The Player

by Rhonda Nelson

  In the weeks preceeding it, however, she’d had multiple stress-related panic attacks, had started filling her regular thirty-two-ounce java cup with straight-up espresso and her snack of choice had been chocolate-covered coffee beans. Hell, she’d been wound so tight it had been a miracle that she hadn’t snapped completely.

  To make matters worse, she’d been in a bad relationship which had ended with a restraining order. Unfortunately, Audrey had a knack for attracting damaged men who needed a lot of attention—emotional vampires, she’d come to call them, because they tended to suck the life right out of her.

  But no more.

  She’d promised herself after Jerry that she’d never get involved with another damaged, life-sucker again. A wry smile curled her lips.

  And her present boyfriend was anything but that.

  At any rate, she’d had to seriously rethink her life path and the first thing that her family—and her grandfather, in particular—had insisted she do was give up the job. Initially Audrey had protested. What the hell was she supposed to do? But one teary-eyed look from the Colonel, when she would have sworn the man had had his tear ducts surgically removed, had been all it took to make her seek an alternate, less stressful career.

  After her own heart attack, Audrey had learned that there were many more like her—young Type-A professionals who were burning the candle at both ends and essentially stressing their healthy bodies beyond their limits. When a well-meaning friend suggested that she make a list of things that relaxed her, then take it with her to a soothing vacation spot, a lightbulb went off for Audrey and Unwind was born.

  She took a risk, cashed in her 401-K, and bought a somewhat run-down thirty-two-acre summer sleep-away camp up on Lake Bliss in Winnisauga, Maine. A year later Unwind was a fully renovated quaint, but comfortable getaway with custom luxuries for each of its visitors.

  Two years after that, it was operating fully in the black.

  In order to personalize each experience, campers were required to fill out a lengthy questionnaire which detailed the reason for their visit as well as personal preferences for their ultimate relaxing stay. She had a fabulous kitchen crew on staff as well as a fully-equipped spa. The library sported hundreds of books and movies for campers who craved brain candy and mindless entertainment.

  For those who liked to work out their frustrations in a more physical manner, there were the stables, a state-of-the-art gym, various hiking trails and a multitude of water sports compliments of the lake. Between the amenities which were automatically provided and the accommodations she made as a result of the campers’ requests, Unwind provided a calm, soothing atmosphere of escape and relaxation. In short, it was the baby of her own rebirth and she loved it.

  Audrey opened the back gate of her SUV and began loading her grocery bags into the cargo area.

  “I’ve already spoken to Tewanda,” her grandfather said, “and took the liberty of filling out all the necessary paperwork.”

  In the process of awkwardly moving a twenty-pound bag of dog food—which would last all of one week the way that Moses, her English Mastiff, ate—Audrey frowned. “You filled out the paperwork?”

  He hesitated. “Flanagan will be there on my orders and I’m not altogether sure he would have been completely truthful regarding the nature of his visit.”

  That made sense, she supposed. Despite her best efforts to draw people out, they were often purposely vague about the reason for their visit. Still, part of the Unwind experience was customization. How was she supposed to customize this visit if the participant hadn’t filled out the form? Tewanda knew this, Audrey thought. Surely her crackerjack assistant hadn’t simply let that slide. Even for her grandfather. Oh, hell. Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t have called him on it. How could she expect Tewanda to?

  Thoroughly intrigued now, Audrey closed the back gate and climbed into the driver’s seat. “And what exactly is the reason for his visit?”

  “He lost a good friend eight months ago,” the Colonel said somberly. “Let’s just say that he’s having a hard time getting through it.”

  Audrey’s heart squeezed. “That’s certainly understandable.”

  Her grandfather cleared his throat. “Right. Well, it would probably be better if you didn’t mention it to him. He just needs some TLC and no one can give him that quite the way that you can, Audie. You have a rare gift for making people feel better.”

