by Anya Summers
The memories from the previous night assailed her and her insides turned to molten lava. She wanted him. Again. And this was why she didn’t do one-night stands.
“Well, let me take a look at your qualifications,” he said, lifting what she knew was her resume. After a minute, he looked at her and said, “You’re certainly qualified. And if I asked the references you’ve listed, what would they say about your teaching?”
“That I was a favorite among all the instructors. My classes were always full and booked well in advance in Seattle. Many of them cried when I told them I was moving.”
“Then why move to Jackson Hole?” he asked.
“Because I couldn’t afford to live in Seattle anymore. The cost of living here is much more amenable,” she explained, even though really it wasn’t and in some respects, Jackson Hole was more expensive. It was just that her cousin had offered her and Milo a place to rent on the cheap. The thousand square foot, two-story condo normally went for twice what she was paying, and for that Cora was infinitely grateful to her cousin. And that was all Cora would explain. She didn’t care that he owned the resort. Or that he had given her multiple orgasms just hours before. Really intense, ‘couldn’t remember her own name’ orgasms, but that was beside the point.
“And why would you want to work here?” he asked.
“Let’s be honest, you are not seriously interviewing me, right? Not after last night. I think you know as well as I do that we should end the charade right here.”
“No,” Garrett replied before she could make good her escape.
“What?” she asked, stymied by his refusal.
He raised a dark brow and gave her a rather sardonic glance. “I think your hearing is excellent. No, I’m not going to stop the interview. This place needs a new yoga instructor. And judging by your qualifications, you fit the bill.”
Cora wasn’t expecting his response. Had he written off last night as just a bit of fun then? She felt altered by the experience. But, in the scheme of things, did it matter when she needed a job? “Why did the other instructor leave?”
“We loved her but Shelly’s husband was relocated to Texas by his company.”
“And how long have you owned this place?” she asked, more curious about him than she cared to admit.
“Nine years. I bought it after my four-year stint in the army.”
“Really? You don’t seem like the army type.” Then again, he had the body and bearing of a soldier. He missed nothing and exuded a control that not many could master.
A seductive and rather secretive grin spread over his lips and caused fires to ignite in her system. “Well, I’m full of surprises. Why do you want to come work at the resort?”
“The advertisement in the paper made it appear like it would be a good, steady job, and as an outsider in this town it’s harder than you might think to find work.” Considering the only place she’d been able to find employment so far was her cousin’s naughty club, that didn’t bode well for her prospects. And she’d not told her cousin that she’d applied for this job because then he would step in, like he always did, to try and help. As much as she loved him, she had to stand on her own two feet.
“It is; we are a tight knit community in Jackson. Here at the resort, the hours can be tough. I won’t lie, we have a rather demanding clientele that visits this resort and they expect a certain level of—”
“Ass kissing,” she interjected, not holding her tongue. Cora couldn’t take the job here, not with the history she had with Garrett.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “I was going to say they are the high-end crowd and like to be catered to. I like what I’ve seen so far and am offering you the job.”
Of course he would offer it to her.
“Thank you for your time, but I’m going to turn it down.” Doing that sucked, and she figured she might just have to stop at the store to pick up a bottle of wine and pint of chocolate Häagen-Dazs to soothe herself. She’d wanted this job, had been planning in her mind that she would get it. And she had, but there was no way she could work at the resort, not after last night. She might not know much but she knew mixing business with pleasure was not only a terrible idea, it would be catastrophic. Cora couldn’t afford something that wasn’t stable and a sure thing.
“Why not? I’m offering it to you. You wouldn’t have come in for the interview if you didn’t want the job in the first place,” he replied. His voice carried a touch of arrogance, like he knew she was being an idiot for turning the job down and was unused to people telling him no. She certainly hadn’t told him no last night.
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said, even though it meant she’d have to reassess what she would do. Eventually she hoped to have her own yoga studio, but something like that would take time and money. She had to build her savings up and have the capital handy to take a risk like that.
“Why is that, exactly?” he asked, steepling his fingers together.
“Do I really have to spell it out for you? We slept together, and I think it would be weird.”
“Ah, I see. You still want me.” A salacious grin spread over his face.
Heat pooled in her belly.
“No, it’s not that,” she lied. It was definitely that. Not that she would ever admit it. She’d had her one night of fun. She couldn’t afford to be reckless.
“You sure about that?”
“Look, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t afford to make an irresponsible decision. And working for you would be a bad idea.” Because then she would be close enough to touch him, every day. The only way out of this conversation was if she left. That she hadn’t headed out the moment he walked in proved just how potent he was—that he was something she could become addicted to if she allowed it. Cora gripped her purse in her hands and stood. Better to leave now than make more of a fool of herself.
“I won’t accept a no, Cora. Take a few days to think about it,” Garrett said, standing with her as she headed for the door. She had to get out of there before she said yes, before she asked him to put his hands on her again and take her out of her mind. Before she did something like begin to care about someone who was only supposed to be for a night.
