“Apologies. I...I don’t even know your name, and here I am asking what business you’re in.”
“It’s okay. I’m Mia. I’m a banker.”
Impressed, Jon holds his hand out. “Pleased to meet you, Mia-the-banker.”
She laughs and places her hand in his. It’s slender, and her skin is soft and smooth and cool. Her nails are deep red. They match her lips. He notices no ring on her ring finger. And she has noticed him noticing. She withdraws her hand.
“Does Mia have a last name?”
She hesitates again. And Jon quickly dials it back.
“No worries,” he says. “We can leave it there.” But now he really wants to know. He wants to know everything about Mia the sultry banker who has awakened the beast in him that had begun to shrivel with time and complacency and the mundane.
“I should go.” She finishes her drink and begins to slide off her barstool.
“Do you—ah—would you like to join me for one more? In the booth—it’s so noisy here, so close to the band.”
She checks her watch and Jon’s heart sinks a little.
“I—okay. Just a quick one. I have an early start tomorrow.”
Instantly buzzy again, Jon hurriedly orders two more drinks. They relocate to the booth. Mia is easy to be with. She flatters him in all the right places. She talks about ski racing and the ski industry with knowledge. He feels a kinship as well as sexual arousal.
She says her last name is Reiter. Mia Reiter.
He tells her he’s still with TerraWest.
“It’s a good fit for a skier, the ski resort business.” She laughs. He laughs, too, leans closer.
“Was that a business colleague you were with earlier?” she asks.
“Henry? Yeah, one of the old toads. He goes way back with Labden Wentworth.”
“Your meeting looked intense.”
He gives a shrug. “He wanted to give me a heads-up about some job competition.”
“Serious competition?”
“It’s nothing I can’t take care of.”
She regards him intensely, then says, “Labden Wentworth’s resort business has grown into an international powerhouse with global impact. Their latest quarterly report shows summer visits are booming. In some TerraWest resorts they’re now outpacing winter visits.”
“Thanks to the mountain biking.”
Her gaze locks with his. “Industry magazines also tell me you’re married to his daughter.”
Daisy’s face floats into Jon’s mind. He’s instantly reminded of the joy he felt while holding her hand and watching their baby boy moving on the ultrasound monitor. What in the hell is he doing here? He glances at his watch, his heart beating faster.
Mia notices him checking the time, and her features change. “Of course, I—you know, I really didn’t mean to monopolize you like this. I should go. I need to call it a night.” She reaches for her purse and begins to slide out of the booth.
“Thank you for the chat, Mia,” he says. “I needed that.”
She stills. “Needed what exactly?”
Jon’s phone vibrates again.
Mia exits the booth.
