Page 368 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
Ian gave me a quizzical look as I walked into the board room, and I knew that something of my earlier elation must have shown on my face. At some point, I was going to have to tell Ian that he was going to be an uncle.
I thought back to Ian’s previous frustration about my relationship with his erstwhile friend. He had thought that I could do better than Adam. But he seemed to have come around. I think it helped having him see the two of us together. He could tell how happy Adam and the resort in Park City made me. He could tell that this was what I wanted with my life.
And I couldn’t have asked for a better man than Adam, really. He was kind and caring, sweet and honest. Maybe the way that he lived was a bit simple, a lot less fancy than what I had been accustomed to here in Vegas. But at the end of the day, did I really need all of this glitz and glamor?
No, I was coming to realize. My favorite nights lately had just been nights spent over at Adam’s house, playing board games with Ethan before bed, and then cuddling with Adam on the couch. We could really talk with one another, about anything and everything.
Well, except for the fact that we loved one another. I had held off saying it, even though I’d been thinking it for a while now. I didn’t want him to feel pressured to say the same thing back to me. I wanted him to wait and say it when the time felt right for him.
But now, I felt just a moment of indecision. What if Adam hadn’t said that he loved me because he didn’t really love me as much as I thought he did? What if I was still just his rebound from Beth and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to be with me long-term? I knew that he had said that he could never compare me to Beth, and that he wasn’t the same person now that he had been with her. But at the end of the day, maybe that meant that he didn’t really want to have me as part of his family.
No, I was just panicking. I squared my shoulders, and tried to focus on the meeting.
“As I’m sure you know, we’re really pleased with the way that things have been going over the past month,” Pat, the new head of the board of directors was saying.
There had been quite a bit of change in the personnel gathered here in this room. Some of them, I knew. Others, I had only met in passing the night before. Ian hadn’t changed too much about the way that things were run, but we’d both decided, over time, that he needed to run the business the way that he wanted to, more or less, without just keeping everything the same as when Dad had been at the helm. And the board of directors, once they heard some of Ian’s better ideas, agreed with that. The company had restructured to make room for more growth, and things were going well.
I was proud of Ian, I really was. And I was more than ready for him to take over the rest of the duties that I was still doing. Apparently, I had more to think about than just Brooks Mountain at the moment anyway. Not that I was going to tell all of them that right now.
“Now Bailey, I know that you’re here today to relinquish your duties here with us, but I think we have an offer that you can’t refuse,” Pat said, grinning at me. He gestured towards Ian. “As you know, we’re looking to put another of our casinos overseas. Your brother would like you to be head of operations there.”
I stared incredulously at Ian. Was that his way of separating me from Adam? Ship me off overseas? Pat handed me a contract to read over, even as he told me all about the position.
“And you’ll notice, of course, that the position comes with a substantial raise,” he added, almost as an afterthought.
I flipped through the contract feeling dazed. How could Ian do this to me? He had to know that I was going to turn it down. But as I tuned back into what Pat was saying, I realized that no, maybe I had it wrong; maybe Ian was actually looking out for me. Just like he always did.
The new casino would be in Europe, located near a ski resort. The salary was more than I could make in two lifetimes. Plenty of money for me to be comfortable. Plenty of money for me to be able to give my family whatever they wanted in life. I could picture it now; Ethan at some fancy international school, his younger sibling brought up speaking as fluently in five different languages as in English. Weekend trips to foreign countries, Christmas markets, a life of luxury.
Not only that, but Pat was careful to mention the relocation fees, as well as allocations for housing and more. Ian had cut me a deal that would allow me to bring Adam over there with me.
I thought about Adam’s simple life in Park City. Had he ever even been out of the country? Did he even have a passport? What would he think of all of this? I knew that he took pride in his job. But I was sure that we could find work for him over there. It definitely sounded like there were ski resorts in the area, and I was sure his skills as a lift mechanic and maintenance person would translate, regardless of the local language.
But was that really what I wanted for my family?
And what’s more, was it even possible? Heading up a new casino would be challenging work. Lots of long days, plenty of frustrating hours. Lots of time on my feet. The whole offer was put together before Ian and the rest of them knew that I was pregnant. I wasn’t sure that it would be the same if I told them that I was planning on having a baby.
Maybe now wasn’t the time for a baby. Maybe this was a sign from the universe that Adam and I should slow down anyway, that we should have some long and serious talks before we rushed into things with a new child and a family anyway. Maybe I should think long and hard about what I really wanted in life. My career had always been important to me. Should I throw it all away for the chance at a family?
I wondered what Dad would have said if he was there. He had focused so hard on his career, and it was part of what had driven a wedge between him and Mom. But at the end of the day, he had still always been there for Ian and I. Could I somehow have both things? Everything?
I could never make the decision on my own. I needed to talk to Adam.
“I know it’s a lot to think about,” Ian said quietly. He gave me a rueful smile. “Sorry to spring it on you with no warning, too. But I was afraid that if I gave you a heads up, before I knew what the company was really in a position to offer, then you wouldn’t consider the whole package.”
He paused. “I know you love the ski resort. But taking over this casino for now wouldn’t put any of that at risk. You could leave them to operate on their own for a couple years, just long enough for the casino to get off the ground, and then you could always return to it. Not only that, but we’re prepared to make certain allowances. Maybe give you a few weeks off here and there through the winter so that you could fly back and supervise things there, make sure it’s all up to snuff.”
My head was spinning. I stared down at the contract in front of me, eyes glazing over as they slid across those bold, dark-printed words. I knew that this was the offer of a lifetime. A new adventure. Hell, a paycheck sizeable enough that I could funnel a fair amount of money into improvements at Brooks Mountain over time. So many things to consider.
If Ian could have made this offer before I bought Brooks Mountain, before I went to Park City and fell in love with Adam, I knew that I would have jumped at it. Was it wrong for me to turn it down now just because my circumstances had changed a little bit?
I didn’t know what to say, but from the way the board of directors and Ian were starting at me, I could tell that they expected an answer.
Finally, I opened my mouth. “I’m going to need some time to think about it,” I heard myself say. Then, I turned and walked out of the room.
CHAPTER 67
ADAM
