by Tawna Fenske
“Likewise Mr.…Dean.” She smiles and holds out her hand to shake.
I’ve just started to reach for it when her eyes blaze wide.
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!”
With a shriek, she leaps onto the car’s running board, shoes scrambling for purchase. Her heel slips on the metal edge as her arm tangles in the seatbelt, and she flails back with a blood-curdling scream.
“Snakesnakesnakesnake!”
I throw my arms out to catch her without fully registering her words. She lands against my chest with a helluva lot more force than I’m expecting.
“Ooof.” I reel to the side, fighting to keep us both upright, but she’s struggling and shrieking and still panting “snakesnakesnakesnake!” as I struggle to keep my balance.
I’m realizing she must have spotted one of our resident diamondback rattlers, which I’m not fond of either. My shaky balance makes the snap decision easier, and I topple us both into the backseat.
I fall hard on my back, arms wrapped snug around Vanessa. She keeps flailing, but gravity’s no match for her panic. She lands on top of me, collapsing in a sprawl across my chest.
“Ooof.” I grunt as her full weight hits me, and I slide my hands to her hips to catch some of her weight.
She blinks down at me, mouth open in a wide O.
Oh, shit.
Chapter 4
CONFESSIONAL 102
Vincent, Vanessa (CFO candidate: Juniper Ridge)
Most embarrassing moment? Ugh. I really have to say this on camera? No, it’s not that. It’s just—where to start? The time I texted my sister asking which brand of tampons she needed me to grab, but I messaged my boss instead. Or the time I mispronounced “organic” as “orgasmic” in a presentation on sustainable farming. Or how about when I offered my seat to a pregnant woman on the subway, only it turned out she wasn’t really pregnant. Or the time I—what? Yeah, I could do this all day.
There’s this moment as I lie spread-eagled on Dean Judson where I consider hurling myself onto the ground to let the rattlesnake have me. It’ll be a slow death, but no more humiliating than concluding my job interview by straddling the boss in my backseat.
Somehow, I manage to stop screaming. That might have something to do with Dean’s hands gripping my ass.
“Vanessa, stop. Ouch—shit, you’re crushing my nuts.”
Oh, God. I thought this couldn’t be worse.
Scrunching my eyes closed, I fight to get my breathing under control. I keep my eyelids shut tight as I address the man I’ve inadvertently mounted. “I saw a snake.”
“Yeah. I got that.”
“I’m, uh—petrified of snakes.”
“No kidding.” He shifts my weight on top of him, moving my hip off his junk. “In addition to the globophobia.”
I open my eyes expecting to see him glaring at me. Instead, there’s a look of utter bemusement in his eyes. And something else. Something like…heat?
But that can’t be right. I practically maimed the man just now. I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t have security escort me off the premises.
I look into those silvery eyes and want to kick myself. “I’m so sorry.”
I should definitely dismount. Just straighten up and peel myself off his chest, exiting the vehicle with my few remaining shreds of dignity. But something in his eyes leaves me frozen in place.
Also, there’s a snake out there. “It was really big.”
He shifts beneath me, gritting his teeth. “You don’t say.”
“Huge.” I’m not sure he believes me. “I’ve never seen one that big.”
“Vanessa.” He lets go of my ass, jaw still clenching. “I’m gonna need you to stop moving like that.”
“What?”
Shit, right, I’m crushing his—wait. Oh.
Yeah, that’s definitely not a snake I’m feeling. A very intimate part of my anatomy is pressed against a very intimate part of his, and the result is…um. Intimate.
“It’s a biological reaction,” I sputter, pushing off his chest. “I know it doesn’t mean anything.”
Kill me now. I’m lecturing him about his penis like he hasn’t spent three decades with it attached to his body.
Also, I’m still straddling him.
I try to untangle my legs from his but end up pressing my crotch more firmly against the impressive bulge in his pants. This is the most humiliating moment of my life, and I’m praying for someone to fill my whole car with snakes and light it on fire. That couldn’t be worse than this.
