Worth the Fall (Sugar Mountain #1)

A REAL ASSET

brOOKLYN

I ’d been lost in a sea of emails for days now. As if Sugar Mountain didn’t bring in enough tourism dollars already during the winter and summer months, the addition of our wedding barn was going to take it to another level altogether. Even I had to admit that it was pretty impressive to see how a single new event building altered the entire town’s dynamic.

All it had taken was one well-written article posted online, and the emails had started flooding in. Even though we were still months away from the potential grand opening, this was going to be huge for the resort. And the town.

I’d just finished sending off what felt like my fiftieth response of the day when I heard someone walking quickly down the hall.

“Brooklyn,” Thomas said as he poked his head in my office and knocked on the door at the same time.

“Come in.”

He looked so stressed as he closed the door behind him, and my heart started pounding.

“What’s wrong? Is Clara okay?”

“Yes. She’s fine, but my brothers and I have that meeting with my dad to discuss the extra lodging we want to build for when the barn opens. We’ve had this meeting on the books for weeks now. I don’t want to push it back, but Mrs. Green is sick again.”

He sounded so frazzled, and my man was typically so composed.

“Oh no. Again? Poor thing. Do you need me to go pick up Clara from school?” I opened my bottom drawer and started pulling my purse free.

Thomas looked so hesitant, like he was afraid to ask me to do this simple task even though it was the exact reason why he’d come to me in the first place. “I know it’s not your responsibility. And I shouldn’t ask you.”

“Thomas,” I said softly, hoping to calm whatever storm was currently raging inside his mind. “We’re together now. Of course I’ll go get Clara. I’d get her even if we weren’t dating.”

He stepped over to my desk and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “You’re the best. Thank you.”

“Do I need to do anything? Will they let her leave with me?” I asked, assuming that there had to be some kind of rule about that sort of thing. No one should be able to simply walk into school and take a child out of it.

“I’ll call them right now. And I’ll repay you later.” He winked before he started to hustle out, and I was instantly replaying scenes from our night together. Thomas’s way of repaying me would be very satisfying, I knew at least that much.

“Thomas, wait!” I shouted, and he stopped before looking over his shoulder at me. “Good luck with your dad. Tell him we need the chalets. As many as he’ll let us build,” I said with a smile.

He’d asked my opinion about the extra lodging, and when he told me Patrick’s idea for building multiple freestanding chalets versus putting up another hotel building, I was fully on board. The resort definitely had enough land that chalets wouldn’t take away from the charm in any way; they’d only add to it and look like they’d always been there, if done right. I’d told him that Patrick’s idea was brilliant and that most guests would prefer it to a hotel room.

This would solve a lot of potential future issues as well. And while there were other places in Sugar Mountain for people to stay, it didn’t make sense to at least attempt to keep them on the property if at all possible. I hoped the guys convinced Mr. O’Grady to say yes.

Smiling to myself, I looped my purse around my arm and headed out of the resort with my car keys in hand. I drove the quick distance to Clara’s school and made a mental note to get Mrs. Green’s phone number from Thomas so that I could check in on her. I knew that she lived alone, but I didn’t want her to feel alone.

Look at me, all integrating into the O’Grady life like I’m one of them already.

When I walked into the office, I had to show my ID and sign three separate forms. I had no idea what they said because I didn’t care enough to read them. When the woman gave me directions toward Clara’s classroom, I headed down the long hallway, taking my time to look at all the decorations on each door and the hand-drawn turkeys currently hanging from the ceiling.

I never realized how cheerful elementary schools were. High school lacked the drawings and paintings and colorful notes welcoming you inside. It was like once you left grade school, all the joy was sucked right out. No more fun. No more color. Everything had to be so serious all the time.

When I reached the right classroom number, I peeked inside to see Clara and a few other students sitting on the floor, playing some game. Pulling open the door, I felt a sense of pride as I watched her, oblivious that I’d even come in.

“Who are you?” A woman who I assumed was Clara’s teacher approached me with an unkind glare.

“Miss Brooklyn the Waffle Princess is here!” Clara shouted as she ran for my arms and hopped into them for a hug. “You’re picking me up today?”

“I am,” I said as I quickly put her down.

Kids were heavy. Why did everyone always act like they weighed nothing when they scooped them up?

I turned to face her teacher, who was still staring at me like I’d stolen her lunch box or something equally as offensive.

“Who did you say you were?” she asked again.

“I didn’t. I work with Clara’s father at the resort.”

