by A. J. Wynter
“Lauren.” She snapped her head up to see her sister Charlotte in the doorway. “Are you okay?”
Lauren waved her away, but being Charlotte, she ignored the dismissal and stepped to her sister’s side.
“What happened?” Charlotte asked. “You’ve been gone forever. I’m glad I didn’t light those candles.”
Lauren groaned and shook her head. “A couple of the moms were in here and I overhead them talking about...” she hesitated. “Some stuff.”
“Who? And what ‘stuff’?” Charlotte used her fingers to make air quotes.
“Jennifer and Carrie.”
“Stacy’s sister Carrie?” Charlotte asked.
“Yep.”
“Ugh,” Charlotte groaned. “She’s almost as bad as her sister.”
Stacy had interfered in Charlotte’s life more than once. As a teenager, she had bullied Charlotte, and as an adult, had tried to get between her and Logan.
“Carrie might even be worse, or she’s at least practicing to take over the bitch throne,” Lauren said.
“Don’t let that shit get to you.” Charlotte squeezed her sister’s shoulder.
“I usually don’t,” Lauren sighed. “I can take it. I’ve heard it all before. But Char, you should’ve heard what they said about Tabitha.”
“Tabitha?” Charlotte stepped back, her eyes wide.
“Yeah, they said the usual stuff about us and Mom.”
“What the hell did they say about Tabby?” Charlotte said a little louder.
Lauren shook her head, her long brown hair falling beside her face.
“Lauren?” Charlotte coaxed.
“Just let it go,” Lauren said. “Let’s get back to the party.”
“No, I’m not going to let it go.” Charlotte put her hands on her hips. “Do you remember what it was like to live like that? With those rumors about us? The rumors that weren’t true, I might add?”
Lauren knew that Charlotte was right. She worked hard to protect Tabitha, but in this small town she was vulnerable to the Bunkman sister’s rumored past, and Lauren felt helpless to stop the cycle from repeating itself. “What could I have done? Hit her?” Lauren asked, then sighed. “They were talking about how she doesn’t know who her dad is.” Lauren gulped, trying to find the courage to continue. “Then they laughed and said something like, when is Tabitha going to turn into a slut like her mother, or something like that.” Lauren’s face was growing red again. “I confronted them and asked them to leave.”
“That’s way more civil than I would’ve been.” Charlotte’s nostrils were flaring. “She’s just a kid.”
“I know,” Lauren said. “And how embarrassed would she have been if her mom got into a fight in the bathroom?”
“I guess that’s true,” Charlotte mused.
Out of the two sisters, Lauren was the calm, reserved one. Charlotte was the hot head; known for throwing drinks in people’s faces or pouring champagne over their heads.
“Lauren, you did the right thing,” Charlotte said. She pulled her sister in for a hug. “I wouldn’t have even invited their devil spawn brats to the party in the first place though.”
Lauren squeezed her sister back. “I was trying to teach Tabitha about not excluding people.”
“The world is a harsh place.” Charlotte pulled back. “But I can see why you’re trying to protect her from it as long as you can.”
“Thanks.” Lauren’s shoulders started to relax; the adrenaline that had been surging through her body slowly fading away.
“But I’m going to go make sure that bitch is nowhere near this chalet.” Charlotte pulled the door open and paused. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Lauren nodded. “Yes, just a little shaken.”
“Meet you at the candles.” Charlotte winked and stormed off down the hallway, her Prada winter boots following the same route that Carrie’s plastic ones would’ve taken.
Lauren took a deep breath and inspected her face in the mirror. It wasn’t as red as she thought, just a slight blush on her cheekbones underneath the dark freckles that ran across her face from ear to ear. She headed back to the kitchen to light the candles, but her mind was racing a mile a minute, worrying about one of her biggest regrets: Not telling her daughter the truth about her father.
