Page 1 of Thankful for My CEO

Chapter 1

What better way to spend Thanksgiving than three hours into the woods and without cell service?

I tapped on the steering wheel in tune with whatever classic rock song was playing, letting out some nervous energy. At least I was going to be somewhere nice -White Pine Lodge. It sounded like something from the Bachelor.

This week, an exclusive date at the luxurious White Pine Lodge…

Jeff, my boss, had ensured me there would be Wi-Fi at the lodge when he sidled up to my desk at 4pm the day before. “This guy’s an odd one,” he had said apologetically. “His assistant told us last night that there was an opening in his schedule. Finally. He’s CEO of Hayes Hospitality Worldwide, apparently owns a chain of resorts across the country and he just happens to be at one nearby us for the next couple of days. We need to send someone up there, stat.”

It didn’t matter that it was two days before Thanksgiving and everyone else in the office was getting ready to spend a relaxing four-day weekend with the people they loved most. As Jeff’s right-hand woman since day one of Earthbloom, he expected me to make the drive to deliver a last-minute pitch as to why this man should invest in our seed round as an angel investor, while Jeff stayed home with his wife and their new baby.

I got it. Jeff had praised my passion and dedication to the job since I joined the tiny team at Earthbloom. It was true. I loved the work we were doing to connect environmentally focused volunteers and the organizations that needed them. We’d just soft launched the app and already a few organizations and hundreds volunteers were signing up. It was the perfect moment to secure the rest of the money we needed.

But I also didn’t have much else going on. It felt good to be important and know that the more work I put in now, the more successful Earthbloom would be in the future.

Apparently, that also meant following the whims of every potential angel investor who Jeff thought there was the tiniest chance they might support Earthbloom’s mission.

This CEO -Christopher Hayes -better make this trip worth it.

I’d lost data miles ago, but GPS was still working. I was just a turn away. There it was: a wooden sign with the name painted in a white script.White Pine Lodge.

I slowed and turned onto a dirt road into a wall of pines. White pines, I thought. They’ve got to be. Creative name.

As I drove down the dirt road, my empty Starbucks cup jostling in the cup holder, my heart sank. This wasn’t the kind of road that led to the glitzy ski chalet I was imagining.

Sure enough, the pines parted to reveal… an oversized log cabin.

Maybe that wasn’t fair. It was a pretty big log building, and there were a few smaller cabins sprinkled throughout the forest behind the main building. But there was no way in hell this was a “resort.” Why did a billionaire CEO of a global hospitality corporation have any interest in this place?

I pulled in next to the short row of vehicles in the lot and turned off the car. I checked my phone one more time. Nope. Zero bars, of course. I scrolled through my last few texts with my mother, feeling a little guilty.

I couldn’t decide so I’m making the pumpkin & the pecan pie ??

Aw you didn’t have to mom! Can’t wait! I’m losing service jsyk. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back tomorrow

Drive safe sweetie ??

Usually, we had a small Thanksgiving with my mom, my sister and her family, and me. My sister was going to spend Thanksgiving with her in-laws for the first time. That left only me and my mom this year. And the same amount of food, it sounded like.

I wished I could have been in town to help with the cooking and keep her company. Instead, I was up here, thanks to Jeff. Well, now or never.

The gravel crunched under my feet as I walked across the lot and toward the wide wooden porch framing the front door of the main building. It was oddly warm for an overcast November day in the mountains, but I wasn’t complaining. I pulled off my cardigan and tied it around my waist. Hopefully, I wouldn’t run into this CEO looking like this after my three-hour drive. Our meeting wasn’t until the next morning, so I probably wouldn’t see him.

This Christopher Hayes should understand why I might not look perfectly polished and put together, showing up with barely any notice to his musty old lodge in the middle of the woods.

That was one reason I’d booked a stay for the night before our meeting -so I could have some time after my drive to decompress.

A little sign that said “Office” with a family of black bears painted in the corner hung from a nail on the front door. Cute. I tried the handle, and it didn’t budge, so I knocked.

I glanced toward the lot with the cars again, absentmindedly wondering which car was Christopher Hayes’s. None of them were especially nice. A couple sedans that looked like rental cars. One Jeep Cherokee. My Subaru hybrid fit right in. No Teslas, Porsches, BMWs… Nothing I’d expect from a billionaire.

What was I thinking? He’d probably been driven up here. Or, who knows, maybe there was a helipad somewhere in the woods back there. Or a runway for his private jet.

The door creaked open and brought me back to the here and now.

A friendly-looking woman with gray curls and a round face opened the door. “Hi, sweetie,” she said, instantly putting me at ease. “Are you Lena Moreno?” With barely a moment for me to nod in response, she ushered me into the front office. “Mr. Hayes mentioned he was expecting you. Come on in.”

I followed her inside. The black bear theme continued, apparently. A painted one stood by the door holding a “Welcome” sign. The rest of the office was just what I’d expected from a mountain lodge: wood paneling, dark carpet, framed vintage photographs of what looked like an old logging operation. At least there wasn’t any taxidermy on the walls.

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