Stray

by Natasha Stories

  “What kind of question is that? Of course I would, but I can’t.”

  “Would you stop it even if it meant making an alliance with an old enemy?”

  “Girl, I think you’d better tell me what’s going on instead of beating around the bush.”

  “Jon Miles.”

  “What about that son of a bitch?”

  “He wants to stop the hotel.”

  “The hell you say! What gives you that idea?”

  “We’re friends. I mean, we’ve become friends since he brought in that stray dog he hit with his car last week. He’s been a perfect gentleman about it, and I’ve changed my mind about my first impression of him. He told me this morning over coffee that he doesn’t have enough shares to force the current CEO out, but he’s gathered enough proxies to do it if you don’t vote your shares with Egren’s. Do I have that right?”

  I’d rushed the explanation, words tumbling out in response to the expressions that crossed his face, surprise, annoyance, wonder and finally anger.

  “I wouldn’t vote with that asshole no matter what he was proposing. But what’s this about Miles wanting to stop the hotel? His father wanted to pave the entire mountainside.”

  “Doc, he seems to really care about the environment, says his grandfather and your father were duped by his dad and your brother. I’m sorry,” I added, as his face darkened again.

  “Don’t be. That’s about the size of it. Is that what the kid has been trying to talk to me about?”

  “Yes, sir. He says you set your dogs on him.” I had to struggle to keep a straight face as I pictured three Yorkies attacking Jon. They must have felt like hobbits trying to attack a giant. Doc wasn’t so circumspect; he laughed, a big, jolly hahaha worthy of Santa Claus.

  “Yep. You should have seen his face.” I lost it then, joining him in laughing at Jon’s expense. It didn’t matter; Jon thought it was funny himself.

  “You should have seen his face when he told me. So, how many Yorkies do you have? He said a dozen,” I giggled.

  “Four. Tell me, just how good a friend has he become?” Doc asked. I thought about lying. I thought about telling him it was none of his business.

  “How much time do you have?” I asked.

  “That bad, huh? Erin, the man has a reputation as a playboy,” Doc warned.

  “I’m sure. My eyes are wide open, but I got some shitty news about my ex and someone I thought was my best friend. If I have a little fun with Jon to get even, is it so bad?”

  “I guess not. Are you protected?”

  I hadn’t been here long enough for an annual exam, only my allergy shots. Doc hadn’t taken a complete history yet, so he didn’t know I was on the Pill. I told him now.

  “Pregnancy isn’t the only hazard, young lady.”

  “I know. Don’t worry, I’m responsible.” For some reason, I didn’t want to tell him it had already happened. And now, I sensed my time was up. Doc confirmed it by repeating the answer to my original question.

  “You can tell your friend that my vote goes against the hotel. If that means I have to vote him in as CEO in spite of what his dad did to me, I’ll just have to live with that.”

  “Wait, Doc, what his dad did to you? Personally? I thought it was just about the resort.”

  “Well, since we’re telling each other everything, I’ll let you in on it. No, I didn’t like the idea of the resort, but I had reason to hate his father before that. He was my best friend, and he stole the love of my life. I loved Jon’s mother, would have asked her to marry me after medical school. But, she eloped with Jon’s dad.”

  I was speechless. Did Jon know this? Did Doc telling me constitute permission to share it with Jon? I was opening my mouth to speak and closing it again, looking like a fish out of water, probably. Doc answered my first unspoken question.

  “Jon knows. When he was a kid, I used to see him around town and think, that could be my son. They broke my heart, Erin.”

  I knew what it felt like. Impulsively, I gave him a hug.

  “Did you know Jon’s dad died about three years ago?” I asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll bet Jon would love to sit down and have a talk with you. He’s never mentioned his mom. What happened to her?

  “She ran off when Jon was a kid, twelve or thirteen, as I recall. Miles looked for her, I know that. In fact, so did I, thinking I had a chance with her after she left him. But, we never found her. Who knows what could have happened to her in twenty plus years?” Doc was so dejected that I hugged him again.

  “Would you talk to Jon now, if he called again?”

  “Sure, sis. Tell him to give me a call.

  I couldn’t wait to tell him. He’d be at the clinic in less than half an hour to pick up Max. I kissed Doc on the cheek and ran for the clinic, happier than I’d been since…well, since last night in Jon’s arms.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Sunday marked the day that Ashleigh and I were scheduled to go home, but of course I’d moved out of our suite several days before. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, hoping she would just go away quietly, but knowing she wouldn’t. I wasn’t exactly trying to avoid her, but I didn’t seek her out, either. The coming confrontation made me weary to think about it.

  On Friday, I’d called McGraw, as instructed. We had a short but pleasant enough conversation, and agreed to meet for drinks on Tuesday so I could tell him of my plans once I’d secured the CEO position. Saturday, I had business in town, leaving early in the morning and returning after dinner time. On Sunday, I decided to get in some skiing. That’s where the trouble began.

