In Too Close

“You most definitely will, Lizzie.”

2

A LIGHT DUSTING of fresh snow covered the employee parking lot of the Lars Usten Lodge as Elizabeth pulled her SUV into the spot labeled General Manager.

The Lars Usten Lodge/Spa ski resort was the idea of Lars Usten, a two-time gold-medal alpine skier. The runs on the Wasatch Range were used by the U.S. Olympic ski team for practice and training, and although the runs still prohibited snowboarders, they enjoyed a steady stream of lodgers year round.

She hopped out of her SUV and pulled her thick red wool coat tighter to ward off the cold. Then she glanced surreptitiously around before she took out her iPhone and photographed the sign with her name on it.

General Manager, Elizabeth Anders.

Oh, my God. Now it seemed real. Seeing her name on the plaque made her want to do the Snoopy dance of joy, but she was an adult.

“Want me to take your photo next to the sign?”

She glanced over at Lindsey Collins, a former Olympic alpine skier and currently one of the ski instructors at the Lars Usten Lodge, who was standing there with a bemused smile on her face.

Lindsey had wide Nordic features and brown eyes. She was taller than Elizabeth, at five feet ten inches, and wore a thick ski headband in her hair to hold her shoulder-length blond locks off her face. If not for a career-ending accident at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, she’d be up on the mountain training right now.

“You saw?” Elizabeth asked a bit sheepishly.

“Yeah, but I thought it was cute. And you have worked damned hard to get here...so, do you want a photo next to the sign?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth replied. She already had a picture frame on her dresser ready for the photo that would be a reminder—or a touchstone, rather—to keep her on track as she worked every day at her job.

She’d even dressed the part in a swanky black dress that she’d paired with her mother’s pearls and her father’s big gold watch. She wouldn’t be where she was today without her parents.

“Go on, then,” Lindsey said.

Elizabeth walked over to the sign and turned to look back at the camera. Inside she might feel like grinning, but her expression for the photo was serious and intent. “Got it. You want to join me for breakfast?” Lindsey asked.

“Yes, I’d love to. But first I want to touch base with the night manager and make sure everything is on track. So...thirty minutes?”

“Perfect. I want to check the ski valet and make sure that Thompson Holmes’s skis arrived.”

“I was going to ask you about that,” Elizabeth said. Thompson Holmes was a Hollywood director but also an avid outdoorsman. He loved the lodge and they kept one of their private cabins on standby for him since he often called at the last minute.

“We can discuss over breakfast,” Lindsey replied. “My treat.”

“Why?” Elizabeth asked. Over the last few months, as Lindsey had adjusted to being one of the ski instructors, the two women had become friends. They often had breakfast together, but each always paid her own way.

“To celebrate. It’s my way of saying congratulations on your promotion.”

“Oh, well, thanks,” Elizabeth said. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes, it is. I’m proud of you,” Lindsey added before turning and walking away. Elizabeth drew her coat a little closer around herself as she walked toward the lodge and her office. It was situated with all of the executive offices, on the second floor, behind a massive stone atrium wall with a fireplace in it. When she moved into her new one she’d have a view of the Wasatch Range.

The view wasn’t what she’d worked so hard for, but she’d definitely enjoy it.

As she entered the lodge she was greeted by the doorman, Henry, who’d been trained at some of the finest hotels in Europe. Lars only hired the very best to staff his lodge. The moment she walked inside everyone began offering congratulations and she took the time to greet them all by name.

She’d learned from Lars that little gestures like that meant the difference between good and great. Good didn’t lead, but great could.

Elizabeth walked over to her desk and shook her head as she remembered her lurid dream about Bradley last night. She tossed her designer tote onto her dark-stained walnut sideboard and skimmed the room with her eyes, half expecting him to be waiting in the corner. But that was just wishful thinking, and this was real. She was the general manager of the Lars Usten Lodge. It was a big deal. She wished her father were here for her to call. He would have been so proud of her for getting this promotion.

