Chapter Three
Jake was pleased when he managed to snag an outdoor table in front of Montana Coffee Traders. He’d bought two lattes and two scones, based on an inside tip from Cathleen. Out of the back pocket of his jeans he pulled a one-page partnership agreement.
He smoothed the folds from the paper, then placed it on the table in front of the unoccupied chair.
Maureen Shannon was ten minutes late.
No big deal. She was driving from Missoula, so it had to be difficult to time her arrival exactly. He had coffee, a comfortable place to sit, and warm spring sunshine on his face. Settling in his chair, he stretched out his legs and told himself he didn’t mind waiting.
“Something wrong, Jake?” One of the women who worked behind the counter was clearing tables. “You seem a little edgy. Mind moving your foot so I can get by?”
“I’m fine.” Jake shifted his legs and frowned. He wasn’t edgy. It was just that these damn plastic chairs were too small for someone his size. And his new hiking boots weren’t as comfortable as his old ones. And he’d had too much coffee already today…
Okay, so he was edgy. Nervous. Embarrassing to admit, but true. He tapped his foot and checked his watch again. Fifteen minutes late.
He didn’t know why he was uptight about this meeting. If this didn’t work out, he’d find another investor.
Yeah, right. They’d be lining up at his door, checkbooks in hand.
Jake sipped his coffee while he scanned the people passing by. Monday mornings in May were pretty quiet in Whitefish. Few tourists this early in the season. And the regulars had their jobs—many of them commuted to Kalispell.
He wondered what Maureen’s plans were. According to Cathleen, she was toying with the idea of moving. Somehow he couldn’t picture her living here, though. Unlike her two sisters, she was obviously a city woman.
Of course, he didn’t really know her. But she had a polished way about her that screamed high maintenance.
Also, don’t touch. Then again, he shouldn’t judge based on how she’d seemed at Cathleen and Dylan’s wedding.
Her husband had been dead for under a year at that point.
If she’d put up emotional barriers, who could blame her?
She’d been one of the few not to tear up during the exchange of wedding vows.
Jake had recognized the cynicism he’d glimpsed within those china-doll-blue eyes—he, too, was wary of the happily-ever-after myth.
His own parents’ marriage, the years he’d spent being suffocated by his mother, made him value his independence too much.
But he’d never been married, and Maureen had.
What life experiences had put that chilly smile on her soft, pretty lips?
Out on the street a black BMW slowed. The driver skillfully maneuvered the vehicle into one of the angle-parking spots half a block down from the café.
The urban luxury car was an anomaly in a line of SUVs, trucks and crossover vehicles, so he wasn’t surprised when Maureen Shannon stepped out from behind the steering wheel.
Holding her blond hair back with one hand, she checked for traffic before hauling a big leather briefcase from the back seat.
She was the eldest of the Shannon sisters and had the composure of a woman who was sure of herself and the stride of someone with no time to waste.
He watched her approach, appreciating her tall, long-limbed form.
She wore a black pantsuit with a white blouse.
Sunglasses hid her eyes. He removed his own, preparing to flag her down.
She seemed to be talking to herself. As she neared, he saw she was taking on her cell phone.
“Didn’t you get my email?”
The closer she came, the clearer were her words.
“Don’t worry. After this meeting I’ll resend the memo. You should have it before lunch.” She spotted him then. Gave a brilliant smile. As she moved toward his table she stuffed her earpiece into her jacket pocket.
“Hey there, Jake. Good to see you again.”
He stood to pull out her chair. “How was the drive from Missoula?”
“Beautiful. Absolutely stunning.” She removed her glasses to look at him, but the sun was so bright she crinkled her eyes and put them back on. Maureen glanced at the table and frowned. “You ordered for me?”
“Cathleen told me you like skinny lattes and scones.”
“You’ve done your homework.” She set her briefcase on the empty chair between them. “I hear you have a business proposition for me.”
So there was to be no more time wasted on chitchat, Jake surmised. It wasn’t his style; he preferred to ease into serious subjects the way you waded slowly into a cold lake.
No, the deep plunge wasn’t his way. But he could be flexible.
“I have plans for upgrading my heli-skiing business—Grizzly Peaks. Problem is, I’ve never liked dealing with banks, so my accountant suggested I look for an equity investor—” what had Harvey called it?
“—a silent partner,” he emphasized. “I’d still be in charge of running the business. ”
“Tell me about Grizzly Peaks. When did you start this business? What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?”
She was making him feel like a job applicant.
It was amusing in a way. He’d earned enough of a name for himself at Grizzly Peaks that most people around here were well aware of his reputation.
But Maureen hadn’t lived in Whitefish for a long time, and she had every right to know about the man she was considering investing her money with.
“I started Grizzly Peaks about ten years ago on seventy-five hundred square kilometers of untouched backcountry. Our customers fly in by charter helicopter to home base. And they’re treated to the best. Besides a hundred thousand feet of vertical skiing, we provide guides, gourmet food and lodging.
Once the new spa is built we’ll also offer a hot tub and sauna and a masseuse on staff. ”
“Rod always wanted to try heli-skiing,” she muttered, tearing off a small corner of her scone and eating it tentatively.
