Worth the Fall (Sugar Mountain #1)

MY FAVORITE GIRL

THOMAS

O n the drive home, I’d decided not to talk to Clara about her teacher, unless she brought the issue up herself. I didn’t want to put negative thoughts into her head or cause her any unnecessary worry. The last thing I wanted was my daughter thinking there was something wrong with Miss Shooster or that I didn’t like the woman. That would only confuse her, and then she wouldn’t know how to act around her at school.

Plus, Clara was so happy when I got home that it was easy to forget about everything else. Whenever I saw that smile on her face, all my worries and concerns disappeared.

“She’s been coloring like crazy,” Mrs. Green said as I dropped my coat on the counter and looked at the crayons splayed all over the small coffee table. It looked like there were hundreds of them, in every color imaginable.

“I’m in a mermaid phase, Daddy,” Clara said before glancing at Mrs. Green. “That’s what Glo-Glo the Ocean Queen told me.”

Mrs. Green started giggling, and I shook my head at the insane new nickname.

“I like mermaids,” I replied, remembering the scene in her classroom.

“You do? I’m going to make a boy one for you! A merboy,” she said before standing up and grabbing her latest creation. “This one’s for you.” She handed the paper to Mrs. Green with a smile.

“Oh, thank you,” Mrs. Green said as she took the drawing and studied it. “I love it.”

“Do you see the crown on her head?” Clara asked, and Mrs. Green nodded enthusiastically.

“I do.”

“’Cause you’re Glo-Glo the Ocean Queen.”

They both started laughing again, and I watched them, thankful for the relationship they had.

“Well, this Ocean Queen needs to swim across the street. There’s a casserole in the fridge. Directions are on the top. It will keep for a few days if you don’t eat it tonight.”

“Thank you.” I walked her to the front door and helped her down the stairs.

I watched her cross the long street and waited until she turned the light on in her house and waved from the window before going back inside.

You and Clara want to come over? I have something to show you.

The text was from Patrick. I assumed that his house was officially built and he wanted to show it off. He should be damn proud of what he’d built with his own two hands. I could have never done it. Not without help anyway.

“Want to go over to Uncle Patrick’s?”

“Yes! Yes! I’ll go get my shoes on.”

“Clean up all the crayons and papers first, please.”

Clara groaned and made an annoyed sound, but still went to work on picking up all her things without verbal complaint.

I fired off a text back to Patrick.

Be there shortly. Want me to bring the casserole Mrs. Green made?

If she made it, I want it. Matthew is coming over too.

See you two knuckleheads soon.

“Put your boots on just in case Patrick’s place is still nothing but dirt.”

The last time I’d been over to his house to see the progress, the landscaping seemed to be the last thing on Patrick’s mind. It was nothing but loose dirt and rocks and uneven ground all over the place even though I was sure he had some sort of plan for it all.

“Okay, Daddy.”

I sprinted up the stairs and into my bedroom, where I quickly changed out of my work attire and into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I grabbed a pair of dirty work boots and laced those up as well before stopping in Clara’s room to see if she was ready.

“Got your boots?” I asked, and she looked up at me from her position on the floor.

“Yep,” she groaned as she tugged the last one on. “You got your boots?”

I stuck my foot out so she could see that I was wearing mine too. “Yep.”

She reached her tiny hand up in the air, signaling that she’d like me to help her up. I did as she silently asked before placing a kiss on the top of her head. “Love you, sweet girl.”

“Love you too, Daddy.”

“We need to get the casserole out of the fridge and bring it over,” I said as we walked down the stairs, her little hand in mine.

“I’ll go get it.”

She dropped my hand and raced toward the kitchen before I could stop her. I watched as she tried to tug the glass dish out. I saw it balancing precariously between the shelf and her tiny arms, and I hustled over to grab it before it dropped and shattered all over the floor.

“I got it, baby. You can let go.”

Her little eyes were wide with fear and already glassy. “Sorry, Daddy. That was too heavy for me.”

“I know. It’s okay. I got it.”