  Gift or curse? Audrey wondered, more often feeling like it was the latter. She’d always been a very empathetic person, to the point that she often absorbed so much of another person’s pain that she made herself physically ill. Even as a little girl she’d managed to attract the downtrodden, the kids everyone picked on. In her teens, things had pretty much stayed the same—the rebels, the outcasts, the shy and withdrawn. Basically anyone with a problem.

  But with maturity came a different set of issues, bigger obstacles, and she found herself staying emotionally wrung out. She’d given so much to other people—usually, and to her detriment, to a significant other—that she hadn’t had anything left for herself. Unwind had been the perfect solution because it had afforded her the opportunity to capitalize on her strengths, but enabled her to share the load, so to speak.

  “What was his name again?” she asked. She wanted to make sure to look for the paperwork when she got back to camp.

  “Major Jamie Flanagan. He was a Ranger in a special forces unit of mine. A damn fine one,” her grandfather added with obvious pride.

  “Was a Ranger?”

  “Er…He and a couple of other friends left the military a few months ago.”

  Audrey paused. She didn’t understand. If he’d left the military, then how could her grandfather order him into Unwind? “But—”

  Accurately following her line of thinking, the Colonel chuckled. “What?” he joked. “You think a soldier who leaves the military automatically leaves my command, Audie?” She could almost see him shaking his head. “Surely you know me better than that?”

  One would think so, Audrey thought. Her grandfather…you had to love him.

  “Anyway, enough about Flanagan. He’ll be arriving Monday and I’ve made sure that I’ve listed activities which should—” he cleared his throat of a distinctly wicked chuckle “—appeal to him. All I ask is that you keep a close eye on him. Spend as much time with him as possible. I’ll call for regular updates on his progress.”

  This conversation was getting weirder and weirder by the second. One minute her grandfather sounded genuinely concerned, the next he sounded downright…gleeful. She’d better take a look at that questionnaire, Audrey thought with a curious sense of foreboding. Something definitely wasn’t right.

  “So tell me what’s happening with you?” he asked briskly, effectively ending that line of conversation. “Still seeing David?”

  “It’s Derrick,” Audrey replied, repressing a smile. Her grandfather knew this perfectly well. He just couldn’t stand the guy. “And yes, I am.”

  “More’s the pity,” her grandfather said glibly, never one to mince words. And unfortunately he had many where Derrick was concerned.

  Audrey exhaled a long-suffering sigh. “Gramps,” she chided.

  “You could do so much better, you know. You’re a smart, pretty girl. Why you’d want to shackle yourself to that self-absorbed blowhard for the rest of your life is a mystery to me.”

  A frown wrinkled her brow. She hadn’t told her family that Derrick had proposed. “Who said I was getting married?”

  “No one,” he said. Almost too easily, Audrey thought, wondering if she was being a tad paranoid. “I just assumed that since you’re still together, marriage has to be on the horizon. What’s the point of a prolonged relationship if you aren’t moving toward a more permanent arrangement? If there’s no goal, there’s no point, right?”

  For someone who didn’t like Derrick, her grandfather had an alarmingly similar thought process. Derrick had used the same argument just last week when
he’d issued his ultimatum—marry him or break up.

  Quite frankly, she didn’t want to do either.

  For reasons she knew better than to explore, marrying him right now was out of the question…But she didn’t want to break up either. Sure Derrick had his faults. He spent too much time on his hair, he laughed too hard at his own jokes and, the biggest turnoff of all, he screamed like a girl when he came. This high-pitched, rupture-your-eardrums screech would be right at home in a bad B-movie. Honestly, it was awful.

  In addition, he was a bit self-absorbed, but that only meant that he wasn’t dependent upon her to fill him up, right? After a succession of life-suckers, that had certainly been a welcome change, one that she’d desperately needed.

  While she could admit that his confidence might get on other people’s nerves, most of the time it didn’t bother her at all. Really. She told herself that it was refreshing, that confidence was an admirable trait and Derrick…She grinned in spite of herself. Well, Derrick had that particular characteristic in spades.

