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I hand them each their keys and a welcome bag. “Here you go, gentlemen. Everything you need for the retreat, from room keys to schedules, is in there.”
Austin’s fingers graze my arm as he accepts his bag. His touch is light and fleeting, but it leaves a trail of warmth that lingers. For a moment, everything fades, and I imagine it’s the two of us in a world of our own. The feeling is overwhelming, leaving me exhilarated and breathless.
“Alright, folks, we’ve got a long day ahead.” Miles breaks the spell. “We’ll go drop our bags in the rooms. Why don’t you join us for breakfast? I’d like to get a jump on the marketing presentation, unless you’re going to be tied up overseeing everything here.”
I nod, grateful to be acknowledged as the VP of Marketing and not only a party planner. “The event team can handle most everything going forward so I can focus on what’s important.”
“Good, see you in, say, ten minutes?” Miles is already heading toward the car. Austin hesitates, then follows, turning briefly to give me one final lingering look.
I let out a sigh of relief only to be startled by Becky. “Girl, you are in trouble with a capital T.”
“What?” I whirl around. “Why?”
“That fine-lookin’ boy has it bad for you. I can see it from a mile away,” She cocks her hip.
“Uh, no. You’re absolutely wrong about that. He hates me,” I blurt out then slam my mouth shut.
Becky throws her head back and laughs. “Fine line. Fine line.”
“Ohmygod. You’re reading this all wrong, with all due.” I shake my head vigorously. Too vigorously. Lack of sleep has me feeling a little woozy. I better dash to my room and take my pill.
She takes the hint. “Alright, forget I said a word. ETA on the buses is fifteen minutes. We’ll put out the hot breakfast in batches as they check in.”
As I make the short trek to my room, I take comfort in the momentary silence filled with nothing but the crunch of snow beneath my feet. It won’t be long before everyone is here and I’ll be enmeshed in approximately seventy-two hours of chaos.
I’m glad I’ve impressed Austin, but I can’t let old habits derail me.
I want to do a good job for my own self-worth, not to dazzle someone I’m wildly attracted to who doesn’t actually like me as a person.
Wait. Wildly attracted to?
Oh, shit. I’m in big, big trouble.
Chapter seven
Austin
The Next Evening
Miles and I manage to grab our own gondola for the ten-minute ride up to the Summit House Restaurant for the company detail. It’s relaxing. We haven’t had a second to ourselves since yesterday morning.
It’s been two solid days of intense and meaningful work. We’re both quiet. Contemplative. I must say, one of the many, many reasons I’ve been friends with him for all these years is how alike we are in this respect. There’s never need for small talk with us.
Truth be told, it’s nice to have a few minutes before dinner to reflect on the retreat, which has been nothing short of inspirational. When we started Hungry Llama, Stodge and I were barely out of our teens. Neither of us knew anything about running a company, we had to figure it all out along the way. Success came early and hasn’t slowed down. The two of us shoulder ample responsibility, something we both take seriously.
Maybe too seriously.
The thing is, we’re not in this alone anymore. With hundreds of employees on our payroll, taking time with the executive team to regroup, refresh, and plan for the future needs to be part of every year’s strategic planning. I had no idea getting away from the day-to-day grind of work to focus would be so goddamn priceless.
As we near the summit, the dying embers of the sun cast a pinkish glow on a jaw-dropping panoramic view of Mt. Rainier. I’m not generally emotional about nature-related things, but today I’m appreciative. It’s perfect here.
“So, she knocked it out of the park.” Miles breaks the silence as we disembark the gondola and start down the pathway to the restaurant.
He’s right. Shay fucking killed it. She’s been a goddamn beacon of light. Always positive and sunny. Organized. Resourceful. Everything went off without a hitch due to her meticulous planning. “Yeah. She did a tremendous job, Stodge. I’m blown away.”
“Is the shit behind us then?” He looks at me hopefully, with a dose of puppy-dog eyes for good measure. “Because her marketing presentation today was possibly the best and most thoughtful approach I’ve seen since we started the company.”
I shove my hands in my pockets. It’s freezing and I stupidly left my gloves in my room. “It needs to be. She’s definitely changed.”
