1. The Favor

1

The Favor

Zane

I hate the holiday season. Tourists everywhere, cheer lingering in the air, and Christmas carols blaring from speakers at every corner. I suck in a deep breath as I trudge down the path to my brother’s house, but I can hardly taste the fresh mountain air. The invasive scent of cinnamon and mulled wine waft from the Christmas Market down the street, obstructing my nostrils. At least we’ve made it past Christmas. Six days to New Year’s. Eight to my long-awaited tranquility. We get tourists all year round here in Winter Heights—lucky us—but nothing’s worse than the Christmas season.

I bang on my brother’s door, not bothering to hide my annoyance at his summoning me. Phone reception is spotty out here, so we usually talk face to face. But couldn’t he come up the hill if he wanted to chat?

I hear his voice before he even opens the door.

“Hmm, I wonder who this could be.” His signature sarcastic tone cuts through the hardwood door. “Do you think it’s Uncle Z?” he continues to his son, Aaron.

“Open up, and you’ll find out,” I shout, refusing to match his tone.

“Oh yeah, that’s definitely Uncle Z’s barking,” he says, ignoring me. Then, he swings the door open with a wide smile. “How lovely to see you, brother.”

“What’s up?” I mumble. I don’t have time for niceties. I have a farm to run. Aaron pushes past his father’s leg and hugs me tight.

I squat down and return his hug. “My man,” I say, giving him a fist bump.

He lets out a giggle. “Hello, Uncle Z.”

And that’s when I see it. The cast on my brother’s leg. “What the heck happened?” I ask, getting up slowly while Aaron tugs at my jeans to show me his new toy plane .

“Ski accident this morning. MCL tear.” He steps aside to let me in. “It’s minor, but I’ll have to take it easy for two to three weeks.”

“Uncle Z, look,” Aaron says, making his plane fly.

“That’s cool, buddy,” I say with a big grin, my eyes following the toy before I turn to my big brother. “Crap. A busted knee? Sorry, man. And at the worst possible time.”

“Yeah.” He hobbles with some difficulty toward the living room and collapses onto the couch. I take a seat next to him, Aaron zooming around us. He sighs. “It’s definitely not ideal, and my business is going to suffer. I got Michael, Zach, and Lea to take on most of my clients for the next two weeks. They’ve even offered to give me a small percentage.”

Darwin is a ski instructor, so winter is when he makes the bulk of his income. He offers bike tours and guided hikes in the summer, but it’s not nearly as lucrative. “Okay. Well, that’s great, and it’s better than having to cancel. For your reputation, I mean.”

“That’s actually why I called you here. I have three clients I wasn’t able to hand over, since we’re all pretty swamped at the moment, so—”

“No. I’m not doing it,” I cut him off, crossing my arms over my chest.

His mouth falls open. “You haven’t even heard what I was about to say.”

“I know exactly what you were going to say. You were planning to ask me to take on those three clients, so I’m saving you the breath and saliva by telling you no.”

“Zane,” he says in that serious older-brother voice. “I wouldn’t be asking if I wasn’t desperate. I asked the entire town before I got to you.” He smirks. “But I’m left with no other choice. Everyone else is busy, and as you said yourself, canceling would be terrible for my reputation.”

“I have a job, you know. One that involves running a farm of twenty huskies. It’s not exactly a vacation.”

He gives me a pointed look. “Don’t you think I know that Seth is running all the sled tours right now? I’ve seen him leave. I’m not blind. And when I came by yesterday, Daisy was the one welcoming visitors.”

I clap my hands together. “Well, there you go. Daisy’s your solution. She is here on vacation.”

“When’s the last time Daisy has been on a pair of skis, huh? That woman’s not fit to teach anyone. She’s been living in the city too long. Plus, as you said, she’s here on vacation—not that you seem to care, since you’ve been having her work the past few days. ”

Okay. Maybe our sister has been helping a little around the farm, but she wants to stay active, and she’s a social butterfly. People are her jam. Why not let her have her fun?

Not seeing a way out of this, I let out a groan. Seems like the appropriate answer. It’s always tough to say no to my brother. After all, I owe him a lot.

“You’re the most logical answer to my dilemma,” he continues. “Besides, some human contact will do you good. When’s the last time you talked to another person?”

I raise an eyebrow, glancing around exaggeratedly. “Hello?”

“Outside of the family,” he says.

I shrug. “I’ve talked to Seth and Belinda.”

“Belinda’s like family, and Seth’s your employee. Dude, you haven’t left your farm in weeks. You stay up there with your dogs, and if your hair and beard keep growing at this rate, you’ll turn into one of them soon enough.”

Not exactly sure what’s wrong with that. Dogs are way better company than people. They have no ill intent, they’re reliable, and they’re incredibly faithful.

He peers at me intensely with that big brother look I hate so much. Then, he glances at Aaron, and I know I’m screwed. It’s not fair, using his situation as a single dad against me .

“Fine.” I roll my eyes as I stand up, eager to get back outside. It’s way too warm in here with the fire roaring. “I’ll do it. When are they booked for?”

“I have two singles this afternoon—actually, the first one starts in an hour. It's their fourth and sixth lessons. And then, it’s just a couple of honeymooners for the rest of the week.”

“Great. Beginners?” I ask, drumming my fingers on the doorframe.

“Yup.”

Turning back to face Darwin, I throw him my best fake smile. I couldn’t have asked for a better combo. Madly in love and newbies. “Awesome.”

Aaron lands his plane on my knee to get my attention, and I listen as he explains how special this plane is and that he calls it Buddy. Lifting off again, he starts flying it high around me.

Darwin casts me a look of appreciation. “You’ll do great. Thank you, brother.”

I groan again, ruffle Aaron’s brown, wavy hair, and drag my feet to the corridor.

“Make me proud,” Darwin calls from the living room. “And be nice.”

Shutting the door behind me, I step back out into the snow. It was such a beautiful day, and my brother had to go and ruin it with his injury. Scratch that, he ruined my week . A honeymooning couple? What did I do to deserve that? I gag at the thought—and at the stench of the ever-flowing mix of Christmas spices in the air.