by Elena Aitken
“Tomorrow? Morning?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
Yes that’s a problem.
Tess smiled and nodded the way she’d been doing so much lately. “Of course that’s not a problem,” she said as sweetly as possible.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Melissa tilted her head and examined Tess in a way that made her want to escape her skin. “Because as I’m sure you remember, honesty and integrity are very important to me when it comes to business and I would hate for you to tell me something if it wasn’t true.”
There was no doubt in Tess’s mind that they were no longer talking about the meeting time. “Of course not, Melissa. Tomorrow morning is perfect, in fact.” Tess poured on every ounce of charm that she could muster. “I look forward to giving you my final report. I think you’ll be pleased.”
Melissa made a small noise that sounded strangely like a cross between a choke and a laugh. “Well, I’m not sure about pleased. But I’m fairly certain I’ll be surprised. Rumor has it, you have some interesting ideas. I look forward to hearing them. Nine a.m.?”
“Perfect.” Tess smiled through her teeth and waited until Melissa walked away before she brought the phone back up to her ear.
“Tess? Is she gone? What the hell?”
“She’s gone.” Tess sank down on a nearby bench. “I suppose you heard everything.”
“I did.”
A swirl of panic rose up inside her. Tess struggled to keep it at bay.
“What’s she talking about?” Clara asked. “What kind of interesting ideas do you have? I thought we talked about this.”
“We didn’t talk about anything.” Tess dropped her head into her hands. “You told me to read the file and I did that but then I went on the zip line and I—”
“Please tell me you didn’t recommend a zip line.”
“Well, not yet.”
“Tess. We talked about this. I told you not to do it! All of the research I did and the data analysis…” Clara continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “It’s not feasible. It would be way too much money and the base would be too far from the Lodge to make a go of it. It doesn’t make sense. You can’t suggest it. I told you that.”
“I don’t think it’s that bad of—”
“Tess. You can’t. If they tried that and it failed…it would be a disaster.”
Something in her friend’s words triggered her. What if she tried something and it failed? What would be the worst that could happen? Isn’t that just what she’d been doing for the last week? That’s all she’d been doing. Sometimes the greatest rewards came from the greatest risks.
“You can’t, Tess. Promise me you won’t—”
“I have to go.” She interrupted Clara in the middle of her rant. “I have a lot of work to do if I’m going to get ready for the presentation tomorrow.”
“Tess! You can’t go through with that. Stick to the plan.”
She could picture Clara, wherever she was, pacing back and forth, frantic because she was totally out of control of the situation.
“Don’t worry, Clara.” Tess smiled as the plan formulated in her head, suddenly feeling more confident and in control than she had since this whole mess started. “I have this whole thing under control. I promise.” She disconnected the call before Clara could object again, tucked her phone away and headed back to the suite to get to work.
As it turned out, a project to get involved in was exactly what Tess needed to get her mind off Max. Except that everything to do with her project reminded her of her time spent with him. But she pushed those feelings aside and focused on the task at hand. With her dress swapped out for a t-shirt and shorts, her hair in a ponytail and a big mug of coffee to clear her head after the wine she’d had with dinner, Tess dove in.
The idea had come to her when Clara had been telling her not to risk anything, but really, it had started to form much earlier. In fact, if she had to pinpoint the exact time when the lightbulb had gone off, it had been when her feet touched the wooden platform after that very first zip line in Hope Falls. In her entire life, Tess had never felt anything like the exhilaration of flying through the air, of landing on the other side knowing that not only had she survived it…she’d come completely alive. Everybody deserved to have that feeling. People needed to know that zip lines were not just for the thrill-seeking, adventurous at heart type of people. They were for everybody.
And that’s exactly what her proposal was going to include.
Of course, she wasn’t completely delusional. There were obstacles. And she’d have to address them. Not the least of which was the location where the zip line would have to be installed. It wasn’t exactly easy access to the main Lodge. But maybe…an idea hit her like a flash. And it was just crazy enough to work. But she was going to need help.
And there was only one person who could help her.
Max wasn’t going to lie; he was definitely surprised when he saw Tess’s number show up on his cell phone. He’d tried to catch up to her, but he must have missed her by just a few minutes when he ran into Melissa, who informed him that Clara Clark would be giving her final report of recommendation the next morning. That had to have been Melissa’s idea. There was no way Tess would suggest it.
Unless she had, in an effort to be finished with the project and to get away from Max faster.
That was also a very likely scenario. One that bothered him more than he cared to admit.
Regardless, he’d snatched up the phone and when she’d asked for his help, there was no way he was going to say no. Which was how he now found himself outside of her hotel suite, holding a box of pastries from Bruno, the head chef. It wasn’t much in the way of a peace offering, but it was something and if they were going to be working, they might need the sugar.
He knocked on the door and held his breath. The very first thing he was going to do was—
“Come in.”
Okay. He’d have to modify his plan a little bit; that wasn’t important, anyway. What was important was that Tess was still talking to him and he would get the chance to work everything out between them. Because he was confident that she was special and they would be able to get past this. He was sure of it.