  I should have known that Ashleigh would be out on the slopes, but I didn’t think she’d be alone. She would have called some of her entourage to come up and have a bitch session about me, or hooked up with a sexy ski instructor. But no, she was skiing alone, and I had the misfortune to run into her, almost literally, at the bottom of the black diamond slope.

  “What rock did you crawl out from under?” I heard, in her familiar, strident voice. When I looked up to see where she was, she was almost in my face.

  “Hey, Ashleigh.”

  “Hey yourself, bastard. Where have you been? Why did you move out again?”

  So, we were going to do this here? “Do you want to go somewhere private? To talk,” I added, wanting to make sure she didn’t misinterpret my invitation.

  “No, I do not want to go somewhere private! I’m the wronged party, here, Jon. I don’t care if the whole world knows what a bastard you are.”

  And it seemed that the whole world would, as skiers around us paused to listen.

  “Sorry, Ashleigh. It just wasn’t going to work out.”

  “Is that all you have to say? I hit a fucking dog and you suddenly go off the deep end about it and now it just wasn’t going to work out? Well, fuck you, Jon Miles. You’re not good enough for me anyway. Go fuck the cute vet some more. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when Daddy hears about this.”

  With that, she skied off, and I counted myself lucky. It could have gotten really ugly, with her swinging at me and me trying to stay standing on my skies and fend her off without hurting her at the same time. I didn’t understand why we kept having this same conversation, when I’d specifically said we were through and it was final. I hoped that’s what her last words were meant to convey, so she could feel that she had been the one to break up. I was ready for her dad, but the thought of another confrontation with Ashleigh chilled me to the bone.

  Then it was Monday, and I had meetings all day with other influential Board members. I wanted to give them a heads-up about my plans, and hoped to gain more support though I didn’t need it. Doc McGraw had promised his support, and with it I had an easy majority. Between meetings, I wondered if I’d told Erin that Max’s physical therapist was unavailable today, so his appointment had been postponed until tomorrow. But, there was no time to call and talk my way past Megan to be sure. I decided I’d told her, and turned my attentio
n to the next Board member.

  I had turned off my cell phone, because Rowland Egren was blowing it up with calls and texts that I didn’t have time for. I’d verified that morning that Ashleigh had checked out, and a generous tip to the clerk gained his cooperation in calling around to the other hotels to make sure she hadn’t just switched rooms. I paid the balance, told the clerk to put a note on my account that Ms. Egren was no longer authorized to charge anything to it, and went for my first meeting, knowing full well that she could afford to stay anywhere she wanted. I wouldn’t be safe until she was ready to let me go.

  By late Monday evening, I’d spoken with everyone I needed to, and everyone had agreed to keep it quiet so that I could blindside Egren. Not that I needed to now, but it would be a satisfaction after squiring his bitchy daughter for the last few months. I had no doubt that his calls and texts had to do with her, rather than with the upcoming hostile takeover, but I was too tired on Monday evening to listen to the messages or read the texts. I’d do it the next morning. I was asleep the minute my head hit the pillow.

  Tuesday morning, the shit hit the fan.

  I was barely out of the shower, not even dressed, when a banging at my door told me that either the police were there about an urgent matter or Egren had come to confront me in person. Aware that I had neighbors on either side who were no doubt still trying to sleep, I wrapped a towel around my waist and answered the door, still wet from the shower and dripping from my hair.

  “Egren. Stop making that racket and come in.” If he thought he’d have the upper hand by surprising me, he was wrong. Few things are as intimidating to an older man than being confronted with a bigger, younger, half-naked man who couldn’t care less that he wasn’t dressed. It seemed to work with this older man, at least. He stepped in uneasily.

  “I hope you know that whatever games you’re playing with my daughter have made my life hell for the past thirty-six hours, Miles. It’s time to man up and take your lumps. Ashleigh’s willing to take you back, but you need to apologize for cheating and end that if it’s still going on.” As brave as his words were, the nervous way in which he spoke them let me know that he’d been caught in similar circumstances himself a time or two.

  I had a choice; either explain the truth to him and risk him demanding to know why I’d stayed with her, slept with her. Or, smooth his ruffled feathers and give myself a couple more days of setting things up for the coup de grace. Maybe it wasn’t the honorable thing to do, but I elected the latter. My ultimate plans were too important to let my personal feelings get in the way.

  “It isn’t a game, Rowland. Ashleigh’s just too sensitive, and for some reason she seems to think I’m cheating every time I speak to another woman, even on business.” The old playboy had the grace to look abashed. That remark had been calculated on my part. There’d be a very good reason for her suspicions—the fact that he’d cheated on her mother throughout her teen years. I pressed my point. “It’s all a misunderstanding about that dog she hit. I’m sorry if it’s upset her, but I couldn’t stand to see the poor innocent animal in pain, so I took it to the vet. Yeah, I’ve been there a lot lately, but it was to see the dog.”

