by Stacy Finz
“Possibly. It’ll depend on my mood and the weather. But it’s always good to have a plan as a jumping-off point.” He winked like he was joking but she knew he wasn’t. He’d turn everything upside down if it suited him. The man couldn’t be bothered to follow a simple plan.
She gritted her teeth and turned back to go to her desk. “Whatever.”
“Hey,” he called. “Come back here.”
She would come back all right, to take a swing at him. She circled around. He waited for her to come inside and kicked the door shut with his foot.
“What?”
“This.” He moved toward her mouth and kissed her long and slow. His hands slid down her back, grabbed her butt, and pushed her tight up against the hard bulge in his pants. When they finally came up for air she was out of breath.
“You’re nuts, you know that?” she said.
He let his eyes drift over her. “See you tonight.”
She walked away shaking her head. Whatever his game was she wasn’t playing, though the memory of that kiss stayed with her through the rest of the day. And his words “I’m your boyfriend” played in her head over and over again.
At six she started to pack up when the main number rang on the switchboard. She was about to let it go to voice mail but her anal-retentiveness kicked in.
“Garner Adventure, can I help you?”
“Darcy, it’s Lewis. You didn’t call me back.”
She held the phone away from her mouth and silently yelled, Shit. She’d been ducking him since yesterday and he’d finally caught up with her.
“How did you get this number?” She had never given it to him. He had her cell and Nana’s number, which were already too many.
“What do you mean? It’s listed.”
“You shouldn’t call me at work, Lewis.”
“I wouldn’t have but you weren’t returning my messages and I got worried.”
Bullshit. He wanted her to deal with his computer “glitch.”
“I’ve been busy. I do have a full-time job, you know?”
“I realize that, Darcy. And I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t in such a jam … and you weren’t so good with computers. But the new software is giving us all kinds of problems and the woman I hired to replace you”—he let out a long, beleaguered sigh—“honestly, she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
She held the phone away again, stared up at the ceiling, and counted to five.
“Everything okay?” TJ asked, and she jerked. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”
“Hang on a second,” she told Lewis, and put the call on hold. “Everything’s fine. Are you out of here?” she asked TJ, surprised. He rarely left the office before seven.
“Yep. Deb and I are going to Tahoe to see a show. You should get out of here too. It’s summer, enjoy it.”
“You didn’t get hit in the head with a rock or something, did you?”
He tried to stifle a grin. “I’d like to say I miss the old Darcy but unfortunately I like the smartass one better. Congratulations, Darce, you’ve finally grown a set.” He reached over the counter and gave her a hug. “Lock up, okay?”
“Will do.” She took Lewis off hold. “That was my boss.”
“Oh, sorry. Can you come tonight?”
He had to be kidding. “No, I can’t. I have a full-time job and a … fiancé. I’m sorry but you’ll have to deal with your computer issues yourself. I suggest hiring a good IT person. And, Lewis, I don’t mean to sound bitchy but you have to stop relying on me. We’re divorced now and I work somewhere else.” She hung up before he could protest and before she lost her nerve.
She was definitely growing a set and boy did it feel good.
Chapter Eighteen
On Thursday morning Reggie called with a price on the cabin. Win was at the Juicery and had to get out of line to take the call.
Reggie named an amount that was a lot less than he expected but more than he had in the bank.
“That sounds very fair, Reggie. I’ve got to sit down and crunch some numbers and I’ll get back to you.” Win knew it was futile unless the FlashTag deal came through and he got a substantial bonus.
“All right,” Reggie said. “But don’t take too long. That agent, Jenny Meyers, has been hounding me for the listing. She says summer is prime time for selling real estate and I don’t want to miss my window of opportunity.”
Win knew the minute the cabin went on the market someone would snatch it right up. He’d hate to lose it but he’d need a significant down payment to qualify for a loan. He got his green drink and went back to the office.