She sniffed and wiped at her nose. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, honey. I’m not mad. But Uncle Matthew might have cried if we dropped his dinner on the floor.”

“Uncle Matthew is coming too?” Her face beamed with joy.

“He is. Let’s go.”

We headed down the set of stairs that led to the garage, and I placed the casserole on the passenger floor of the car before getting Clara all buckled in in the back seat.

When I pulled into Patrick’s property, my jaw dropped at the sight. Not only had the landscaping been finished, but concrete had also been poured and set. A three-logged fence lined the length of the land, creating not only a boundary, but a calming aesthetic too. It flowed with the land.

There were solar lights that lined the driveway on each side, and I followed it forever until his house came into view.

“Damn,” I mumbled under my breath.

“Bad word, Daddy,” Clara said from the back seat.

“You’re right, but look at what Uncle Patrick built,” I said, pointing as I pulled my car around the circular drive and put it in park.

“He did that all by himself?” she asked, her eyes as wide as saucers, as if this was news to her.

“I think he might have had a little help, but your uncle is extremely talented.”

A dog I’d never seen before suddenly bounded toward us, his paws scraping against the side of my SUV as he jumped to see inside the windows.

“Jasper!” I heard Patrick shout from somewhere I couldn’t see.

The dog ignored my brother and kept hopping on my car.

“Wait in here,” I told Clara before opening my door and stepping out, hoping his nails hadn’t scratched the shit out of the paint.

“What is this?” I asked, staring from the dog to my brother, who now had the dog reined in by the collar.

Patrick narrowed his eyes. “You see, brother, this is what we humans call a dog. A dog is a pet. A pet is—” he started to explain like a sarcastic ass, but Clarabel opened her door and hopped out of the car even though I’d asked her to wait.

She folded her hands together as she beamed at the scruffy mutt.

“Is this your dog, Uncle Patrick? What’s his name? Is he a boy? Can I pet him? Will he bite me? Where’d he come from? Oh my gosh, he’s so cute.” She fired off a million questions the way only children and women seemed to be able to do, and Patrick laughed.

“He won’t hurt you, but here.” He took her hand in his and helped her pet the dog’s head. “This is Jasper. Jasper, this is our best girl, Clara. We don’t hurt Clara. We only love her.”

The dog looked at him, his tail wagging, before Patrick finally let him go, giving him free rein to do as he pleased. Jasper took off running into the field, and I shot my brother a look as Clara watched him go with stars in her eyes.

“Is that what you wanted to show us? Some mutt you picked up from God knows where?”

He shrugged. “Well, yeah. I just brought him home from the vet and figured he should meet the family.”

I glanced at the watch on my wrist and wondered what was taking Matthew so long to arrive. He shouldn’t have been far behind myself and Clara.

“So, you wanted us to come over so we could meet this dog? But you didn’t want to show us this incredible home that you’d built?” I asked as I looked around at the finished product, taking it all in and ignoring whatever look Patrick was currently shooting in my direction.

The log home had been stained and treated since the last time I’d seen it. The plastic around the windows was long gone, and the trim was painted a soft yellow that shouldn’t have worked, but somehow did. Barn door shutters framed some of the windows, but not all. And I could see furniture sitting on the giant upper deck from where we stood on the ground floor. In a word, my brother had truly built something spectacular.

“I’m kind of more excited about the dog,” Patrick said matter-of-factly, and I decided not to analyze whatever that comment meant.

Maybe a dog was exactly what my brother needed so he wouldn’t be alone out here with all of his thoughts and aching heart.

The grumbling sound of a truck coming up the drive had us all turning around to see Matthew pulling in.

“What took him so long?” Patrick asked at the same time that I commented, “Finally.”

Matthew was waving like a lunatic from the from seat of his lifted truck as he parked next to my SUV and cut the engine.

Where was Jasper now? How come the little shit only jumped all over my car?

“Hey, everyone,” Matthew said with a giant grin as Clara ran straight for his open arms. “Sorry I’m late. I was, uh, helping a neighbor.” He sounded like he was hiding something.

“Uncle Patrick got a dog!” Clara shouted, and Matthew threw his head back in disbelief.

