“Something glamorous. Mandy looks like a 1940s pinup. Very blonde and really beautiful.”
“She can’t be more beautiful than you. You’re a stunning woman, Tricia.”
Tricia.
Charity flushed, cheeks hot. She didn’t even hear the compliment, too bothered by her deception. She wanted to tell him who she really was, but couldn’t, not with him being a friend of the owner. There was no way Charity could risk getting Tricia in trouble. “Thank you,” she murmured, and then not knowing what else to say, she grasped at the first thing that came to mind. “Have you stayed in touch with your girlfriend?”
“We talk now and then, and text a couple times a week,” he answered.
“So you’ve stayed on good terms.”
“She’s a great person.”
“Do you want to get back together?”
“No.”
“Does she?”
He didn’t answer, which told her plenty.
“Does she work at your magazine or paper, or wherever you work?” Charity persisted.
“No.” He winked at her. “I know better than to date my coworkers.”
His wink made her pulse quicken and her cheeks warm. She wished she didn’t find him so attractive. Being friends with him would be easier without the sizzle of desire she felt every time she glanced into his face. “How did you meet her?”
“Alice?” His brow furrowed, and he paused, remembering. “We met at a fund-raiser, and we just clicked, and that was that.”
“I bet she’s beautiful.”
“She is. Smart, too. Very focused, very ambitious. I admire her a great deal.”
Charity bit into her lower lip, hiding her dismay because she wasn’t ambitious. It was a problem, really. “So you don’t regret the relationship?”
“Not at all. I learned a lot from our time together. I learned what I needed in a relationship and what I don’t need. Alice is a wonderful woman, and I’m glad we had those three years together, but now it’s time for the right relationship, the one that will hopefully lead to marriage and kids.”
“You want a family.”
“Most definitely.”
She could see him with kids, and it gave her a little pang. “Did Alice not want children?”
“No, she did, but we had different ideas about how to raise them, and where to raise them. It worried me. Let’s be honest, if we disagreed that much before we had our first child, I couldn’t imagine the tension after.”
“It’s hard to grow up in a house filled with tension.”
“I think you’re smart to make sure it’s right. That’s why I’m determined to take my time from now on. No more jumping into relationships. No more dating just to date. It’s not worth it.”
He lifted his wineglass. “To waiting for the right one.”
She clinked her glass against his. “I’ll drink to that!”
*
They spent the next day together as they explored the resort, their small group walking the hotel grounds, and then given a little tour of town. They had lunch at the pizza place, and then they were treated to a movie in the small, three-screen movie theater. It was a holiday film, a new version of The Grinch, and Charity could barely focus on the story, so aware of Douglas next to her.
She liked being next to him. She liked the feeling she got when he smiled at her, because she couldn’t help smiling back. And when she smiled, she went warm and fizzy. She felt happy… happier than she’d been in a very long time.
As they left the movie and walked back to the lodge, Douglas mentioned how Little Teton was perfect for families. “If they renovated the old bowling alley, you’d have quite a lot for families to do here between skiing, sledding, ice skating, movies, and bowling. Everything is priced well, too.”
“Do you think that’s part of the problem, though?” she asked him. “That the Paces have tried to keep Little Teton affordable, and it’s hurting their ability to recoup their investment?”
Douglas lifted a brow. “That’s very insightful.”
“You can’t work in real estate—” She broke off, flustered, realizing she’d nearly given herself away. “I have a friend whose husband is always looking for investments,” she added quickly. “They talk about this kind of thing a lot.”
“Your friend and her husband are right. If the Paces charged more for lodging and lift tickets, they’d certainly earn more. But would it drive away the customers they want?”
Charity and Douglas continued the conversation all the way back to the Aspen Lodge, and it amazed Charity at how much Douglas listened to her, and respected her opinion. Greg certainly never had. He’d always acted so superior.
“What did you study in school?” she asked Douglas, as he opened the front door of the lodge for her.
“Economics,” he answered. “And you?”
“Communications.”
“Maybe Peter should talk to you about how they could improve their marketing and public relations.”
“Oh, I don’t know that I’d have good ideas for him. It’s been a long time since I was in school.” She glanced at her watch, checking the time. They had several hours before dinner. “What are you going to do now?”
“I might get a workout in. And you?”
“Read.” She grinned. “And then maybe check out the pool area and the hot tub.”
“I might do the same in an hour.”
“See you there.”
He did join her at the outdoor pool, too. She was sitting submerged to her shoulders on the wide pool steps, steam rising all around her, as he arrived. His cheeks were still dusky from exertion and his eyes were bright.
She tried not to stare as he stripped down to board shorts, but it was impossible not to notice his body. He had such an amazing body—a big, muscular chest and honed, chiseled abs, great legs, lovely muscular arms. He eased into the pool next to her, sinking into the warm water with an appreciative sigh.
“Have you tried the hot tub?” he asked, after dipping all the way under and surfacing again.
“I did but it wasn’t much warmer than the pool,” she answered, admiring the way his biceps bunched as he sluiced water back from his face.
“I could try to turn up the heat.”
“That’s against the rules. There is a whole list of rules posted by the hot tub.”
“But if it’s too cold?”
“I think it’s a cost-saving measure.”
“A hot tub is supposed to be hot.”
“You could get in trouble.”
“Who is going to see?”
“I wouldn’t do it. It’s not worth it.”
“What are they going to do? Kick me out of the pool? Send me home? I’m not worried.”
He climbed from the pool and walked behind the small screen blocking the pool equipment. The freezing air didn’t seem to bother him at all. After a minute he returned, disappointed. “They’ve got the thermostat locked down. I can’t get it higher.”
&nbs
p; The lodge door opened as he stepped back into the pool. A middle-aged man wearing dark trousers and a matching vest came out, a resort name tag pinned to his vest. “It’s against the rules to tamper with the pool controls,” the lodge employee said irritably. “Please observe the posted rules, or refrain from using the premises.”
Douglas smiled unapologetically, which didn’t seem to go over well with the resort employee.
“What are your room numbers?” the man asked.
“Why? Are you going to report us?” Douglas drawled, sinking deeper into the water, and tipping his head back against the tiled edge of the pool.
“It’s within my jurisdiction to fine you, or remove you from the premises.”
Charity shot Douglas an alarmed glance but he seemed to find the whole thing amusing. “It’s alright, buddy. No need to get worked up. I was just concerned that your hot tub isn’t hot, but on the lukewarm side.”
“It’s not lukewarm. It’s a very pleasant ninety-eight degrees.”
“Don’t most people prefer a hot tub closer to 104?”
“That’s excessively hot, and dangerous when combined with drinking.”
“But we’re not drinking. And a little warmer would be nicer. Could we possibly request you set it to 102?”
“It’s at a proper temperature right where it is. If you’re not happy—”
“I’m happy, Phil. That is your name, right?” Douglas interrupted pleasantly, his bright eyes gleaming with mischief. “I was just thinking I could be happier, but if that’s not in your jurisdiction, I’m fine.”
Charity could tell Douglas was enjoying himself. Poor Phil wasn’t having such a good time. “We’re good,” she said, giving Phil a sunny smile. “And I’ll be sure Douglas doesn’t touch the controls anymore. Sorry about that.”
Phil walked off in a huff and Douglas continued smiling as the door closed behind the resort employee.
“You almost got us thrown out of here,” she said to him.
He shrugged, utterly unrepentant. “Phil could work on his customer service skills.”
“I don’t think he really cared about making us happy.”