He’d been a middle manager and traveled a lot when she and her sister were little. His dream had been to see them both succeed and be happy. Elizabeth had always been his little shadow.

She paused for a moment, letting the heels of her shiny black pumps sink into her bespoke geometrically designed Persian rug, before she sat down behind her desk. Knowing she had a busy day ahead of her, she took out her laptop and powered it up, then switched on her Tiffany lamp and got to work. Barely ten minutes later she heard a knock. She glanced up from the memo she was typing and invited the person to enter. It was her boss, Lars.

She stood up, wiped her hands on her skirt and walked around her desk to greet the chairman of the board. He was sixty-five but showed little sign of slowing down. Lars had once been a champion giant-slalom skier and still started every day with some sort of outdoor activity, which probably accounted for his good health.

“Good morning, Elizabeth,” the silver-haired gentleman said. “Are you ready for the morning report?”

“Morning, Lars,” she said, holding her hand out to him and following his ritual of the European air kiss to each cheek before returning to sit behind her desk. Her computer screen flashed a message and she saw that the morning report had just arrived in her mailbox.

This was the second time that Jerry had been late in filing the report and she jotted a quick note to have a discussion with him. She’d worked with him in her former position as well, and knew that his lateness was becoming a habit.

She skimmed the email and started to discuss it with her boss. When she finished he leaned back in the art-deco guest chair, crossing one leg over the other.

“Very good. I can see you have this all under control. I think I will move our meetings to weekly instead of daily.”

“Okay. I will have Paula make the adjustments to our calendars,” Elizabeth said calmly, but inside she was doing the a victory dance. It had taken five long years, but finally she thought she had gained Lars’s trust.

He nodded and then stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows. Elizabeth hesitated for a second before going to join him.

“I want to warn you, Elizabeth, that this job is not without its drawbacks. You have worked hard to get here but you haven’t reached the final destination. You will still have to work hard—harder even than before—and there is a lot that you will find yourself sacrificing.”

“I’m aware of that,” she said.

“If at any time you find that you no longer wish to make that sacrifice, let me know.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Elizabeth reassured him.

“You might find yourself feeling differently,” he said. “I’ve always put the lodge first.”

“I do, as well,” she said. “This job is the most important thing in my life.”

“I have noticed, but you do run the risk of ending up just like me.”

“Great,” she said. “I want to be successful.”

“But you might also wind up alone. It’s not for everyone,” he said. “Just think about it.”

She nodded, and he said his goodbyes and left. She thought about her midnight call from Bradley and their dinner plans for tomorrow. She didn’t know if it was wise to tempt fate and make their friendship into something more, but she also knew she wasn’t going to back down.

Having it all seemed like a challenge but she was more than up to the task, she reassured herself. Really, she was.

* * *

HER PHONE RANG a little after midnight, just as she shut off the Late Show and was preparing to go to sleep.

“Still struggling with the time zones?”

“Yes, but not in the way you mean. I’m wide-awake, even though it’s the middle of the night. Too much time in the U.K.”

“What were you doing there, by the way?” she asked. “Forgot to ask the other night.”

“We just got a new contract. But that’s not why I called. We can talk business any time. The middle of the night...that’s our time for fantasy.”

“Fantasy? I thought you were a real man,” she teased. “Did I make you up?”

She got out of bed and walked quickly to the wall switch to turn off the overhead light before going back to bed. She lay in the middle of the queen-size mattress, plumped the pillows up behind her and settled down to talk to Bradley.

A long time ago she’d given up the illusion that any man would be sharing her bed regularly. She thought part of it was due to the fact that she didn’t want to have to compromise on any of the things she wanted. But the other part...well, she didn’t want to risk falling in love and acting stupid again.

“Oh, I’m real enough. I didn’t think you’d appreciate a midnight visit, so I called instead.”

“This is getting to be a habit,” she said. “I guess you’re safely back in Utah?”

“I am. Landed earlier today. Crashed for a few hours and then tried calling you around dinner time.”

“I had my phone on silent. I was in an executive meeting,” she said. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night call? Is it to discuss our benefits?”

