Gold Fire

by Starr Ambrose

  “I am happy, Jennifer. I don’t want to go back to the way I’ve been living for the past nine years. I was stagnating. You must have seen that.”

  She gave him her usual inscrutable look. “So?”

  “So that’s not living.”

  She tilted her head, pursing her lips as she thought it over. “You’ve changed.”

  “I suppose I have. About time, wouldn’t you say?”

  She gave no indication of having heard him. “It’s because of her.”

  Zoe. Shit! He’d stumbled into that jealousy thing again.

  It hit him in the gut, the same wrenching twist he felt every time he realized Jennifer wanted him. He’d hoped she’d pick up on his disinterest, but she obviously couldn’t read him any better than he read her. Or else she misunderstood him completely. It made her interest all the more unexpected, and a little creepy.

  It had to end.

  “I guess Zoe is part of the reason I’ve changed.” If you counted kicking him off his complacent ass with her persistent sales pitches. He’d have to remember to thank her for that. “I admire her determination and intelligence.” True, although laughably incomplete when counting all the reasons he’d fallen for Zoe Larkin.

  “You love her.”

  “What? No, I . . .” He hesitated, the automatic denial still on his lips. He wasn’t sure what being in love felt like, but he’d experienced not being in love with numerous women, and it wasn’t anything like what he felt for Zoe. What he felt for her had more warmth, more depth, more importance. What lay between like and love?

  He finished his reply. “I don’t know.” Then waited to see how she’d take it.

  Her reaction was so slow and deliberate that part of him wanted to shake her and say, “I’m not interested in you, there’s someone else, move on.” But he had to let her take it in, adjust, accept that he wasn’t the one for her. He could at least offer a consolation. “You deserve to have someone special in your life, too, Jen. To be special to someone. There are probably a dozen guys you’ve turned down this year alone. Give them a chance.”

  That distracted her; a small scowl came and went across her face. “I’m not interested in them.” Then, as if his feelings for Zoe had never mattered to her, she stuck her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m glad you have someone, Jase. I hope you and Zoe are very happy together.”

  He furrowed his forehead over her apparent sincerity. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll see you around.”

  He nearly called her back just to make sure there was no bitterness in her, no hurt, but hell, he didn’t want to prolong it. Zoe or no Zoe, he and Jennifer were never going to have anything together, and the sooner she accepted it the better. For both of them.

  He listened to the back door shut, and the faint sound of her car as she drove away. He should probably feel like shit for rejecting her, but he didn’t. He felt lighter, energized. Telling Jennifer how he felt had made him realize how important Zoe was.

  Love? He’d have to take that word out again, roll it around in his mind, see how it felt against his heart. It might be a good fit.

  • • •

  Zoe watched as the deliveryman pushed yet another handcart through her office door, unloading two more boxes in front of Matt and David, who beamed like kids at Christmas. “That’s it,” the guy told them, closing the door as he left.

  Eight large boxes covered most of the floor space. “I can’t get to the fax machine,” she said.

  “So move a box aside,” David said, as if they didn’t weigh seventy pounds each. He spoke without turning as he applied a box cutter to the cartons behind Matt’s desk. Matt opened the flaps and reached inside as David moved to the next box.

  She hadn’t wanted to ask what was in them. They were cutting her out of the loop lately, not involving her in whatever they were planning. But she watched with interest as Matt pulled out plastic-wrapped items of clothing, passing one to David before ripping into another one. She watched him shake out a pair of men’s pants in the Alpine Sky’s official deep blue, examining the logo embroidered on the front pocket. The double E of Everton Equipment took on a silky sheen under the fluorescent lights.

  “Subtle, but classy,” he announced with satisfaction.

  David opened a box and pulled out golf shoes in blue and white. “Good quality. This stuff is gonna sell like crazy.”

  She watched in disbelief as they pulled out more clothing, draping it over boxes to admire it before moving on. Shirts, sweaters, jogging apparel, caps, ladies’ accessories—enough to open a store. Or, more accurately, a pro shop.

