Dad picked me up for the charity event at two, and the entire drive to Snowshoe he reminisced about the years I dated Zach, how he was looking forward to seeing him. Guilt unfurled like a flower in my chest, each comment from my dad like a petal that pressed against my lungs and made it hard for me to breathe.
It was clear that—despite all of my assurances we were done—he still expected Zach and me to eventually get back together. I’d never told him about Zach’s goals to absorb Aspen Ridge under the Snowshoe Ridge Resort(s) banner—he would have felt completely betrayed. I figured as long as it never came to pass, it wasn’t worth mentioning. Zach and I went our separate ways and Dad would forget all about it, no problem.
We hadn’t talked about it much lately, with all the focus on the coaching me to take over. So I didn’t quite realize he was still holding this candle for our former relationship until now.
“It’s been ages since we’ve seen Zachary,” he repeated for the fifth time as we turned off the highway. “You should bring him around more often, Izzy. He hasn’t seen all the improvements we’ve made since last season.”
“We’re not dating anymore, Dad,” I reminded him with a bit of an edge to my tone. I’d already said it several times in the twenty-minute drive.
“I know, honey, but I know how you two are. You separate but you always come back to each other. You’ve been like that since high school.”
“It’s been over a decade since high school. Aside from events like this, I haven’t seen Zach in a year.”
“Well, unlike some people, Zach keeps in touch.” He pulled into a reserved spot in front of the golf club and opened his door. “Perhaps you’re just not giving him a chance to explain.”
I hopped out of the Yukon and followed him around to the back. “Dad, there’s nothing to explain. We’ve grown up, we’re different people who want different things. It’s nothing terrible, it just didn’t work out.”
“We’ll see,” he smiled knowingly and pulled out my golf bag. “Here you go.” He handed me the green and white bag and I slung it over my shoulder. It was practically brand new; I only golfed with my dad at these sorts of events. He ensured we had everything branded with Aspen Ridge logos and colors, like our matching forest green polo shirts.
“Hey, great to see you guys!” Zach’s voice, warm and familiar, reached my ears.
I looked up to see him approaching us from the clubhouse, wearing white pants with a baby blue Snowshoe-branded polo and a matching cap. He was tall and lean, sporting the same sparkling blue eyes and all-American smile I fell for in the first place. My heart gave a little lurch as a wave of nostalgia hit me.
“Hey there, sport!” My dad greeted him with a half-hug, and I waited for the male bonding to finish.
“Hi Ellie. Great to see you.” Zach’s smile turned sweeter, and I let him pull me in for a hug.
“Hey Zach. How’ve you been?”
“I can’t complain. We’ve been busy here getting things in motion for the season. We built a new luxury condo complex over by Aspen Creek and added a footpath into the village. It’s already half booked for this winter.”
“That’s great Zach. I’m happy for you.”
“Wait ’til I tell you about our improvements.” Dad threw an arm around Zach’s shoulders and steered him toward the sign-in table. They chatted happily while we checked in and got the keys to our carts. I waited impatiently for the torturous awkwardness to be over. Once we teed off, I wouldn’t have to see Zach again until the dinner.
“We’re paired up with Zach and Brian,” Dad announced gleefully, but I could easily read through his feigned surprise.
“Dad, it’s supposed to be random, so we get to know a new business owner in the area. That’s the whole point. They always pair the bigger resorts with smaller businesses.”
“Well, I may have pulled a few strings.” He winked at Zach, who grinned back, obviously in on this plot.
“That goes completely against the spirit of this event.” I knew I sounded like a petulant child, but I had not expected to be spending the entire day with my ex.
“Oh, come on honey, it’s just about raising money for charity. It doesn’t really matter who we’re paired up with. I just thought it would be nice to catch up with our old friends. Why don’t you two share a cart, and I’ll ride with Brian. We have a lot to talk about.”
I may be blonde, but I knew a plot when I saw one. This entire charity event had turned into a setup that everyone was in on except for me. I hoped I wouldn’t be fielding pressure from Zach about his merger idea all day.
As if on cue, Brian drove up in a golf cart sporting both his and Zach’s clubs, in matching Snowshoe-branded bags, naturally. Brian was good-looking for an older man. Zach was practically a younger, carbon-copy of his father, down to the lean build and blue eyes.
“Ellie, so good to see you. It’s been ages!” I couldn’t help the warm rush of feelings as I hugged Brian; he’d always treated me like family.
“Nice to see you too, Brian. I hope you old-timers are ready to get your butts handed to you.”