Her gaze connected with his at the door and her heart did a little tumble in her chest. “The answer will still be no.”
And then she escaped his office.
Chapter 5
After her drive back down what she now dubbed Garrett’s mountain, Cora went to pick up Milo from the daycare center on Vine Street. It was still in the touristy section of town, enough so that locating a parking spot for her minivan in a nearby public lot was problematic and took longer than she would have liked. At least her cousin had the foresight to have a designated gated parking lot for employees at the club and Teton Cowboy. Spencer had pulled some strings for her so that she could utilize the daycare whenever she needed it during normal business hours. Since she was working mainly at night, she didn’t need to use it much. But it would help when—if—she got a job during the day.
Thank God for Spencer. They were cousins on their mothers’ side. When they were kids, they had lived on the same street, just four houses apart from one another, until Cora’s dad had been offered a job in Seattle. She’d been twelve when they’d moved away. But in those early years she and Spencer had formed a bond, even though he was a few years older, and they had managed to stay in touch. The years he’d served in the army, Cora had sent him care packages each week to wherever he was stationed. He tended to act more like her big brother than her cousin.
And Spencer had been the first one she’d called when Jeff died. Not her parents, not Jeff’s parents, but Spencer. Because she’d known he would help her handle everything, and he had. The man had been on a plane to Seattle inside of two hours, had stepped in and overseen the arrangements for the funeral and all the fallout surrounding his death. Cora wouldn’t have survived the first two weeks afterward without him. He’d even taken her to prenat
al checkup and ultrasound appointments.
Cora had to admit it was a tad bizarre that she was back in the town where she had gotten her start. Nor had it been the homecoming she’d envisioned. It was funny but she remembered Jackson Hole as this magical place, probably because the last time she’d been here, she’d been a kid, carefree and unfettered by responsibilities.
There was a ton of nostalgia as she drove through the streets, seeing the familiar sights next to new stores and restaurants. Some of her fondest memories as a child were of this town. And she wanted that for Milo: the community, the memories, and being this close to nature. He was a mite young to be taken on some of the hikes and trails, but she was looking forward to instilling that love of physical activity. Her son definitely had the energy for it. If only she could bottle his energy and sell it to adults, she’d make millions.
The Teton Tykes Daycare Center’s glass door was decorated with their emblem, a colorful image depicting five kids holding hands. She stepped inside and was bombarded with the sounds of children laughing and talking.
Beyond the sign-in desk and coat area were tables with arts and crafts, a reading corner, a toy section and then, farther back, they had an entire indoor playground. Milo loved it here. Considering he was a font of nonstop energy, the number of activities and chances for him to play were perfect.
“Mama!” Milo cried with joy when he spied her, his tiny legs racing toward her with his arms outstretched for her to pick him up. His blond curls bounced as he ran.
“Hi, baby. Did you have fun playing with the other kids?” She caught him up in her arms and settled him on her hip.
“Yep.”
Cora glanced at Sally, the owner of Teton Tykes, and asked, “How was he?”
Sally wore a tranquil expression on her angelic face. She was a natural blonde and a veritable font of calm, cool energy. Cora didn’t know how she managed this many children and remained sane. Sally replied, “Well, he wasn’t bad, for the most part. But he does have a propensity for putting things in his mouth.”
Yes. Yes, he did. It was a little factoid about him Cora knew very well and had warned Sally about from the start.
“What was it this time?” Cora asked. Please let it be nothing disgusting.
“Nothing bad, just a crayon. Although the other kids thought it was a brilliant idea and copied him. It’s safe to say we’ll be buying new crayons for the center now,” Sally remarked with an amused expression.
A crayon? That was it? Phew!
Then she winced. The daycare had to buy all new crayons because of her son. At least they weren’t an expensive item for her to replace.
“I’m so sorry. I can pay for you to replace the crayons. Just let me know how much and I will reimburse you,” she offered. Milo was going to be a leader among his peers, if she could just get him past his propensity for mischief, everything would work out fine.
“It’s not a problem. They were just crayons,” Sally said with a smile, like she had seen it all when it came to kids—which, considering she ran a daycare, she probably had.
“Thank you so much. I will pay you for those.”
“You’re fine. Milo, it was great to see you today. You come back and see us again, okay?” Sally said with a gregarious smile at Milo.
Milo nodded with a grin on his face.
“See you next time,” Sally said and then walked back into the thick of it.
As much as Cora loved Milo, she had to admit the woman was a saint with the number of kids on hand. It was hard enough being a single parent with one kid, let alone two dozen.
“So what should we do today?” Cora asked as they exited Teton Tykes.
“Ice cream.” Milo pointed at Dream Cone Ice Creamery three doors down. They had a big, four-foot sidewalk sign. The top half depicted an ice cream cone covered in rainbow sprinkles. On the board beneath the cone was the day’s special ice cream flavor—today was mint chocolate chip.