“Benefits. That’s such a fun word. What do you think they should look like?”

“You shirtless, waiting on me hand and foot,” she said.

Keep it light. She wanted him in her bed, too. She wanted someone she could share her fears with. This new job, the one she’d hoped was the pinnacle of her career, suddenly felt like another summit she still had to climb.

“Ah, I see. A glorified cabana boy.”

“Sort of. It’s a shame you didn’t just return from someplace sunny.”

“I’m naturally pretty tanned. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” he murmured.

She didn’t think so, either, but his ego was big enough without her stroking it. Though stroking him was what she wanted. She hated to admit it, but the truth was she was ready for sex. And a lot of it. Yet, by the same token, she didn’t want to let this stray into anything other than their regular friendship.

She sighed. End this now before it turns into another regret.

“What’s wrong, Lizzie?” he asked softly.

Guess she shouldn’t be surprised that he’d noticed her sudden trepidation. After all, they’d always been pretty in tune with each other. And even though she kind of wished he wasn’t quite so observant right now, it was probably better to just get this all out in the open.

“Well, if you must know...we haven’t had sex yet and this is getting complicated.”

“Only if you let it,” he said.

Her friend always knew the right thing to say to calm her down and make her believe things would get better. He was the reason they’d made this bargain. She would have been happy for a one-night hookup at Marina’s wedding and a lifetime of loneliness, but Bradley had teased her with the thought that she could have more.

“I hope it’s that easy.”

“Of course it is,” he said.

“You—

“Me and you,” he said. “That’s what this is about. We know what we want.”

“We do?” she asked. She wasn’t as brazen about that now as she had been last night. But then, he hadn’t just woken her from a steamy dream that had left her hot for him.

Reality had intruded big-time today and she was confused. That was it. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore. It wasn’t as straightforward as it had been the day before.

“Lizzie?”

“Yes.”

“I want you.”

His voice was deep and husky as it vibrated in her ear, and it sent shivers of desire down her spine.

“How do you want me?”

“Lying next to me. Curled up close so that I can lean over you,” he said.

“I’d like that. I’ve been thinking about that one kiss...wanting to know if it was the atmosphere and the champagne that made you taste so good, made it feel so right.”

“I can promise it wasn’t just that. It was you and me.”

You and me. He kept linking them together as though they belonged with each other. “You know this is just sex.”

“It’s friendship plus.”

She laughed. “Plus?”

“Yes, we’re still buddies, but now we get all the good stuff. Don’t forget we were friends first.”

“I’m not. I just need to be very careful that you don’t expect more. Like I said last night, I’m not ready for more than...” She couldn’t bring herself to say more than sex. That would make it seem as if she was using him.

“Late-night rendezvous.”

“Yes.”

“We’re good,” he said. “And tomorrow at dinner I will put your doubts about our kiss to rest.”

“They aren’t doubts,” she said.

“What are they?”

Longing. It was the hope that his kisses were just as hot and magical as she remembered, because she wanted Bradley to live up to all the fantasies she’d given him a starring role in.

“Never mind.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

“Good night, Bradley.”

“Sweet dreams.”

* * *

BRADLEY WALKED INTO his offices above Fresh Sno in Park City and tossed his leather duffel bag onto the big, overstuffed couch in the corner. The office area was a large loft above the retail store, and its open floor plan allotted lots of cubicle space for all his staff. Right now it was fairly empty.

“Cult of Personality” was blaring from the speakers, and his assistant, Tia, stood next to her desk flirting with Carter Shaw, world number-one half-pipe snowboarder and all-around lothario.

Tia was tall, curvy and had thick, brown dreadlocks that hung to the middle of her back. She wore an insanely short denim miniskirt over a pair of mustard-yellow tights and combat boots. She had on a thick Irish wool sweater that Bradley had brought her back after his last trip to the U.K. Fresh Sno had won a bid to supply skis and boards to a chain of indoor winter sports centers in England, Scotland and Wales, and he’d racked up quite a few frequent-flyer miles traveling overseas these past few months.