“Tess.” He walked into the room and stopped short when he saw her sitting on the living room floor, the couch pushed back, papers scattered everywhere, and a laptop on her lap. She looked beautiful with her hair all piled up on her head, pens sticking out of the mess, a coffee stain on her t-shirt and a general level of dishevelment that he wouldn’t have expected from her. It was a little insane how attracted to her he was at that moment. “I brought pastries,” he said lamely and dropped them on the counter. “What’s going on?”
“I need your help.”
“I got that.” He wandered over and picked up a piece of paper. It had a sketch of a log cabin on it. Not at all what he was expecting to see. Although, he wasn’t really sure what he expected to see. “Hey, before I help you with whatever you need help with, can we talk? I just really want to—”
“No.” She sat up straight and looked him in the eye. “This isn’t a social visit. I just really need your help, Max. I’m in way over my head, as I’m sure you already know.”
“I don’t think—”
“I just need your advice on a few things,” she finished, as if he hadn’t spoken at all. “My best friend’s business depends on it. And so does my future,” she added quietly. “At least my immediate future.”
He knew there was more to the story of why she was pretending to be Clara. That wasn’t true. He knew there was a lot more to the story; he hadn’t heard any of it so far, but he would be very interested in hearing it. All of it. But there’d be time for that later. Right now, he needed to focus. Max picked up a few papers and slid down on the floor across from her. “Okay,” he said. “Tell me what you need. I’m here to help.”
“Really?”
“I’m here. And I know you have a presentation to give tomorrow.” He he
ld up his hand in defense. “I ran into Melissa when I was out looking—on my way back from the village. She seemed a little…I don’t even know what the word is.”
“Predatory?”
He nodded. “That seems like a good way to describe it. But I’m not sure why she would be. She was the one who wanted me to hire you. Or Clara…or whatever.”
“Right.” If Tess caught any of his awkwardness, she ignored it and for that he was grateful. “Well, I can’t be sure, but I get the feeling that she knows that maybe I’m not who I say I am and she made it really clear that honesty and integrity is the most important thing to her when it comes to business.” She shook her head when he opened his mouth. “I know, okay? I don’t need you to tell me that I haven’t been very honest.”
“I wasn’t going to say that.”
“And normally I wouldn’t care that she seems to be setting me up for a fall, but my best friend’s business is on the line here. She was trying to do me a favor, and I can’t screw it up for her. She needs this. I need this. I have to do a good job with the recommendation but I can’t use what Clara prepared. Not now that I know different things. I don’t think it would be doing the project justice.”
He was intrigued. No, Max was more than a little intrigued. This version of Tess was something he hadn’t seen yet and he liked it. A lot. “Tell me about it.”
She sat up straight and shoved the pen in her hand into the messy knot on the top of her head. “Okay. Here’s the thing.” She handed him a piece of paper. “The original report Clara prepared is too safe. She had you adding a few overnight hikes, which you already do, some kayaking, and offering white water river rides.”
Max scanned the paper. There were no surprises there. He’d been pretty certain her report would be tame. Safe. And that’s exactly what it was. But it wasn’t what he wanted to bring to the Lodge. Not even close. “So what do you propose?”
Her eyes danced with excitement. “This.” She practically threw a notebook at him.
He read it through once and then again, slower. “Mountain climbing?”
She nodded. “Nothing like you’re used to, I’m sure. But maybe a few basic instruction classes. And then you can set up kind of a permanent course that wasn’t too hard, but still made guests feel like they’ve really accomplished something. I heard that the outdoor activities manager, Bo, already does a bit of climbing, too. But it’s not something you usually offer to guests.”
“That’s true. But with what you’re suggesting, we can maybe make it more accessible. I like it.” He nodded and continued reading. The overnight treks and kayak trips were all within what he expected, but it was the last item on the list that raised his eyebrows. “Zip line? Really?”
Tess’s face lit up with a grin. “Absolutely. You have to offer a zip line and a treetop adventure trek. With lines, obstacles and…all of it. You have to.”
He shook his head and put the notebook down. “I wish we could. But I just don’t know how it would be possible.”
Instead of looking defeated the way he’d expected, Tess came alive. She jumped to her feet and ran around the room, picking up pieces of paper. “It is possible. And that’s where I come in.”
She felt frantic, over the top, alive. Tess had never before felt so amazing with an idea that was all hers. Working as a payroll clerk, she’d never had an opportunity to use any creativity or create something, or really…do anything at all except type numbers in a box on the computer. But this, with all these ideas and papers and opportunities in front of her…this was something.
And judging by the look on Max’s face, he thought so, too. He’d heard her pitch and was now looking over the papers with the sketches and projections she’d prepared. Every once in a while, he’d nod and smile. He hadn’t stopped smiling since he sat down, but he still hadn’t said anything.
