The Billionaire Athlete’s Christmas Fling - Leslie North Page 0,48

if she wanted to go back to that place. The old humiliation of being arrested seemed imprinted on the Elk Lodge now.

“I do too. But I don’t think we can see him. It’s just not the right time.”

The agonized wail that came from her daughter tore into Tana’s heart, shattering what was left of the little pieces. Tears were an endless resource, it turned out, and Lindsey had plenty of them. “I want to go back and see Chase,” she sobbed into Tana’s shoulder.

Her mom stood and went into the kitchen. Hopefully she’d have an idea to see them through this, because Tana was at a loss.

“I want my ski lessons. I want my skis,” Lindsey sobbed.

“We’ll get the skis,” she whispered fiercely in her daughter’s ear. “Of course I’m not going to leave your skis behind. But lessons...” The only words she had for Lindsey were the ones her mother had given her. “We’ll figure everything out.”

It didn’t seem to make Lindsey feel any better, and Tana understood it deeply. At this moment, knowing that they would figure things out wasn’t enough. They still needed to grieve the things they’d lost. Tana’s own dreams about the Elk Lodge and Chase and the future had been crazy, and Lindsey more than likely had her own fantastic vision for the future.

But she reminded herself sternly as she stroked Lindsey’s hair and whispered into her ear, she couldn’t keep letting this shake her. What Lindsey needed now was a mother who had her life together. Someone who knew what was going to come next and tackled it without melting down. Feelings had merit—they did. She’d tried to instill that in her daughter. Still, there came a time when wallowing in feelings of heartbreak wasn’t productive. It wouldn’t do anyone any good.

Tana had broken her daughter’s heart for the last time. There would be no more passionate flings with men—not that she had them often, but now, that was all done. There would be no more casual friendships that led her daughter to believe that Tana would live happily ever after with a man who’d become her daddy.

The future stretched out in front of her, and as much as Tana was determined to do it by herself, it seemed...bleak. Empty. It wasn’t empty, of course. She’d have her parents, and she’d have Lindsey. She’d have a lot of hard work to do to get them back on their feet. The fierce burst of energy she’d had a minute ago faded.

“It’ll be all right,” she told Lindsey again. “Because we have each other.”

As the words came out of her mouth, a bone-deep weariness settled over Tana’s body. God, she was so tired of being alone, even if it was the right thing to do for her daughter. Tana’s throat went tight and her face heated. Oh, no—not again. She took a set of deep breaths—one, two, three, four, release—and calmed herself.

In that calm, another question surfaced among her thoughts. Maybe she hadn’t paused to think about what Chase’s position was in all of this. She’d driven away from him without giving him the chance to tell her what had happened. Tana had left him in the rearview mirror and not looked back. Maybe she should go to him, give him a chance.

No. Tana wasn’t going to make that kind of decision tonight. Maybe not ever. What she was going to do was take care of her daughter and take care of herself.

“Are you hungry, sweetheart?” Lindsey nodded against her shoulder and rested her forehead there, the familiar warmth of her settling into Tana’s skin. “Then let’s eat, and we’ll go to bed. It’ll all look so much better in the morning.”

By the time Tana tucked her daughter into bed, she knew what she had to do. There was no way she was going through this again. She might not be able to avoid talking to the police or the press, but she was innocent. And she was tired of being falsely accused and dragged into the mud by others. Even if she was charged, they had no proof since she hadn’t done anything wrong, but it wouldn’t stop the other employees and her bosses from wondering.

It was time to leave and start over. Just like before. She’d pack up her belongings and turn in her resignation once she’d fully moved out of the cottage, but she was done with the Elk Lodge. And Chase.

20

Chase sank into his sofa with a sigh. That hadn’t gone