“Oh.” She suddenly looked relieved. “For a second, I thought you might be...” She stopped short, her words trailing off.

“Thought she might be what, Miss Shooster?” Clara asked, her inquisitive mind working in overtime as she waited for her teacher to respond.

“Yes, Miss Shooster. Thought I might be what?” I pressed because I did not like the vibe this woman was giving off and I’d only just met her.

“I thought you might be Thomas’s girlfriend, but that’s ridiculous,” she said in a tone that I had no words for, and I felt my hackles rise.

“She is my daddy’s girlfriend, Miss Shooster,” Clara boasted. She sounded so proud and so happy that my heart swelled inside my chest.

“Oh. Well, I see.” Her eyes raked the length of me, like I was somehow unworthy of Thomas’s attention.

“Go get your things, Clara,” I said with a smile, and she rushed off to grab them from wherever they were kept.

“I thought Thomas didn’t date.” She shook her head like she couldn’t wrap her mind around the concept.

“I guess he just didn’t want to date you,” I said with a shrug, knowing that it was a damn mean thing to say, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

Clara was back at my side then, reaching for my hand.

“Ready?” I looked down at her, and she grinned.

“Ready,” she replied as she started pulling me toward the door without saying bye to her teacher. We were in the empty hallway when she said, “I think Miss Shooster likes my daddy.”

“Do you want her to like your daddy?” I asked before wishing I hadn’t.

I needed to remember that Clara wasn’t an adult that I could have grown-up conversations with, even though she acted like it at times, all observant and smart.

She made a face and shook her head. “No. I want you to like my daddy so much that you marry him.”

“You do?” I whispered as I leaned down, our hands still clasped together.

“Uh-huh.” She nodded. “I would like you to be my mama someday.”

Clara said the words so easily, so sweetly that I started to tear up. The emotions caught me off guard, and I wiped under my eyes quickly so the tears didn’t actually fall.

“Oh.” I had no idea what to say. What was the right thing? What was appropriate?

She stopped walking and pulled her little hand from mine. When I looked at her, her mouth was pinched with concern. “You don’t want to be my mom? I’ve never really had a mom before. I think you’d be a good one.”

“Oh, Clara. I’d love to be your mom someday, but it’s not really up to just me,” I tried to explain, but felt like this was a conversation I should not be having without Thomas present.

“I’ll ask my daddy then. It’s probably up to him, huh?”

And just like that, she was okay again. Any concerns she might have had seemed to disappear just as quickly as they’d appeared.

When I had her all buckled into the back seat, I fired off a text to Thomas, letting him know that I had her in my possession and that we were on our way back. I didn’t expect a response, so I put my phone into my purse and started the engine.

“Are we going to your and daddy’s work?” Clara asked from the back seat.

“Yep.”

“Is my Pops there?”

“He is. I think he’s still in a meeting with your dad and your uncles though.”

I glanced in the rearview mirror to see her shift a little in the seat. “Pops said I have to go straight to his office whenever I come over, so we have to do that first, okay?”

“Sure. But if they’re still working, we might not be able to interrupt,” I tried to explain, but knew that those men would all stop the world from spinning if this girl asked them to try.

“Okay. But I bet Pops will want to see me. I’m his favorite. He tells me all the time.” She giggled to herself as I pulled into the underground parking structure and searched for a spot close to the elevators.

“I bet you’re right,” I agreed as I shut off the car and hopped out.

We rode the elevator up, and the second the doors opened, Clara ran out, her little backpack bouncing up and down on her back with each step she took.

“Come on, Waffle Princess,” she yelled back at me as I speed-walked to try to keep up with her, but she was fast.

By the time I reached Mr. O’Grady’s office, it was too late. Clara had opened the door without asking and bounded inside, unannounced. His assistant shot me a look, and I mouthed an apology. The four men had deteriorated into chaos, each one fighting for her attention, all of them shouting questions at the same time. It was hilarious to watch.

“I’m sorry, you guys, but all she wanted to do was see you,” I offered with a shrug before I noticed Jasper sitting on the floor in the corner like a good boy.

“She’s the best distraction.” Mr. O’Grady beamed. “But, Clarabel, we were just wrapping up our meeting.”

“I know. Miss Brooklyn said you were having one, but I didn’t care,” she admitted honestly, and I laughed out loud.

“You didn’t care?” Matthew asked, pretending to be completely shocked.

“Nope,” she said without a single apology. “I wanted to see you. And Pops told me to always come straight to his office. I did what I was told.”