“Hold still.” Dean struggles to sit up, his hand settling in the small of my back. “Your ankle’s all wrapped up in the seatbelt. If you’ll just stop moving for a second—”
“I’m so sorry.” I let my body go slack as I close my eyes again, unable to look at him. “I totally understand if you don’t want to hire me after this.”
Dean doesn’t say anything, so I open my eyes again as he finishes untangling me. His jaw is clenched almost as tight as his arm around my waist.
“There are many things I want to do right now.” His voice has gone gravelly, and my ribs buzz with the vibration of it. “But since hiring you is chief among them, it’s the only one that’s gonna happen.”
It takes me a second to catch his drift. That’s probably because my heart’s hammering like a Clydesdale clomping across a kettle drum.
“Oh.” I open my eyes and lick my lips. “Um, yes.”
His smile is small and strained. “That wasn’t a proposition. Just stating a biological fact, as you so eloquently put it.”
“Right.” My ankles are free now, so I manage to hoist myself off him. I back out of the car, using the edge of the door for balance.
The instant my shoe touches the ground, I remember what got us into this mess in the first place. “Rattlesnakes.” I start to jerk my foot back, but Dean sits up and nudges me back.
“They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”
“I doubt that.”
“I’m sure it’s long gone.”
I have to admit he’s right, so I take a step back and offer him a hand up. “Really, I’m so sorry.”
“Vanessa, if you apologize again, I’m rescinding the job offer.” He ignores my outstretched hand, and I step back to let him escape my car.
“Really?”
“No. But accidents happen.” He dusts himself off, deliberately putting distance between us. “I know you didn’t intentionally tackle me in the backseat of your car.”
“Of course not.” But did I intentionally stay just a few beats longer than I should have?
The jury’s out on that one.
As Dean straightens his shirt, I scan the ground for any sign of the snake. It’s long gone, just like he said.
But the effects of having Dean Judson’s warm, solid, masculine body pinned between my thighs?
That’s not going anywhere. Not anytime soon.
***
“Over here we have the Go Kart track.” Lana Judson sweeps an arm out over the twisty patch of asphalt as she regards me with a raised brow. “Your guess is as good as mine why a doomsday cult needed one.”
I step to the edge of the lined asphalt, surveying the dozen or so vehicles lined up in a covered bay. “If you’re expecting end times, you might as well go out with a bang.”
“Which can also be accomplished in the bumper car arena.” Lana laughs. “We thought about taking them out, but it seemed like something community members could use to blow off steam.”
“Plus, you’ll get some great footage out of it.”
She grins, pleased I’m getting it. “Exactly.” She tucks a chunk of honey blond hair behind one ear. “You ready to see the residences?”
“Absolutely.”
I follow Lana across the campus, watching carefully for more snakes. And for Dean, who is conspicuously absent for my first tour of the grounds.
When I called this morning to arrange it, Mari volunteered the youngest Judson sib for duty. “Gabe
and Lauren are off filming, and Cooper’s with me all day doing sensitivity training.”
I didn’t ask if the training was required for everyone or just the elusive Cooper. I also didn’t ask about Dean. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure he’s avoiding me.
“And here we have cabins one through thirty-five.” She gestures toward tidy rows of log structures so adorable, it takes me a moment to remember this isn’t summer camp. “You’ll be in this block. We haven’t assigned you one yet, but they’re all pretty similar. Want to see inside?”
“Of course.”
She whips out a ring of keys and leads me through the door of the first cabin on the right. It’s a single-story darling with a red door and little flower boxes lining the front windows. The space is small, but homey, with a bedroom, a small office, and a surprisingly roomy kitchen. The walls are honeyed pine, and the floors a mix of warm, coppery slate and hardwood.
“We’ve got catalogues so you can pick your own furniture,” she says. “That’s included, of course.”
“It’s gorgeous.” I turn in a circle, wondering why the space looks eerily familiar. “I’m having the oddest déjà-vus right now.”
