Chapter 6
TRAINS, PLANES, AND AUTOMOBILES FOR TWENTY-FOUR FUCKING HOURS
CLAIRE
By the time we stepped onto the platform of the train station, I felt like I’d been awake for a week straight.
At one point during the multi-hour train ride, I went to the bathroom to attempt to salvage how I looked, but it was a lost cause.
My hair was a giant knot that I threw up into a bun, and the mascara I had put on before our flight was now caked under my eyes like a bad attempt at zombie makeup.
Declan, however, looked positively chipper.
The wind whipped over me as I pulled my jacket closed. It was absolutely freezing here compared to the mild Texas winters. I expected that and packed the appropriate outerwear, but it still wasn’t helping my mood.
I scowled at Declan as he grabbed one of my suitcase handles and wheeled it toward the waiting SUV. Apparently, we hadn’t traveled enough for one day and we had further to go by car.
Wonderful.
This trip was very quickly teaching me that I didn’t travel well. I was grumpy, starving, and one snarky comment away from getting fired. Declan looked as if he just slept for twelve restful hours. Everything the man did was perfect, and that irritated me.
“Come on, Claire Bear,” he shouted over his shoulder as I stared daggers at the back of his perfect head.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.
I didn’t need to be reminded of the beginning of this trip when I casually did drugs for only the third time in my life. The first two were in college and were not my best memories.
I wasn’t sure why I actually did it. I could just hear my entire family’s voices in my head calling me a straight edge. I wanted to live in the moment for once, and in doing so I not only made a fool of myself in front of my boss but I fell asleep on him.
I’d never been more mortified in my life than I was when I startled awake with a puddle of drool under my cheek that was cemented to Declan’s firm chest.
I groaned and grabbed my second suitcase before following him toward the idling car. The driver placed my bags in the trunk before gesturing toward the backseat. I slid in next to Declan as the door swung shut next to me.
“How long is the drive?” I asked hesitantly, unsure if I actually wanted the answer.
Declan chuckled. “Only thirty minutes.”
Only.
I sank back into the leather seat as I finally peered out of the window. I’d been so stressed and exhausted that I hadn’t actually taken in the beautiful sights around me. We drove through a little town that surrounded a completely frozen lake. It looked like something out of a story book.
The houses were built with the land so they flowed up into the mountain.
The streets were narrow and every building had flowers overhanging on every level that were frosted over.
The buildings were made of wood and some were painted various colors of yellows and reds.
Swiss flags hung around; there was a peace to the town.
A silence.
Christmas garlands and lights were everywhere. I couldn’t wait to come down here at night to see the town glowing in red and green.
Declan cleared his throat. “When we get there, we can go to the chalet and change before the welcome party.”
“Am I going to that?”
I wasn’t trying to sound rude, but I was here to work. I assumed I would be fetching Declan’s coffee and confirming his schedule, not accompanying him to events. I was also hoping to sleep while he schmoozed with the other rich suits who were invited on this extravagant and unnecessary “work” trip.
“Of course you’re going to that,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“Oh.”
He started typing out an email and didn’t look back at me as he said, “you’re not really here to work. You’re here to accompany me. That includes events and parties. Try to have some fun, yeah?”
My spine stiffened.
Try to have some fun, yeah?
Did everyone think I was a stick in the mud?
“I know how to have fun,” I said defiantly.
His eyes drifted up to mine as he smirked. “I believe that. Do you?”
I crossed my arms and faced the window again. When did I become this girl that people thought needed to be convinced to live a little?
I used to go out with my friends to bars and concerts. I would stay up late and talk to boys and make reckless decisions. I would have a lot of fun. That just wasn’t realistic anymore. I worked long hours and needed to stay organized. I had very little free time and mistakes were unacceptable.
So, no, it wasn’t that I was incapable of having fun. It was that I liked structure. Structure meant control, and control meant I knew exactly what was going to happen at all times.
We rode the rest of the way in silence. My mind was all over the place as the snow covered mountains passed around us. We wound our way further into the mountains until we pulled up to a gated driveway.
The driver put his window down and gave Declan’s name before the gate opened and we continued.
My jaw dropped at the sight of where I would live for the next three weeks.
The main hotel sat high against the mountains.
As opposed to the town at the bottom of the mountain which was charming and quaint, this was all sleek glass and dark wood.
A warm glow illuminated within, highlighting the glass chandeliers and open spaces.
Directly below was a small town of shops.
Pathways and roads jetted off in every direction, leading to the groups of chalets that rose up the mountainside.
We pulled to a stop in front of a chalet just off of the little town. The chalet mimicked the style of the main lodge. It sat three stories high with balconies on each floor which had multicolored lights that winded up the railings and over the roof.
We grabbed our bags from the trunk and the driver helped us walk them into the chalet before leaving us alone.
The main living area of the house was on the top floor.
I stepped toward the center of the space and did a spin.
