Page 8 of Finding Love on the Slopes

Chapter Six

Leighann could feel her temper rising after barely spending five minutes in Enrique’s presence. He hadn’t said much, but in her opinion, actions spoke louder than words, and his had been screaming at her since she met him. She tried very hard not to jump to conclusions, but he was obviously a judgmental moneybag and a sexist womanizer by the way he stared at her.

He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he had been evaluating her and found her lacking. What she didn’t understand was what his problem with her was. Was it that he didn’t think she was good enough to be his ski instructor? As if three gold medals in the sport weren’t enough! Or maybe he doubted that she had actually won the medals. She hadn’t been center stage on cereal boxes or sports equipment advertisements for several years now. Maybe he thought she was a liar. A fraud. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had thought that.

Who did he think he was, anyway? He certainly wasn’t the first wealthy client she had agreed to teach. She had been a ski instructor since she was a teenager and had worked with all kinds of people over the years. But the rich ones all seemed to have an air of entitlement and strut around like they owned the ground they walked on. It always annoyed her when others looked down on her, but this guy seemed to be pushing her buttons a little harder than usual.

Curtis made it sound like she would be doing this man a favor by dropping everything and taking on this job with such little notice. However, Enrique acted like she should kiss his boots for allowing her the opportunity.

As she continued walking toward the back of the store to her brother’s office, she tried to keep her anger to a low simmer instead of the rolling boil it wanted to become. She wanted to box her brother’s ears right now. Curtis had spoken so highly of Enrique over the years. Leighann had actually been excited to finally meet him in person. Her brother never revealed this male chauvinist side. Curtis knew how much she struggled working with the uber-rich and that she wouldn’t have ended her much-needed vacation to take this job had she known she would be stuck with a jerk. If this was a joke her brother was playing on her, she wasn’t laughing.

As she opened the door to the office and held it open for Enrique to pass through, she took a deep breath and summoned her many years of ingrained professionalism to try and start again. Her nostrils were instantly filled with the faint yet alluringfragrance of very expensive men’s cologne. She begrudgingly admitted that the scent suited him and appreciated that he didn’t bathe himself in it as some men did.

Allowing the door to close softly behind her, she circled behind him and made her way to the coffee maker that sat on a table right next to a small fridge, noticing how tall he was for the first time. He was several inches shorter than her brother but quite a few inches taller than herself. His shoulders, though not imposingly muscular like her brothers, were a prime example of athleticism and strength… and his clothing was impeccably tailored. She told herself she was unfazed by his undeniably attractive appearance. What good did it do him if he was rotten on the inside? Her grandmother would say, “It’s as worthless as lipstick on a pig.”

“Tea or Coffee?” she asked, holding up a ceramic mug with the Parker’s Outfitters logo on it. “Or there’s the option of hot chocolate, too, if you’d prefer that one.”

“Coffee,” he replied as he took a seat in the dark brown leather armchair positioned in front of the imposing wooden desk that took up most of the space in the moderately sized office. His voice was a smooth baritone that could have soothed her nerves if he didn’t grate on them so much. “Black.”

Leighann barely avoided rolling her eyes before turning around to prepare his beverage.Of course.

She placed a scoop of coffee into the small straining basket before closing the lid of the coffee maker with a click and watched as the water heated up before dripping into the mugshe had placed below the nozzle. She waited patiently until the cup was full, then handed him the steaming mug before taking a seat in the massive leather office chair on the other side of the desk.

Watching her sit in her brother’s oversized chair, shuffling through papers atop his desk, made Enrique think of an elf sitting in Santa’s armchair going over the naughty list. He suppressed the chuckle that accompanied the image, knowing she wouldn’t take it well.

“Lee?” he murmured as he took a sip from the cup. “I don’t remember Curtis ever calling you by that name. Is it a nickname?”

“Not really. It’s short for Leighann,” she responded, sliding a ski manual in front of him and using a remote to activate the large flat screen on the back wall of the office.