“Is that so?” Matthew took turns giving us each a look.

“Listen, this dog was hanging out at the resort. I’d seen him a few times, but whenever I tried to get close to him, he’d run. I left some food out for him one night, and when I got to work the next day, he was sitting in front of the wedding barn. Like he was waiting for me to get there.”

It was kind of a sweet story.

“Then, what happened?” Clarabel asked, completely invested in the meet-cute between my brother and his new best friend.

He walked over and booped her nose, making her giggle and shake in Matthew’s arms. “Then, he wouldn’t leave. He followed me around all day. So, I figured I’d take him to the vet and see if he belonged to anyone.”

“Did he already have an owner?” Clara asked, her mouth hanging open as she waited for his response.

“Nope. And the vet doesn’t think he’s had one for a long time, if ever,” he responded.

“How come?” Clara wondered. My little inquisitive girl.

“Because she said he was malnourished.” Before Clara could ask him what that meant, he explained, “That means he wasn’t eating enough food. And she said he had fleas and stuff in his ears, so I had to leave him there for a few days so that they could clean him up and make sure he was okay for me to bring home.”

She squirmed, and Matthew put her down on her feet.

She started clapping her hands together in clear approval. “So he didn’t have an owner? That’s why you get to keep Jasper? He’s your dog now?”

Her excitement was fucking adorable, but Patrick could have at least warned me what I was bringing her into. If she started asking me for a dog, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to tell her no until I caved. I was a total sucker when it came to my daughter, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it.

“Yep. He’s my dog now.” Patrick sounded happier than I’d heard him in a long time.

“Well, where is this apparent dog? I don’t see one anywhere.” Matthew put his hand up to his eyes to shield out the setting sun and looked around the property dramatically.

Patrick whistled loud before shouting, “Jasper! Come here, boy!”

We all waited.

“Jasperrrrr,” Clara shouted as loud as her little voice would allow.

The dog never showed up.

“He’s still learning his name,” Patrick said, and we laughed.

“What if he doesn’t come back?” Clara asked, her little bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

“Ah, he will. I think he has to get used to being an inside dog. He’s been outside for his whole life,” Patrick said right as the dog came running toward us at full speed.

The pup skidded to a stop, his paws doing what he’d commanded of them as he looked up at Patrick with what I could only call adoration. My brother leaned down to pat his head and ruffle his ears.

“Good boy, Jasper. Wanna go inside?” he asked like the thing spoke English, but maybe it did because it hauled ass up the first set of stairs and onto the main deck before any of us even moved.

“I’ll be right up,” I said as I opened up the passenger door and grabbed the casserole from the floor.

Clara took Matthew’s hand in hers, and she walked with him instead of me.

It’s fine.

I’m fine.

“I want a tour,” I said once we reached the main level and I took in the view. It was so peaceful up here. “But first, we need to put this in the oven, or it will never be ready,” I said before making my way indoors and searching for his kitchen.

I spotted Clara sitting on the ground, petting Jasper, who was curled up on some oversize dog bed that actually looked like it might be comfortable for a person to sit on. It was one of the fluffiest things I’d ever seen, and Jasper was completely passed out.

There was a fire roaring in the stone fireplace with wood and copper accents everywhere. It was like stepping into the golden age of country cowboy. Everything looked authentic, but still modern. When my eyes landed on the kitchen, I had to catch a breath.

Damn.

The kitchen was top-notch. Gorgeous woods framed top-of-the-line appliances perfectly. They weren’t mismatched or out of place.

“Is this Michelin-starred chef approved?” I asked as I placed the casserole on top of the massive island.

“They said it was the best,” Patrick answered, but there was only one reason why he’d have a kitchen like this put in his home. And it wasn’t for himself.

“For what? A cooking battle? Is Bobby Flay hosting his shows here?” Matthew asked. “That would be cool. I like the guy. Maybe you could invite him to come cook for us. I bet he’d love this kitchen.”

Patrick smacked his shoulder. “I don’t know Bobby Flay, idiot.”