Chapter 2
HE HADN’T BEEN BACK to the Sugar Peaks Mountain range in over ten years. Now, as Baxter Caldwell watched the sea of snow-covered fir trees whizz by through the windows of the chopper, he felt a twinge in his gut – nerves. He told himself they were related to the importance of the business deal, but he knew that deep down, he was wondering if she was still in town.
Lauren.
As the helicopter settled onto the landing pad of the private chalet, he pushed the thoughts of the freckle-faced cleaning lady to the back of his mind. That was ancient history, and he was facing the most important acquisition of his career. For the first time, his father, Baxter Caldwell, Senior, had put him in charge of Caldwell International’s development department. Yes, he was the boss’s son, but he still had to prove himself if he wanted to keep the top spot in the development department.
His father would be joining him for their annual heli-ski vacation after he sealed the deal with the resort. It was their father/son tradition and had been for years, so it seemed fitting that they would be returning to the same lodge where the tradition started.
Once he was settled into his master suite overlooking the Sugar Peaks range, he sent a message to his team to meet him in the dining room, the spot that would function as their conference room for the next month.
“Nicole, where are you with the local contacts?” he asked his assistant after they were all settled at the table.
His assistant, a very capable woman who had been by his side since he started, put on her glasses and opened her laptop. “You have a meeting with the owners of the resort on Wednesday, the local realtor this afternoon, and the opposition lawyer on Thursday.”
“How difficult have they been so far?” he asked.
“Surprisingly civil.” Nicole smiled from behind her computer.
“Good.” Baxter steepled his fingers in front of him and leaned back in his chair. “See if you can move those meetings up, same with the resort. I want to get these balls in the air sooner rather than later.”
“Yes, sir,” Nicole replied, making a note on her laptop.
Baxter looked to the other executives, Barry, his attorney, and Thomas, his lead consultant. “Do you two have all of the material ready to meet with the real estate agent?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” the duo responded simultaneously.
“Good,” Baxter smiled. He had absolute faith in his team. “It looks like we’re all on the same page here. Thomas, do you mind sticking around to discuss strategy?” He looked to the older of the executives who nodded. “Good. The rest of you can relax for a bit. We will be heading into the town at three o’clock.”
With the majority of the team dismissed, Baxter and Thomas started examining the spreadsheets and discussing strategies. They were only about an hour into their brainstorming session when a loud commotion from outside interrupted their business huddle.
“What was that?” Thomas asked.
“Beats me.” Baxter stood up and stepped onto the massive balcony that ran the length of the private chalet. Nicole and Barry were in the hot tub and waved at their boss. “What’s going on?” he shouted over the noise of the jets.
“Looks like some sort of snowboard thing,” Barry said. He pointed to the base of the gondola.
Baxter leaned over the wooden log railing, scanning the huge crowd of people, and then a snowboarder shot up from the half-pipe, spinning in the air while grabbing his board. The crowd went wild.
“Impressive,” Thomas said.
“Want to go check it out?” Baxter was equally impressed. He wasn’t a snowboarding expert, but he knew that what they were seeing could be a professional-level event.
�
�Yeah,” Thomas smiled.
Baxter prided himself on being a fair boss, and his team was ready for this project. He didn’t expect any major road bumps, with the exception of the conservation authority lawyer, which he figured they could easily ‘out lawyer’ with the Caldwell pocketbook. “Come on then.” He waved to Thomas.
The two of them pulled on their boots and Canada Goose coats and trudged through the early season snow to the base of the mountain. The dreary morning clouds had broken, and the afternoon sun warmed their faces as they jostled for a place in the crowd where they could see the action.
Rider after rider, the tricks seemed to get harder and higher; the crowd either screaming in awe or gasping as one of the young athletes crashed into the tall walls of the half-pipe. Baxter had to put his mitten to his ear every time one of the local riders dropped into the half-pipe. The snowboarder’s fan base could rival that of any boy band, and the screams of the girls pierced into his brain.
“This is a bit much,” Baxter whispered to Thomas.
“Ha, you can tell you don’t have kids,” Thomas shouted over the screams of the young crowd. “You get used to the constant chaos and noise,” he smiled and shrugged.
