In Too Close

“Why?” Elizabeth asked. Over the last few months, as Lindsey had adjusted to being one of the ski instructors, the two women had become friends. They often had breakfast together, but each always paid her own way.

“To celebrate. It’s my way of saying congratulations on your promotion.”

“Oh, well, thanks,” Elizabeth said. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“Yes, it is. I’m proud of you,” Lindsey added before turning and walking away. Elizabeth drew her coat a little closer around herself as she walked toward the lodge and her office. It was situated with all of the executive offices, on the second floor, behind a massive stone atrium wall with a fireplace in it. When she moved into her new one she’d have a view of the Wasatch Range.

The view wasn’t what she’d worked so hard for, but she’d definitely enjoy it.

As she entered the lodge she was greeted by the doorman, Henry, who’d been trained at some of the finest hotels in Europe. Lars only hired the very best to staff his lodge. The moment she walked inside everyone began offering congratulations and she took the time to greet them all by name.

She’d learned from Lars that little gestures like that meant the difference between good and great. Good didn’t lead, but great could.

Elizabeth walked over to her desk and shook her head as she remembered her lurid dream about Bradley last night. She tossed her designer tote onto her dark-stained walnut sideboard and skimmed the room with her eyes, half expecting him to be waiting in the corner. But that was just wishful thinking, and this was real. She was the general manager of the Lars Usten Lodge. It was a big deal. She wished her father were here for her to call. He would have been so proud of her for getting this promotion.

He’d been a middle manager and traveled a lot when she and her sister were little. His dream had been to see them both succeed and be happy. Elizabeth had always been his little shadow.

She paused for a moment, letting the heels of her shiny black pumps sink into her bespoke geometrically designed Persian rug, before she sat down behind her desk. Knowing she had a busy day ahead of her, she took out her laptop and powered it up, then switched on her Tiffany lamp and got to work. Barely ten minutes later she heard a knock. She glanced up from the memo she was typing and invited the person to enter. It was her boss, Lars.

She stood up, wiped her hands on her skirt and walked around her desk to greet the chairman of the board. He was sixty-five but showed little sign of slowing down. Lars had once been a champion giant-slalom skier and still started every day with some sort of outdoor activity, which probably accounted for his good health.

“Good morning, Elizabeth,” the silver-haired gentleman said. “Are you ready for the morning report?”

“Morning, Lars,” she said, holding her hand out to him and following his ritual of the European air kiss to each cheek before returning to sit behind her desk. Her computer screen flashed a message and she saw that the morning report had just arrived in her mailbox.

This was the second time that Jerry had been late in filing the report and she jotted a quick note to have a discussion with him. She’d worked with him in her former position as well, and knew that his lateness was becoming a habit.

She skimmed the email and started to discuss it with her boss. When she finished he leaned back in the art-deco guest chair, crossing one leg over the other.

“Very good. I can see you have this all under control. I think I will move our meetings to weekly instead of daily.”

“Okay. I will have Paula make the adjustments to our calendars,” Elizabeth said calmly, but inside she was doing the a victory dance. It had taken five long years, but finally she thought she had gained Lars’s trust.

He nodded and then stood up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling plate-glass windows. Elizabeth hesitated for a second before going to join him.

“I want to warn you, Elizabeth, that this job is not without its drawbacks. You have worked hard to get here but you haven’t reached the final destination. You will still have to work hard—harder even than before—and there is a lot that you will find yourself sacrificing.”

“I’m aware of that,” she said.

“If at any time you find that you no longer wish to make that sacrifice, let me know.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Elizabeth reassured him.

“You might find yourself feeling differently,” he said. “I’ve always put the lodge first.”

“I do, as well,” she said. “This job is the most important thing in my life.”

“I have noticed, but you do run the risk of ending up just like me.”

“Great,” she said. “I want to be successful.”

“But you might also wind up alone. It’s not for everyone,” he said. “Just think about it.”

She nodded, and he said his goodbyes and left. She thought about her midnight call from Bradley and their dinner plans for tomorrow. She didn’t know if it was wise to tempt fate and make their friendship into something more, but she also knew she wasn’t going to back down.

Having it all seemed like a challenge but she was more than up to the task, she reassured herself. Really, she was.

* * *

HER PHONE RANG a little after midnight, just as she shut off the Late Show and was preparing to go to sleep.

“Still struggling with the time zones?”

“Yes, but not in the way you mean. I’m wide-awake, even though it’s the middle of the night. Too much time in the U.K.”

“What were you doing there, by the way?” she asked. “Forgot to ask the other night.”

“We just got a new contract. But that’s not why I called. We can talk business any time. The middle of the night...that’s our time for fantasy.”

“Fantasy? I thought you were a real man,” she teased. “Did I make you up?”

She got out of bed and walked quickly to the wall switch to turn off the overhead light before going back to bed. She lay in the middle of the queen-size mattress, plumped the pillows up behind her and settled down to talk to Bradley.

A long time ago she’d given up the illusion that any man would be sharing her bed regularly. She thought part of it was due to the fact that she didn’t want to have to compromise on any of the things she wanted. But the other part...well, she didn’t want to risk falling in love and acting stupid again.

“Oh, I’m real enough. I didn’t think you’d appreciate a midnight visit, so I called instead.”

“This is getting to be a habit,” she said. “I guess you’re safely back in Utah?”

“I am. Landed earlier today. Crashed for a few hours and then tried calling you around dinner time.”

“I had my phone on silent. I was in an executive meeting,” she said. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night call? Is it to discuss our benefits?”

“Benefits. That’s such a fun word. What do you think they should look like?”

“You shirtless, waiting on me hand and foot,” she said.

Keep it light. She wanted him in her bed, too. She wanted someone she could share her fears with. This new job, the one she’d hoped was the pinnacle of her career, suddenly felt like another summit she still had to climb.

“Ah, I see. A glorified cabana boy.”

“Sort of. It’s a shame you didn’t just return from someplace sunny.”

“I’m naturally pretty tanned. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” he murmured.

She didn’t think so, either, but his ego was big enough without her stroking it. Though stroking him was what she wanted. She hated to admit it, but the truth was she was ready for sex. And a lot of it. Yet, by the same token, she didn’t want to let this stray into anything other than their regular friendship.

She sighed. End this now before it turns into another regret.