  Which is why her grandfather hated him.

  Her lips curled with wry humor. Evidently her grandfather didn’t think Derrick had the necessary qualities to back up the confidence. But it didn’t matter what her grandfather thought. It only mattered what Audrey thought, and most of the time Derrick’s somewhat exaggerated ego didn’t bother her at all. There was something to be said for a guy who wasn’t dependent on her opinion. Compared to her other relationships, Derrick was a walk in the park. He was easy.

  Was she in love with him? Probably not. Her heart didn’t skip a beat when he touched her hand—or any other part of her, for that matter—and, though he traveled frequently with his job, she couldn’t exactly say that she’d ever truly missed him.

  But there was a consistency and predictability to their relationship which she found quite comfortable, for lack of a better explanation. And she had no desire to change the status quo. Hopefully by the end of next week she’d be able to come up with a convincing argument for her cause. That was the plan, at any rate, as far as she had one.

  “Well, you know what I think of him,” her grandfather said. “He’s a—”

  Audrey chuckled softly. “Yes, Gramps, I certainly don’t have to wonder about that.” Ever. In fact, she could confidently say that not many people ever had to wonder what the Colonel thought. It was part of his charm.

  “Don’t be fresh, young lady,” he scolded. “I only have your best interests at heart. And he’s not one deserving of yours,” he added gruffly.

  Affection swelled, making Audrey smile. Now how could she stay mad at him when he said things like that? “I know you do.”

  “Yeah, well, always be sure and keep that in mind,” he muttered darkly, causing a momentary premonition of dread.

  Audrey scowled. “Why would I need to keep that—”

  “Gotta go, sweetheart,” he said briskly. “Your grandmother’s got dinner on the table and you know how she gets if the roast gets cold. I’ll talk to you next week. Take good care of my boy.” A resounding click echoed into her ear, signaling the end of their bizarre conversation.

  Baffled, Audrey stared at her cell before closing it, then gave her head a little shake. Men, she thought. Even the older, so-called wiser ones were incomprehensible.

  In future, keep that in mind, he’d said. Clearly he intended to give her a reason to do just that.

  The question was…what?

  3

  * * *

  “LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT,” the young Halle Berry look-alike on the other side of the reception desk said. “You’re the Colonel’s friend?” She had an “oh-hell-no” look on her face, as if she couldn’t quite believe him.

  Jamie smiled awkwardly. “I am,” he repeated, verifying the fact.

  Her dark brown eyes widened in what could only be described as shocked disbelief, then her gaze turned consideringly crafty and a secret smile curled her lips. “That sly old dog,” she muttered under her breath, flipping through a stack of large white envelopes. “He said he had an ace up his sleeve, but I never dreamed…” She trailed off.

  “I’m sorry?”

  She looked up and handed him a packet. “Oh, nothing.” She smiled warmly. “Welcome to Unwind. I’m Tewanda. If you have any questions, you can reach me by dialing zero from the phone in your cottage. Here’s your welcome information as well as your itinerary and key. You’re in number eight, a nice secluded little hideaway with a beautiful view of the lake. It’s also got a pier, should you decide you’d like to swim or fish.” She leaned forward and pointed to a laminated map attached to her desk. “You’ll find a map of the property in your packet as well, but things are clearly marked so you shouldn’t have any problems. We’ll have an informal meet and greet in the lodge at six. It isn’t mandatory, but we urge you to come. In the meantime—”

  Jamie sensed movement behind him and watched Tewanda’s warm brown gaze turn frosty. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a man strolling toward them across the room.

  “Where’s Audrey?” the guy asked, interrupting them rudely. Jamie scowled.

  Though he knew it was ridiculous, he instantly disliked the guy.

  “I’m with a guest right now, Derrick,” Tewanda said coolly. “As I was saying Mr. Flanagan, settle in and—”

  “I can see that,” Derrick interrupted again. He shot Jamie a condescending look, one that somehow managed to be pitying and patronizing at once. It was a “you-poor-weak-bastard” look, which made Jamie’s blood pressure rise and his right fist involuntarily clench.

