3. Emma
I”d stayed up late the night before on the phone with Abby and Caroline as they tried to talk me down.
I felt bolstered as I drove towards Silverpine, though that resolve took some hard hits as I saw familiar sites. The last time I’d been in this town was to lay my mother to rest. As soon as I shook the hand of the final well-wisher at her funeral, I got my ass out there so fast, I”m pretty sure I made a few heads spin.
There was something simultaneously comforting and haunting about breathing in the pines as I moved closer to Silverpine. As much as I liked LA and all it offered, there was no match for the beauty of my hometown. What I hadn”t admitted to Caroline or Abby was that I dreamed about this place often. And in my dreams, I could feel the cool, autumn air against my skin, smell the scent of fresh pines tickling my nose, and hear the birdsong in the trees.
But inevitably that dream would take me to one of two places, both of which left me shaking and upset—I would either hear my mother”s voice telling me goodbye for the last time or I would see the look of betrayal on Jaime”s face when I told him I couldn’t turn my back on my family.
That look haunted me for twelve years. And I wished I’d found a better way to explain to him back then that turning my back on my family really meant turning my back on my mother. My father made that ultimatum clear. I wasn”t worried about leaving behind the Carter fortune—it was the furthest thing from my mind. But I knew that with all his power and money, my father would cut me off from my mother and I knew deep in my bones we needed each other. We were all the other had for many years and I couldn’t choose Jaime over her, no matter how much I cared for him.
My anxiety over how I was going to cope with being back at Pine Crest was quickly forgotten because my phone would not stop buzzing.
I”d spent most of the drive to Silverpine on the phone with my father”s secretary, Anita. Apparently, what started as a simple business dinner between me and Andrew Travers turned into a formal appreciation event for our most loyal investors. The event would be held in the lounge at the resort and the event planners would take care of all the details. I just had to show up and make the rounds.
I didn”t understand why the plan changed so dramatically, but Anita explained my father felt if Andrew Jr. could see me work my magic with the investors we’d had already won over, then it would put him more at ease about the pending merger he had with our company. According to my father, I was to be the belle of the ball and show off like a peacock.
I hated it when he said things like that, and I hated showing off even more. Unlike my father, I treated everyone with respect, when earned, and I often found our clients and investors wanted it better than they gave it. Much to my dismay, my father was a social climber and treated our business as a means to an end. One day, I would be in charge, and would instill my mother’s gentle touch in everything we did. But until then, I’d have to play by his rules.
The upside to this change of plans was that when I arrived at Pine Crest, I wouldn’t have time to worry about painful memories. I”d barely stepped out of my rental BMW in the valet line when the head event planner, Linda, hurried towards me from the front entrance, grinning at me broadly. ”Miss Carter! We are so delighted to have you home,” she said, shaking my hand enthusiastically.
I smiled at her tightly. ”Thank you, me too,” I lied.
”I know you must be tired from your drive and all the hard work you”ve been doing for the company, but Mr. Carter asked me to get your help ironing out some details about our event tonight before you get too settled in.”
I kept a smile pasted on my face. ”Of course,” I said inwardly, recoiling at the thought.
I hoisted my laptop bag over my shoulder and followed Linda inside the familiar halls of the resort.
It hadn”t changed all that much. It was still pristine, the rich wood floors clean as if they’d just been polished that morning, and knowing the standards our management set at the resort, they probably had been. Off to the right was The Lounge, our premier restaurant and bar, where we often held large gatherings and other formal events, and tonight it would be my little purgatory.
Remember to stay positive, Emma, a voice inside my head that sounded suspiciously like Abby said.
Something made me pause and stare at the bar, though it wasn’t open at this hour of the morning. I”d heard through the grapevine that Jaime had been working as a bartender for the last several years. From what I gathered, he’d developed a reputation as one of the best mixologists this side of the Rockies.
That was no surprise to me. Anything Jaime put his mind to, he excelled at. He was just one of those obnoxiously gifted people.
”Miss Carter?” Linda prompted me.
”What? Oh, I”m sorry, you”ll have to forgive me. I”m just a little tired.”
”It”s understandable. Can I get you something to drink, perhaps some coffee, before we sit down and talk?”
I shook my head, and she led me to a couch in The Lounge where she filled my ear with details about the event.