  For a golf course that didn’t exist.

  “Were you looking for a big tax-loss item? You know Jase won’t sell.”

  Matt gave her an indulgent smile. “You need to work on your confidence, Zoe.”

  It was his confidence that sent a chill skidding down her spine. He still expected Jase to change his mind, which meant more problems in store for the Rusty Wire.

  David snickered. “If you can’t look ahead, you’ll never get ahead. That’s Ruth Ann’s motto, and she should know about getting ahead.”

  She narrowed her eyes and imagined punching him in the nose.

  “Mr. Flemming?” The voice came from the phone on Matt’s desk. “Your mother is on line two.”

  Matt half turned with an armful of sweatshirts. “Tell her I’ll call her back, Diane.”

  “She said it’s an emergency.”

  He pressed his lips together and eyed the two large boxes between him and his desk. He lifted a questioning brow at Zoe. “Would you mind hitting two and putting it on speaker?”

  She was tempted to say no, but admitted to curiosity about what Ruth Ann had to say. Maybe her search for a new vacation resort location had been successful. Leaning over her desk, she hit the buttons on Matt’s phone.

  “Hi, Mom,” Matt said. “Can this wait? I’ve got my hands full at the moment.”

  David chuckled as if Matt had said something incredibly clever. The little suck-up.

  “No, this can’t wait.” Irritation put a razor’s edge on Ruth Ann’s voice, which was suddenly a lot sharper than Zoe remembered. “Kyle got prickly about his investment. He’s been talking to his lawyer, or somebody, and they’re telling him there’re problems with the ownership. What the hell’s holding up the papers?”

  It took Zoe several seconds to connect the name to Kyle Russerman, the pro golfer who’d agreed to invest in the nonexistent golf course. There’d been no time lag for Matt, who froze in place. The mound of sweatshirts in his arms rose and fell visibly with each rapid breath as he edged toward hyperventilation.

  “Put him on, I’ll talk to him,” Matt said.

  “I’d love to,” Ruth Ann said. “But I can’t. He checked out of our suite an hour ago, bitching about fraud. The tight-assed little fucker.”

  Matt paled. David’s color rose in contrast as he drew the same conclusion Zoe had—Ruth Ann had been getting cozy with Kyle Russerman in Aruba. Zoe wasn’t above enjoying Matt’s shock.

  “Just fax him the papers on the land purchase, Matt.”

  Matt should take her off speaker. She figured it was a measure of his shock that he didn’t think of it. Behind his rapid blinking, she knew, his mind was racing. “There’s been a delay on this end, Mom. A minor delay in the purchase. Tell me where you put Kyle’s investment. I’ll call the bank and have it refunded to him until we close the deal.”

  “Well, that would work, except the money’s gone.” Ruth Ann sounded personally offended, like money just up and disappeared if you didn’t keep your eye on it. “A year’s lease on a yacht and a tropical island aren’t cheap, you know. Image costs, darling.”

  Matt’s eyes met Zoe’s. She saw panic and a half second’s hope that she would turn off the speaker, which she met with placid disinterest.

  He dropped the sweatshirts and threw himself over a large box, stumbling as he reached for his phone. David still stood f
rozen in shock as Zoe sat back and listened to Matt’s verbal scramble.

  “Give me the name of the company you signed with, Mom. Yes, the yacht, too.” Zoe could no longer hear Ruth Ann’s end of the conversation, but had no trouble imagining the petulant tone. “Are there any other toys you haven’t told me about?” He was starting to sound more like a snotty little kid than an Ivy League–educated executive. “Well, you damn well better hope I can, or your accommodations will be a lot less pretty than your fancy new boat. What? When? Fuck! Hang on.”

  He glared at Zoe. “Get out.”

  She raised her eyebrows at his tone, but got up and left the office, figuring she should be applauded for not smiling. David hustled out behind her without being asked, yanking the door shut behind them. He swiped at the perspiration on his forehead. “I think the resort’s in financial trouble.”

  “I’d say that’s a safe bet.”