She hadn’t been totally sure about inviting him over; no, she’d been absolutely sure she didn’t want him there. But it couldn’t be about her feelings or about what made her comfortable or uncomfortable, because if that was the case, Max wouldn’t be anywhere near her. No. It had to be about what was best for the presentation and Clara. She wouldn’t let her friend down. Especially because she knew that the idea she had was gold. Clara didn’t think so, but she didn’t know what Tess knew. And she’d prove it.
“So?” She couldn’t stand it any longer. “What do you think? Is it a terrible idea?”
“No.” He flipped the papers around one more time before he stacked them neatly and looked up. “It’s not a terrible idea at all. In fact, I think you might actually have something here.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Tell me again about the hut.”
“Obviously, it wouldn’t really be a hut but a building every bit as nice as the Lodge, just on a smaller scale. It doesn’t have to be called the Hut... I mean, I don’t want people to think it isn’t just as luxurious. But I thought it might be cute to market it as a smaller version of the Lodge.”
“No. I like it.”
A swell of pride surged up inside her, which was ridiculous because he was nothing to her. Well, he should be nothing to her. But she couldn’t think about that now. She shook it off. She needed to focus. At least until after the presentation. “You really like it?”
“I do. But tell me how you plan on getting people to choose the Hut instead of the Lodge.”
“That’s the best part.” Tess jumped up and grabbed a different piece of paper. She’d had the most fun coming up with the package ideas for this part of the plan. “I think people really do crave more adventure in their lives. I mean, it’s easy to just wake up every day, show up to your regular life and exist. But I think we can show people how to really live. And we can do it in different ways. For example, a romance package doesn’t have to mean only massages and candlelight bubble baths. I mean…those are good, but…” She blushed as the image of sharing a bubble bath with Max popped into her mind. “But adventure can be romantic, too.” Tess refocused on the conversation. “Imagine spending a few days with your partner, working together to get through a treetop ropes course, experiencing the exhilaration of a zip line or the white water rapids. That would be incredible. I read somewhere that doing things with your partner that causes an adrenaline rush creates a stronger connection. Can’t you picture it?”
“I absolutely can.” He smiled at her in a way that made her stomach flip, but she had to ignore it.
Tess shifted gears. “And that’s not all. We can do girlfriend getaways, team building packages, or even add-ons to the usual Lodge holiday. But because it’s up a little farther from the Lodge, it’s kind of like a separate getaway. A holiday within a holiday. I think we can really make this work.”
He grinned and shook his head slightly.
“What?”
“I love that you keep saying ‘we.’”
“Oh.” She hadn’t realized she was talking about it as if she’d be running it. Although, as she had worked out all the details, that’s exactly what she’d been imagining. But that was getting ahead of herself. Way ahead of herself. First things first. “Do you think Melissa will go for it?”
Max shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I think she had a vision in her mind of adventure-lite activities. Something slightly riskier than a trail ride, but nothing that would cause actual danger. When she made me hire a consultant, I’m pretty sure her motive behind that was to get a report that basically said just that.”
“That’s what Clara wanted to give you.”
“So this is all you?”
She nodded and held her breath.
“Then let’s make her go for it.”
10
By the time Max closed down the laptop after putting the finishing touches on the slideshow presentation, the sun had started to peek over the mountaintops. They’d worked through the night, but it hadn’t felt like a chore because Tess’s enthusiasm was contagious. It hadn’t surprised him that Clara’s recommendation
was going to match the tame vision Melissa had. It had surprised him, however, that Tess had come up with an alternative that rivaled the image he himself had for the adventure program at the Lodge. No. It more than rivaled it; it far exceeded any ideas he’d come up with.
He glanced over to the end of the couch where she’d fallen asleep about thirty minutes earlier. There was no sense waking her when he just needed to put a few finishing touches on the slides. Besides, she’d need her rest if she was going to rock the presentation in a few hours. And he had no doubt she would. When someone was passionate about something as Tess was about this, it shone through in every way.
Working with her all night had been both amazing and torturous. All he’d wanted to do was pull her close for a kiss, but despite the amazing energy between them when it came to the business side of things, there was still an undercurrent of tension whenever they got too close. They’d bounced ideas off each other in what could only be described as a frenzy of brainstorming and then finally buckled down to creating the plan. Of course, they didn’t have any projections on what it would cost to build the Hut or the zip line, but if the idea was received warmly, they could take that next step as well.
They.
If only there could be an actual they. The two of them would be perfect for this project. Together, Max knew they could make the Hut a reality. But, one thing at a time. First they had to convince Melissa and then it would go to the Lodge owners, and then…feasibly they could be working on making the Hut and Castle Mountain Lodge the next best adventure destination.
But first, coffee.
Max pulled a blanket up over Tess’s slumbering body, resisted the urge to give her a kiss on the forehead and moved into the kitchen to see whether he could rummage something up for breakfast, or at the very least, make some coffee and order something from the restaurant. In the end, he chose the latter; he put coffee on to brew and ordered a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit. They were going to need their energy.