The painfully hollow sensation that had gripped Skylar last night remained with her in the morning, even more intense and insistent. Her limbs were numb, her stomach was growling and her head was spinning with bits and pieces of Mark’s final words. Skylar turned onto her side, pulled the quilt up to her chin, and stared at the alarm clock on her dresser. Seven-twenty-five. On a normal day, she would have been up, dressed and gulping down a quick bowl of oatmeal before rushing into her office to start her day. But today was not normal. It was the worst day of her life, even worse than when she found out that Lewis was cheating on her. Back then, her anger at Lewis had overshadowed her sense of loss, but now, nothing stood between the raw ache in her heart and her longing to make things right with Mark.
I should have known better than to think that I could hold on to him very long. He comes from a different world, where I don’t fit in, and his mother has been working overtime to make sure I never will. Mark was just a winter fling. A sexy guy who came along to help me move on with my life. We never had a future. Not really. I took a risk with him and I lost. And all the money in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with me or make it possible to have a life with Mark. Enough of this pretense and stress. It’s not worth it. Deena better get herself a new concierge right away because I’m going back to Tampa.
A knock on her door interrupted Skylar’s pity-party. Groaning, she slid out of bed, pulled on her robe and went to peek through the peephole. “Deena,” she said, not particularly happy to see her sister. She wasn’t up for a pep talk or sisterly advice about how to salvage her love life. All she wanted to do was get back in bed and hide under the covers until the trauma of losing Mark went away. However, Skylar knew that was going to take a long, long time and she couldn’t hide forever. Pasting a fake smile on her face, she opened the door.
“Just getting up?” Deena started, coming right in.
“Nope, not really. In fact, I was trying to go back to sleep.”
“No time for that,” Deena said in a disgustingly perky voice. “I’ve got news.”
Skylar stuck her feet into her Big Bird slippers and headed into her kitchenette. “Yeah? So, talk while I make coffee. Want some?”
“No thanks,” Deena said, following Skylar over to the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area. “I’ve already gone over my quota. Got an early start.”
Skylar poured water into her coffeemaker and snapped it on. “So, what’s going on?” she casually asked Deena, hoping she had come to tell her that one of the guests needed some extra-special attention, and not to rehash what Skylar had revealed last night. Her failed love affair with Mark was old news now and she couldn’t go there again.
“Mark is gone.”
Skylar glanced over at Deena and blinked several times. “Gone? Where?”
“To work at the St. Regis. He quit! He and Virina moved out this morning. Vacated their cabins and drove away.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I wish. John will have to handle things at the school until I can hire some help.”
Leaving the coffee to brew, Skylar went to sit on a bar stool next to Deena’s. “He really left?” she breathed the words. “That doesn’t sound like him. He’s so…so responsible. I can’t believe he’d do that to you. When did he tell you?”
“He came to see me this morning. Said his mother had arranged everything at the St. Regis. Seems she knows the manager and she got Mark a job giving private lessons to their guests. I got the impression that he wasn’t that thrilled by what Virina had done, but he sure as hell didn’t turn down the job.”
“Did you try to get him to stay?”
“Of course, I tried to talk him out of going, but I guess Mom won out.”
“Deena. I’m sorry. He quit because of what happened between us, didn’t he? Oh, God, what a mess. He must really hate me to give up teaching here. He loved this place, loved his job.”
“Well, he didn’t say why he was leaving and he didn’t say that he hates you, but I could tell that he’s sad…disappointed. I’ve never seen him so low. Very somber. I guess he thought he had no choice but to go, so he wouldn’t have to worry about running into you. I’m sure it would’ve been awkward if he’d stayed. For both of you.”
“He shouldn’t have to leave. I’m the one who should go. Deena, get a hold of Mark at the St. Regis and tell him to come back. Tell him that I’m returning to Tampa and I won’t be here, so he won’t have to worry about avoiding me.”