“I do,” Matthew said, and we all stared at him. “What? He was a big hockey fan.”

“Then, you invite him over,” Patrick sniped.

Clara started stomping her little feet, suddenly appearing before us.

“Why do you guys always fight?” Clara asked, and the three of us each dropped to our knees in order to look her in the eyes.

“We’re not fighting,” Matthew said.

“We’re just playing,” Patrick added.

“Matthew’s annoying,” I said at the same time, and Clara shot me a look that told me I wasn’t being very nice.

“I want to show you something,” Patrick said as he stood back up and reached for Clara’s hand.

“Is it another dog?” she asked.

“It might be better,” he responded.

“Better than a dog?” Her tone was so shocked that I couldn’t help but smile. She was so overly animated sometimes, and I loved it.

The two of them disappeared as I tried to figure out how Patrick’s overly fancy oven worked before Matthew stepped in to help. He seemed to know a hell of a lot about expensive appliances. Which made sense, considering he was the richest person in our family. He’d probably been surrounded by luxury like this whenever he traveled with his team.

“You know he built this kitchen for her, right?” Matthew looked right at me, as if expecting me to disagree.

“I do.”

“What happens if she doesn’t come back?” he asked.

I had been wondering about that a lot lately. Addison had been gone for years now, and the longer she stayed away, the less likely it was that she’d ever come home.

“Then, he’ll probably burn it to the ground with that fucking Nick Jonas song playing in the background,” I said in a joking tone, but I one hundred percent meant it.

“I swear to God, if I never hear that song again, it will be too soon.” Matthew ran a hand down his face. “Anyway, subject change. That new neighbor I was telling you about...” His tone turned mischievous, and chills instantly coursed down my spine.

“Why are you saying it like that? Why does your face look like that?” I poked at the smirk he couldn’t seem to stop, and he swatted my hand away.

“’Cause my new neighbor is Brooklyn.”

The way he said it made my heart stop and the air around me disappear. He sounded interested in her—or at least interested in fucking her. With Matthew, I never could tell. And I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one single bit.

“She’s way hotter than I remember,” he added, and a sound I couldn’t stop tore from my throat.

“Stay away from her,” I demanded.

“Why?” He practically laughed in my face as he asked it.

“She’s an employee.”

“She’s not my employee,” he argued.

“She’s an employee of the resort our family owns. It isn’t appropriate,” I said, using the same logic I’d apply to myself if needed down the road. I barely even knew the woman, but I’d already fantasized about the things I could do to her.

Clara and Patrick came running down the stairs, and I was still fuming as my daughter latched on to me.

“You have to come see! Come on, Daddy.”

Patrick sensed the tension in the air. “I was gone for two seconds. What could have possibly happened in that amount of time?”

“Ask your brother,” I growled before following Clara up the stairs to an oversize loft that had clearly been made just for her.

“Uncle Patrick said it’s a room for me to have sleepovers.” She started spinning in the space, her arms outstretched.

“He made you a room?”

“Isn’t that nice? And look.” She tugged me over toward some mirror with lights and all kinds of girlie shit organized into little containers. “This is for braiding my hair.”

Both of my brothers were trying to steal my girls.

Yeah, I’d psychoanalyze that thought later.

Or ignore it completely.

A fter dinner, Clara went to play in her fancy princess room upstairs, and Jasper followed dutifully behind her.

“Beer?” Patrick asked, and we all nodded in agreement as we made our way toward the built-in bar that looked like it belonged in a restaurant.

Matthew and I sat down on barstools as Patrick grabbed three mugs out of a chilled fridge and pulled a lever I hadn’t noticed until now.

“You have a keg?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Nothing better than an ice-cold beer,” Patrick explained as he tilted the glasses and filled three perfect pours.

I reached for one and spotted the ice chips floating inside. “Damn, this is perfect,” I said as I took a sip.

Matthew made a sound as he finished his entire mug in what looked like one gulp before slamming it down on top of the bar. “I’ll take another,” he said with a grin, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“You’re supposed to enjoy it.” Patrick frowned.

