“It sounded like you had a connection?” Suzie asked on my left. Hers went flying next and hit so hard a chunk of the target flew off. Gretchen and I exchanged a look. “I used to do this behind the trailer park for fun.” She shrugged.
“Remind me not to mess with you,” Gretchen teased to my right.
“You wouldn’t dream of it.” Suzie winked. Her short hair had grown into a chic bob that only made her electric green eyes pop more.
“Come on. Tell us more, tell us more.” Gretchen flicked out her hand, gesturing me to go on.
If I was honest about the connection I felt with these two, they might push me to do something I just wasn’t ready for. I loved them but I didn’t have time for anything else in my life. Not when I had to work so hard to show Green Valley and the Lodge that I was no longer a biker chick. Getting involved with anyone sounded about as fun as chasing headless chickens. But I knew Gretch and so I had to give her something.
“He had this amazingly sexy accent,” I said.
“Oh, what sort of accent?” Suzie asked.
“New York? I’ve always found New Yorkers sort of sexy,” Gretchen said.
“No. Australian,” I said.
The other two women made a sound of awe.
“That’s all you know about him? He’s Australian? Maybe he’s a Hemsworth or like a cousin,” Suzie said excitedly.
“He was damn good looking enough to be,” I said. “He’s fit. A confident dancer. A gentleman. Hotter than a summer day with no AC. He had sun-bleached dark-blond hair and blue eyes like I’ve never seen. And his front teeth stuck out which shouldn’t be adorable but was. Nothing about him was my type. But damn, he was a fantastic kisser.”
I squished up my face when I realized what I said. They were both looking at me like I was a headless chicken.
“You made out?” Suzie nodded and fist-bumped me. “Nice.”
“A little,” I said coyly. More like our mouths introduced our souls to each other but I was definitely not about to say that.
“Did you get very far?” Gretchen asked with a grin.
Suzie shimmied her shoulders sexily.
“We only made out for a minute while we danced. And then the rest you know.”
I held back how much we learned without knowing anything at all. His love for his best friend and his parents was written all over his open face. His emotions were always right out there. He was earnest and had no shame. I almost flushed when I thought of him singing to me. He was charming and thoughtful. But he was like a secret treasure I found that I wanted to keep just for me. I wanted to turn it over and play with it at night when I was free to think about him.
“You don’t have to explain.” Suzie put her hand on my shoulder. “Not to him. Not to us. If you wanted to leave, then you had that right. You owed him nothing.”
Gretchen nodded. I agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment. But it wasn’t like that. I felt too much too soon. Life wasn’t a freaking fairy tale. And nobody would ever cast me as the leading lady. Twenty-four hours had gone by since I’d left him and I still hadn’t stopped thinking about the way he kissed me. He shouldn’t be allowed to kiss like that. It messed with my brain. I shook my head and picked up the next axe.
“I met a guy in a bar before. All these years later and I’m still recovering,” I said.
I had intended it as a joke but a shadow passed over Gretchen’s face. We had all dated Jethro Winston at some point, some of us longer than others, that’s what formed the Scorned Women’s Society. It was never a point of contention between us, more a sisterhood in bad choices. But Gretchen knew more about my life with the Iron Wraiths and we never talked about it.
I quickly added, “I just didn’t want to make something more of one summer night. It happened so fast and it’s over now.”
And there was the truth of it. Even if I had met an incredible man, the timing wasn’t right. Neither was the distance. He didn’t see me as I really was.
Or did he see the most real version of myself?
I squashed that voice right back down.
Gretchen looked at me closely. I felt her brain spinning, could see her making plans and I didn’t like it. “Is there any way you could track him down?” she asked.
I knew Gretch better than I knew myself. She would push for whatever she thought was best for people. Her heart was in the right place but sometimes it bulldozed over everything else.
“I don’t want to look him up,” I said.
