I didn’t want to ruin their party. That was certainly not going to win me any points with the Northwood family.
We walked through the front door in a rush of cold air and melting snow. Every head in the room turned toward us. I felt like a deer caught in headlights, suddenly very aware that I was still holding Sylvie’s hand. I glanced at her and saw the swollen lips and messy hair. Anyone with eyes could probably tell exactly what we’d been doing outside.
Brom noticed us first, of course. His eyes went from our joined hands to my disheveled appearance to the satisfied flush on his sister’s cheeks. His mood went from confused to thunderous in about half a second.
Fuck.
He stalked toward us. The expression on his face suggested I was about to become intimately acquainted with his fist.
“What the hell?” he started, raising his hand in what was clearly meant to be a gesture telling me to get out before he decided to physically remove me.
But before he could finish his threat, Alder and Aspen came rushing past him toward the windows. Their faces pressed against the glass as they took in the light display outside.
“Wow!” Alder exclaimed. “Dad, look at this!”
Brom’s attention was diverted as his kids squealed with excitement.
“Who did this?” Aspen demanded. “It’s awesome!”
Their commotion drew the attention of the other children staying at the lodge. Soon there was a crowd of kids against the windows. Their breath fogged the glass as they pointed and exclaimed over the transformed tree farm.
Wesley, still in full Santa regalia, clapped his hands together with theatrical delight, playing it up extra for the kids. “Well, would you look at that! Someone has been very busy spreading Christmas magic. What do you say we go outside and investigate? Be curious, my young friends! But jackets first!”
The children needed no further encouragement. They raced for the coat closet, chattering excitedly as they bundled up in preparation for exploring the light show that had appeared in the last couple of hours.
Wesley caught my eye and winked before following the parade of children outside. Within moments, an impromptu snowball fight broke out. Delighted laughter echoed through the trees.
The exodus left the main room significantly quieter, with just some of the adult guests remaining by the fire with their wine and conversation. It also left me facing the full attention of the Northwood family without the buffer of chaos to soften their focus.
Sylvie squeezed my hand. “Come on.”
Her family all watched me. She pointed to one of the tables.
“Sit,” Sylvie said in a commanding tone. “Everyone, sit.”
Even Brom complied, although he did so with obvious reluctance. And he made sure we knew he didn’t like it.
“I need you all to listen,” Sylvie said, taking the seat beside me. “And I need Kent to speak. Really speak. About what he’s proposing.”
All eyes turned to me. The weight of the moment settled on my shoulders like a lead blanket. These people had every reason to distrust me, every reason to throw me out into the snow and never look back. I wasn’t sure how to even start.
Sylvie’s hand found mine under the table, giving me the encouragement I needed to face them. I looked each of them in the eye and had a feeling no matter what I said, they weren’t going to be happy.
No pressure at all.
“I want to be an investor in your lodge,” I said. “Not as a representative of Bancroft Industries, but personally. With my own resources.”
Her father leaned forward slightly. “What kind of investment?”
“I want to help you restore this place to what it once was,” I said, the words coming faster now. A snowball rolling downhill. “Fix the place up while preserving the character. Work on getting the word out, expand your marketing reach. I have other ideas, like adding some luxury cabins or a spa component, but all of that will be up to you. The general goal is to turn Northwood Lodge into the kind of destination that draws people from all over the country.”
Brom scratched his chin, frowning. “So we wouldn’t have to change everything up?”
I held up my hand and shook my head. “The traditions will be a big part of the appeal of Northwood Lodge. There’s plentyof money to be made doing what you’re already doing.” I looked around at all of them. “And people need places like this now more than ever. Places where they can slow down, reconnect with each other, make some memories and some traditions of their own.”
I thought about my own transformation over the past few weeks, about how this place had changed me in ways I was still discovering.
“I’m proof of that,” I continued. “When I first came here, all I could think about was getting back to the fast lane in New York. Closing the deal, impressing my father, climbing the corporate ladder. This place was just another acquisition target.”
