Change My Mind

by Ali Parker

  Mine.

  “Beautiful,” I said, regaining my wits slowly but surely.

  “Thank you. These really are exquisite.”

  “They look great on you.”

  She smiled at me and it felt like the sun was on me alone. “Should we go?”

  I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to touch her and tell her how much I wanted her. I didn’t dare. I was certain that would have her fleeing in the opposite direction. “Yes.”

  We walked out of the room and to the elevator. There was a healthy distance between us, making sure there weren’t any accidental touches. When we walked through the lobby, I saw the looks from guests and the staff. There were jaws on the floor. She looked incredible. I knew we made a good couple. We made our way to the ballroom. Security recognized the two of us and didn’t request to see our invitation.

  We walked under snow-covered branches and into the ballroom. “Wow,” I breathed.

  “No kidding,” she said.

  We both stood together, taking in the sight of the ballroom decorated to make it look like we were outside in a true winter wonderland. Soft Christmas music was playing overhead, not enough to be overbearing but just enough to set the scene.

  “They really went all out,” I said, fighting the urge to bend over and touch the fake snow that covered the floor.

  “This is truly amazing. I can’t believe how real it looks. It’s like a movie set. If someone took a picture right now, it would look like we were all standing outside in the freezing cold.”

  I laughed as I noticed the bare arms on the women in their dresses. It was a contradiction my brain was struggling to make sense of. There were trees covered with snow, snowmen, and icicles dangling from some of the trees, but it was a perfect seventy degrees.

  “I think this party is definitely going to be some good publicity,” I commented.

  “Absolutely.”

  Those first few seconds were the last I got with her before a steady stream of men and women that lived and worked in the area began to congratulate me on a successful opening. It was one after another. As much as I wanted to give my full attention to Harper, my duty as the unofficial host demanded my attention.

  “I’m going to grab us some champagne,” she said close to my ear when I got caught up with a fellow business owner.

  I smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

  She walked away. My eyes followed her across the room before giving the man in front of me my full attention once again. I did my best to listen, but I kept looking for her. Then I saw her talking to Tawny Lassiter.

  Shit. Tawny was a good lady and she would be a great boss. My goal was to show Harper how much she wouldn’t want to work for anyone here. Tawny was one of the few good ones, and judging by the body language and laughter, they were really hitting it off. This was not good for my plan.

  I walked over to the two of them, smiling at Tawny. “I see you ladies have hit it off.”

  “We have,” Harper answered. “She helped me pick this dress.”

  “Then I owe you a very big thank you,” I said with a laugh. “She looks amazing.”

  “Yes, she does,” Tawny said with a glint of mischief in her eyes. “I’m in awe of what you have done here. I think people are going to be talking about this resort for a long time.”

  “I hope so.”

  “And her,” Tawny said and looked at Harper. “You really did a fantastic job.”

  Harper smiled demurely. “This wasn’t me. This was Chase’s event team. They are very talented.”

  “Harper did have a slight hand in this. I believe some of the ideas you see here were poached from Harper.”

  Harper looked at me. “Stop. We are all on the same team.”

  I looked at Tawny and smiled. “I’m going to steal her away,” I said. “I want to introduce her to a few more people.”

  “I’m sure you do,” she said with a wink.

  Tawny walked away, giving me one blessed moment with Harper again. “You guys get along?”

  “Very much so,” she answered. “She’s a unique person. I like her ambition. I like that she doesn’t try to pretend to be something she isn’t.”

  I didn’t like what I was hearing. I could hear the admiration in her tone and I knew Tawny was getting ready to make that mall of hers into the next big thing in Vail. Harper was ripe for the plucking and Tawny would be a dream to work for.

  “Here, you look like you could use this,” Harper said and handed me the champagne flute.

  “Thank you.”

  “You know all of these people?”

  “I don’t know them, but I know who most of them are.”

  “They all seem very eager to be your friend,” she said with a laugh. “I think you can say you have officially arrived.”

  “That’s exciting and terrifying at the same time. I think they are all going to be looking at me to do great things. It was kind of nice going unnoticed.”

  “You could never go unnoticed,” she replied.

  It was a compliment and it warmed my heart. “Thanks.”

  We were interrupted again, this time by a woman I did not recognize. “Hi, Harper,” she said.

  “Hi, Angela.”

  “And you’re Chase Adams,” Angela said with a wide smile.

  I looked at Harper, wondering who the woman was.

  “Chase, this is Angela Refe,” Harper said. “She’s the journalist Cori brought in to do a piece on your resort. I’ll give you two a minute. I see someone I need to speak with.”

  Just like that, she was gone. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her hug a young woman I didn’t recognize. I was glad she knew someone at the party.

  “It’s nice to meet you in person,” Angela said.

  I turned to look at her once again. “Thank you. You’re a friend of Cori’s?”

  “We know each other. She reached out and asked if I would do a story about the resort.”

