Page 88 of You, Me, & Après-Ski
This is it. Today’s the day.
After everything with my father a few days ago, it sparked a fire of confidence in me. I was going to save Hale’s Peak for Val, and then I’d show up at her front door and beg her to give me another chance. The last step was nailing my presentation to the board today. If Cyrus had done his job, he’d schmoozed them into seeing my side of things, but nothing was concrete until the votes were cast.
On my laptop, I clicked through my presentation again. With each slide, I murmured the script I’d practiced with Daphne. My ideas were sound, creative, and flashy enough to prove I was the right choice for CEO.This will work.
A knock on my door and Daphne poked her head into my office. “They’re ready for you, Nolan.”
Straightening my tie, I followed her out. In the boardroom, seven people sat around a long table, Arthur and Cyrus among them. Daphne had already set up my presentation on the room’s big-screen TV, and she settled in the back corner with her laptop to steer through my slides.
I walked in and began talking immediately. “Hale’s Peak. It’s been a part of Keller Resorts’ portfolio for decades. It’s one of our oldest properties—and the most in need of renovating. It’s also not as profitable as our other locations. Before this winter, I had planned to sell it to Bridgeport Rock Quarry. But”—I made eye contact with my grandfather—“I was persuaded by someone who has always seen its potential to experience the property as a guest rather than a disgruntled businessman.”
Arthur’s eyes crinkled in a nostalgic smile, and Daphne clicked to my next slide.
“Until I spent the winter there myself, I thought Hale’s Peak was a lost cause. But then I was shown that the true value of this property lies in the people and the town.”
The next slide was a collage of pictures of Val, Frankie, Hugh, Austin, and her other friends teaching lessons; the general store and the town; the farmers market and the Medfords. “These people are what will keep guests coming back to the resort.”
The next slide showed a chart. “The majority of people who stay at Hale’s Peak are repeat guests. This shows a survey of what guests say they most enjoy about staying at the resort. You’ll notice that ‘friendly staff, excellent customer service, and authentic/valuable experiences’ have the most responses. ‘Amenities’ aren’t at the top of the list, but”—the next slide showed architectural mockups I’d been working on with Anton—“with my proposed renovations and upgrades, we could take Hale’s Peak from the bottom of the barrel to one of our top resorts in less than two years.
“I’ll be partnering with Anton Alistair on our construction needs and have worked out a favorable arrangement. In the event that we do sell the property, he’ll be entitled to a percentage of the sale.” To my dismay,I’d discovered that Anton was actually not such a bad guy. I wanted to hate him for cozying up to Val, but every time he ribbed me about their fake relationship, it felt playful rather than malicious. He was keeping my secret and helping me out—helpingValout—and that meant something to me.
As I glanced around the table, the board members watched me with unreadable poker faces, with the exception of Arthur, who gave me an encouraging nod.
“As for the town of Hale’s Peak,” I continued, “we have an opportunity there as well. Building up the town and the General Store will not only garner trust with the townsfolk and resort employees, it will make the area better for everyone. Valeria—” My voice constricted and I cleared my throat. “Valeria López will be starting a farming co-op, and my proposal includes a budget for her to expand the greenhouse to grow more food for our onsite restaurant, as well as host regular fundraisers for the town.” It didn’t feel like enough to make it up to her—nothing would ever feel like enough—but it was a start.
Squaring my shoulders, I drove my presentation home. “I know Cyrus and I have been pushing to sell to the rock quarry, but that would deprive Keller Resorts of what could be one of our crown jewels. It will take time, attention, effort, and of course, money to make it so. But with my projections, this renovation will yield far greater profits in the long run. Thank you.”
Daphne did a little punch in the air from the back of the room.Nailed it.It was all in the hands of the board now. Their faces remained impassive, but Arthur didn’t bother to hide his beam of pride, and I felt myself giving a rare smile back. Now all I had to do was wait while they deliberated.
As I exited the room, someone caught my elbow, and I turned to see my grandfather. “Your mother would have loved this, Nolan.” As he squeezed my shoulder, the weight of my grief felt just a bit lighter.
“Thank you for sending me to Hale’s Peak. It…” I trailed off, trying to find the words to encompass everything this past winter had meant to me. “It changed my life. It made me a better man.”
“Regardless of how the board votes, you did your mother proud. And me.” With a last nod of approval, Arthur disappeared back inside.
My plan would work. It had to.
As I headed to my office, my phone rang in my pocket. I almost dropped it when I saw the name on the caller ID.
“Val?”
“Nolan.” Just that one word conveyed a whirlpool of emotion. I clutched the phone until I thought it would break. “I need your help.”
I was at Diego’s apartment in a few short hours, having pushed my private jet to the limit.
When Val answered the door, I pulled her into my arms without preamble and she sagged into me. Her arms wrapped around my waist as she buried her face in my chest, filling the hole in my heart.I am never letting this woman go. Never again.
Val pulled back, her eyes puffy with lack of sleep. I traced a thumb across her cheek, catching a stray tear. “I’m here, Val.”
Then Diego appeared behind her. “Mr. Keller? What are you doing here?”
“Please, call me Nolan. Val thought I might be able to help.”
“Can you?” Diego asked, eyeing me with suspicion.
“I already have my security team looking into it as we speak.” Since discovering Jason Jesko was a murderer and a liar, he owed me a fucking eternity of no-questions-asked favors. I didn’t trust the slimy motherfucker, but I trusted him enough not to cross me again since I could bury him forever.
Even though I’d only spent a brief time with Juanito, he’d stolen my heart just like his sister. And I knew enough about Antonella’s history to know that the kid was in serious danger. “Antonella and Hal have their phones off, so we can’t ping them, but there are other ways to get a location,” I said. “Hacking street cameras, tracking credit cards, things like that. We just have to wait.”
