Hope Falls_Accidental Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  That was a small detail she’d forgotten all about. “I know it wasn’t, Clara. But have you ever actually been on a zip line? It’s amazing and I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t be a good thing to put in. I mean, it’s so—”

  “Wait. You went on a zip line? YOU?”

  “Well…it’s not like I had a choice. He thought I was you. He said I needed to experience it before I could make a decision so we went to Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures and did it. It’s crazy cool, though.”

  “And you liked it?”

  “I loved it.”

  She was starting to get annoyed by the incredulous tone in her friend’s voice. Sure, she wasn’t known for her wild antics but it wasn’t as if Tess didn’t ever do anything fun. It wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibilities.

  Tess could almost hear Clara shaking her head on the other end of the phone. “Well, I’m glad you liked it,” she said after a minute. “But you have to tell him it’s a bad idea.”

  “What’s a bad idea?”

  “A zip line. Haven’t you been listening?”

  Of course she was listening. Tess’s head was spinning from all the things that weren’t good ideas.

  “A zip line is a terrible idea, Tess. If you read through the file, you’ll see that the logistics of installing such a thing is too much and then there’s the cost. Never mind the fact that the Lodge has always positioned itself as being a romantic destination. Not an adventure center.”

  “I know,” Tess said. “I read it five times. But isn’t that why they hired us? To help create an adventure center?”

  “Us?”

  Tess flinched, but didn’t back down. “Yes, us. After all, I’m sort of you right now.”

  “Maybe so, but if you really were me, you wouldn’t be recommending something that could potentially be destroying my company. Really, Tess. If they take this ridiculous recommendation and go with it just to have it fail, I’ll be ruined.”

  She hadn’t thought of that. Of course, she hadn’t thought of any of that. She hadn’t thought of it because it wasn’t her business. She wasn’t a consultant; she wasn’t trained in anything to do with advising people on what they should do with their companies, and she certainly didn’t know what she was doing when it came to adventure and zip lines. If Clara wanted to be angry at her, she could be, but if anyone should be angry about anything, it should be her.

  “But I’m not you, Clara. That’s the whole point.” Tess stopped her pacing and opened the patio door. The fresh mountain air washed over her but it didn’t do anything to help her calm down. “I’ve been trying my best because you asked me to, and because you know I need the money. But I’m not you, Clara. I’m not. And I’m going to make mistakes and screw up and I’m sorry, but if you wanted things done a certain way, you should have done them yourself. It’s not fair for you to get upset with me when all I’m doing is trying my best! And I’ll tell you another thing. I love you, but I’m so mad at you right now. I can’t do this anymore. I just can’t.”

  She hung up before Clara could respond. She didn’t want to hear what her friend had to say. Her cell phone rang a second later, just the way she knew it would. Clara’s face filled the screen. Tess reached down and switched it off right before she realized they’d never finished discussing telling Max the truth.

  “A zip line?”

  Ryan Morrison, the customer service manager, and the first ally Max had when he moved to the Lodge, stared at him over a beer with a look that would have been laughable if Max wasn’t so serious. When Ryan invited Max to join him and Bo, the outdoor activities director, for a few beers after their shift, he’d jumped at the opportunity. Mostly because he needed some space from Tess to think about his next step, and also because he was going to be working closely with these men and building a relationship with them was definitely not a bad idea.

  “Yes, a zip line. Why not?”

  Ryan laughed and Bo shook his head, but remained silent. “Offhand?” Ryan held up a hand and ticked off fingers. “I can think of about fifteen different reasons.” He waved his hands in the air, having run out of fingers. “Not the least of which will be the fact that no one will want to use it.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.” Max picked up his beer and took a long pull. “I think lots of people will want to try it out.”

  “No way.” Ryan shook his head. “If anyone knows the guests and what they want, it’s me. They want romance. They want relaxation. They want—”

  “Adventure,” Max finished for him.

  Bo laughed, but still didn’t say anything. He focused intently on his beer.

  “That’s why I was brought on, Ryan. Management wants adventure brought to the Lodge. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “I know, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Especially not a zip line. You’re going to bring in something like that…it’s going to cost a crap load of money to put it in and at the end of the day, nobody is going to want to do it because it requires too much energy.”

  “Energy?”

  “Absolutely. The Lodge is about relaxing and the entire experience that goes along with that. If it requires too much energy, they won’t want to do it.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.” Max could feel himself getting heated. He liked Ryan; he really did. But what he didn’t like was the fact that the man couldn’t see the bigger picture. All he could see was what was in front of him. And there was so much opportunity being left on the table. “Bo? What do you think?”

  The other man set down his beer and rubbed a hand over his chin. He took a minute to think things over, but Max knew he already had an opinion. How could he not?

  “I don’t disagree,” Bo said finally.

  “What do you mean?” Ryan looked between them. “You don’t disagree with who?”

  “With either of you.” He picked his beer up again and drained it before he set it down again. “I think you both have valid points.”

  Max took a deep breath. His relaxing beers with the guys was quickly turning into an exercise in frustration. “But if you had a vote in it,” he pushed, “what would it be?”

