Sweet as Honey (Aster Valley 2)

I noticed him paying close attention to the discussion Pim and Tiller were having about opening the ski resort.

Pim’s eyebrow lifted at Tiller. “Mikey said you guys were thinking about getting it up and running sooner than you planned,” he said, pouring another cup of coffee.

Truman walked back into the kitchen and snuck under my arm to wrap his hands around my waist. I dropped a kiss on top of his head. “Okay?”

“Yeah. It’s over.” He sounded relieved which was enough for me to say a silent prayer. Hopefully he was right.

Tiller nodded at Pim and explained about having some investment interest that had sped up his timeline. He didn’t share the name of the well-known skier yet, but he gave everyone as much detail as possible about what the plan was. “And Sam has agreed to come on board to manage operations, which we’re thrilled about,” he said with a grin in my direction. Everyone cheered and congratulated me, but I only had eyes for Truman’s reaction.

Even though I’d told him already, it still obviously made a difference to him to hear it confirmed. His cheeks flushed pink, and his mouth curved up in a smile. I couldn’t help but pull him more tightly against my side and lean down for a kiss, which of course made for more cheering and excitement.

“Also,” Tiller continued, “my agent has hooked us up with some high-end PR agency to ensure that any media coverage about Aster Valley and the Rockley Ski Resort will be positive and focused on the future as much as possible. To that end, they’re in contract negotiations on our behalf right now with a film producer who wants to shoot most of his movie on the mountain later this summer.”

I could tell this was news to Mikey. His face lit up with excitement, and he began asking a million questions. Tiller shrugged. “I don’t know much yet since the agency is in charge of all that. I just figured it would start giving the mountain some good news coverage well before the resort opens back up. That way when we launch the resort and open the mountain for skiing, there will be more for the media to cover than just the accident and subsequent shutdown.”

It was a good plan, something I never would have thought about in a million years. “That means we need to get those chalets ready,” I said. “Offer them as rentals for the cast and crew.”

Tiller laughed and pointed a finger at me. “Earning your keep already. I like the way you think.”

Deputy Stone cleared his throat. “If you wouldn’t mind keeping us updated so we can help with crowd management and whatnot, that would be much appreciated. Meanwhile, I’m going to head out. Thank you for your hospitality this morning.”

The deputy’s departure broke up the party with most everyone else admitting they needed to get back to work. Mikey cheerfully showed everyone out while Tiller asked if we could talk about some business logistics for transitioning into my new role.

It was an exciting way to spend the rest of the morning, and I enjoyed sneaking glances at Truman from time to time. He was happily helping Mikey clean up from breakfast by washing dishes and putting leftovers away.

I fell into a kind of daydream haze of imagining plenty more days and nights like this, hanging out with friends and enjoying watching Truman thrive among people who loved him.

“And then we can craft tiny space rockets and send messages to the aliens on faraway planets,” Tiller said.

I blinked at him, trying to figure out what in the hell I’d missed. Was he suggesting a themed restaurant on the mountain? “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“You’re in lurve,” he said in a singsong whisper. “With a capital L.”

I waved a hand of dismissal. “I’m just tired. Tell me what you think about renting out the lodge to the movie folks.”

“I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea. It’s our home, you know?”

I nodded. “But you’ll be in Houston for preseason, and you could always offer it at an obscenely high rate. I’ll bet they’d be willing to pay for the convenience of walking to the set. Besides, by that time I should have a work crew, and we can always move your personal belongings into one of the storage rooms in the basement and lock it up.”

“I’ll see what Mikey says. I don’t particularly care, but I know he feels strongly about his kitchen.”

He was right. But the money from the rental could pay for a kitchen renovation a million times over, especially if one’s best friend was a general contractor.

“Think about it. It’s a good idea to establish Rockley Lodge as the place to stay if your plan is to open it as a bed-and-breakfast when the slopes open.”