When she was done information dumping, I politely excused myself, ”I appreciate your help with this Linda, but I need to go up to my room and refresh myself with the Travers’ files,” I said, with a conspiratorial smile. ”Showtime will be upon us soon,” I said with a wink before I hurried out of there and headed to the family suite.
Unsurprisingly, my bags were already waiting for me.
I spent the next few hours going over the copious amount of notes my father had emailed me about Travers Development, Inc. They were an investment firm out of Florida, and it would appear that Mr. Travers Sr. had more money than God, as my mother used to say. I got worried when I noticed that Mr. Travers’s acquisitions were mostly land deals. My father assured me after an argument about the land my mom left to me, he wouldn”t press me about developing it, but to be certain, I called him. ”Dad, how exactly are we looking to merge with Travers Development? I”ve read everything in here, but it”s not expressly stated.”
He paused for a moment before he said, ”Well, Mr. Travers deals mostly in land, but he”s been looking to diversify his portfolio. I met him skiing a couple of years ago, and I told him if he was ever interested in investing in a resort to remember me and he did. I’ve been in contact with him for the last couple of months, but he”s nervous about getting into the hospitality game, so we”re going to need to hold his hand a little bit.”
”I see,” I said, my nerves not settled by his answer. But to be fair, I”d been uneasy about most of my father”s decisions since my mom died, so I couldn”t help but be on high alert.
He”d always loved money, but it alarmed me just how much he loved it. As far as I could tell, this sounded like a pretty standard deal, aside from the fact that Travers was new to the hospitality industry. So I could see why my dad was pulling out all the stops to impress them. It was daunting to break into a new industry, no matter how much money and success you have under your belt.
”I think I see what”s going on,” I said. ”Thank you for filling in the gaps. As you know, it helps to have as much information as possible going in.”
”Please, my girl, you could sell oceanfront property in the desert. You don”t need all this background,” he groused, chuckling.
”All the same, Dad, it”s nice to know.”
”You”ll do great, go knock ”em dead.”
With those words in my head, I got ready for the evening. What I’s rather do is slip into a pair of yoga pants, my Zac Brown Band t-shirt, and binge on pizza and Netflix. But it was going to be another long night wearing uncomfortable heels and a slinky dress.
It”s not that I didn”t enjoy dressing up, but I hadn”t slowed down since Mom had passed, and my body was getting to where it was demanding a break.
I was starting to think maybe Caroline and Abby were right. Once this deal at Pine Crest was done, I needed to insist on a vacation. My strategy of running from the grief over my mother clearly wasn”t working, so maybe it was time I took some time to myself. We had several beach resorts I could choose from, and they were calling my name.
I finished curling my hair and putting on finishing touches of makeup, then checked myself out in the mirror. I decided on an emerald green metallic dress that hung just above my knees, swishing around my hips but hugging my waist and bust.
My dad had implied I needed to impress Andrew Jr. I didn’t appreciate the implication, but I also wanted this trip to be over as quickly as possible, so if I had to show a little cleavage to expedite the situation, I’d do what needed to be done. I slipped on matching metallic heels, grabbed my clutch, and headed for the elevator, mentally going over my talking points for Andrew Travers Jr., and wondering which investors would show up.
When I hit the bottom floor and saw how crowded The Lounge was, a knot of dread wound itself at the bottom of my stomach. I heard raucous laughter coming from the bar, and I turned to look longingly at the bar, which was now open and swinging.
I would love nothing more than to slip into the dim light of the bar and enjoy a vodka tonic—some place where nobody knew me or wanted anything from me.
But that wasn”t my assignment for the night. So I turned back to The Lounge and sucked in a deep breath—it was time to go ”knock ”em dead.”
***
There was an ache in my face again. Nobody told me that was going to be a hazard of my job.
I supposed I shouldn”t complain. The guests have been lovely, and the turnout was better than I expected.
Andrew Travers Jr. had yet to show his face, but I had my hands full with the other investors. Many of them had new properties they wanted us to invest in, so they’d offered me a free vacation to check it out. I didn”t have the heart to tell them that the last thing I wanted to do was spend my vacation working a deal, especially when so many of those people, while nice enough, could be so damn insufferable. I’ve never quite gotten over how an investor could treat me so kindly, and then bark an order at one of our waitstaff.
I knew how hard the staff worked, and juggling this crowd was no small feat.