  “Well, that’s the thing, guys.” Bo laughed and pushed up from the table. “I don’t have a say in it. Besides, isn’t that what you hired a consultant for? Where is she anyway? Rumor has it you brought her to the Lodge.”

  “He did.” Ryan leaned back in his chair, a grin across his face. Clearly he liked the change of topic. “And she’s cute. Clara Clark. Not at all what I expected in a business consultant, but hey, I’d—”

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” Max warned. The intense flare of protectiveness that flashed through him took him by surprise. If anyone was going to think about his consultant in a way that was anything but professional, it was going to be him.

  His consultant.

  “Just…don’t finish it.”

  The smile faded from the other man’s face, replaced by a knowing smirk. “And why would that be, Max?”

  Bo placed his hands on each of their shoulders and stood between them. “I think we all know why that is. Can I give you a bit of advice, Max?”

  He looked up and shook Bo’s hand off him. “Go for it.”

  “I should tell you not to get involved with someone you work with, but at the end of the day, it actually worked out well for me. So what I am going to tell you is to be careful.”

  Careful. That was Bo’s big advice? Max didn’t know what he expected, but he definitely expected more than that from the man. It was well known that Bo and his fiancée Morgan were one of the greatest love stories of Castle Mountain Lodge. They’d fallen in love over Bo’s young daughter, Ella, when Morgan came to work in the Cub Club, the children’s center, and they’d made it work. Well.

  It’s not that he was looking for advice, but if he was going to get some, he figured Bo would be a good source.

  “I think it’s a terrible idea.” Ryan leaned back in his chair. “Nothing good can co
me from it. Besides, she’s clearly not your type.”

  Possessiveness rose up in him and it took all he had not to reach across the table and punch the man’s smile off.

  “I don’t have time for this.” Bo shook his head with a laugh. “You boys can sort it out.”

  As far as Max was concerned, there was nothing to sort out. Not where Tess was concerned. Except for the very minor detail of the lie between them. But after that kiss in the woods this afternoon, he was more than done with the games they were playing. And that’s exactly why he had a special dinner planned for them in the village later. It was time to see whether there was anything real between them.

  No. It was way past time.

  8

  Tess had taken a bit of extra care getting ready for dinner. It wasn’t entirely because of Max either. Not really. She’d always been of the opinion that when you had something particularly challenging to deal with, it was always a good idea to present yourself in the best possible way. If you looked confident, you might actually feel confident. It didn’t always work, but she needed all the help she could get, so she was willing to try anything.

  And she did feel good as she walked into the main Lodge building.

  Max had invited her out for dinner. His message had said he needed to talk to her about something. Well, if Max thought he needed to talk, was he ever in for a surprise. If anyone needed to get something off her chest, it was her. After her conversation with Clara, Tess had never been so certain.

  She was done lying. If Clara was worried about her business, she should get her ass to Castle Mountain Lodge herself and advise, the way she was supposed to be doing. But as far as Tess was concerned, she couldn’t go one more minute pretending to be someone she wasn’t. It wasn’t fair to Max. For so many reasons. Sure, she could flub her way through the advising role, and maybe it would be different if that’s all there was to it. But that wasn’t all. Not even close.

  She was falling in love with him. It was ridiculous to even think that when she’d only known him for a few days, he was the exact opposite of everything she’d ever wanted, and he was definitely the opposite of everything she was. But she couldn’t help it. There was something between them. Some kind of connection, an electricity. She couldn’t even describe it. But she didn’t have to because when they kissed, it was all there. She’d never felt like that after a kiss and what was more…Tess knew he felt it, too. You couldn’t fake that kind of chemistry. There was no way.

  Of course, even if Max was feeling something for her, right now he thought it was Clara he had feelings for. Or had a connection with…or whatever. That wasn’t the point. The point was she was not Clara and it was time that Max knew the truth. And the truth was exactly what he was going to get. Just as soon as she—

  “Clara!”

  Tess jolted with the shock of her name that wasn’t her name and the touch on her shoulder.

  “Oh, I’m sorry I startled you.” A woman, immaculately dressed in a pant suit and bright pink blouse, stood in front of her with a smile that both impressed and scared Tess a little bit. “I called your name twice,” the woman said. “But you didn’t seem to hear me. I really didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Oh no.” Tess waved her hand and tried her best to look in control. “You didn’t startle me,” she lied. “I was lost in thought is all. It’s just so beautiful here and so easy to get distracted, don’t you think?”

  “I do.” The woman tilted her head and every strand of her black hair moved in perfect unison. If there had ever been a more polished woman in her presence before, Tess couldn’t think of who it might have been. “That’s why I took the job and moved up here.”

  “Took the job? I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  “Melissa Kramer.” The woman stuck her hand out, which Tess took in a firm handshake, but not before she noticed Melissa’s perfectly manicured nails that somehow matched the shade of her blouse perfectly. “I’m the general manager here at Castle Mountain Lodge. We spoke on the phone when I hired you.”

