longer to heal, and sometimes still ached, but nothing could keep him from doing sports with his son. He never wanted to be a sideline dad. He wanted to be right in it with Charlie.
He and Karsten led the tour through the hotel, showing off its signature rooms with their tree branch bed frames and birch-clad furnishings. There was a spa at one end of the complex, an oddly appealing combination of Nordic traditions and Asian innovations. It looked like a hunting lodge with gongs in place of the trophy heads.
The bar was called the Powder Room and featured furniture and fixtures made from recycled chairlift parts, the walls decorated with vintage wooden skis. The restaurant offered the kind of food you wanted to stuff yourself with after a day on the slopes—mac and cheese, chili, poutine, hot chocolate.
Logan went out on the deck of the restaurant, which faced an expansive view of the slopes. His father came out with him. “This would be a perfect spot to build the zip line course,” Logan said. “It would be a big draw in summer and winter both.”
“You’re determined to do this,” said Al.
“Correction. I
“Son, I applaud your sense of enterprise. The business plan you drew up is an impressive piece of work. But the fact is, resorts are notoriously risky. You’re choosing a hard path.”
“If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
“I just don’t understand,” his father said. “You’ve built a rock-solid business in town. You’re doing well in the insurance field—”
“Underwriting other people’s risks while taking none of my own,” said Logan.
“And it’s worked out well for you,” his father pointed out.
“Has it?” Logan asked. “How so?”
“You’ve got a beautiful home, your own business to take care of, the respect of the community.”
Those were the things that mattered most to his father. Logan knew then he’d never make Al understand. He tried to explain, anyway. “I played it safe. I tried to be responsible. I was a good husband, and the marriage still didn’t work out. I’m a good father, and now my son is moving to Japan. I’ve been a good businessman, and I’m so bored some days I want to hit myself in the head with a hammer.”
“It’s the ebb and flow of life,” said Al, a hint of his Irish heritage coming out.
“Not
“Creating what?” His father seemed genuinely baffled. “A glorified playground?”
“This is a project I’m passionate about. I have big plans for Saddle Mountain. More mountain-biking in the summer. The zip line. A climbing course. Ice-climbing in winter.”
“You’ll lose your shirt.”
“I’ve lost more than that and survived.”
Al paced the deck, casting dubious glances at the green and gold hills, the grand view of Willow Lake in the valley with the town of Avalon hugging its shore. “I understand that restless feeling,” Al said. “I was young once, too. But it’s a cockamamie scheme. It’s not that I don’t trust you or think you’re a good businessman. I simply can’t give my approval to your financial downfall.”
“The plan is to succeed, not fail,” Logan said, struggling to keep his voice even. A decade of anger and resentment simmered just beneath the surface. “And I don’t need your approval.”
“You haven’t thought this out,” his father said. “You’re panicking because Charlie is going to be moving so far away. You miss him and you’re trying to fill the void.”
Ah, so now Al was the armchair psychologist. “And what if I am?” asked Logan.
“Never make a decision driven by panic. It won’t work.”
“I’m not panicking, and it’s going to work.”
“You’ll be taking on a terrible burden of debt,” his father blustered. “It could be really bad.”
“Only if I default.” For some reason, Darcy Fitzgerald’s words came back to him.
There’s nothing like starting the holidays with a spirited breakfast...
1? cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2? teaspoons baking powder
? teaspoon salt
? teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup eggnog
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg, beaten
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the eggnog, oil and egg. Mix until dry ingredients are evenly moist.
Pour ? cup batter onto a medium-hot griddle. When it’s bubbly on top, flip with a spatula, and continue cooking until lightly browned on bottom.
Recommended: Spray a metal cookie cutter with cooking spray and pour the batter into it to create shaped pancakes. This will elevate you in the eyes of friends and family.
Serve hot off the griddle with whiskey butter and real maple syrup.
Whiskey Butter:
? cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
? teaspoon cinnamon
? teaspoon nutmeg
Blend everything together. Chill until ready to serve.
[Source: Original; inspired by true events]