After a nasty run-in with a West Coast socialite, I pulled one of the servers aside, ”I want to apologize on behalf of that woman.”
Even though he looked grateful, he explained, ”Oh don”t worry, ma”am, it happens more than you think.”
I frowned at him. ”That”s what I was afraid of. And there”s no excuse for it. As soon as I’m done here, I will make sure you are compensated for the disrespect you”ve had to put up with.”
The server looked even more grateful then. ”I really appreciate that, Miss Carter. That”s really cool of you… if you need anything at all tonight, just let me know. I’m Joey,” he said enthusiastically, sticking out his hand.
”Please, call me Emma. It’s nice to meet you, Joey. I think I’m okay for now,” I replied.
As he turned to walk away, I realized I might need something a little stronger than my seltzer to get through this night, especially since Andrew Jr. was fashionably late.
”Hey, Joey? On second thought, can you bring me a drink? Something strong enough to help me deal with all these… lovely people?” I asked with a conspiratorial smile.
Joey smiled. ”I”ll talk to our mixologist. I’m sure he”ll have just the thing.”
”Perfect, thank you so much,” I said, patting his arm before he dashed off to find a drink that would soothe my frazzled nerves.
Normally, this kind of shindig wouldn”t make me so anxious. But having to deal with all these people back at Pine Crest without warning was just too much.
Plus, as time wore on, I was getting increasingly annoyed by the absence of Andrew. I’m sure he didn”t give a shit, but I was eager to get this deal done so I could get the hell out of here and back to my life in LA.
Joey appeared less than five minutes later with a Collins glass on a tray, looking hopeful. ”Ma”am? May I present the Ramos Gin Fizz. Something classic, yet effective… at least that”s how they told me to describe it.”
I smiled as I took the drink from Joey. ”Sounds lovely,” I said before taking a sip and letting the smooth cocktail flow down my throat. It was sweet and sour, with a creamy finish. ”This is excellent,” I said as Joey grinned at my satisfaction.
”That”s awesome. I will tell the mixologist. He”ll be delighted you like it.”
I nodded enthusiastically in agreement, ”please do. As a matter of fact, I might find him later to thank him personally,” I said as Joey looked over my shoulder, his eyes widening slightly.
”Emma?” I turned to see a tall man with blonde hair and a grin. He was dressed in a suit and tie, but the tie was loosened showing a casual attitude for a business meeting. ”I”m Andrew Travers,” he announced, leaning forward to kiss each of my cheeks.
His move startled me. I was accustomed to the gesture with our European investors, but the Travers” were from the East Coast and it seemed a little forward on his part, especially after the conversation with my father where he’d suggested that Andrew Jr. was a catch.
I took a step back, wanting to make my stance clear. This would be nothing but business. I stuck my hand out to shake his. ”Mr. Travers, so nice of you to be here.”
”Yeah, sorry I”m a little late. There was a lot more to check out here in Silverpine than I imagined for such a small town. From the way my father described it, I was expecting a dot on the map with a truck stop and a dinky little hotel, but you guys have quite the impressive operation here.”
Inwardly, I bristled, but kept the smile on my face. ”My parents and I have worked very hard to build Pine Crest Mountain Resort into what it is today. We”re extremely proud, and I think once you experience it for yourself, you”ll understand why.”
Andrew looked down at me suggestively. ”I”m sure I will,” he said with a cocked brow.
I suppressed an eye roll and took another step back. ”Why don’t we get you something to drink and go over some of the details our fathers have negotiated?”
”Oh, let’s not ruin this amazing party with business. We can save that for that dinner we’re supposed to have. I’d rather get to know you, Emma,” he said, his eyes sweeping to the low neckline of my dress, and suddenly the idea that I could close this deal more quickly with cleavage felt a little ickier than it had a few hours ago when I slipped the dress on.
”Well,” I said cautiously, trying to regain my composure, ”you said you looked around Silverpine today, so chances are you”ve gotten to know me already just by being here,” I started, and then proceeded to tell him about where I went to high school and give him some history about my mother’s family and the land Pine Crest sits on. We discussed where I went to business school and how I worked my way up to become my father’s right hand—anything to distract him from the personal stuff. I was hoping he’d pick up the hints and we could get back to business.