  Oh. My. God. Not again.

  Tess worked hard to keep the panic off her face. “Of course.” For half a second, Tess entertained the idea of telling this woman the truth. It would be good practice, and ultimately she was going to know as well. She forced a smile she most certainly didn’t feel. “It’s so nice to meet you in person, Melissa.”

  Melissa nodded. “I trust you’ve been enjoying the Lodge and Max has been taking good care of you?”

  Oh, he’s taking care of me.

  Tess smiled as sweetly as she could. “Absolutely. It’s incredible here. Really, it has exceeded my expectations.”

  “Surely, you knew what to expect after talking to me on the phone.” Melissa tilted her head in that way that people who knew something but didn’t want to say they knew what they knew did.

  But she was committed to the lie, at least for the time being, so Tess dug deep and channeled confidence she most certainly didn’t feel.

  “To an extent.” Tess crossed her arms, mostly to keep them from shaking, but also in an effort to appear even slightly more put together than she felt. “But I have to tell you, Ms. Kramer—”

  “Melissa.”

  “Melissa.” She continued smoothly. “You really didn’t do the Lodge justice. I mean, yes…you explained it very well on the phone.” Tess took a stab in the dark that she actually had done so. “But there is something about this place that you just cannot convey verbally, don’t you agree?”

  The other woman opened her mouth, likely to object, but then closed it again, pressed her lips together and finally nodded. “I agree.”

  “And now that I’m actually here, breathing in the fresh pine air, experiencing the brilliant blue skies and the mountains that simply go on forever…well, I must tell you. It really does give me an entirely different respect for what Castle Mountain Lodge is, what it really has to offer and of course, the potential for even more offerings with an adventure travel component.”

  Melissa regarded her for a moment and Tess did her best to swallow any and all panic that she was going to be caught out. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Melissa smiled, the first warm, genuine smile Tess had seen. “I’m so glad you really understand the Lodge and what we’re trying to do here. I have to admit, when I was hired on as the general manager and asked to bring in something different, I was afraid that we might risk losing the feel of the place. When I found Max and hired him on, I just felt he was the right fit, but I have to be honest…”

  Tess had a feeling that she probably wasn’t going to like what Melissa had to say.

  “I wasn’t sure about you, Clara.”

  Tess kept the smile pasted to her face and waited.

  “I’ll admit, it was my idea to hire you. Max didn’t want anything to do with it. But it’s important to do your due diligence in this type of situation, don’t you agree?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Honesty and integrity in any business partner is extremely important,” Melissa continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. “And you do appear to have that.”

  If she only knew. “If I may ask,” Tess said, “what was it that you weren’t sure about?”

  Melissa paused a moment and tapped one of those pink nails against her lip. “I can’t really put my finger on it, Clara. I’ll tell you, I’m a very upfront, no bullshit type of woman.”

  “I get that impression.”

  “And I’m usually a very good judge of character. But there was something that didn’t settle with me. Ultimately, though, I trusted my gut and decided to proceed, and I must tell you, I’m glad I did. You seem like a very competent advisor, Ms. Clark, and like I said, you seem to have a solid understanding of the culture here at Castle Mountain Lodge. I look forward to your report.”

  Tess couldn’t help feeling as if she was being dismissed, which she likely was. And it was with a mixture of annoyance and relief that she shook the other woman’s hand once more, promised the report w
ithin a few days and made her escape down the hall to the front lobby where she was to meet Max, more confused than ever. If she came clean now, it really could risk everything.

  “I hope this is okay.” Max held out the chair for Tess. She looked amazing. He didn’t think she could look any better than she had that afternoon in her jeans, but dressed in a form-fitting blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly, she was simply knockout gorgeous. “Oliver’s is the best in the village and the chef is amazing. I mean, the Lodge restaurants are excellent, too. But I wanted to show you the village as well. Maybe after we eat, we can walk and get a cappuccino from the little coffee shop?”

  “Really,” she sat, “this is perfect. It’s all too much, really. I didn’t expect you to take me out. After all, this is a business trip and—”

  “Actually,” he interrupted her. “I don’t think we should talk about business tonight. In fact, I’d like to think of tonight as maybe a…”

  Dare he call it a date? He’d never been the type to skirt around the issue or play games; there was no point starting now.

  “A date,” he finished as he sat across from her. “If that’s okay with you?”

  She was silent for so long, he worried maybe he’d read her wrong. Read everything wrong. But no, there was no way he’d read that kiss wrong.

  Finally she nodded and smiled. “Okay. A date. But there’s something I should tell you first.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re married?” He laughed, and instantly regretted it when he saw the look on her face.

  “No,” she said slowly. “It’s not that. But I really do…”

  That was it. She was going to tell him the truth and they could finally move forward with whatever it was that was going on between them. He held his breath and waited.

  And waited.

  After a moment, her face shifted; the frown morphed into a sweet smile. “You know what? It’s nothing.” She grabbed her napkin off the table and fluffed it onto her lap just as the waitress appeared to take their drink order.