“You work so hard at the Lodge. You deserve to have a little fun too,” Gretchen said.
I’d been digging my nail into the woodgrain of the table, studying the different names people had carved. When I glanced up again, Gretchen’s eyes were glued to my face like she was trying to peer into my soul.
I knew that look. That was the look. “Gretchen, don’t. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
“I didn’t say anything.” She held her hands up innocently.
“You’re scheming,” I said. Turning to Suzie, I added, “Note this look, Suze. This is when she’s about to meddle.”
“I’ve seen it before.” Suzie laughed, then added, “I think growing up together gave you two mind reading powers. How long have y’all known each other?”
“Inseparable since the third grade,” I said hoping the conversation change would derail Gretchen from her train of thought. “She socked Ben McClure in the arm when he called me a giraffe on the playground. She got held after school for it.”
“She picked me flowers and waited to walk me home so I wasn’t alone,” Gretchen finished.
Gretchen smiled at me and the anxiety I’d felt about leaving Sanders eased a bit.
“Y’all make me jealous. I never had a friendship like that,” Suzie said.
“You do now,” Gretchen said and slung an arm over Suzie’s shoulder.
“No ex left behind.” Suzie held up her beer.
“No ex left behind,” Gretch and I repeated and tapped our plastic cups.
This was what mattered. The thought solidified all the unsteadiness I’d been feeling. Like riding a mechanical bull and trying to walk afterwards, I’d been wobbling since I got home from Denver. Sanders had been a lovely distraction, but being back here with my girls, remembering all the good in my life, focused me on what I wanted now. I had the stability of a good job and good friends. That was enough. Next week I’d demand the promotion that I deserved and prove to this town that I had been worth saving.
“Enough about me,” I said, more than ready to be done talking about myself. “What the heck is going on with Kim?”
Chapter 6
Sanders
I stood outside the arrivals area of the Knoxville airport, the swampy Tennessee humidity a far cry from Denver’s clear, mountain air. I held the phone close to my ear and braced myself for Skip’s backlash.
“Tennessee, I am in you,” I announced into the phone.
“Tell me why you felt the need to fly out there?” he asked in his usual quiet tone.
If I was the bright and shiny packaging of Outside the Box with my award-winning charm, then Skip was the internal machinery that made it run. I typically attracted clientele and Skip made them stay. When we first started our corporate adventure company together, the idea was new and it took our power duo to get to where we were. Now companies all over the world sent their employees into nature in hopes of innovation and team building. And I had come close to ruining it all. I was going to fix it all.
“I’m getting us more business. You said this Donner Lodge was looking into OTB. Green Valley is an up-and-comer. It was named one of the top-growing small-town communities in Small Town USA magazine.”
Skip made a soft sound almost like a sigh. “And this has nothing to do with your sudden interest in Roxy Kincaid?”
“If this meeting goes well, we could get some more clientele,” I sidestepped.
“I was going to go myself,” he said. Even through the phone I could picture his hairy f
ace twisted with concern. That was his role though. He was the thoughtful, tentative one, I was the impulsive, fun one.
“Now you don’t have to. I know you don’t love the face-to-face stuff. I’m going to fix everything, Skippo. Don’t you worry. I know I made a bit of a mess of things but I have a plan. Donner Lodge is looking to draw business. We are looking to get business. I have an idea that’s a win-win for everyone. And if Roxy and I hit it off, even better.”
“You sound very enthusiastic,” he said. He sighed again and then added, “I’ve never seen you so interested in a woman.”
“I just have a feeling about her and Green Valley.” Skip was far too level-headed to hear anything about destiny.
“I just hope this isn’t like the time you woke me up to go swimming in the lake because the moon was full,” he said.
I cleared my throat. “It was a super blood moon lunar eclipse. You’re welcome for that once-in-a-lifetime experience. You make me sound so impulsive.”
“Or that time you went to Norway to jump The Troll Wall,” he went on.