  “She did?” I asked with surprise.

  “Yes. You sound shocked.”

  “I didn’t realize she had taken up public relations. Are you staying at the resort?”

  “Yes, I am. Cori comped me a room for a couple of nights so I could get the full experience.”

  I offered another tight smile. I was going to have a long talk with Cori. “Good. How has it been so far?”

  “Great. I was wondering if we could talk about the resort and how you got the idea.”

  I looked around the room and couldn’t see Harper. “You know, now really isn’t a great time. Why don’t you talk to my assistant tomorrow? Jake will schedule a time for us to sit down when it’s not so noisy.”

  “That sounds great. I’ll do that.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on things.”

  She gave me a coy smile. “Absolutely.”

  I walked away, scanning the room for Harper. I saw the back of her head and made my way toward her. I stopped when I saw who she was talking to. It was Oliver Rook. That was perfect. He was the kind of man I wanted her to meet.

  The guy was negative and hated everything about the resort. He would show his true colors and it would be exactly what I needed to scare Harper away from working with men like him. Oliver was a jackass.

  Unfortunately, he was a little extra on the jackass spectrum. I didn’t want him to say anything to her that was hurtful. I knew his opinion on the Santa thing. I wanted her to know what he thought but I would punch him in the face if he insulted her personally.

  I casually walked closer, keeping my back to them as I eavesdropped on their conversation. It was difficult to hear them with the buzz of conversation and the music overhead. If I made myself any more obvious, I would interrupt the conversation.

  I needed her to see what a prick he was. I was hoping it would be enough for her to assume the rest of the men milling about were just the same. Most of them were, as far as I was concerned. None of them had a decent bone in their body and would make horrible bosses.

&nb
sp; Still, I felt I needed to be close in case she needed saving. Then again, this was Harper. She could hold her own.

  Chapter 34

  Harper

  I stared at the man, listening to the words coming out of his mouth and wondering how in the hell I managed to get myself into this situation. I had been chatting with someone and a man tapped on my shoulder. I turned around and the world tilted just a touch. He said he knew me. I knew for a fact I didn’t know him. A sensible person would have turned and walked away from the creeper. I didn’t. I was intrigued.

  He wasn’t an unattractive man, but he did nothing for me. I was putting him late thirties, early forties and slightly odd. He was the kind of man that probably had a smoking robe and some pretty eccentric tastes. I imagined him with a lair of some sort, covered with animal furs and lots of dark wood mixed with some medieval stuff.

  “You know me?” I said coyly. I knew how to flirt, and I wasn’t necessarily flirting with him, but something made me want to tease him just a little.

  “I do. You’re the marketing lady that put all this together.”

  “I did not put together this event,” I corrected him. “That’s an entirely different department. I am a marketing lady though. You’re half right.”

  “Same difference,” he said with a wave of his hand.

  I bit my tongue. It was very different. It was clear the man had money. The Rolex on his wrist and the Gucci shoes were very real. He looked like the kind of man that had more money than any single person should ever have. He annoyed me, and I didn’t even know him. I felt guilty for judging him and ended up standing and talking to him when I should have excused myself.

  “I should—”

  “Don’t run off. You don’t know who I am.”

  I forced a smile. “You don’t really know who I am either,” I countered. “Do you?”

  “I know you work for Chase.”

  “You might be surprised to know my parents gave me a name before I began working for Chase.”

  He smirked. “Good to know. I’m Oliver Rook. I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Oliver. I don’t think I have heard of you. Are you a celebrity?”

  He frowned as if that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. “In my own right, but I don’t prance around in front of a movie camera.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m Oliver Rook. The Rook family.”

  I slowly shook my head. He looked horrified I didn’t know who he was or his family. “I’m sure you have a very nice family.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I see some people still live in a very small world. My family was one of the first to land in America. We own, well, everything.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That’s rather broad.”

  He waved his hand, showing his irritation. “We own one of the largest electronics companies in the world.”

  “Congratulations. I’m Harper Lincoln, in case you were wondering what my actual name was.”

  He chuckled. “You’re a smartass. I like that.”

  “Good to know.”

  “You really don’t know who I am?”

  I smiled. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m not quite that worldly. I tend to stick to my own little bubble. I work a lot. I don’t read a lot of news and I certainly don’t read Forbes.”

  He nodded. “Of course not. I doubt you get out of Colorado much. I live in Manhattan, but I do like to travel the world and check out these little places.”

  I forced a smile. “Little places? What you really mean is you want to see how the other half lives.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not exactly on the map yet, if you know what I mean. And I know how the other half lives. I choose not to mingle with them all that often.”

  “I’m not sure I do know what you mean,” I said, growing irritated with him.

  “You’ve done well for the most part,” he started.

  This, I had to hear. “I’ve done well at what exactly?”

  He waved his hand once again. “This place. The opening. It’s not a bad resort. It isn’t quite what I’m used to, but it isn’t horrible.”

