The Daughter Dilemma. Ann Evans

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      With his arms crossed over his chest, Nick stood beside Addy and watched them go. His sister waved—the quintessential tour guide sending her chicks off to explore new territory.

      “Smile,” Addy said without glancing his way. “Pretend you’re happy.”

      “I am happy,” Nick replied. “Happy to see the last of them.”

      “Well, you didn’t have to take them up. I told you I could handle it.”

      “I wouldn’t be so cruel.” He turned toward his sister, cocking his head at her speculatively. “The lodge has a really fine stable?”

      “I haven’t given up on the idea. You and Dad need to hear me out about expanding.”

      “You want to run the stable or fly?”

      “I don’t see why I can’t do both. Especially since you don’t seem willing to let me do much flying.”

      Addy headed toward the office, a trim, dark-haired beauty who had boundless energy and about a million ideas to make the family businesses run better. Some of them were even pretty good.

      Nick loved her dearly, but he also knew his younger sister could be foolishly stubborn, shortsighted and impetuous. Only recently had she seemed to settle down, deciding that she wanted a career flying helicopters. Two months ago she’d passed all the tests, accrued enough flight time. But would she stick it out, Nick wondered, when things got boring and a little too routine?

      He followed her inside. The office furnishings were pretty sparse—Nick liked things clean and uncluttered. Military style. There was a waist-high counter that created a friendly barrier between staff and customers, a water cooler and a couple of utilitarian chairs. Through the back door lay the hangar area, where both R-44s would be wheeled in tonight before they locked up.

      Nick had moved a second desk into the back area for Addy in an effort to show that he took her seriously as a fellow pilot. Not surprisingly, the top of it was nothing but a haphazard pile of clutter.

      She plucked a handful of pink slips off a spindle. “As usual, I’ve been playing secretary.” One by one, she handed him the messages. “Leo Waxman says the estimate for rewiring the spa area is ready, and you should be prepared for a shock because it needs major work. Mr. Yokomoto called and wants you to call him back as soon as possible.”

      She grinned as she handed him the last one. “Aunt Ren said to tell you that there was a wolf wandering near the back door when she took out the trash this afternoon and she’s not going back outside until you do something about it.”

      Aunt Renata and Aunt Sofia, his mother’s widowed sisters, had come from Italy to help out after Nick’s father had suffered his stroke. Somehow they’d never left. Aunt Sof loved the Lightning River area and considered the breathtaking mountain vistas a little slice of heaven. Aunt Ren, on the other hand, still didn’t believe Colorado had ever won statehood. She’d yet to come to grips with the region’s abundant wildlife.

      “A wolf?” Nick remarked absently as he fingered through the slips. “Probably Leo Waxman’s German shepherd. The dog goes everywhere he does.”

      He frowned at the message from one of their best clients, Kiyoshi Yokomoto from Genichi Tech. Every other week for the past year G Tech had sent a handful of execs to Lightning River for R and R. Part of their stay always included a lengthy helicopter tour. Nick liked them. It was steady, easy money from people who appreciated the beauty of the Rockies.

      He settled into his chair, pulled the phone closer and punched in Yokomoto’s office number. Kiyoshi seldom called, and Nick felt a nagging sense of doom that sent his headache rippling across his eyelids with renewed force.

      “Don’t look so worried,” Addy said as she plopped into the chair behind her own desk. “He probably just wants to book a couple of extra guests.” She went suddenly upright in her chair. “Hey, if that’s what it is, we could both take up a Raven. Fly in tandem. That would be fun.”

      Nick waited for the call to connect. With a scowl, he yanked off his sunglasses and wagged his hand toward the towering pile of paper perched haphazardly on Addy’s desk. “Do something with that stuff before it’s everywhere.”

      Addy ignored that advice and reached to pick up the framed picture of her pilot’s license that sat proudly on one corner. “You’ve got to let me take up G Tech next weekend, Nick. See this?” she said, pointing to the license. “This says I’m perfectly capable of handling it.”

      A huge, colorfully painted sign hung on the back wall of the office. It depicted a winding river between towering mountain peaks, bisected by a jagged lightning bolt—the family logo. Angel Air, the sign read. And below it: Nick D’Angelo, Owner/Operator.

      Nick pointed toward it. “And that says I’m still the guy who makes that decision.”

      His sister sighed in exasperation. Then the call went through and Kiyoshi was on the line. Nick listened to the man’s excellent English for a few minutes, made a couple of sympathetic comments, then placed the receiver back in its cradle.

      Seeing the look on his face, Addy frowned. “Bad news?”

      “Kiyoshi’s canceled everything for the next month. The head execs are flying out tomorrow because of some trouble in the Tokyo office.”

      “Ouch. That’s a big one to lose.”

      “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

      “Well, at least that will give us a little breathing room to concentrate on the Graybeal wedding,” Addy said with her usual optimism. “We’re going to need all the help we can get to be ready for that one.”

      Chuck Graybeal, the busiest dentist in three counties and an old family friend, had booked the entire lodge for his daughter’s upcoming wedding. The resort had never catered such a large, complex function before, but if everything went as planned, Nick could envision a whole new world of opportunity opening up for the family business. But first, they had to get through this latest hiccup.

      He scraped a hand across his jaw, quickly calculating what the lost revenue from G Tech would mean. “The lodge will still be booked pretty solid, but this means Air is going to be hurting for business next weekend.”

      “We can make it up. Vail’s got its big aspen festival coming up. That’ll mean lots of tourists checking out the I-70 corridor. Some of them are bound to be looking for a fun way to kill a few hours.” Her voice took on more enthusiasm as ideas started to pop. “Maybe we could do a flyer. Blitz the parking lots and shops with a two-for-one deal on an hour flight.”

      “Pretty short notice.”

      “You know I’m good at mobilizing, Nick. I can do it.”

      That was certainly true. When Addy set her mind to something, she was like a laser on a target. “Let’s talk about it with the family tonight at dinner.”

      “Fine,” she conceded, but Nick could see the wheels still turning in her head. “Talking about this will be tons better than listening to you and Tessa argue.”

      “The arguing part’s over,” Nick said, balling up the messages and lobbing СКАЧАТЬ