That was on my parents’ anniversary two years ago. The darkness had gotten so heavy I needed to do something big. I didn’t care for this stroll down memory lane, so I got us back on task. “Listen, I should have been there that day when you met with Donner Lodge. This is me making up.”
“We still need to talk about things. You’re still grieving. Don’t you think—”
My heartbeat quickened and my esophagus spasmed. “Anyway, mate. I just wanted to let you know my plan.”
He let out a defeated sigh. “Okay. Keep me up to date.”
“You know I will.”
“And then we should really talk about—”
“Gotta go, mate. Ride’s here.” I hung up the call.
The ride share car rolled to a stop in front of me, the sticker in the window announcing itself.
The passenger window rolled down. “Sanders Olsson?” a knockout of a redhead asked.
My eyebrows rose. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m Gretchen LaRoe, I’m your ride into Green Valley. Need help with your bags?”
She moved to unbuckle herself but stopped when I held up a hand.
“No, thanks. Just this.” I gestured to the military canvas bag over my shoulder.
After I was situated and we were on an interstate, I took in my driver. She was wearing a miniskirt with suspenders over a half shirt. Her red hair was long and flowing, topped with a jaunty beret. She was candy for the eyes but not to my particular taste. I was deep into a brunette with a pouty mouth and crackling sass these days.
An image of Roxy popped into my brain and her short skirt riding up a smooth thigh. I envisioned her big brown eyes blinking up at me after we kissed.
“So Green Valley. Not a very big town, yeah? I imagine you know just about everybody,” I said.
Gretchen LaRoe glanced over at me, her cat eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Where are you from?”
The small town looked out for its own. I respected that.
“Australia. Perth specifically.”
“You know Hugh Jackman?” she asked.
“Oh sure. All us Australians know each other.”
She cast another quick look at me. Her face was unreadable but “friendly” was not a word to describe it. “Funny,” she said.
I gave her my biggest, flashiest grin when she looked over at me again. Her eyes widened ever so slightly and she sucked in her lips. It was almost like she was trying to bite back a smile.
“Have I got something stuck in my teeth?” I pulled down the passenger mirror to examine my teeth. “These little bastards up front tend to catch things.”
I felt her look at me again as I examined my smile.
“No, nothing.” She reached over and pushed up the mirror. “Honestly, it’s not you, doll. You’re fine.”
“Okay.” I gave her a weary look.
All of a sudden, her cool demeanor melted into that famous Southern hospitality. “You were asking about Green Valley. Anybody in particular you looking for?” she asked sweetly. “I know everybody and their mamas.”
“I believe it. Nobody in particular.” Suddenly, I felt shy about delving into the truth of why I was here. Or one of the truths. She seemed a little too eager for information. If I could have done it subtly, maybe. But now I felt a bit cringy outright asking after Roxy.
I mean what were the chances this Gretchen LaRoe even knew my Roxy Kincaid anyway?
“Did you come all the way from Australia?” She snapped her gum loudly, causing me to flinch slightly. The woman scared me, if I was being honest.
“Ah, no. I’ve been in the States for some time. I’m from Denver.”
If I wasn’t crazy, I swore her hands gripped the steering wheel imperceptibly tighter.
“Here for business or pleasure?” she asked.
“Business.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out a card. “Looking to grow our company.”
She grabbed the card and looked it over. “Corporate adventure, huh?” She definitely seemed excited now. “Here.” She reached across my body to shuffle through her glove box. My eyes widened when I saw the gun. Americans.
“Ah, pretend you didn’t see that,” she said with a wink.
“See what?”
“Attaboy.” She handed me a card. “Feel free to call if you need anything while you are here. I’m a bit of a concierge for the town.”
The card read “Gretchen LaRoe - Fashion Consultant, Driver, Landlord, and all-around badass,” and handwritten on the bottom was added, “matchmaker - by appointment only.”