Her son had a one-track mind. She’d promised him if he was good, they would go for ice cream. Milo loved ice cream. If she allowed it, it would be the only thing he would eat. And to be honest, she didn’t consider him putting a crayon in his mouth being bad. Just Milo being Milo.
“All right, we’ll walk down to the ice cream shop and then go to the park for a bit to let you run off all that energy before your nap.”
“No nap, Mama,” Milo said with a shake of his golden head.
“Not right now. We’ll get ice cream first.” And then hopefully she could figure out what she was going to do to make money since the posh job at the ski resort was a no go.
They ambled down main street, her son’s hand clutched in hers. His joy at spying the bright colorful window displays and toys warmed her. Even when her day had turned rotten, all she had to do was look at her son, the golden curls on top of his head and his blue eyes, so like Jeff’s, for her day to magically improve.
At the ice cream shop, she got Milo a single scoop vanilla cone. He’d be wearing half of it by the time he finished. But he happily sat in his chair as he ate.
“Hey there, love. Who have we got here?” a deep voice said.
She glanced up and spied Matt. Gone were the jeans and flannel he wore at the club, in their place were one of those iron man workout tank tops in gray and a pair of black athletic shorts. The tank top displayed his sleek, muscular physique. She couldn’t deny that Matt was an attractive man. Nor did she miss the way his smoky gaze gave her body the same assessment—but in that masculine, he’d be interested in seeing her out of her clothes type of way. Granted, the simple A-line navy blue dress and heels she was wearing were a far cry from her outfits at the club.
Cora smiled. “Fancy meeting you here. This is Milo.”
“Hey Milo, it’s good to meet you. Yours?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Yep. What are you doing here?” It was beginning to get a little crowded with the men from the club whom she kept running into. She wasn’t ashamed of her job, but it did bring home just how small of a community this town was and how big a mistake she’d made last night.
“Just grabbing some coffee before my next training client.” He indicated the to-go cup in his large, tanned hand.
“That’s right. You work at a gym, right?” she asked, keeping an eye on Milo and the vanilla ice cream coating his chin.
“I own the gym, actually. Two doors down on the other side of the El Arroyo Mexican restaurant. Mountain Top Fitness.”
“You wouldn’t happen to need a yoga instructor, would you?” she asked blithely. Her life had seemed to consist of one professional mistake after another. Not the jobs, per se, but her chosen professions. In college she had studied banking and finance, hoping to go into the financial sector after graduation. She even did an internship with a prestigious bank in Seattle that held the promise of a position once she graduated. Then the big market crash happened and the sure-fire job she thought she would have vanished like smoke on the wind. But that had led her to get her yoga certifications and she didn’t regret those.
“What?” Matt asked, studying her.
“Never mind. I had an interview for a job as a yoga instructor this morning and it didn’t go well. If you hear of anyone looking to hire an instructor, I have multiple certifications in the various practices, from hatha to hot yoga and more,” she explained. It never hurt to let people know you had qualifications. The jobs she had been able to acquire in Seattle had been via word of mouth.
Matt cocked his head to the side, his gaze assessing her, and said, “Well then come work for me. I’ve been wanting to expand on the classes offered to draw more female clientele in the doors. I know you have a solid work ethic after seeing your work at the club.”
“Don’t have enough female flesh at the club?” she teased.
He flashed her a heart-stopping grin and gave a manly shrug, like he wasn’t going to apologize for appreciating the opposite sex. “When Milo’s done with his cone, why don’t you both come over and yo
u can check out the space? The pay wouldn’t be much, to start, and would be on a per class basis, but we can work it out.”
Matt waited for her response. The ‘not much’ she could work with when it came to the pay, especially since she had the job at the club.
“All right, I’ll come take a look.” What could it hurt? And a little money was better than no money.
Once Milo finished demolishing his cone—and he did finish every bite of that ice cream with the exception of what ended up on the outside of his body—Cora took him into the restroom for a quick clean-up of his hands and face. The shirt was a loss, the bright blue shirt depicting a robot was stained with drops of ice cream and would need to go into the laundry basket when they made it home.
They exited Dream Cone Ice Creamery hand-in-hand and walked the short distance to Mountain Top Fitness. Unlike most of the rest of the shops and restaurants, the front entrance of the gym was fairly nondescript. Just a bank of windows and a glass entry door. She pulled it open, ushering Milo inside. It was larger inside than she would have guessed from the sidewalk. Rows of cardio machines, from treadmills to ellipticals, stair steppers and more graced one wall. Weight machines dominated the center, where a person could work everything from glutes to hamstrings to biceps and everything in between. Along a bank of mirrors was an entire section devoted to free weights. There were currently a few uber-buffed guys, with arms the size of tree trunks, currently spotting each other.
Beyond the gym equipment there was an illuminated fitness room, a glass wall separating the two rooms, with a step class in full swing. The gym was well lit, and clean. She noted the women’s and men’s locker rooms in the far back, as well as a few other doors she was sure were most likely for storage and the like.
“You came. I wasn’t sure if you were going to back out on me,” Matt said, coming out from behind the sleek modern black front desk.