“I doubt he’d return, not after leaving the way he did, and besides you definitely can’t leave now.”
“Oh, yes I can, and I will. You can get a new concierge easier than you can get another Olympic gold medal winner to run your ski school!” Sliding off the stool, Skylar poured coffee into a cup and took a short gulp. “Be real, Deena. You need Mark Jorgen on staff more than you need me. Things have slowed down. Kathy can handle guest relations until you hire someone else. There’s no reason for me to stick around.”
“Yes, there is. Here’s the clincher to my day. I thought Mark’s resignation was about the worst thing that could happen and then, Jerome called. His father died during the night.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah,” Deena softly replied. “I think I’ve been expecting this, but still, it’s hard to take. Anyway, Jerome is going to stay in Oregon to take care of the funeral arrangements and settle the estate.”
“Right. Of course, he has to.” Skylar assessed Deena through half-closed eyes, trying to read her sister’s emotions. She could see that Deena was trying hard not to cry, but even though she was a strong, resourceful woman, at a time like this she needed to let go. “I’m so sorry.” Skylar reached out and gave Deena a firm hug, and then stood back and said, “I know Jerome is devastated.”
“He’s holding up pretty well, but I can tell he’s feeling low.”
“I’m sure he is. Then you need to get going,” Skylar urged in a calm, respectful tone. “He needs you with him, Deena.”
“Yes, I’m going. And I might be gone a few weeks. Maybe a month. I’d like to leave this afternoon and I want you to be in charge while I’m gone.”
“Me?” Skylar asked, astonished. “What makes you think I can run this place?”
“You can do anything you set your mind to, Skylar. I have complete faith in your ability to make sure the staff and the guests are happy and the place doesn’t burn down while I’m gone. All of the employees like and respect you. You won’t have any trouble.”
Scowling at her sister, Skylar wished she could tell Deena to forget about her sticking around to oversee the resort. All of a sudden she wanted to get far away from Colorado, the mountains, the cold weather, the demanding guests—and memories of Mark. She was more than ready to return to warm, familiar Florida, but how could she do such a thing to her sister? This was a family emergency and Deena had to be with her husband.
“You’re right, Deena. I can do anything I set my mind to,” Skylar concurred with sudden conviction. Even prove to Mark Jorgen—and his controlling mother—that I am not the selfish, dishonest woman they think I am.
Chapter 26
The last person Mark expected to see in the lobby of the St. Regis was Goldie Lamar, but there she was, dressed in an ankle-length, black goose down coat and white furry boots. She waved excitedly and started toward him, a huge smile on her carefully made-up face.
“Why, Mark Jorgen!” She wrapped both arms around his shoulders and gave him a hard hug. “What a nice surprise. Are you staying here?” she asked, leaning back.
“Uh…I’m working here now. Giving private lessons,” he told her, not yet used to talking about his new position. Goldie’s perfume swept over him, and swept his mind back to the days when women like her were the only ones he’d wanted to be with. Rich, flighty, and far too gay. Now, he’d be spending every day giving lessons to women like her and the thought was not so appealing.
“Private lessons? Really? I didn’t know.”
“Started a few days ago.”
“Well, my cousin, Angelica, and I just arrived this morning. She insisted on staying in Aspen, so we wound up here, otherwise I would have gone back to Scenic Ridge. I had such a good time when I was there. But now that you’re here, I’ll have to sign on for a few more lessons.”
“Sure, Goldie. Call the concierge and arrange it.”
“I will. Won’t it be fun to pick up where we left off?”
Mark could only nod.
“First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll hit the slopes.” She giggled and lifted both hands to her bright red lips. “And this time I promise to do better.”
I doubt that you’ll ever do any better. Mark shoved that thought to the back of his mind, knowing he was going to have students far worse than Goldie to deal with from now on.
“Are you on your way out?” Goldie gushed, eyes wide with interest.
“No,” Mark told her, “I’m meeting my mother in the lounge for a drink.”