TJ had cleared Win’s schedule so he could audit equipment and prepare for Madison De Wolk’s arrival the next day. Ordinarily, he hated doing inventory but because he and Darcy were doing it together he was actually looking forward to it.
The thing about him being her boyfriend had slipped out the other day. He didn’t quite know how he felt about an actual bona fide relationship. But God she challenged him and he’d never been so hot for a woman in all his life. The truth was she kind of made him crazy … in a good way. And he couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever been this happy. Singing in the shower and getting lost in the hours, daydreaming about a blond nymph with big blue eyes and deep dimples.
“I heard from Reggie,” Win told TJ as he passed him in the hallway.
“Yeah?” TJ jerked his head at his office. “Come in and talk to me.”
Win lay longways on TJ’s leather sofa with his feet hanging off the end and his arms pillowed under his head. “He wants eight-fifty.”
“Seems fair but that’s a steep mortgage payment unless you’ve got a sizable down payment.”
“Not that sizable.” He sat up, got on his phone, and showed TJ the balance in his savings account.
TJ studied the number, got on the Internet, and made some notes on a yellow legal pad. “That would be your monthly payment, according to interest rates on a ten-year variable loan.”
Win whistled. “No can do.”
“Uh-uh. You need a bigger down.”
“If we get FlashTag would my bonus cover it?”
TJ did a few more calculations on his yellow pad. “Yeah, maybe. But getting them is by no means a done deal. Apparently, they’ve scheduled a second trial with the Mammoth group as well.”
Win leaned forward. “How do you know that?”
“Remember Joe Robalardi?”
Win drew a blank. “No.”
“He worked for us a couple of summers ago as a guide. He’s in Southern California doing freelance for Mountain Adventure. We still keep in touch and he let it slip that the FlashTag crew is coming back for a second round.”
“Huh, well, that sucks. When were you planning to tell us?”
“I’m telling you now.” TJ propped his feet up on the couch. “I’m hoping we have the advantage because of you and this Madison woman.”
Win held up his arms. “Dude, I don’t even remember her.”
“Well, she remembers you. So turn on the Win Garner charm and bring home the prize.”
Win pointed at the yellow pad. “You’re supposed to be a financial genius. Figure out what I have to do to get Reggie’s cabin. I want it. In the meantime, I talked to Lucky Rodriguez. He’s in.”
“What do you mean he’s in? When did you talk to him?”
“Yesterday, over the phone. He’s game to do business with us. We just have to work out the details. I told him you and I would go to his dude ranch and discuss ways we could cross-promote.”
“Really?”
“No, I’m making it up.” Win smacked TJ in the head with a throw pillow. “Oh ye of little faith, didn’t you think I’d follow through?”
“Quite honestly, no.”
“Well you were wrong, dickweed.” He swung his feet onto the floor and went into the lobby to find Darcy.
“You ready to do inventory?”
She’d worn jeans and a T-shirt because they’d be in t
he storage room most of the day. He liked the way the clothes clung to her curves. Hell, he liked everything about her.
“Let me just set things up to send calls to TJ.” She fidgeted with the switchboard and he took a picture of her with his phone.
“I don’t have any of you,” he said, and studied the one he’d shot. “It’s a good one of your dimples.”
She gave him a look like he’d lost his mind. That was the thing about Darcy, she wasn’t overly taken with him, like most women.
“I’m ready,” she said, and together they walked to the big room in the back of the building where they kept the life preservers, the bike helmets, the personal flotation devices, and all the other gear they required their clients to use.
GA ran a strict shop when it came to safety. If any of the equipment wasn’t up to snuff, they tossed it and got new. They’d had a few nasty situations, mostly involving avalanches in the backcountry, but that came with the territory. And then there was Stanley Royce, who because of his own carelessness had rolled down a mountainside in a porta-potty and sued Garner Adventure. Otherwise, they had a good record.
“TJ just told me that FlashTag’s also doing a second trial with Mountain Adventure. I had sort of hoped that De Wolk’s coming was just a formality and that the account was ours.”