  If he did any further investigation, he’d learn that I’d taken the vet to dinner the other night, but I sensed he was tired of his errand and ready to let it go. “Give her a day or two to settle down, and then come to dinner at the house on Friday. We’re having a few people over, it’ll be easier to just ease back into her good graces that way.”

  “Sure thing, Egren. Eight o’clock on Friday?”

  “That should be fine.”

  I had no intention of keeping that date, of course. By Friday, it should all be over. The meeting of the shareholders was set for that day, a routine report and signing off on the status quo as far as Egren was concerned. By that evening, I’d be persona non grata in his house, and with any luck, I wouldn’t have to confront Ashleigh again before then. After that, there’d be no need.

  I didn’t count on Ashleigh to send one of her minions to clinch it by talking to Erin.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I didn’t see Jon that weekend. When he brought Max back to the clinic after his PT appointment on Thursday, he seemed distracted, though pleased with the news that I had spoken to Doc and all was well on that front. I told him what Doc said, to give him a call, and Jon hugged me. He kissed me on the cheek as he left, without asking me to go to dinner with him this time.

  Jon didn’t show up on Friday or Saturday, nor did he call. By Sunday, I was mad. He had what he wanted from me, I supposed, a way into Doc’s door and oh, by the way, a nice fuck as a bonus. He probably wouldn’t even be back to take Max to PT any more. I spent Sunday moping and wishing I hadn’t slept with Jon, though the memory of his touches was ingrained in my skin. So much for that ‘scratch the itch’ theory. I wasn’t cut out to have casual sex, it seemed.

  I knew I had to pull myself together before Monday, so after I went to the clinic to feed and walk Max, I put on my new snow gear and went for a long hike. It was the first time I ventured out on the trails, though I’d been meaning to since arriving five weeks before. Raised in Texas, I hadn’t had much opportunity to walk on mountainsides. I had to walk slowly after my first burst of energy. Running around town at altitude I thought had conditioned me for the thin air, but going upward at a steep angle stole my breath. The air was too cold to take in great gulps of it, but pure and sweet like nothing I’d ever experienced before coming here.

  I didn’t know how much ground I’d covered, and only hoped I knew my way back, but after a couple of hours, I was ready to head back. The temperature was in the mid-forties, which meant that after a few minutes’ exertion, my core was too warm in the insulated gear, though my face and hands were cold even with my gloves and a ski mask on. Next time I went shopping, I was going to have to spring for an REI membership and get some expert help with the gear I’d need to pursue this hobby comfortably.

  Dinner was a bowl of canned soup. Tolerable, but still not my preferred dining experience. I really needed to start cooking for myself. Still no call from Jon, the bastard. I went to bed lonely, but energized from my hike. It was weird.

  Megan greeted me with a halfway decent attitude on Monday morning, which reminded me of my campaign to butter her up.

  “Good morning yourself, Megan. Hey, I’m going to run across the street for some coffee, want some?” She smiled, actually smiled!

  “Yes, please. Can I have a mocha latte?”

  “If Papa’s serves one, sure. What do you want if they don’t?”

  “They do. It’s my favorite.”

  “Okay, mocha latte it is. Just let me feed and walk Max, and then I’ll go get it.”

  Twenty minutes later, the two of us were sitting companionably, having coffee together. Who would have thought it? I wondered what had put her in this new mood, but didn’t want to spoil it by asking.

  “How’s Mr. Miles?” she asked, ruining my mood, but how would she know? I decided it wasn’t deliberate.

  “Haven’t seen him, why?”

  “Oh, I just wondered. I saw him on the slopes yesterday with Ashleigh Egren.”

  “Yes, he told me he had brought her up to ski, but I didn’t know you skied.” It was the first, lame remark that came to mind after she dropped that bombshell, clearly the reason for her good mood. I reassessed her apparent attitude change. The little minx wanted to blindside me with news she thought would upset me. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction.

  “Is that his girlfriend? The one who called the night he brought Max in?” I thought I’d pulled off the casual, why would I be interested, remark that I meant to. Megan couldn’t keep up her sweet pretence, though. Her catty response was designed to cut deep.

  “Yeah. He and Ashleigh have been an item for a long time. I think they might get married.”

  Shit! She’d scored a hit, and she couldn’t have missed my shock, even as I tried to hide it and act as if it wer
e nothing to me. Still, I tried.

  “That’s nice. She’s the daughter of the CEO who runs the resort, then, right?”

  “Yeah. I met her last year, when Mom and Dad took me to a big party there right after I turned eighteen. Something about shareholders. She’s really gorgeous.”

  That was good news. I’d hate for beautiful Jon to be saddled with an ugly wife, meaning the opposite. What an idiot I had been! In my defense, though, I hadn’t known who he was relative to the resort, or who his girlfriend was, when he wined and dined me and then took me home and fucked my brains out.

  Come to think of it, why had he risked being seen with me at a resort restaurant? Doc’s words came back to me. Playboy, of course. In wealthy circles, maybe fiancées didn’t care if their men dated and fucked other women. Maybe she’d been with a hot ski instructor.