This floor was one big open room that encompassed the kitchen, great room, and dining room.
The ceiling was vaulted with wooden beams, and at the back of the house was a wall made of floor to ceiling windows that led to a balcony spanning the length of the house.
There was a hot tub on a far end of the balcony where you could see the entire mountain range.
On the second floor there were two bedrooms, and an additional two bedrooms on the bottom floor.
This chalet was way too big for just the two of us but it was gorgeous. This was easily the most luxurious place I’d ever seen in real life.
“Do you like it?” Declan asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I smiled for the first time in hours and turned to face him. “It’s amazing.”
His lips tipped up the smallest amount before he straightened his shoulders and turned toward the stairs.
“The party is at the main lodge in two hours. I suggest you start getting ready soon.”
He disappeared down the stairs. The moment he was gone, I took my phone out and snapped a selfie to send to my parents.
Living my Swiss Alps fantasy.
I tossed my phone onto the couch and collapsed down onto it with a squeal. This was going to be a good trip, I could feel it in my bones.
A Christmas I would never forget.
I swiped my red lipstick across my bottom lip before rubbing them together and dropping the tube into my clutch.
Tonight was the welcome dinner, which I learned was more of a cocktail party with a hundred attendees than an intimate dinner.
Driscoff and Pugh was a national marketing firm that had offices in almost every major city in the United States.
Every regional leadership representative team and their families were invited on this trip.
It was a way for the company leadership to interact and bond when they don’t otherwise get the opportunity.
I took one last glance in the mirror. I chose a red cocktail dress that was tight around my chest and flared out at my waist. I paired it with simple white heels and diamond studs in my ears. My blonde hair was pulled back into a simple chignon with a few curled pieces hanging out in front.
A few hours ago, I wasn’t sure it was possible to make myself look less like a troll. Make up and the hottest shower of my life truly did wonders for my skin and my attitude.
I looked classy and put together.
I grabbed my gold clutch and headed upstairs to find Declan.
When I stepped onto the top floor, I spotted him staring out the window with a glass of whiskey in his hand.
“Starting before the party?” I asked, stopping a few feet behind him.
Startled, he glanced over his shoulder. “Sorry, I was just looking—wow.”
His eyes traveled up my body slowly.
“Do I look okay?” I asked, risking a look at my dress then back to him.
“You look…wow.” He ran a hand over his jaw as his eyes connected with mine.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Declan could always pull off a suit, but there was something about the backlighting reflecting off of his whiskey and the slutty little watch on his wrist that had my knees threatening to buckle.
“We should go.” He took the last sip of his whiskey and placed the glass down on the dining table before leading me downstairs.
I grabbed the long peacoat I bought for this trip and followed Declan onto the sidewalk and through the town. It was only about a five minute walk up to the main lodge where the party was taking place.
As soon as we entered the lobby, Christmas music and the smell of pine took over my senses.
The lobby looked straight out of a Hallmark movie.
There was a twenty-foot tree in the center of the room with a massive shimmering golden star on top and ornaments covering every centimeter.
Christmas lights were strung around the marble stair railings and stars hung from the ceilings.
It was magical.
Declan shifted behind me and slowly removed my jacket from my shoulders before handing it, along with his, to the door man. He offered his elbow and I looped my arm in his as we walked toward the ballroom where the event was being held.
People filled the space, dressed in appropriate cocktail attire as champagne and appetizers were passed around.
“Drink?” Declan asked, leaning in so his mouth was hovering right above my ear.
“Please,” I said, ignoring the goosebumps that erupted on my skin as he pulled me toward the bar on the far side of the room.
Just as we were about to get into line, a man with dusty brown blonde hair stepped in our path.
“Dex! About time!” He held his hand out for Declan to shake and then pulled him into a hug, slapping him on the back like they were old buddies.
Dex?
Declan turned to me, but his face looked more annoyed than happy to see an old friend.
“Claire, this is Tom Bedford. Tom, this is Claire.”
Tom grabbed my hand and brought my knuckles to his lips. “I’ve been wanting to meet Dex’s new girl.”
Dex’s new girl?
Wait… he didn’t think…
I opened my mouth to respond but before I could, Tom interrupted me.
“You know, I’m proud of him for branching out. Usually he goes for the skinny, leggy, model types.”
I just blinked at the man, truly stunned. Did he really just say that? I was eighty-six percent sure he just insulted me.
Declan placed a firm hand on my hip and pulled me tightly into his side. He didn’t correct Tom on the fact that I wasn’t his girl—but he also didn’t defend me or his usual type.
I was entirely too sleep deprived to be dealing with this social nightmare right now.
“Where is your girl, Tom?” Declan asked, his voice short.
“Looking for me?” A soft voice said from behind Tom.
Declan stilled next to me, his jaw going tight. The moment the woman stepped into sight, I knew why.
Standing in front of us was Sarah Driscoff—the CEO’s daughter and Declan’s ex-girlfriend.