“Your mother? Virina Dagrun is here with you?”
“Yes,” Mark replied. “She’s taking some time off from her work with Deleur. You know, slowing down for a while.”
“I can understand why. She seems so busy. Simply everywhere. I ran into her last week at Perfect Faces in Beverly Hills. Such a beautiful woman. May I join you? I’d love to chat for a while.”
“I’m sure she’d love that, too,” Mark assured Goldie, a touch of relief in his voice. For the past few days he had avoided spending time with Virina whenever possible and hadn’t been looking forward to meeting her for a drink this afternoon, but hadn’t had a good reason to refuse her invitation.
Now that she was living at the St. Regis, where her son was on staff, Mark could tell that Virina was elated to be back in her element and in full circulation again. She bragged on him with everyone she met, and her prideful demeanor was beginning to wear thin.
Coming to work at the St. Regis had been his mother’s idea and she had called on her old friend, Franco, the manager, to make it happen. After deciding to put some space between himself and Skylar, Mark had been too distraught over Skylar’s deception and too busy packing to argue with his mother, so he’d acquiesced to her wishes and here he was, though he felt as if he’d sold out to her demands by taking the job.
Mark glanced over at Goldie—the perfect match for Virina. As soon as the two women started talking clothes and cosmetics, he would be able to slip out unnoticed and return to his room.
His room. A lonely space on the seventeenth floor that was crammed with everything he had managed to bring with him from the Snow King Suite. John was sending what he’d left behind to a storage unit in town. Now, Mark lived in a room with a bed, a bathroom, a TV and a minibar, and besides giving ski lessons, he had nothing to do but sit around and think about how he had let Deena and her staff down, as well as the mess he’d made of things with Skylar.
Skylar. God, how he missed her, as well as his beautiful cabin in the woods and the wonderful people he’d worked with. Leaving had been his only option once he’d made up his mind to break it off with Skylar, but he wasn’t happy. He would stick it out at the St. Regis until he found something better; however, there were few options for a ski instructor so late in the season. He was stuck, whether he liked it or not.
“What a coincidence, you working here,” Goldie broke into his thoughts, sidling closer. “Why did you leave Scenic Ridge?”
“Oh, it was just time to try something new,” Mark hedged, not wanting to go into details. He’d had two students this morning: a computer software mogul from San Jose and a dentist from Hong Kong, and he was already through for the day. His workday at the St. Regis was a picnic compared to the rigorous schedule he had kept at Scenic Ridge, but all that free time meant nothing to him. He was restless, anxious, bored and depressed. What he needed was something, or someone, to occupy his time.
Goldie linked her arm through Mark’s in a possessive move and walked with him as they made their way toward the lounge off the lobby.
“Change is always a good thing,” Goldie advised. “This place is fabulous. Much more sophisticated than the quaint little ski resort where you were living, and a lot more fun, too. Parties every night. You’re going to love it. You made a wise choice.”
“I hope so,” Mark commented, though he wasn’t feeling particularly enthusiastic about his decision. At least he was working, but would it keep him busy enough to dull the ache in his heart?
“As a matter of fact, I’m having a party tonight,” Goldie was saying. “My suite. Eight o’clock. You and your mother must come up. Everyone who’s anyone is going to be there.”
Mark nodded and impulsively squeezed Goldie’s hand.
“Then, you’ll come?” she asked.
“I’ll be there,” Mark replied, thinking of how easy it would be to fall back into the fast-paced, party-hopping lifestyle that he had once enjoyed. Back then, his life had been so uncomplicated—filled with temporary, uncomplicated relationships that had never caused him any grief. Having a good time had been his priority. So, why not return to what was easy and familiar? he thought. At least there’d be no surprises.