“Pah, why are you trash-talking us? We’re on the same team, Izzy.” Dad greeted Brian, then set about swapping his clubs for Zach’s.
“I’m not trash-talking, just trying to remind you of reality. Zach and I don’t live on the fairway like you two.”
“You may be surprised,” Brian grinned. “Zach’s been working on his game a lot this summer.”
I turned to my ex, stunned. “Seriously? I thought you hated golf, like me.”
He had the grace to look sheepish. “Well, what can I say? A lot of deals get made on the course. You have to go where the money goes, Ellie.”
If I’d been surprised at his plans to absorb Aspen Ridge, I was now utterly shocked. “Who are you, and what have you done with Zach?”
The three men guffawed, and I stewed internally. They were all in on it, all three of them.
Previously, it was Zach and me against the dads, but now I was alone, since Zach had obviously switched teams.
After grabbing both our bags, Zach scooped up the cart keys. “Come on, we’re parked over here.” We agreed to meet our fathers for tee off, and I followed him with my arms crossed to the cart parking.
Zach left me nothing to do but claim my seat, so I sat and waited in silence while he stowed our gear.
When we were driving slowly toward the first tee, he spoke.
“It really is nice to see you again, Ellie. You look good.”
“Thanks,” I replied stiffly. “It’s been awhile.”
“Yeah, it has. I miss you, you know. You don’t call anymore.”
“I told you I had nothing more to say after our last meeting.”
“Ellie, it doesn’t have to be like that.”
“I don’t know how you think it could be, Zach. We kind of have opposing goals. I want to run my family’s historical business as the independent, billion-dollar, world class resort it is. You want to absorb it and turn it into a carbon copy of Colorado Disney world,” I gestured around the extravagant golf course.
“It’s not like that, Ellie. With our investors we could expand your growth by two-hundred percent, and no one wants to erase Aspen Ridge’s charm. It makes more sense to ensure that each resort maintains its own unique feeling, so our portfolio offers something different at each location.”
“Your portfolio,” I spat. “We’re an independent resort and I plan on keeping it that way.”
“Okay, I hear you. We don’t have to talk about this today, Ellie. Clearly it’s not an idea you’re interested in right now, so let’s just table it, okay? Can we have a fun day for charity, like we used to?”
I eyed him dubiously. “I dunno, Zach, can we? This used to be a joke for us, the two worst players on the mountain. We whacked balls all over the place, had a few beers, celebrated our abysmal golf game. Apparently, you aren’t in my league anymore.”
We were approaching the first tee-off where our dads were waiting, and Zach slowed the cart to a crawl. When he met my gaze, his eyes were bright with mischief. “What if we could? How about I promise not to try too hard, and you… just do whatever you want. Let’s just have fun.”
“Are you sure your dad isn’t counting on you to win? He seemed pretty proud of his baby boy back there.”
“Whatever. I’ll blame it on your bad influence.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “What do you say: Allies?”
I thought for a moment, then grinned. “Alright, it’s a deal. Let’s see who can lose the most balls.”
Zach tipped his head back and roared. “I did just get a fresh new case, Snowshoe-branded, of course. Dad will be pissed if I lose them. You’re on!”
By the third hole, we were laughing maniacally, like rebellious teenagers. Brian had a few choice words for Zach about his abysmal score, but I didn’t miss the pleased smile on my dad’s face as he watched us.
And I had fun. It was nice having my friend back. We’d grown up under the same pressure, the same expectations. The average person off the street didn’t understand what it was like, growing up the ‘owner’ of a billion-dollar resort. There was an expectation to not only take over but expand the business; to take care of the people who lived there and worked for you, who depended on your family for their livelihood.
Zach and I had a lot in common, and while I’d never consent to letting his company absorb Aspen Ridge, I definitely still wanted him in my life.
Jake sent me a few photos of his family at Oktoberfest, including a photo of with them all with Tessa, and Ethan with a pretzel as big as his head. The kid’s entire face was lit up, his eyes as round as saucers. It cracked me up, and a twinge of remorse squeezed my chest. I really wished I had gone with them, experienced their excitement for the first time. I responded with a few photos of my own, including one of my dad and Brian poking through a swampy area, looking for the ball I lost. I told him how much I was looking forward to our ride tomorrow.
When the game was over, there were local media everywhere taking photos of the awards and the dinner after. Even though they were unhappy, our fathers accepted our ‘biggest losers’ award with grace, and Zach and I mugged for the cameras.
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