Then she remembered all the wonderful times she’d had within those walls. How so many in town counted on the income from the resort. How they relied on her.
“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” Cade asked, wrapping his arms around her.
“It looks so small from up here.”
He chuckled. “I haven’t been up here in years.” He glanced all around. “I’d forgotten you can see the town from here. It’s strange, I never really think about the mountain being almost between the resort and town.”
“Me neither.” She turned in a compete circle and then her eyes landed on the hillside where they’d found her. Where she’d hidden in a cave and waited out the fire. Where she’d met Reggie that fateful night.
The last place she’d been happy. Genuinely happy. Carefree. Unhindered by guilt. Sorrow. Loss.
The once-charred hillside was now completely covered in short, green, lush trees, the last remnants of the damage caused ten years ago long gone.
“How about some lunch?” Cade asked, breaking into her thoughts.
Tearing her eyes from the park, she turned towards Cade and nodded.
“Are you okay?” Cade asked her.
“Yes,” she smiled, remembering everything she had now. How she’d spent a wonderful night wrapped in Cade’s arms.
Focusing on the good instead of the bad caused her heart to swell and lift.
She moved over and sat back to watch Cade pull out a perfect summer picnic. She knew there were a few more weeks before this hillside was covered in fresh snow and flooded with vacationers. The earliest she could remember getting snow was the first day of October back when she was ten.
“Maybe next summer we can get up here more often,” Cade said, handing her a bottled water.
“I’d like that. With everything going on this year, it’s been difficult for me to just breathe.”
“You really have done an amazing job.” He glanced down the hillside towards the resort. “I’m sure you’re going to be packed to the rafters soon enough.”
“They’ve finished installing the new system in the west building.” She smiled. “I just got word after you left.”
“That’s good news,” Cade responded.
“You may have to come in for another inspection,” she suggested. “I rather liked working with you. Seeing you in that sexy uniform.”
He laughed. “So do I. Like working with you. Everything you wear is sexy,” he added, causing her to smile.
Sitting on the hillside eating lunch with Cade was easily one of the best days she’d had in years. She’d never laughed or flirted as much as she did with him on the top of the mountain, overlooking everything she’d worked hard for.
“So, what happens now?” she asked him once the sandwiches, cheese, and fruit he’d packed were all gone.
“Dessert?” he asked, pulling out a bag of cookies.
She laughed. “I mean with my uncle and aunt.”
“Oh.” He sighed and handed her a couple of cookies. “Now they’ll have to post bail. Hopefully, they have learned a lesson to leave you alone.”
“They wanted some sort of policy.” She remembered her uncle’s words right before Cade and Sean walked in. “I thought they were talking about the insurance policy on the resort that my uncle had taken out. The moment I found out about it, I called the company and cancelled it. Since he technically wasn’t owner, it hadn’t been that hard.”
“Seriously? He took a policy out on the place?” Cade asked.
“Yeah, with him and Morgan Roche as beneficiaries.”
“Seriously?” Cade asked again. “How stupid could the man be?”
“My aunt wasn’t too pleased to find out about that,” she said with a smile. “I think that was the last nail in the coffin of their marriage.”
“You would think. Something tells me those two idiots love to be miserable together.” Cade shook his head, and he ate his cookie.
“So, I’m not sure what policy they were talking about. They kept insisting that there was a different one,” she said.
“What kind of policy?”
“I’m not sure.” She shook her head. “But something tells me I need to call and ask around.”
“I can help if you need,” Cade offered.
“Thanks.” She relaxed back as he wrapped his arms around her. “This was almost a perfect day,” she said with a sigh.
“Almost,” he agreed. “We still have to get down the hillside.”
She laughed. “I have a thought about that.” She glanced over at him. “I’ve arranged to get a ride.”
“A ride?” he asked, his eyebrows rising slightly.
“I needed to test out the lifts now that they’re fully functional. They even have these new baskets for pets to get up and down the mountain. We’re going to use them next summer, when we open the hiking and bike paths.”
He bent his head down and kissed her. “Have I mentioned how much I love you today?”
She smiled and held onto him and kissed him back.
Waves and waves of anger washed over them. It was getting harder to separate reality from fiction. There were moments the red haze overcame them, and they disappeared into the smoke and haze that surrounded them.
The only moments of true coherence were when they killed. The hunger. The desire to make others suffer was so great that sinking into the darkness no longer affected them as much as it had before.
Why had they waited so long? Now that they had a taste of it, there was no stopping it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
If you have a tail of straw, then keep away from the fire. ~ Argentine Proverbs
It took a few days for Cade to come to terms with the fact that his mother and his uncle were going to be married. To his and Raven’s surprise, they decided to host the wedding the week before the grand reopening at the resort.
Since his mother was officially in charge of coordinating and scheduling the events, it wasn’t that hard. She decided that her wedding would be the perfect event to use as a soft opening as a prequel for the official reopening event.
Raven seemed excited about it. She thought that it would make for a great dry run for her employees.
Either way, he had a little over a month to prepare for his mother and uncle’s marriage. So far, he hadn’t had a chance to talk to his uncle alone.
By the time he got around to stopping by his uncle’s office, he’d come to liking the idea. Partially because of Raven’s influence and partially because he noticed how happy his mother really was.
“Hey.” He knocked on Sean’s door.
His uncle looked up and waved him inside while he pulled off a pair of reading glasses.
“This is a happy surprise,” Sean said as he leaned back. “What can I help you with today?”
“I meant to stop by earlier. After the incident with Raven’s aunt and uncle.”
“They posted bail within an hour.” Sean shrugged. “They’re both due in court next week. Most likely they’ll be charged a fine and have community service. Raven has filed a restraining order against both of them.”