“Oh, I did enjoy it. So much so that I’d like another, barkeep.” He smirked, but Patrick grabbed his mug and refilled it.

“Don’t chug this one. We’re not in a beer drinking competition.”

“I can handle my liquor,” Matthew chirped, and Patrick chuffed.

“That’s why I’m picking your ass up every other night from the saloon, huh? ’Cause you handle it so well.”

Matthew waved him away. “I’ll probably call Brooklyn to come get me now since she lives so close,” he said, and my jealousy instantly spiked.

“What? Why would you call Brooklyn?” Patrick asked, thoroughly confused.

“Oh yeah. You were upstairs and didn’t hear.” Matthew started to explain, “Brooklyn moved in next door to me.”

I was shooting my youngest brother daggers as he started laughing, and Patrick was looking between the two of us.

“I, uh...” Patrick stumbled on his words. “Maybe you shouldn’t go there, brother.”

“Don’t see why not,” Matthew fired back.

“Yeah, you do,” Patrick answered.

I took another swig of beer before swallowing, my focus now solely on the ice still floating on top.

Matthew suddenly clapped me on the back. “Just admit you like her, and I’ll stop.”

I turned to glare at him. “I don’t even know her.”

“You don’t have to know someone to like them,” he countered.

“That’s not true,” Patrick added as he finished off his own beer.

Jesus. The two of them drank like they were in a frat house.

“Fine. You don’t have to know someone to be attracted to them,” Matthew clarified with a shit-eating grin.

“I’m not attracted to her,” I lied.

Of course I was attracted to the woman. She was sexy and mouthy, and I had a pulse. Her attitude got me going, but telling my brothers that would only lead to more questions. Which would eventually turn into a lecture on how I was allowed to be happy and move on and date someone else.

I already knew all of those things already.

Being a single dad hadn’t given me a lot of free time for myself outside of work, and I was okay with that. I’d never been on a dating app, no matter how many times Matthew pushed. I’d always felt like if I was supposed to meet someone special, it would happen naturally. So far, it hadn’t, and I was okay with that.

“Do you think she’s hot?” Patrick asked as he poured himself another.

I didn’t answer, and the two of them started cracking up like I’d said the funniest thing ever when I hadn’t even said a single damn word.

“Guess I was wrong.” Matthew finished off his second beer. “You won’t mind if I ask her out then.”

“I’d mind,” I snapped.

“Because you want her all for yourself?” Matthew pushed.

“I already told you.” I sucked in a breath. “She’s an employee of the resort. We don’t date employees.”

“I’ve never heard that rule before,” Patrick said with a slight grin as he tapped his bottom lip with his finger. “I wonder if Mr. and Mrs. Gonzales know about that rule.”

Mr. Gonzales worked at the concierge, while Mrs. Gonzales worked at the front desk. They had met and fallen in love at Sugar Mountain Resort over twenty years ago. They’d even gotten married on the property. Of course, there was no rule about dating coworkers. And if one half of the couple was in a higher position than the other, they simply needed to sign a form that acknowledged the relationship was consensual.

Our lawyers had insisted it protected us.

“It’s going to break their hearts when we tell them they have to get a divorce,” Patrick added while Matthew laughed.

“Listen, assholes, I’ve just instilled it, okay? It’s a new fucking rule. Hands off Brooklyn.”

“Or what?”

That was Matthew again.

Pushing.

Always fucking pushing.

“Clara!” I shouted through my frustration. “Time to go!”

I walked outside to wait for my daughter while both of my brothers giggled like a couple of schoolgirls behind me. I didn’t have the energy to put whatever the hell I was feeling into words and serve it up to them on a platter that they could easily digest.

I was definitely attracted to Brooklyn, but so what? I wasn’t sure what it meant, if it even meant anything at all. I did know that it wasn’t entirely appropriate for me to have feelings for an employee. Being one of the owners of the resort meant that I needed to follow a stricter set of rules. Be better than the rest. So, daydreaming about fucking Brooklyn until she screamed my name was not being better than anyone.

But it still felt really damn good. And I hadn’t felt this good in years.