Baxter looked around at the fans. The parents were standing back and chatting with each other, seemingly oblivious to the debauchery in front of them. He liked his quiet and organized life. He couldn’t imagine having to deal with the constant whining and screaming of kids, especially the girls. “If we stay here, I’m going to need to get a hearing aid,” he laughed.
Thomas checked his watch, “We should get into town soon anyway.”
They slipped out of the crowd and headed to the brick walkway in front of the lodge.
“Heads up.” Thomas threw his arm in front of his boss’ chest as the door swung open and a woman dressed in heels marched out, a young boy in tow, who was literally digging his heels into the snow. The woman seemed oblivious to the fact that she had flung the door right into their path, stopping them dead in their tracks.
“I want to watch the contest,” the boy whined.
“Tough luck,” the woman hissed. “Pick up your feet.”
Baxter raised his eyebrows at Thomas. “Remind me again why you have kids?”
The woman had dragged her squirming kid out of earshot, but Thomas whispered, “That one looks like a handful.”
“Which one?” Baxter laughed, “The mom or the kid?”
“Both,” Thomas smiled wryly. “Let’s go.”
But as the four of them moved to walk forward, the door swung open, again just missing them, but this time, a gorgeous woman with silky black hair burst out in front of them. “Did you see a woman head out of here?” she asked, leaning out into the cold. “Lots of makeup, fake tan,” she prodded.
“She went that way.” Baxter pointed to the parking lot.
“Good,” the woman said and stepped back into the chalet.
“Wow. Let’s get out of here,” Baxter whispered. “I know a catfight in the making when I see one.”
Nicole rolled her eyes while Barry and Thomas laughed. “I’d put my money on the brunette.”
“I don’t know,” Baxter said. “That blond looked pretty damn scrappy.”
“You should’ve gotten her number,” Thomas said as they reached the car. Thomas was happily married and was constantly pushing Baxter to meet women, but Baxter had been focused on business for as long as he could remember. He dated women from time to time but found that it usually took a lot more effort than the orgasms were worth. That, and he had no desire to settle down and live any kind of domestic life anytime soon. “She looked like a handful,” he joked, knowing that Thomas meant the very attractive brunette, not the trashy blond.
“You’re here for a month, find some ski bunny and have a little fun.” Thomas elbowed him.
“We’re here for business,” Baxter said. He opened the car door and hopped into the passenger seat. The rest of the team took their seats in the back.
“Where to?” Their hired driver, a local man named Al, asked.
“O’Hare Realty,” Nicole piped up from the back seat. “It’s on Main Street. The number is—”
“I know where it is.” Al smiled and put the car in gear.
As they wound their way down the switchbacks of the mountain road, leaving the gleaming modern multi-million-dollar mountain homes behind them, the quaint and colorful mining homes of Chance Rapids came into view across the river.
The team was chatting in the back, but Baxter couldn’t concentrate. There was something familiar about that dark-haired woman. He wondered if that could be the girl he met years ago. He didn’t think that he’d ever forget her face, but it had been over ten years. Could it have been her?
Chapter 3
LAUREN HAD SIX OF THE candles in the unicorn cake lit when Charlotte burst into the kitchen. “She’s gone,” she announced.
“Good,” Lauren said without looking up. “Thanks for putting candles in the unicorn’s eyes, now it looks like some kind of devil unicorn.”
Charlotte took the lighter from her sister’s hand and blew out the candles.
“What are you doing?” Lauren tried to snatch the lighter back.
“The kids are all out at the half-pipe. The cake is going to have to wait.” Charlotte pulled out one of the offending eye-piercing candles and tried to smooth over the frosting. “Hmmm.” She put one hand on her hip. “I think that’s worse.”
“You think?” Lauren asked. The unicorn now looked like someone had completely gauged its eyes out. She jabbed the candle back into the eye. “I guess we’ll have to wait until after the contest to do the cake.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Now we can relax for a minute.”