  I nodded. “For the most part?” I said it as a question.

  I didn’t really care what his opinion was, but I wanted to hear what he had to say. Mostly because I wanted to laugh at it later. He wrinkled his nose as if he smelled something gross. “It was all very tasteful until the Santa thing poo-pooed all over it. I don’t understand the need for the spa and hotel to be mixed up, but I do understand some people like that sort of thing.”

  I burst out with a snort. “Poo-pooed, huh?”

  “They are distasteful. A cheap party trick. No one in my social circle would be amused by a man dressed in a garish red costume delivering his room service. It’s tacky at best and very unamusing. Few people believe in the trifle anymore. It’s a new world. Santa is out.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t say. I bet there are a few million kids who would disagree with that assessment.”

  “I do say. Kids only believe the nonsense their parents feed them. These days, parents tend to be more focused on reality than fantasy.”

  “Are you a parent?”

  He flinched. “God, no.”

  “But you seem to know so much about parenting,” I said with heavy sarcasm.

  “It’s not just the children. Men like me—old money, if you will—we are used to a certain standard. We know when things are appropriate and when they are not. We are accustomed to the finer things delivered with class. A Santa concierge is something I would expect to find at the Holiday Inn. It is inappropriate for this type of establishment.”

  I pretended to think about it. “I don’t think the Holiday Inn offers a concierge service.”

  “Don’t be obstinate.”

  “Obtuse?” I corrected.

  “Same difference,” he said with another arrogant wave of his hand.

  “All right, well, you have a good evening,” I said with a forced smile. I was ready to escape.

  “Don’t run off,” he said and grabbed my arm. Not hard, more of a light touch.

  “I need to find Chase,” I said, uncomfortable. “And let go of my arm.”

  He released me and blurted out, “I collect things. Christmas ornaments are something of a passion for me.”

  “Cool.”

  “I’ve looked at the ornaments from the pop-up shop here,” he added.

  “Awesome,” I said unenthusiastically.

  He didn’t notice my total lack of interest. “I have a vast collection. I prefer to buy from the Victorian and Renaissance era, but I don’t mind the kitschy stuff now and again. Like I said, I’m a collector of all things.” He said the last in a weird, breathy tone as he stood way too close to me.

  I took a small but obvious step away from him. “That sounds interesting.”

  “Does it?”

  It didn’t but I was trying to be polite. “Sure.”

  “I need someone with impeccable planning and organizational skills. I need someone tenacious and willing to step on a few toes to get me what I want. I need someone like you on my team. As the head of my collections. I’m a man with too much money and I like to blow it on silly baubles. You would be paid an astronomical wage to fulfill my every whim and fantasy.”

  I took another step back. I was insulted and flattered at the same time which confused the hell out of me. “I, um—”

  “There you are,” Chase said, swooping in out of nowhere, and grabbed my arm. “I’ve been looking for you. I need to talk to you right away.”

  “Nice to see you, Oliver,” he added before whisking me away.

  “Wow,” I said, my head still spinning.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. That guy is slightly crazy.”

  “What was he saying to you?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “I’m not entirely sure. I think he was insulting me and offering me a job at the same time. I just reall
y don’t know.”

  “He’s an odd duck. Ignore his insults. He has his nose so far up in the air, no one really listens to him anymore.”

  “You know him?”

  He shrugged, pulling me onto the dance floor. “I know of him and I met him in the lounge a couple of days ago.”

  “He said the Santas were tacky or garish. No, distasteful. That was the word.”

  “I’m sorry. Ignore him. He’s a jackass.”

  Before I knew what he was doing, we were moving around the dance floor with his arm around me and holding me close. Part of me wanted to protest and tell him it wasn’t professional. I didn’t let that part rule me. It felt good to be in his arms.

  “He was fine. I mean, kind of a jerk, but fine. Definitely not the kind of man I would want to be in a dark alley with, but I think I could take him if I had to.”

  He softly chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest and into mine. “I know you could. Use one of those heels and take his eye out or stab him in the heart.”

  I laughed, putting my hand against his chest. “I think he is just one of those men who has not heard the word no very often in his life. He hasn’t been opposed at all. His manners suck.”

  “Was he rude?”

  “No, not really. It isn’t a big deal.”

  “I should have rescued you sooner,” he said, looking over my shoulder.

  “It was fine really.”

  We moved around the dance floor in perfect harmony. It was easy and familiar to dance with him, even though it had been over ten years. It felt so natural to be in his arms. I missed being held like this by him. I danced with plenty of other men but none of them seemed to fit quite like Chase fit.

  It was easy to get lost in the moment. His strong arm around me made me feel safe and secure. His large body pressed against mine gave me a feeling of being grounded, like I truly belonged to someone.

  I didn’t belong to him.

  I pulled away, remembering the pain the morning after prom. “I think I’m going to get something to drink,” I murmured and practically ran off the dance floor.