“Me too.” Darcy flipped open her tablet and started a spreadsheet. “I want my promotion.”
“I want my house. Reggie called with the price and I can’t swing it without a decent bonus.”
“Should we go over the itinerary again?” She’d worked on it all night Tuesday while he’d worked on her.
“Darce, you ever think you might be wound a little tight?”
She laughed. “Maybe, but that’s how I get stuff done. Although in this case, I don’t know why I bother, since you’re just going to make your own last-minute plan.”
“You’ve gotta admit that the impromptu hike, the bike ride, the picnic … it gave us an edge.”
“You have an awful high opinion of yourself.”
Instead of arguing, he pulled her in for kiss. She tasted like coffee, sugar, and something distinctly Darcy, a flavor that he constantly craved.
“We shouldn’t do this in here,” she said against his lips, but didn’t try to pull away.
He wanted to tell her that he was falling for her but wasn’t in the mood for one of her flippant remarks. Most women he’d dated would’ve given their right arm to hear those words, but not Darcy. She was a tough one to climb but he’d mastered some of the most difficult mountains in the world.
“No one can see us in here,” he said. “Stop always trying to run the show.”
For a second, she relaxed against him, tucking her head under his chin; then, just as suddenly, she grew restless. “We need to get this done.”
He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but he was starting to see a pattern. She wasn’t so much of a control freak as she needed to feel useful. Organizing, setting up schedules, making busy work, Darcy could be like a machine sometimes.
There was nothing wrong with being productive. In fact, most people would see it as an asset. With Darcy, though, it was overcompensation. For her mother’s digs or Lewis’s neglect? Who could say? He certainly wasn’t Sigmund Freud but she sure as shit didn’t have to overcompensate with him.
“You want to work instead of making out, fine,” he said. “But tonight, you’re mine, baby.”
“You might be a sex addict, you know that?”
“So far, you seem to be benefiting from my so-called addiction.” He shot her a look, taking a slow visual slide down her body.
“I might need to stay home tonight. I don’t like leaving Nana alone too often. Besides, we both need our rest for tomorrow.”
Win sloughed off the rest bit. He could operate on very little sleep but Hilde was another story. “How is your grandmother?”
“She’s doing much better. It seems the change in her medication made all the difference. But I want to keep an eye on her.”
“I could come over to your place.” He started sorting through the helmets.
“We’ll see,” she said coyly.
“Darce, it’s not like we haven’t been sleeping together for weeks.” He backed her up against one of the shelving units and began kissing her all over again.
*
Darcy thought Madison De Wolk was ten times more beautiful than her bio photo on the FlashTag website. She was tall and slender with dark hair and blue eyes. Madison reminded Darcy a little of Delaney. At least lookswise. She deboarded a small plane in business attire—a pencil skirt, white blouse, and high heels—and Darcy assumed she’d come straight from the office.
The pilot loaded a small designer travel bag into the back of the van and Madison swung up into the passenger seat and nodded to Darcy as if to say I’m ready to go now.
Darcy suddenly got an attack of the shies but managed to mutter, “Welcome to Glory Junction. I’m Darcy Wallace and I’ll be—”
“Pleased to meet you, Darcy. The Four Seasons, right?” Madison turned away and began texting on her phone.
“Yes,” Darcy sputtered. When she didn’t immediately start the engine, Madison glanced up from her screen with impatience in her eyes.
Okay, right, she wanted to go. Darcy nosed out of the small airport parking lot and headed to the hotel. She’d hoped to talk a little bit about Saturday’s schedule but Madison continued tapping away on her phone, not even bothering to look out the window at the passing view. Perhaps she was dealing with a work emergency. As Madison was the CEO of a burgeoning start-up, Darcy assumed she’d have to deal with crises.
