered quietly. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
I nodded, eyes closing for just a moment. If I had my way, I wouldn’t be leaving. But Adam had been patient with me for this long. Maybe leaving wasn’t the worst thing. Especially if it meant that I could come back and focus more of my attention on us.