“I thought I was paying you to work,” he said.

“Believe it or not, boss man, I am working,” Tia replied, turning around to face him. “Carter is here with a business proposition.”

“I think that’s not the only proposition he had in mind,” Bradley remarked.

The snowboarder threw up his hands. “Hey, a boy can dream, can’t he?”

“Indeed. I need coffee, but then we can talk in the conference room at the end of the hall.”

“No problem,” Carter said, stepping away to check his cell phone. “Take your time.”

Carter was an Olympic gold medalist and had the sort of bad-boy reputation that the public adored. He was leading the lobby to have all of the resorts in Park City open all their ski runs up to snowboarding, and having the Thunderbolt Energy Games stop in Park City had certainly helped his cause.

As a retailer who sold a lot of snowboards, Bradley was backing the boarders. The only downside was that it caused some friction between himself and Elizabeth. Most of the luxury resorts preferred to keep to the status quo. Another way that Elizabeth was making herself old before her time.

Bradley didn’t enjoy being at odds with her. It reminded him that he came from a different world than she did. And he didn’t like it.

“Anything pressing?” he asked Tia as he escorted Carter out and stopped by her desk.

“No. But a package arrived for you from Tiffany’s.” She gave him a wry look. “Are you dating someone new?”

“None of your biz,” Bradley said, as he went to the coffee machine in the corner and made himself a double espresso. It was going to be a long day. But his reward was dinner and an evening with Elizabeth. He’d been in a state of semi-arousal ever since he’d called her two nights ago.

Elizabeth. That one kiss had been way too long ago. A part of him wondered if he’d imagined how good it had been. Her taste had been so unique and so right. He’d kissed other women since then but they’d all left him wanting.

“Not that its any of your business, nosy,” Bradley said, “but it’s for Elizabeth. She’s just been promoted to the general manager of the Lars Usten Lodge.”

Carter whistled. “Impressive. That place is first class all the way. They still aren’t as boarder friendly as I’d like them to be, though.”

“Actually, it is now. I have a contract to provide all equipment for ski rental there.” Holding his cup of steaming espresso in one hand and his briefcase in the other, Bradley led the way to the conference room. “But I think you are here to discuss something else.”

“Yes, I am. I want to put together a group of exhibition events similar to the Thunderbolt Energy Games and I need some sponsors to do it,” Carter told him. “I’d like Fresh Sno to be a major participant.”

“Would we do it here in Park City?” Bradley asked as the two of them entered the conference room and took a seat at a long, narrow table. Already he was weighing the pros and cons. He liked community events but his company wasn’t big enough to give too much to charity without it affecting the bottom line. “Why would we need to do another Thunderbolt Energy Games thing?”

“I want to combine it with kids who aren’t already at the top, the ones who haven’t been exposed to good equipment and teachers. Part of it is to use my reputation to give back to the community that nurtured me.”

“I like it,” Bradley said, the wheels already turning in his head. “I bet we can get some of the resorts in the area to kick in as venues. What do you think?”

“Great idea. I grew up here and I know how hard it can be to get your start if you don’t have money. I want the kids who are out there using secondhand boards and skis to have a place to compete and maybe win some new gear. I want to make things easier—”

“I get it,” Bradley acknowledged with a smile. “Give them the shot that you wish someone had given you.”

“Exactly, dude. I know that I could convince my Thunderbolt Energy Drink sponsor to stop here on their tour but I want some events that aren’t part of that.”

“So are you thinking this would run concurrently?” Bradley asked. “I don’t know how that would work.”

“Actually, I’d rather it was a separate event. Use the publicity from the Thunderbolt Energy Games to generate some word of mouth for our Park City games. Or Fresh Sno...I don’t know what else we could call it.”

“How about Fresh Faces?” Bradley suggested. “I’ll ask my marketing guru to get on it.”

“I’m going to be traveling the next two weeks but then will be back in Park City the week before Thanksgiving. My mom would kill me if I missed the holiday.”

