Chapter 2
Aspen
Five weeks earlier
“Would you look at that hunk? Boy, he knows how to wear a pair of jeans.”
I chewed on the straw in my cup as I stared at my computer screen. Then I realized what my best friend had said. “What? Huh?”
Maggie smacked my arm. “What has you more interested than the sexy construction worker over there?” She nodded toward the massive coffee shop window into the parking lot, licking her lips in her usual provocative fashion.
I lifted my head, exhaling. “He’s kinda cute.”
“Kinda? Jesus, girl. You need to get your eyes checked. He’s hunkilicious.”
“That’s not even a word.”
“It is now.” Maggie laughed, tilting her head then glancing over the top edge of my laptop. “Seriously, what are you doing?”
“Possibly looking for a new job.”
“You have a great job. In fact, you make three times the amount of money I do. What are you complaining about?”
By all rights, she was correct. I was paid well with full benefits, including a nice little parking spot close to the building.
But I was bored to death. I was considered one of the top employees in the company, the perks including a club membership and use of a private jet whenever I needed.
However, it had come with a price and one I wasn’t willing to suffer with emotionally any longer.
“I just want some excitement in my life, a chance to do something entirely different.”
“So, go have a one-night stand. That’s what you need. A hot stud muffin in your bed.” Maggie burst into laughter. She knew I wasn’t that kind of girl, but she enjoyed teasing the hell out of me. “You’re serious. You’re going to leave a seventy thousand dollar a year job now?”
“You know what? I am. There are some things you don’t know about the firm, Maggie.” And she didn’t. I’d purposely kept my professional life out of our conversations.
“That sounds ominous.”
She had no idea.
“Look. I really want to consider doing something racy or at least uncomplicated for a portion of the time. Maybe I just need a breath of fresh air.”
“Well, okay. Although I wish you’d tell me the real reason. What are you finding on the great Careerbuilder?”
I bit my lip then took another sip of my iced tea. “Nothing spectacular, at least not in Indianapolis.” I’d worked for the same firm for almost five years, helping to make the married owners millionaires. It had been at the cost of my sanity, something that continued to irritate the hell out of me.
She laughed, shaking her head. “Then try another state. What the heck? Go all out there if you’re serious.” She returned her attention to the front window, giving me a smile. The woman was carefree and happy.
If only I could feel that way.
She had a point though. Getting out of town, or even the state might do me some good.
Especially after… No. I refused to think about anything negative today.
There was no point in doing so. I took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds.
I’d almost lost a good portion of myself. It was time to take back the reins.
You can do this.
I shifted my criteria, searching a few additional states including California. Go big or go home. Right?
I felt Maggie’s hand on my arm and lifted my head. There was such concern in her eyes.
“Can I ask you a question?” She almost whispered the words, which surprised the hell out of me. She was the boisterous one, a girl with a take-no-shit kind of attitude.
“Of course. What’s up?”
“Are you doing this to get away, I mean from Scott?”
Exhaling, I took a few seconds before answering.
I’d told her only a little about the man, even less about what had occurred between us at a festive party.
The dark, stormy night was something I’d tried very hard to forget.
My God, Scott was the owner’s son, the man destined to take over the company.
He was also a prick, a user who’d set his sights on me.
I’d never been able to keep any secrets from her. “Maybe a little.”
She nodded, a look of anger crossing her face. “You should have told someone.”
“You don’t know what happened.”
“I can guess. I’m not stupid. You were a shell of yourself for almost two weeks after that company party. If you’d confided in me that night, I would have kicked the shit out of him.” Maggie gave me a serious look.
Shrugging, I scrolled through another page. “That was the past.”
“Which is why you’re leaving your hometown. As I said, you should have called the police. The humiliation alone might have kept him from doing that to another woman.”
“As if the police would have done anything.” The Johnsons were a prominent family in Indianapolis, their wealth and influence making certain their shit didn’t stink.
“Okay. Fine. Then find a new job. I’ll miss you desperately.” She pouted, giving me a puppy dog look.
“And you’ll come out to visit,” I said, laughing.
“You’re damn right I will!”
We both laughed for a few minutes, but angst remained in the pit of my stomach. I’d fought the demons that had threatened to derail my career but being forced to see the asshole on a daily basis had become exhausting.
Especially since he lorded his position as VP over me.
I scrolled through a couple of pages, growing bored almost instantly. Then a single entry caught my eye. It really caught my eye. I read the ad over twice before flipping the laptop in her direction. “Whoa. Would you look at this?”
Yawning on purpose, Maggie finally grinned then peered down at the screen.
Then her eyes narrowed as she read the ad out loud.
“Position available in Napa Valley. Imagine learning the ins and outs of the wine business in a beautiful setting, enjoying the lifestyle while being paid to do so. Wolfe Wineries is looking for the right candidate for a one-year position possibly leading to full time. Work will entail certain aspects of marketing as well as providing ideas for entirely new and vivacious campaigns. Salary is…” She hesitated, giving me a quick look.
I finished for her. “One hundred thousand dollars with full benefits plus living quarters and a car.” I couldn’t help but grin.