“I know you made your reservation four months in advance, Mr. Overton, but your wife canceled it last week. I hate to tell you this, but every room in the main lodge is reserved until the middle of next week.” Skylar held her breath, waiting for the blast of outrage that she knew was about to come at her. Mr. and Mrs. Randolf Overton were not the kind of guests who were used to being denied whatever they wanted and Skylar certainly didn’t want to turn them away, but there was nothing she could do. Mrs. Overton had impulsively cancelled their reservation after an argument with her husband, but once they reconciled, they had simply shown up at the resort, expecting to have their room.
“Then you’d better put someone out,” Mr. Overton, a lean, big-boned man with a ruddy brown complexion, demanded. “Sara and I came all the way from Cincinnati for this weekend getaway, and now you’re telling me we don’t have a room! I don’t want to hear it!”
“I wish you had called first, maybe I could have arranged something,” Skylar began, feeling rotten about the problem. “If you’d like, I can call around and find you a room at another hotel in the area. We’ll be happy to provide transportation…”
“No. This is where we’ve celebrated our anniversary for the past five years and we don’t plan to spend our sixth anyplace else. You’d better find us a room, young lady. Deena Simpson knows we always stay in the corner room on the second floor, facing the western side of the mountains. Where is Mrs. Simpson, anyway? This is not acceptable!”
“Mrs. Simpson is away on a personal matter.” Skylar sighed aloud, understanding the man’s disappointment and his anger, but it was not her fault that his wife had messed things up.
Damn. Skylar was beginning to think that she’d made a big mistake by agreeing to manage the resort while Deena was away. The past three days had been filled with hours of hassling with suppliers, calming testy employees and working with the local authorities to run a group of deer hunters off the property. She was exhausted. And now she had to deal with the Overtons!
Thinking fast, and not about to lose one of Scenic Ridge’s long-term, valuable customers, she told the couple, “All I might have available is the Snow King Suite,” she impulsively offered. “It’s a fully furnished cabin, but at the highest end of our rates.” Just saying the words, “Snow King Suite” made Skylar’s stomach lurch, but she swallowed back the pain.
“Might have available? What does that mean?” Mr. Overton demanded.
“The former tenant just moved out a few days ago and I’ll have to check to see if it’s ready to be occupied.”
“Well, go and check. That’s exactly what I’d like for me and my wife. Something special. Cozy.” He put his arm around Mrs. Overton, a black-haired beauty with a serene smile who was grinning smugly at Skylar, obviously used to getting her way.
; Forcing a smile, Skylar nodded. “Why don’t you two go into the café and have lunch, on the house, of course, while I see what we can do?”
“Good idea,” Mr. Overton replied, already turning away. “You’ll know where to find us.”
“Yes, I will,” Skylar murmured to herself as she reached for the phone to call housekeeping.
When Martha, the head maid answered, she assured Skylar that she and John had sent all of Mark’s things to storage and that the Snow King Suite had been thoroughly cleaned.
“Good,” Skylar told Martha. “But I think I’d better take a look, just to be sure.” After removing the keys to the suite from the drawer beneath the registration counter, Skylar put on her parka and left.
When she opened the door to what used to be Mark’s home, she felt a shiver of regret grip her. The place looked the same, as far as the furnishings were concerned, but all touches of Mark’s personality were gone. The inlaid wooden boxes on the coffee table, his medals and trophies which he had kept on the shelf next to the fireplace, the photos of him and his ski buddies that had been on display on the sideboard, his red parka, which always hung on the hook by the door. Even the cold dark hearth brought a chill to Skylar. Not once had she ever been inside the cabin when there had not been a blazing fire warming the room.
For some reason, her mind went to Lewis, and she realized how differently she felt about losing Mark. Lewis had been a prick, really, in his pin stripe, wide lapel suits, flashy jewelry and with his new Miss Diva on his arm. Not at all like Mark, who had been caring, conservative and loyal to her. She missed Mark more than she ever imagined possible. She longed for the fresh scent of his skin, the soft feel of his hair and waking up in his arms to gaze out at the snow-covered mountains in the distance.
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