As she drove, she snuck a few sideways peeks at Madison. Even Darcy’s mother would’ve been impressed with how put together she was. Her blouse looked custom tailored, her shoes were Jimmy Choos, and her bag, Tory Burch. The long slit up the side of her skirt showed off a pair of tan, shapely legs that practically went up to her eyeballs. Win was always going on about Darcy’s legs. Wait until he caught sight of Madison’s. Maybe Darcy should tell her that tomorrow’s activities would require long pants—and a super-baggy top.
She was almost relieved that his all-day white-water rafting tour had kept him from picking up Madison. Stupid, but Madison and Win were in the same league. The league of beautiful people.
Darcy pulled into the Four Seasons entrance and got out to open the back of the van so the bellhop could retrieve Madison’s carry-on. She may have been in a rush to get to the hotel, but Madison stayed in the front seat with the door closed and continued to text.
Darcy went inside to make sure the reservation was in order and returned to the van where Madison was still typing away.
“Uh, everything is good to go,” Darcy said awkwardly as she got back in the driver’s seat.
Madison finally looked up. “Great.” She reached into her handbag and handed Darcy a ten-dollar bill.
“Uh … oh … no, I work for Garner Adventure.” Darcy didn’t want to embarrass Madison but a tip. Really?
“That’s okay,” Madison said. “I know everything is all-inclusive, I won’t tell if you don’t.” She sprang out of the van as graceful as a gazelle, leaving Darcy with the ten.
*
The next morning, Darcy tried to dress for anything Win might pull out of his bag of tricks. It wasn’t easy finding something in her wardrobe that could serve double duty. Professional while being durable enough to climb Half Dome or whatever hell Win had in store. Friday evening, she’d been in a nice linen suit and Madison had still mistaken her for a limo driver. So perhaps she should worry more about comfort and flexibility.
She finally settled on a Colt and Delaney active skort and a Garner Adventure T-shirt. Sporty, yet it still said she was part of the team. Not a chauffeur. Like with the first FlashTag group, they were supposed to take Madison to breakfast at the Morning Glory and then for a tour of GA. Whether that would actually happen with Win at the wheel was up for debate.
She kissed Nana good-bye and took off for the Four Seasons. Win was meeting them at the restaurant. Madison was in the lobby when she got there and came out as soon as she spotted the van. Darcy would give her props for punctuality. Unlike yesterday, she was dressed in yoga pants, a sports tank, and tennis shoes. Her hair was tied back in a sleek ponytail and she was sans makeup. And even without it, she was still one of the most gorgeous women Darcy had ever seen outside of a fashion magazine.
“Hey, you’re back,” Madison said, and climbed into the front seat.
“I’m back.” And I’m not the driver, she wanted to say, but decided it would be more prudent to let Madison save face by just pretending like there’d never been a misunderstanding. “Ready to go?”
“All set,” she said, and began texting on her phone just as she had the night before. Not until they parked in front of the diner did she put away her cell.
Darcy had barely locked up the van when Madison disappeared inside the restaurant. She rushed to catch up and pushed her way to the hostess stand to claim their table. Win as usual was late. Felix waved her over to the table she’d reserved.
“Glad you could make it,” he said being his usual surly self. Why he’d chosen to go into the hospitality industry was beyond Darcy. “Ricki is your server. I’ll send her over to get your drink orders.”
Darcy wanted a triple shot of espresso ASAP but decided to wait for Ricki, not wanting to upset Felix’s apple cart. Madison started to say something, clearly confounded that the hired help was sitting down to break bread with her, but Win dashed in and all eyes fell on him. A few female diners did a double take, which was nothing new. Darcy had observed women falling all over themselves at the sight of Win. She wanted to shout, Hands off, ladies, the man is mine. But she knew better. He was just on loan until he moved on to his next conquest.
“Win Garner, look at you,” Madison said as if they were long-lost buddies. “Last time I saw you, neither of us had showered in a week. You clean up well.”
“So do you.” He went in for a hug, which Darcy found peculiar since Win had claimed that he didn’t remember her from his Alaska trip. “Seriously, Madison, you look fantastic.”