While I appreciated my business colleagues being straight to the point, there was a forwardness about Andrew Jr. that rubbed me the wrong way. Or perhaps I was being overly sensitive because of where we were. I didn”t have my typical business shield up, as I normally did. Sometimes it felt like I was walking around with one big raw open wound.
Which is why I needed to keep my eye on the prize, and remember my beach vacation. The sooner I got this business done, the quicker I could get on to the business of healing.
As luck would have it, one of the other investors recognized Andrew and joined our conversation, giving me a buffer, and I was grateful for it. Over the next couple of hours, guests started saying their goodbyes, moving on to other parties or just going to their rooms, and I graciously bid them adieu, counting down the minutes until I too could escape.
Andrew talked about damn near everything other than business, and I would soon learn that it wasn”t difficult to change the subject. As long as I steered the conversation towards him, he would run with it.
I heard all about his jet setting, his wannabe athletic exploits, and how he was finally joining the family business to help ”dear old dad,” as he put it.
I’d done my research before tonight”s event, and I knew a little about Andrew Sr. but his son made him sound like a doddering old fool, which didn”t match the impression I got. As far as I could tell, his father was a rather robust and calculated businessman.
It amused me that a grown man lacked the maturity to appreciate the success of his father, when it was painfully obvious he struggled to measure up. And it made Andrew Jr. even less attractive than I originally thought.
He was in the midst of outlining all the outdoor adventures he had planned while he was here in Silverpine, when I realized I had been lost in my own thoughts and unsurprisingly, Andrew hadn’t noticed.
”That sounds wonderful,” I said, trying to grasp onto anything we had in common. ”I used to hike these mountains regularly with my mom when she was still alive. It”s beautiful country.”
Andrew looked a little odd for a second, then grinned at me. ”Indeed it is, but sometimes we have to make sacrifices so others can enjoy it.”
I felt an icy prick in my gut. ”They are here for everybody to enjoy. I believe land should largely be left alone. It seems everything needs to be profited on. Nothing is sacred. I mean, do we really need another mini mall?” I asked, laughing.
Another odd expression crossed Andrew”s face, but then he laughed it off. Thankfully, I was saved from any more awkward conversations when the last of the guests approached me to say their goodnights. I used this as an opportunity to address Andrew too, and said, ”Well, if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a really long day, so I’m going to head back to my room now. I’m sure you’ll want to be well rested for your excursions tomorrow, too.”
He nodded in agreement. ”It was really nice meeting you, Emma,” he said, and I tried to ignore the churn I felt in my stomach.
”Are we still on for dinner tomorrow so we can review the nuts and bolts of the operation?” I asked, trying to steer it back to the reason we’re here in the first place.
He nodded. ”I will be there… on time, of course,” he said with a grin.
I told him goodnight and watched until he exited the lounge and then turned to the remaining wait staff, announcing, ”Alright guys, you were outstanding tonight. I am going to make sure everyone gets an extra twenty percent tip tonight—I cannot thank you enough for this evening.”
The servers said their thanks and told me goodnight, and I marched through the lounge towards the elevator before I stopped short, my eyes catching on the bar.
After the long evening I had, I could really go for another Gin Fizz. I completely forgot I wanted to thank the mixologist myself and tell them how much I appreciated that drink.
Even though I was dead on my feet and I wanted nothing more than to get out of these stupid heels, I changed course and stepped into the dim bar.
Even though there were still a few hours until last call, only a few tables were occupied. It was quiet, and I was grateful for that.
I would enjoy a quick drink, and then hit the hay. However, when I approached the bar, it was noticeably empty. I looked around for a bartender and found none. Maybe they were in back room restocking?
I sat on a stool, and while I waited, surveyed the place. It had changed since I saw it last—the liquor bottles were now displayed on illuminated stair-stepped platforms behind the bar and the abstract wall art gave it a more modern feel. This may be a mountain resort, but the bar felt sexy, and I liked it.
My father never saw the point in spending money on the resort’s bar décor because he believed that as long as there was alcohol, the guests would come. I’d heard there was a new manager and mixologist hired recently and wondered this was their handiwork. It would appear I had two compliments to deliver tonight… if only I could find that bartender.
Just then I heard a shuffling behind me and turned, expecting to find the bartender when the breath got knocked out of me.
”Jaime,” I breathed, coming face to face with my sexy ghost for the first time in twelve years.