“Moms are like that,” Bradley said, because he knew that was what was expected.

“Yeah, but mine’s the best, so I don’t mind it.”

“We can meet that week and I’ll let you know what I’ve come up with. When are you thinking of having this event? I believe that the Thunderbolt Energy Games are going to be in town in January.”

“They are, so I was thinking next November. That gives us a year to talk it up and to get everything lined up.”

“Okay. Just keep in mind that I’m not making any promises yet. I’ll bring this to my team meeting this afternoon and see who wants to get involved.”

“Awesome.” Carter gave him a high five. “I think I’m going to like working with you, man.”

“Would you consider an endorsement deal, too?” Bradley asked. “We could link it with your desire to help the local kids. Maybe get some of Park City Recreation’s best and brightest to do the ads with you.”

“Yes, I will. Of course, my agent will have to be involved so shoot me over an email with the deets and I’ll have him get on it,” Carter said, pulling out a business card and handing it over.

Bradley suspected the snowboard/surfer dude thing was just a persona that Carter wore when he was working a deal. But he didn’t comment on it. He was used to dealing with people like that. He’d figure Carter out as he had figured out Elizabeth, and once he knew what made the other guy tick, he’d know the best way to move forward.

Elizabeth did the same thing—acted as though she was a tough-as-nails executive when inside she was a woman waiting to be coaxed out of her shell. And he was just the man to do it.

3

ELIZABETH SPENT MOST of the day in meetings. But really her mind was on Bradley. Her friend “plus.” She hadn’t been able to get that notion out of her head all day, and she was practically counting the minutes until she saw him again.

She stood above the lobby, which was decked out in fall garlands with the signs of harvest all around. It seemed homey—if home was a big mansion with lots of luxury. She remembered the modest ranch-style home she’d grown up in and acknowledged to herself that Thanksgiving looked a lot different this year.

The scent of spiced pumpkin cookies wafted in the air from the bakery down the hall that led out to the ski area. She felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. Suddenly, she heard raised voices at the front desk and realized that Thompson Holmes was demanding something.

She rubbed the back of her neck. He was demanding and not a very nice man. He might be able to make people weep with his blockbuster movies but in real life he was an ass. But it was her job to keep him happy so he’d tell his friends about the resort. A big part of their clientele was Hollywood A-listers.

Her cell phone rang and she glanced down at Bradley’s face before answering the call.

“I can’t believe you’re calling me at a decent hour,” she quipped. She kept one eye on the front desk where her manager seemed to be getting Thompson to calm down.

“The hour is always decent when you’re on the phone, Lizzie. I’m calling to see if we can bump our dinner to 8:30.”

She felt a twinge of disappointment. They’d been friends for years; she was ready for the benefits to kick in. Maybe he had cold feet after their call last night.

“Sure. We don’t have to have dinner. You can come by my place later, instead.”

“We’re having dinner,” he said. “I was hoping to add a meeting to your calendar today to discuss an opportunity that Carter Shaw brought me. Our dinner is about you and me. I don’t want to talk business then.”

She ignored the fact that he’d just made her feel warm and tingly inside. Sex was all she wanted from Bradley, but the truth was he’d always made her feel good. Even when they were competing against each other and he beat her.

“I’d love to discuss this,” she said. She needed a community project on the calendar for next year. “But Carter can be...difficult. My board of directors is still a little peeved from the way he pushed for snowboarders. Should I get our ski pro to join us?”

She was already thinking where in her schedule she could fit the meeting in and get Lindsey to join them. That way, she’d ensure it was more business and less date. The more she’d contemplated their friends-with-benefits arrangement today, the more important it seemed to make certain they didn’t fall into a relationship. It would just complicate things.

“It’s up to you, but at this phase, probably just you and I would be fine to discuss this idea. I’m talking to the GMs at all the area resorts.”

“Okay. So is it something exciting? Give me some details so I can start—”

“So eager. Are you always this impatient?” he asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“I just don’t like surprises,” she said. “Forewarned is forearmed and all that.”