Lana laughs and jingles the keys. “They’re Armbrust cedar cabins.” I must look confused, so she continues. “Nick Armbrust. He’s kind of a famous builder. If you’ve visited any of the Armbrust Resorts around the country, you might have stayed in one.”
That’s it. Shit. My last boyfriend, Bradley Inkster. We stayed at an Armbrust Resort for a romantic weekend getaway. We ate cheese and crackers in front of the roaring fireplace and made love on a scratchy wool rug.
The next morning, he got a text from his wife.
For the record, I didn’t know there was a wife. I dumped him immediately, and we were only together a few weeks anyway, but I still feel lousy about it. He was a controlling, manipulative son-of-a-bitch, but I liked him.
It just goes to show I suck at picking men.
“Are you okay?”
Lana’s looking at me with concern in her pretty blue eyes, and I force myself to smile. “Absolutely. It’s fabulous. Really. I’ll be very happy here.” I survey the kitchen, running my hand over the simple quartz counter. “How many cabins are there, anyway?”
“Sixty right now, but we’re building more. The idea is that community members will start to pair off, and we’ll want more residences suitable for family life.”
“Wow, that’s thinking ahead.”
She smiles. “That’s Dean for you.”
I’m not surprised it all goes back to Dean. I fight to keep my expression neutral, to give nothing away as far as Lana’s big brother is concerned.
“Let’s head this way.” She leads me out onto the quaint back deck and into the warm sunshine. “This first block is still mostly vacant. Lauren and I are over there, and Mari’s place is close to the coffee shop. Gabe and his wife have a bigger one over there by the pond.”
I notice she didn’t mention Dean, and no way am I asking. But Lana gives me a sheepish look as we trudge back into the cabin. “In case you’re worried about it being weird living too close to the boss man, he specifically asked that you be placed in this section.”
“What? Oh, you mean Dean.” Of course she does; who else would she mean?
Lana just smiles, not fazed by my weirdness. “Also, he’s not your boss, for the record. But he’s way over there in that section near the trees.”
“Oh. Great.” I have no reason to feel disappointed. God knows I don’t want to live next door to my hottie boss. Colleague. Whatever.
But is it wrong to feel just a little hurt he’s so eager to put distance between us?
Lana leads me out the front door and locks it. I step around to the side, scanning the spacious back deck and the jagged, snowcapped peaks of the Cascade Mountains. I bet the sunsets are killer here. “Is this cabin spoken for already?”
“No, you like it?”
“It’s perfect.”
She smiles. “It’s one of my favorites, too. It’s all yours if you want it. I can show you some others, but—”
“No, this is it.”
Lana nods. “Decisive. I like it.”
She’s smiling, but I can’t help hearing my mother’s voice in my head. The way she used to chide me for making snap decisions.
“Honestly, Vanessa. You’re so flighty. You’ll need to find a man to take care of you. God knows you’re not cut out to be on your own.”
I have to swallow a few times to shove down the sour memories surging inside me. I smile at Lana, doing my best impression of a perfectly normal woman.
“Dean told me you might get a dog.” She says it like I’m acquiring a Ferrari and a diamond tennis bracelet, and I instantly love her for it.
“I’d like one,” I admit. “It’d have to be the right dog.”
“Absolutely. Well, let me know if you need any help. I’m kind of an animal nut.”
“Will do.” I can see myself becoming good friends with Lana, and the thought makes me smile.
As she leads me along the red dirt path, she chatters about the community. “They’re looking to get essential skills hired first. Doctors, nurses, cops, grocers, stuff like that. I know Dean plans to have you help with that, since these are key financial decisions.”
“Sounds great.”
She gives me a measured look. “Dean’s got some pretty clear ideas how he wants things done. Just—don’t be afraid to push back, okay?”
I nod, appreciating her candor. “I’ll do my best.”
“I figured you would.”
She turns and keeps walking, and I feel that bitter surge again. I like to picture myself as a strong, confident woman who’d speak up when the boss made questionable choices. I’ve tried hard to be that woman, both at work and in my personal life.