  “Ruth Ann likes to buy things.” He wiped his palms on his hips, then repeated the motion as if the sweat wouldn’t stop coming. “She doesn’t have the best head for business, either. I’m not sure she stays within the letter of the law. This could be bad.”

  She’d be surprised if Ruth Ann gave the law any thought at all. “David, do you know anything about what they’ve been doing at the Rusty Wire to pressure Jase?”

  “No.” He wiped some more, darted a nervous look at her. “Not for sure.”

  She blew out a long breath and prepared for the worst. “Let’s go have coffee.”

  • • •

  Zoe figured she could have waited until the next day, but what would be the point? Nothing would change except her bright flare of anger, which might fade a bit, and what would be the fun in that? Matt was here now and her temper was hot. No time like the present.

  She strode into her office, getting a vicious glare from Matt as he looked up from the fax machine. “I need some privacy.”

  “No problem.” She flapped a sheet of paper so he’d hear the rustle, then set it on his desk. “There’s your privacy.”

  He looked annoyed, then kicked a couple of boxes as he squeezed between them to retrieve the paper. It took three seconds for his head to jerk up and his brows to slam down. “What the fuck is this?”

  “Exactly what it says. My resignation.”

  “You’re required to give four weeks’ notice, not two.”

  Two had seemed bad enough. There was no way she’d be able to take another month of working with Matt. “I guess I broke the rules. There’s a lot of that going around.”

  He dropped the paper. “Are you implying the Alpine Sky did something illegal? If so, you’d better be able to back that up.”

  She dearly wished she could, but David had only known what Ruth Ann told him. “You were smart enough not to leave a paper trail, but we both know you’re responsible for everything that’s happened to the Rusty Wire. The ironic part is, if Jase agreed to sell you his land tomorrow, you probably couldn’t buy it. Your spending got ahead of your greed, didn’t it?”

  “You don’t know half of what you think you know.” His lips smiled, but his eyes remained cold. “The financing for the golf course has been in place for a month. It’s a no-brainer for the bank, a guaranteed win for everyone—Garrett, us, the town. So you go right ahead and tell Garrett to agree to our offer. He’ll have his money tomorrow.”

  She couldn’t tell if he was bluffing; his arrogance always came across as sincerity. Or maybe he sincerely believed his lies. Either way, she didn’t want her name associated with his resort. And she knew Jase’s answer without asking.

  “Sorry, it’s a moot point. He’s not selling.”

  He raked her with a cool look. “I see where your loyalties lie. Are you fucking him, too?”

  She glared. “Go to hell.”

  Tension crackled between them, prickling her skin like the heavy air before a thunderstorm. “Pack up your things,” he ordered. “You’re leaving now.”

  She smiled, baring gritted teeth. “Maintenance is already on its way with a box.” She hadn’t expected him to wait out the two weeks. Her only regret was losing two weeks’ pay. The money would have come in handy while she looked for another job.

  He hit a button on his phone. “Diane, call security to escort Ms. Larkin out.” His eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a hard line. “Don’t expect to get a good recommendation from the Alpine Sky.”

  “A recommendation from you won’t mean much pretty soon. I’m better off without one.” It felt good to toss it in his face.

  She just hoped it was true. Otherwise she was throwing away her dream career based on nothing more than suspicion and hearsay.

  At least she was protecting her reputation. When all Matt’s shaky financial deals collapsed, her name wouldn’t be part of it.

  • • •

  Jase spotted the headlights through the trees from the elevated vantage point of his porch, and watched her pull up to the house. Building on a steep rise had put his front door a full story above the driveway at the top of a curving stone stairway. Small ground-level lights lit the way. He figured by the time he was seventy he probably wouldn’t want to climb all those steps, but for now the effort was worth the view. Looking over treetops into the vast mountain sky always made him sigh with contentment.

  It was a good place to wait for Zoe. The lights were on in the house behind him, but he’d left the front porch in darkness to better see the stars and feel part of the night. She probably couldn’t see him on the glider.