“It’s a total blast. I’ll take you and your kid on a complimentary junket one day.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
“It’s not dangerous if you’re with an experienced outfit.”
“I’ve heard that line once too often in my life.” She picked up the partnership agreement he’d written and read it through.
Jake leaned back and sipped more coffee. Basically the agreement stated that in exchange for her money, he’d provide annual financial statements and a cut of the profits equal to her stake in the business. He hadn’t seen any need to make the agreement more complicated than that.
Watching her read, he felt a new tension, unrelated to the business prospects of this meeting. Damn, but she was gorgeous. And also intimidating. A man would need to have a lot of confidence to dare to ask her out.
Lack of confidence had never been a problem for him. But mixing business with pleasure wasn’t the way he operated—especially in this case when their families were so connected. If things went sideways—and didn’t his relationships always go sideways—it might make future family celebrations awkward.
“Well?” he asked when she appeared to be done.
She dropped the page on the table with no comment. “You said your accountant prepared some financial projections?”
“Oh, yeah.” He’d almost forgotten about them.
Now he reached into his other back pocket and pulled out the folded square package.
Seeing Maureen’s mouth droop at the sight, he regretted not heeding Harvey’s advice and having the report printed and bound professionally.
With care he pressed out the stapled sheets, then passed them over.
“Thanks.” Maureen checked everything very carefully. As she read, she tore away at the scone, eating it molecule by molecule. She was only a quarter of the way through the bread when she was done with the documents.
“Great profit margins—better than I expected.”
“The numbers are strong,” he agreed. “But it’s the people behind the numbers that give my company value. I’ve got top mountain guides, an excellent lodge manager and terrific staff at every level. I pay well, offer lots of perks and in return I have an above-average retention rate.”
Her expression remained impassive. “What about the uncontrollable variables? Like weather?”
“Before choosing my location, I researched the weather patterns. We get the best precipitation in the Rockies. So even in dry years we’ve got lots of snow.”
Again her expression revealed nothing. She glanced back at the papers then said, “I see your safety record is exemplary.”
“It’s our top priority. Helps that we have a lot of varied terrain. Makes it easy to avoid slopes with any avalanche risk, while still giving our guests a one-of-a-kind skiing experience.”
Maureen nodded thoughtfully. “When you mention sharing profits, I assume that would be before depreciation and amortization?”
He realized she was trying to bamboozle him. Just because his presentation was a trifle unsophisticated didn’t make him a fool. “No,” he said firmly. “I can’t pay out profits without making provision for replacing my equipment as it wears out.”
She gave a slight smile. “Fair enough.”
“So…” He waited as she took another nibble from her scone. “What do you think?”
Her head dipped in a cautious nod. “Your numbers are fantastic. Do you foresee any roadblocks in the future?”
“No.” Honesty made him add, “But there’s always something unpredictable happening in a business like ours. We’re pretty adaptable though. I think our profits will only grow as we continue to upgrade our services.”
She slid the sunglasses down her nose a fraction of an inch and peered over the top of the frames. “You seem pretty sure of yourself.”
“Really? I was thinking you could give me a few lessons.”
Maureen laughed and it transformed her entire face. The attraction he’d felt earlier returned in force. Beauty, brains and confidence—Maureen Shannon had them all.
This woman also had baggage, he reminded himself. She was a widow with a daughter about to enter her teens.
And she had the power to write him a check for a quarter mil. He couldn’t forget that.
*
Maureen was so engrossed in her conversation with Jake that at first she didn’t notice the man by the window staring at her. When she gave a casual glance to the side and their gazes connected, she felt a fissure of distaste, and a sense of having seen him somewhere before.
He was tall, in his late sixties or early seventies, and looked like a golfer, with his darkly tanned skin, and short-sleeved T-shirt with a collar. Caught staring, he wasn’t at all abashed. Just nodded and grinned. Smug. Arrogant. She turned her back and waited a moment before asking.
“Is that Max Strongman? Sitting by himself at the window…”
Jake took a quick look, then made an expression of distaste. “Yeah, that’s him all right. If you ask me, he should be in prison right now with his son.”
“I agree. The trial is supposed to begin this fall. I’d love to ask Kelly for the inside scoop on their investigation. But she’s so annoyingly ethical.”
A light danced in Jake’s eyes as he laughed at her remark and Maureen felt something spark between them. It felt good to be around someone who got her somewhat dry sense of humor.
She glanced back at the financial projections. The numbers were good. Very good. And she’d done enough research to know that luxury adventure travel was still a growing industry. She couldn’t think of another investment that could offer a return anywhere comparable.
Her only hesitation came from the prospect of working with Jake. His business might be profitable and providing employment to many locals—but heli-skiing still seemed a frivolous and somewhat dangerous pursuit to her. Or was she being prejudiced by what had happened to Rod?
If so, that wasn’t fair. Rod had ignored safety precautions, while Jake’s company’s safety record was top-notch.
Jake gestured toward the partnership agreement he’d showed her earlier. “So? What do you think? Want to be my silent partner?”
“I’m definitely interested in investing. But for this size of an investment, I should have some say when it comes to major business decisions.”
“I’m willing to listen to other points of view. But I know this company inside and out. When it comes to operating decisions, I have to make the final call.”
Maureen hesitated, then held out her hand. “I can live with that.”