  “But I’m in a bit of a hurry and I need to see Audrey before I go.” He paused. “She hasn’t returned any of my calls, which can only lead me to assume that you haven’t passed along any of my messages.”

  Tewanda’s nose flared as she drew in a breath. “Oh, I’ve passed them along, all right. Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk to you.”

  He smiled as if the idea was out of the question. “Oh, I doubt that. Page her,” he ordered. “I’m pressed for time.”

  With a tight “excuse me” and a murderous look, Tewanda lifted a walkie-talkie from the desk.

  The man leaned over to Jamie, as though he were an ally. “Good help’s hard to find these days,” he said, shooting a look at Tewanda. “I’ve tried to tell Audrey that she should let her go, but does she listen to me?”

  He certainly hoped not, Jamie thought, sidling away from him. What a prick.

  “Audrey, Derrick is here disrupting a check-in and won’t leave until he speaks with you. Could you come up here and get rid of him—Er, I mean talk to him, please?” she asked with faux sweetness.

  “See,” Derrick said. “Such impertinence. If I ever have any say-so—and I will,” he added with a confident smile, “—then she’ll be the first of many changes I make around here.”

  Tewanda merely rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t worry, Derrick. The day you have any say-so will be the day I quit.”

  “Where’s she at?” he asked, ignoring her comment. He checked his watch again and glanced impatiently toward the door.

  “I don’t have her on GPS,” she snapped. “How the hell should I know?”

  A startled laugh clogged Jamie’s throat and he and Tewanda shared a smile. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “It’s all right,” he told her, waving it off.

  “What are you apologizing to him for?” Derrick asked, seemingly offended. “It’s me you were rude to.”

  She tidied a stack of papers on her desk and grunted. “In a perfect world, you wouldn’t exist.”

  Jamie had only been in the man’s company for a total of thirty seconds and found that he whole-heartedly concurred.

  Derrick scowled and readied his mouth for a comeback, but before he could utter a sound, the woman from the photo on Garrett’s desk walked in.

  Sonofabitch, Jamie thought, his suspicions confirmed. Oh, this was not good. Not good at all.

  As an elite graduate of Ranger School, J
amie had been trained to notice every detail. For instance, the minute he’d walked into this room, he’d noted everything from the exits—doors and windows—to the half-eaten jelly doughnut hidden behind a potted plant on the desk. In a pinch he could describe the pile of the carpet, the picture hanging on the opposite wall and could cite the programs currently running on the computer. It was this very training that enabled him to quickly catalogue Audrey Kincaid’s every feature.

  In the time it took her to cross the room, Jamie had noted that her hair wasn’t black as it had seemed in the picture, but rather a very dark brown just a degree shy of black. Espresso, he decided. Her eyes were the same, a clear intelligent blue that shimmered with wit and warmth. She was petite—five-four or under, he imagined—but with an athletic build that was surprisingly curvy. She had a small mole just up and to the right of her lush mouth and when she smiled, an adorable dimple winked in her left cheek. She was sexy and enchanting and delicious and he found himself fighting the inexplicable urge to lick her all over.

  Which wouldn’t be good because she was totally off-limits. Garrett would kill him. After he cut his pride and joy off and force-fed it to him, Jamie reminded himself grimly.

  He’d do well to remember that.

  “Derrick,” she said in a softly chiding voice. “I thought you’d be on your way to the airport by now.”

  Derrick grinned, gathered her into an awkward hug and said, “I couldn’t leave without giving you a proper goodbye.” He nuzzled her cheek and, though it could have only been wishful thinking on Jamie’s part, she winced as if she didn’t particularly care for his attention. Looking ready to retch, Tewanda rolled her eyes.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, disentangling herself from him. “You, uh…You don’t want to miss your flight.”