Charlotte looked at her watch, “I’d love to join you, but if I don’t get out of here, I’m going to be late for a meeting.”
“What meeting?” Lauren asked.
“Those investors I was telling you about,” she said and pulled on her coat.
“Which investors?” Lauren prodded. She knew exactly which investors her sister was talking about. The very investors she had begged her specifically NOT to meet with.
“Um. Just some...” Charlotte zipped up her jacket and pulled on her leather gloves. She held her hands up stickup style. “Don’t kill me.” She stepped back from her sister. “It’s just a meeting. I’m not agreeing to anything.”
“Charlotte,” Lauren shouted. “I thought we discussed this.”
Charlotte wasn’t meeting her eyes. “We did discuss it, but I don’t think that we ever really agreed on anything.”
“Ugh,” Lauren groaned loudly. “I can’t believe you.” She flopped down onto one of the chairs at the long communal style eating table. “The very people I’m trying to stop, are meeting with my own flesh and blood.”
“We’ll talk later, Lauren.” Charlotte was at the door. “I won’t agree to anything. It’s just an exploratory meeting. It might even be a conflict of interest for me to help them.” She paused with her hand on the door rail, as if the thought had just crossed her mind.
“I’ve been working for months to kill this project. You know more about it than you should.”
“Don’t get your panties in a knot. I won’t say anything I’m not supposed to.”
“Just go.” Lauren waved Charlotte away with the back of her hand, “We’ll talk about this later.”
“Toodleloo,” Charlotte grinned and gave a fluttery fingered wave as she hurried out the door.
Lauren headed into the empty kitchen and dragged her finger through the creamy pink frosting of the unicorn’s tail, discreetly enough that no nine-year-olds would be able to tell. “Could this day get any worse?” Lauren asked herself.
Chapter 4
THE LAST TIME BAXTER was in Chance Rapids he was twenty-one years old, had long hair, and a beard. Ten years ago, Chance Rapids had a diner, a gas station, and well, that’s pretty much it. He looked up and down Main Street and couldn’t believe how m
uch the little town had grown up. There were several outdoor shops and a café that served cappuccinos.
He had expected O’Hare Realty to be a dingy old real estate office with a little old lady at the front, probably still using a typewriter, but it was the polar opposite. The office was nicer than his, and Baxter’s was gorgeous. Whoever designed the place had been able to tastefully blend outdoorsy country with modern chic. The lobby had a huge cobblestone fireplace, herringbone hardwood floors, and floor to ceiling windows. Digital photographs of all their listings hung in the windows, suspended by wire cables.
The receptionist, a pretty blond girl named Maria, ushered the Caldwell team into a conference room and offered them drinks while they waited for the broker, Charlotte O’Hare.
“This is a gorgeous table.” Nicole ran her hands along the thick slab of wood with a rough edge. As she handed Baxter a file folder, the sleek glass door opened, and Baxter felt his steadfast hands start to tremble. It was the woman he and Thomas had just seen at the ski lodge.
“Have I kept you waiting?” the raven-haired woman asked as she pulled off her parka, revealing a simple black turtleneck and skinny black jeans. She kept her furry boots on and rushed to the table.
Baxter stood and stepped forward. “Baxter Caldwell.” He reached out his hand.
“Charlotte O’Hare,” she smiled and shook his extended hand.
Baxter introduced the rest of his team and everyone took their places at the conference table.
“What can I help you with?” she smiled.
Baxter couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen this woman before today. And he felt a little let down that there wasn’t a glimmer of recognition in her eyes when she met him. Although, ten years ago, he had looked like a different person. Back then, he was young and naïve, but he felt like he and the girl, a cleaning lady at the lodge, had an instant attraction, and that in those brief hours they shared, they had formed a bond that he would never forget. He found it hard to believe that two people who had spent such a magical night together could forget what each other looked like. No, this couldn’t be her he rationalized. He knew deep down that if he ever saw that cleaning lady again, he would know it, instantly.