“Bit of a Jackie-of-all-trades, I see,” I said.
“You know it.”
“Thank you.” I slid her card into my wallet. “I’ll hold on to this.”
“I see you’re heading to Donner Lodge. Staying there?” she asked.
“Sure am. But also hoping to do business with them.”
“Corporate adventuring? Like trust falls in suits?” she asked.
“Sort of. The goal is team building. You really learn to trust your peers when they’re in charge of your ropes as you climb a mountain.”
“Yikes,” she said.
“This area seem good for corporate adventuring?” I asked.
“Sure. Green Valley can hardly contain itself with all the new growth,” she said. “You should definitely meet some locals. There’s tons of businesses that might like to partner with you.”
I felt the growing excitement that came when I was on a roll. I knew I screwed things up in Denver but I did have a nose for this stuff, a gut instinct for a new market in need.
“The Smokies are beautiful,” I said to fill the silence.
We shared a moment to appreciate the majestic beauty as the car pulled up to Donner Lodge. To be honest, it was a lot nicer than I expected. Skip mentioned that they were in the process of renovating. Gretchen pulled up the long driveway surrounded by a lush manicured lawn leading to a large main building painted a fresh farmhouse white. The driveway looped around and a few golf carts were parked waiting to take visitors to their getaway homes.
She put the car in park and turned to me with a dazzling smile. “Listen. Not sure how long you’re gonna be in town, but the Lodge is hosting a movie this Friday at the drive-in. It’s not as exciting as the nightlife in Denver, I’m sure. But it’ll be fun. A bunch of locals. Movie, food, beer. It’ll be fun if you’re looking for a good place to network. I’d be happy to introduce you to some of the bigwigs in town.”
“That’d be great, thanks,” I said and I meant it.
“See ya around.” She winked, but the sneaky smile on her face as she drove away had me wondering.
I wouldn’t worry about that though. Worry was a pointless emotion unless it drove change. I’d learned years ago to not overthink and question everything. Obsessing over facts you couldn’t change was a hamster on a wheel. Best to take life one day at a time. Today, I had a business to save.
Roxy
Along with a full-length selfie, I sent the following message to the SWS group text:
Roxy: Corporate Roxanne asks for her promotion.
In the picture, I looked the complete opposite of the woman I’d been that night in Denver. Every tattoo was covered by my simple black business suit that went to my knees. Even my long hair was twisted into a bun so tight it made my eyes water. I wasn’t exactly comfortable but at least I looked the part. There wasn’t a hint of the Roxy that rode with a motorcycle gang.
Kim: The promotion she earned.
Suzie: Looks great. U got this.
Gretchen: Very corporate, Roxanne.
I frowned at the text, hating how it caused a little twist of nerves in my already nervous belly. Luckily, my friends knew me well and sent a follow-up to boost my confidence.
Gretchen: Knock ’em dead.
I smoothed my plain black skirt and let out a long breath. Hell yes, I deserved this promotion to events coordinator. I’d spent the week trying to get on Vincent Debono’s calendar. Now, almost the end of Friday, he was able to see me.
My hands shook as I slid my phone into my purse. After dropping my bag in my work cubby, I made my way to his temporary office next door to what was formerly Diane Donner’s office. The Dragon Lady—a well-deserved term she’d been dubbed secretly by most of the staff—had originally hired Vincent as a renovation consultant. Since her sudden disappearance, Monsieur Auclair volunteered Vincent into the lead role on the events side of the house. I had hardly interacted with Vincent since he’d been brought in to transform the Lodge into a “Historical Experience Boutique Lodge,” but I hoped to change that today. After the trip to Denver, I’d proven I wanted the best for the Lodge.
I tapped on Vincent’s door immediately wishing that I had knocked with more confidence. Come on, Roxy, you didn’t leave the Wraiths just to be a chicken-livered sissy. I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin.
The One That I Want (Scorned Women Society Book 3) Page 4