  For a moment she was visible in the light of her open car door, then she slammed it shut and became little more than a shadow. He wouldn’t have needed that moment of light to recognize her. The outline of her body, the way she moved were imprinted on his mind. At some subconscious level he knew her walk, recognized the smooth curve of her back from shoulders to waist, the sway of her hips, the tilt of her head. They were as familiar to him as if he’d known her for years.

  Shoes clicked softly on stone. A quick gait, energetic and light, not the trudging step someone might have at the end of a workday. He doubted Zoe ever trudged.

  She reached the porch but hadn’t seen him off to the side on the glider. “Hey,” he called softly. “You’re home early.”

  She turned, already smiling. Setting down a box and her purse, she came to him, settling onto the cushion beside him. “By a couple of hours. Should I have called first?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She hadn’t moved in with him, but only because it seemed too soon to ask her. She’d been there every night, anyway, an island of happiness in a frustrating week.

  He slipped his arm around her and tilted her chin up for a kiss. She curled her hand around his neck, let her lips linger on his, then cuddled against him with a sigh.

  “Tough night at the office?”

  “It probably should feel like it, but no. More like satisfying.” She toed off her shoes and curled her legs onto the glider. “I quit my job.”

  He pulled back so he could see her face. “You what?”

  “Quit. I gave two weeks’ notice, but Matt chose to kick me out on the spot. All my stuff’s in that box. He was probably right to do it. If I’d stayed I would have been searching for evidence to use against him. Now all I have is David’s accusation that Ruth Ann said Matt was behind it all.”

  That wasn’t news to him. “That’s why you quit?”

  “He made me a part of it, using me as a dupe to make him look innocent.”

  “He never looked innocent to me.”

  She smiled. “You just didn’t like him because he was coming on to me.”

  “Sweetheart, I wanted to kill him because he was coming on to you. I didn’t trust him because he’s the kind of guy who will say what you want to hear, and steamroll over you if you get in his way.”

  “You’re right, and I wish I’d seen it sooner.”

  He didn’t say anything because he wished she’d seen it sooner, too, and didn’t like to think of her being with
Matt.

  Dancing with him.

  Kissing him.

  And when they were alone, maybe doing more than that. He wouldn’t blame her for falling for a slick come-on from a guy who fit every requirement on that stupid list of hers. But he could blame Matt. The thought of him putting his hands on her, undressing her, making love to her . . . His body went rigid with anger and he imagined tearing the guy limb from limb. For a start.

  Zoe stroked her hand over the bunched muscles in his arm. “I never slept with him.”

  He closed his eyes and released a long breath before saying, “I’m not judging.”

  “I know, but I’m saying. I didn’t.”

  “Okay.” He figured it was the enlightened response. It didn’t stop a smug, fist-pumping “Yes!” in his mind.

  “There’s something else.” She tilted her face up to look at him. “Jase, I think Matt is pushing this golf course harder than we knew. I heard part of a conversation between him and his mother today. It sounds like they might have falsified documents or bribed people, something that made it look like they already owned your land, and got Kyle Russerman to put a chunk of money into the golf course. He must have become suspicious and now he wants his money back, but Ruth Ann has already spent it.”

  “Christ, what arrogant asses. I hope to hell he sues them. But, babe,” he said, and waited for her to look at him, “this is why I wanted you far away from the Alpine Sky.”

  “I know. But I was never involved in the financial side, so they can’t hurt me.”

  He squeezed her tighter, hoping to hell she was right. “Good.”

  They sat quietly, listening to the whisper of aspen leaves in the breeze. Zoe snuggled against him, warm and soft, smelling vaguely of the sunscreen she’d applied earlier that day. Sunscreen he’d applied, taking it out of her hands so he could stroke lotion over her neck and rub it inside the V-neck of her knit top. He’d taken his time, feeling the need to kiss various parts of her first, until her purring, arching response led to the need to shed his own clothes and carry her to bed. The sunscreen had been abandoned in favor of massage oil that was applied with maddeningly slow strokes in intimate places. When neither could take any more, they tossed the oil to the floor and plunged into a slick, desperate finish.