“Is this for real? No way. That’s a crazy ad. No one is going to pay that kind of money for a temporary position. Besides, that’s beneath you.”
“Don’t say that. It just might be the fresh start I need.”
“Hmm… Then let’s take a look at Wolfe Wineries.” She allowed her fingers to fly on the keyboard. Then she leaned back, her eyes shimmering. “The place is real all right. Look at this. It’s freaking gorgeous and they’ve had some seriously award-winning wines, at least until recently.”
When she flipped the computer around, I was instantly mesmerized at the gorgeous setting.
From rolling hills to the most gorgeous green fields full of grapes, spectacular villas, and an estate that looked like a castle, the location was what dreams were made of.
I pulled the computer in front of me, gawking at the pictures for a few seconds.
“It’s a pipe dream, but what the heck?” Maggie sighed, sipping on her iced coffee, growling when another group of men walked by the front door.
I started typing, humming as I did so. A few seconds later, I sat back, nervous as a kitty cat. Was I doing the right thing?
“What?” she asked.
“Well, I took your advice. I sent in my resume. We shall see. Cross your fingers.”
Maggie giggled. “That was fast. You really are serious. Let me know if you hear anything. You have balls, my friend.”
Sighing, I closed my laptop. There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d qualify, even if my resume was spot on. No, I’d lived through hell. Maybe karma would be kind after everything I’d been through.
* * *
Arduous.
That’s the only way to describe the day.
I’d spent far too much time being ignored by a company whose future I’d sacrificed so much of my free time for.
The owners seemed to be in a holding pattern instead of pushing the boundaries like I recommended.
Maybe that was the telling moment and it was the perfect time to leave.
Then Scott had berated me in front of other employees. I was done. I’d take a job flipping burgers at this point.
I tossed my bag on the floor, immediately moving into the bedroom to change.
Wearing a constricted suit every day just wasn’t me, although the attire was required.
After jumping into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, I poured a glass of wine before placing my laptop on the kitchen table.
At least I was home. Maybe tonight would be a good night for spaghetti.
I opened the case, quickly moving to my email, huffing at the assorted listings from various clothing stores I couldn’t afford.
I shifted my thoughts to the winery, remembering the incredible images of the owner.
The man had the most gorgeous green eyes, which captivated me with every image.
He was gorgeous with long shaggy dark and very silky-looking hair, a mesmerizing presence that captured not only my mind but my desire.
He had bronzed skin, his high forehead suggesting an aristocratic heritage of some kind. And his muscles… Whew.
Exhaling, I realized I was having difficulty breathing, my pulse racing.
I’d never been so aroused from looking at a few pictures.
I pressed my hand across my mouth, trying to control the few moans slipping past my lips.
My reaction was ridiculous. After shaking my head, I returned my attention to whatever mail was in my inbox.
Then a particular email caught my eye. Wolfe Wineries. Really? I realized my hand was shaking as I pressed on the nondescript tagline.
I was forced to blink several times until I realized I’d been offered a Zoom interview. Really? While I knew I had an impressive resume to a degree, I couldn’t imagine the work I’d performed could matter. It had nothing to do with beverages of any kind.
“Oh, Lord.” The interview was in the morning at eleven.
There wasn’t much time to prepare, but damn it, I wasn’t going to turn this down.
After accepting the Zoom invitation, I sat back, reeling from my actions.
I wasn’t the kind of girl to hunger for adventures, no matter what I’d said to Maggie.
I was a homebody. Hell, my parents lived three miles from my apartment.
But I had to admit I hungered for something different in my life. I longed to see exotic places, enjoying the fruits of my labor in an entirely new way.
Maybe this was a new beginning.
If I could manage to get away from my old life without any additional scars.
* * *
“I have two last questions for you, Ms. Porter. Why do you think you’d be good for this position and why do you think you’d make a difference, perhaps able to take Wolfe Wineries into the future?”
I took a deep breath, studying Mr. Blakely’s face.
While he had kind eyes, he’d been all about business, grilling me on every aspect of my career as well as delving into my professional views on marketing and advertising.
I had no clue whether or not I’d made any headway.
However, I sat back, taking a sip of my water bottle before answering.
“The honest truth is that I’m not certain I can help in obtaining your illustrious goals; however, I do know what sells and what doesn’t and usually the reasons why.
My record has proven that, including what I managed to do for Johnson and Bridger.
From what I can tell, the reason your company is failing at this point, after spending so much time on the leaderboard, is the lack of leadership.
The owner of the company used to be the front man, the person people admired and looked up to.
Now, he’s silent, as if he no longer cares about the business.
That’s your biggest issue. Perhaps I will be able to encourage him to change his methods of operation. ”
I kept my hard, cold stare into his eyes as he searched mine. However, all I wanted to do was crumple into a ball.
He took a deep breath, taking a few seconds to flip through my resume once again. Then he gave me a single nod. “Perhaps, Ms. Porter. I will be in touch either way. Thank you for your time.”
When he ended the meeting, I resisted tossing my laptop across the room. Damn the man. I didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.