The pinks and oranges fill the sky behind the peaks of the Colorado Rockies, the sun going down on this part of the world, including my troubled thoughts.

The concerned voice of my close friend, Sam, interrupts my jumbled view of the day. "Dominic, It's not your fault, you know."

I look over at him. "You mean the whole Vince Lange debacle? The Mr. Lange who could sink our business, if he's not happy and chooses to? The Mr. Lange that brings in more new clients to the Koppla Resort than any other guests?" The pitch of my voice changing.

He nods.

I throw my hands in the air. "Of course it is! I'm the one that hires the front desk help."

"You didn't make her rude and temporarily thoughtless."

"It's my responsibility as the front-office manager to know what type of employee she would be and to always be alert to any potential problems that might arise during the day," I sigh.

"She's been a fine employee up until this point, on time, compliments from guests, usually friendly and helpful. You couldn't have foreseen her having a bad day on the very day Mr. Lange walked in the door. I caught a glimpse of him from the table where I was meeting the Pine Gap Group. He seemed like he was having a bad day himself," he argues.

"How did that go by the way?" I ask, quickly changing the subject.

His smile widens. "They were impressed with our facility and want to book it for their upcoming shareholders meeting."

"Well, that's something to be happy about," I reply.

"Are you coming to Gina's party? I heard there will be plenty of entertainment there," he says while wiggling his eyebrows.

"Nah, I've got to go catch up on sleep and then come in early tomorrow to try and get a hold of Mr. Lange again."

"You're too hard on yourself. Relax. Live a little."

"I'll relax when I can support myself and my siblings, so we can get out of that hellhole."

He just shakes his head, knowing what I have to put up with on a daily basis. Soon, he leaves me alone, and I pack up from this disastrous day.

The drive home would have been filled with anxiety, if I wasn't already preoccupied with what had already happened today. Who knows what kind of day my adoptive father has had-that might change the exchange between us completely.

As soon as I walk in the door, my adoptive father looks like he's going to lash out. Something must have happened at work.

"Don't start. Just don't start on me. I've had a rough day at work," I begin.

"You've had a rough day?" he says sarcastically.

"Yes," I grit out.

"Welcome to the real world, boy."

Stepping back, I cross my arms. "The real world? Who's real world? Yours or everyone else's?"

"Don't you talk to me that way. I've -"

"Or what?" I challenge him. "You'll berate me for being a disappointment. Call me stupid, irresponsible, foolish, a free-loader. Sorry to disappoint you, once again, but I've heard all that before. Try something else."

I press my lips together and wait for his response. My statement is followed by a long, tension-filled pause.

"Better yet, I'll just get out of your sight, since I'm such a failure."

I turn and stalk to my room, muttering all the way-half hoping he understands what I'm saying. I'm beyond over the way he talks to and treats me.

A little while later, while I am contemplating my budget and next moves to get Grace and Evan out of here, I'm interrupted by my brother, a tall, lanky kid with dirty blond hair and kind brown eyes.

"What's up little brother?"

"I just wanted to talk, but...but if you're busy, I can come back." Evan pauses looking at everything but me. "I bet you are, so I'll just come back."

My chair almost topples as I stand up from my desk. "No you don't. Come sit, tell me what's on your mind."

He plops down on my bed, shifting the navy blue covers, and starts.

"I've been trying to... umm... umm... trying to..." He looks down at the floor and goes beet red.

"A girl?"

A goofy grin plasters his face. "Yeah, the prettiest girl I've ever seen. Ash blonde hair that curls with bright green eyes. Actually, they seem to be close to the shade of yours."

I hide a smile. "Have you had the courage to talk to her yet?"

"Not really."

I sit down next to him. "My advice is to be yourself. Walk up, introduce yourself and start a conversation. If she doesn't seem interested, then it's her loss."

"But what if she...what if she rejects me?" Evan mumbles.

"There are millions of girls out there. You might receive tons of rejections before you meet the right girl. But the thing to remember is, if she rejects you, she's not the right girl. Shake it off and move on."

He chuckles. "Easy for you to say, your muscles and black hair has all the girls flocking to you when you take me out."

"But they don't know me, and that is the trick to finding the right girl. Have interest, get to know one another, and if it's right, it will be."

He grins. "Always Mr. Serious."

Changing my tone to try and mock our father. "Yeah, someone has to be around here."

Evan laughs, and it brightens my day.

Evan and I play Call Of Duty, Black Ops and the conversation is forgotten - at least for the moment. He's too young to worry about girls, but I hope to keep that one of the few things he has to worry about.

When I get to my office at 6 am the next morning, a surprise is waiting for me. Mr. Lange has left a message where he apologizes to me and my staff for his outburst. He went on to explain his situation and wants to book his room for his next stay in a few months time. I open my laptop and make sure his room is unoccupied and immediately reserve it - with special instructions for the staff.

Grace comes in with lunch about 11:30am, my usual lunchtime; her long brown hair is pulled back in messy braids. We talk about what's going on with her. She's found an apartment with her best friend and a good job. She plans on moving out next week. I'm happy for her because she won't have our adoptive father breathing down her neck while she's trying to get her nursing degree, but I'm worried about the backlash I'll get from father-not that I would try to make her stay.

Janine calls me later trying to get a date out of me again, but I turn her down. I don't have time to date at the moment. My time is committed elsewhere, and girls are not a top priority at the moment. Hell, I work so much I hardly get time to go to any of Evan's ball games.

What other surprises does the universe have for me?