They all started shouting and laughing and talking over one another, so much so that I couldn’t make out a single thing anyone was saying until Mr. O’Grady threw a hand in the air and demanded everyone to stop.

“I’m actually glad you’re here, Brooklyn. Can I ask your opinion on the matter we’re discussing? Professionally speaking,” Mr. O’Grady said as he focused his blue eyes on me.

“Of course,” I answered, hoping that I didn’t sound as remotely shocked as I felt.

“What’s your take on the chalets versus a single new structure?” He folded his hands and waited for my response.

Glancing around the room, I saw that every single pair of eyes was focused on me as they waited. None of the brothers looked bothered by the fact that I was being asked, and Thomas looked completely comfortable as he held Clara on his lap and gave me a lopsided smile.

I cleared my throat as I formulated my thoughts. “I think the chalets make the most sense long-term. Another building might hold more rooms in total, but they’ll lack the charm that the chalets could give. In my perspective, people tend to be moving away from the standard hotel experience and are looking for more of that home-like feeling while they’re on vacation or attending events that last longer than a day or two. The chalets will give them a different kind of comfort than we already provide. Having that option will be nothing but an increase in revenue for us and our bottom line.”

Mr. O’Grady smiled as soon as I finished. “Looks like we’re all in agreement then. Thank you, Brooklyn. You’re a real asset to the resort.”

“And the family,” Matthew added quickly as he stood up from his chair and pulled me in for a hug, catching me off guard as Jasper barked.

“Get off my woman,” Thomas growled, and Matthew released me.

“You’re an asset in every way, baby.” Thomas planted a kiss on my lips in front of his whole family. At work. I felt my cheeks turn red.

“Did we get the chalets then?” I asked, not realizing how loud I’d asked the question.

“We got the chalets!” That was Patrick. He looked pleased.

“Guess you have a lot of work to do.” I shot him a look because this was his baby and his crew that would be handling all of the building, on top of finishing the barn. It sounded like a lot of work to me.

“Not like I have anything else to do,” he said, and even though I didn’t think he meant for it to sound so sad, it still came out that way.

“We could always have another sleepover,” Clara interjected, clearly sensing the same thing I had.

“Anytime, princess,” he said, patting his dog’s head. “Let’s go, Jasper.”

“Where are you going? Can I come?” Clara asked, and I reached for her hand to stop her from chasing after her uncle.

“How about you come with me first, and then we’ll go visit your uncle Patrick in a little bit? I could use your help decorating,” I said, and her little eyes brightened as Patrick left the office with his dog following right behind.

“I love helping you decorate! I always have the best ideas, right? You said that one time, remember?”

“Of course I remember. You definitely have the best ideas. You’re very creative,” I complimented, hoping that I was contributing to her having healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.

“Is that okay, Daddy?” She turned toward her dad, but didn’t let go of my hand.

“Of course. Stay with Brooklyn though. Don’t wander off or hide,” he warned because she still had a bad habit of doing both whenever she was here.

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” I tried to reassure him, but sometimes, Clara could be sneaky. She’d disappeared on me once before, but I’d found her in the restroom, washing her hands.

“I’ll stay with Miss Brooklyn because I want her to be my mom someday,” she blurted out.

If I thought my cheeks had heated before when Thomas kissed me, they were on fire now.

“You do, do you?” Thomas asked, his tone completely cool, calm, and unaffected. The actual opposite of how I currently felt.

“I think she’d be a good mom. Don’t you, Daddy? But she said it wasn’t up to her. So, that means it’s up to you.”

“What brought all this on?” He shot me a look that told me he was enjoying this far too much.

“Miss Shooster likes you,” Clara said, and I noticed Thomas’s face instantly shift into something that looked like disgust.

“Yeah, thanks for the warning about that one,” I added with a look of my own, completely forgetting that Matthew and Mr. O’Grady were still in the room, listening in.

“Sorry about that. It slipped my mind,” Thomas apologized. “How bad was she?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I said with a lilt to my tone that told him I’d won that particular battle and I would have no problem doing it again.

“Can’t wait to hear all about it later.” He gave me another kiss. In front of his father and his brother and his daughter.

If we planned on keeping our relationship a secret at work, we were doing a piss-poor job of it. Not that we’d even brought that particular topic up. I thought Thomas wanted everyone to know that we were together. And with Clara’s sweet declaration floating between us, I felt like I couldn’t blame him.

I wanted everyone to know too.