“That’s a simple how-to manual that contains all the basic details you need to know about skiing, including a glossary of terms and diagrams you can refer to later or at any time during your ski experience,” she said. “This short tutorial video will demonstrate the basics outlined in the manual. It is the most efficient way to illustrate the dos and don’ts on the slopes, the basic techniques, and safety instructions. Having a basic understanding of the physical dynamics involved in skiing will help my instruction on the slopes make better sense and allow our time to be used more efficiently. I’ll be here to answer any questions you have at the end.”

Enrique slid the manual closer and flipped the cover open, thumbing through the pages while secretly studying Leigh as she clicked through setting up the instructional video on the screen. He was used to beautiful women, the kind that came with thousands of dollars in plastic surgery and cosmetics. Leigh, on the other hand, was strikingly beautiful in a more natural and wholesome way. Her most captivating feature was her eyes. He wondered which parent she inherited that gene from. Curtis had hazel brown eyes with a slight touch of gray that was unusual but nothing like the stunning blue of Leigh’s. They shared the same Greek nose and similar long facial structure, but Leighann’s features were softer, giving her an angelic charm, whereas Curtis’ chiseled jawline and defined cheekbones gave him a rugged appeal that turned the ladies’ heads. Annoyed with his train of thought, he shut the book and looked around the office.

Having finished the setup, she hit play on the video and walked to the door as the introduction music began to play. “Skiing is an exciting sport that can be easily enjoyed if you understand the basics. I’ll get you geared up once this is over, and then we will head to the simulation room to practice using state-of-the-art virtual reality. I am going to go out on the sales floor and relieve Jenny for her break. I’ll be back in thirty minutes. Enjoy!”

As soon as Leigh left the room, Enrique slid down in the chair and got comfortable. He had already watched several YouTube videos on the flight this morning and felt comfortablethat he understood all he needed to know before beginning. The thought of reading a manual on how to ski was hilarious. He was an educated man but preferred hands-on instruction to simple book learning. The thought of grabbing a few minutes of shut-eye while the video droned on crossed his mind, but before he could close his eyes, his cell phone chirped in his pocket.

He read the urgent text message from one of his staff before placing a call to assist with the situation that remained unresolved from the morning. Enrique had just ended the call and was shooting off a text to another department for follow-up on the situation when Leigh returned.

She paused the video and pressed her lips into a thin line. “Mr. Rodriguez?”

He didn’t respond, and she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“Mr. Rodriguez!” she called louder, annoyance in her voice. He still didn’t look up, but he responded with a low, “What? I am sitting right here; I can hear you.”

Leighann scoffed.‘What?’ Really? ‘What?’She dropped the remote on the desk, folded her arms over her chest and stood, glaring at him. “So, while I trusted you to watch this very important and informational video to help ensure your safety and success on the slopes you decided to what… play a game, text your girlfriend?”

Her ears felt hot, and she knew her anger was showing thanks to her flushed face. When he finally looked up at her, he wasn’tapologetic in the least. He just arched a questioning brow at her.

“Mr. Rodriguez – ”

“Enrique,” he said, cutting her off. He sounded irritated. “Just call me Enrique.”

Her cheeks burned hotter. “Fine. You need to get your priorities straight. If you are here to learn how to ski, then you need to give it your full attention. By not paying attention to this video, you are costing us valuable time and potentially risking your safety. Now, I will have to repeat the contents of this video in person, which will be less effective as I will not be able to show you the angles and the different views.”

“I don’t know if Curtis explained this, Leighann, but I’m a very busy and important man. I also happen to be very skilled at multitasking and am capable of listening to a presentation and responding to urgent business matters at the same time.”

She folded her arms across her chest and nodded. “The point of the video was not to listen but toseewhat different techniques looked like. If you are so capable, what did the video say about collecting yourself after a spill on a steep slope?”

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