But deep down, I wonder sometimes if my mother had a point.
“You should be more like Valerie,” she said once when my twin was in the other room packing for her internship with a famous clothing designer. “Choose a ladylike career where you won’t need to go toe-to-toe with powerful men. That’s not for you, Vanessa.”
Goddammit. I hate that I recall every word of these conversations. I hate that it still bugs me.
Lana keeps walking, and I hustle to keep pace with her. We’re almost to the lodge, and she turns to face me on the cinder-lined pathway. “By the way, Dean hired an expert herpetologist to snake-proof the residence areas. They’ll be cutting back grass, moving all the dead wood away from structures, that sort of thing. You should be totally safe.”
My cheeks flame, and I wonder how much he told his family about what happened. How thoroughly I humiliated myself in the parking lot. “Um, yeah. About that—”
“Hey, Lana.” Dean ambles out the side door of the lodge and does a double-take when he sees me. “Vanessa. I didn’t realize you’d be here today.”
“Yep. Yeah, I copied you on the email.”
“Huh. Sorry, but I’m glad Mari got you taken care of.”
Lana gives him an exasperated shove. “Hello? I have a role here too, you know.”
“Of course you do.” He throws an arm around her, yanking her close so he can ruffle her hair. “You’re the only Judson universally liked by everyone. The rest of us are assholes.”
“Get away from me, asshole.” She’s laughing as she shoves at him.
Dean lets go and nods at me. “Are you getting all your questions answered?”
“Absolutely.” Except the one about whether I’ll ever live down what happened in my backseat. “The grounds are amazing. I don’t know what it looked like before, but you guys must have done a lot of work.”
“Not as much as you’d think,” Lana says. “It’s amazing how much of the infrastructure was already in place.”
“Even the grocery store,” Dean adds. “We had to replace a bunch of the coolers and upgrade the flooring, but the basics were already there.”
“Lan
a gave me the tour,” I say. “It’ll be great once it’s up and running.”
“Same with the rest of the shops.” He drags his fingers through his hair, drawing my attention to those damn hands again. “Speaking of which, are you free to go over some figures?”
“Right now?”’
“Yeah, sorry. I know you’re still deciding if you’ll even take the job—”
“Actually, I decided.” I rifle through my bag and find the folder containing the contract. “Here. All signed and everything.”
Dean takes it from me and whistles low under his breath. “Wow, you’re fast.” His hazel eyes scan the first page, landing on my signature at the bottom. “I’m surprised you didn’t have any questions. There’s some weird stuff in here.”
Lana rolls her eyes. “‘Weird’ meaning you’re pretty much a normal CFO, except you live with us and agree to let us tape your whole life?”
I shrug and offer an easy smile. “Nothing weird about that at all.” I turn back to Dean. “My cousin’s an attorney. Well, he’s also the CEO at Ponderosa resort, but he was a lawyer before that. He looked it over for me.”
“You had James Bracelyn look at this?”
“Yeah, is that okay?” Crap, I hope I didn’t screw this up already. I mean besides dry-humping my boss in my backseat.
“No, it’s great,” Dean says. “I met James a few times. Great guy. Gave me some tips for getting this place up and running.”
“That sounds like James. He seems like a hard-ass control-freak, but he’s a marshmallow inside.”
Lana gives a knowing smirk and pats her brother’s chest. “Now why does that sound familiar?” She jumps out of the way before he can grab her again, laughing as she dances back down the red cinder path. “I’ll see you at dinner, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Dean mutters. “Are we at Gabe’s place tonight?”
“No, Cooper’s. Don’t you read the schedule?”
“I have a lot on my plate right now.”
“You won’t tonight,” she says. “Coop’s making some vegetarian dish.”
“Ugh. Remind me to grab a Big Mac beforehand.”
As Lana saunters off, Dean watches her go. The second she’s out of earshot, he turns back to me. “Everything go okay with the tour?”