Page 10 of Release Me

I want to ask him why he’s single and if he has a secret family that none of us know about, but I feel like I’ve already crossed the line. I need to pull myself back together, back into territory that is safe.

“So, you’ve honestly never skied before?”

“Nope, never. I bought Badger Creek because the price was good, the location was amazing and because I knew I could put some money into it and come out ahead.” He shrugs casually, like everything is that simple. Just buy a massive ski resort and it turns a profit. For him, it does seem to be that easy. He has good instincts when it comes to investments and management. I’ve seen it firsthand, and hopefully, I can learn to be as good as he is at it.

“I should take you out on the slopes,” I now say, watching his face for a reaction. Would he consider it? I think about him alone in that huge house. I could totally keep him company.

Oh my god, Zoey! No, no, no!

Well, not unless he wants me to. Maybe he does. I look damn good without my clothes on, if I do say so myself.

“You’d do that?” he now says, and I have to help my brain catch up. He’s talking about skiing not sex, don’t confuse the two. So much for me steering things away from uncomfortable conversations and dreams of hanging out with my boss.

“For sure! It would be great. I used to do lessons here too. I’m pretty good. I could totally teach you to ski and then you would be able to tell people about how your runs are always the best.” I wink at him, pushing the marketing end of it for his business-savvy self.

“I’m old, Zoey. What if I break a hip?” he says, and I seriously hope he’s joking. Again I watch his face, a smile spreading across his lips that has my heart thumping hard.

“You aren’t old and you won’t break a hip. I’ll catch you if you fall.”

I watch him swallow hard, then taking in a long, slow breath, he says, “When can we set up a lesson?”

“When you tell me how old you are,” I push back, not realizing that our tone has turned flirty, my heart slamming against my ribs in anticipation.

“I’m thirty-two. Now when can we set up that lesson?” he asks again.

Thirty-two.

He’s far from old and I’m very, very legal, so there is no issue here. Well, one minor one. He’s still my boss. But does that even matter? Delaney and Alex work together here. Nick and Elissa did for years, and I’m certain Max will end up hooking up with someone who works here.

We all put in long hours. We don’t have time to be out dating and looking for someone who doesn’t understand the stressors of this job, of working in the hospitality industry. And not to mention, most of the people here are tourists. No one wants to date a tourist. Tourists are for hooking up and leaving. That’s the whole point. Although it did backfire on Alex and Delaney.

“Tonight?” I suggest. “After all your international calls. We can do some night skiing. That’s the best time. The mountain is empty, and the tourists are all getting drunk.”

“Getting drunk makes me money so let them drink,” he jokes, holding up his coffee as if he’s toasting all the drunken tourists.

“So tonight then?” I hear myself say, this strange nervousness coursing through me, wondering if I’m doing something I shouldn’t be. Something about it feels a little reckless, a little off-limits, but who doesn’t like to push those boundaries once in a while?

“Tonight is perfect, Zoey,” he says, just as his phone starts ringing. “I gotta take this,” he adds, winking at me and mouthing that he’ll see me at the office as he answers the call.

I wait for him to walk away, my mind replaying everything that just happened. Was he kind of flirting with me? Was there some tension between us or am I just misreading everything? He’s a nice guy. He’s nice to everyone. Like the desk clerks. He greeted them, but he didn’t ask them to join us. It was me he asked to have coffee with him.

I scramble out of the café and down the stairs to the ski lodge. I know Elissa will be there and Delaney should be too. She and Alex start early today with the ski academy, and I seriously need to talk to her. If not her, I’m going to need to unload and unpack all of this with someone. Elissa is the next best thing.

“Del!” I call out into the staff lounge, but she doesn’t respond. I whip open the door to the locker room and find her slipping into her ski gear. “Delaney!”

“Zoey!” she yells back, smiling at me and letting out a giggle. “What’s up? You’re perky this morning. Guess you had your coffee.”

“I just offered to teach Ethan how to ski,” I spit out, my eyes wide as I wait for her to respond.

“Wait, he doesn’t know how to ski? What the hell? He owns a fucking ski resort. What kind of guy—”

“Delaney, get off that topic. Did you hear what I said? I said I would teach him how to ski. My boss. I’m going to take him out on the mountain and teach him to ski.”

“Yeah, you haven’t done lessons in a while, but you’ll be fine,” she says, and I swear I want to smack her in the head. She is missing the whole point.

“He’s hot, Delaney and he’s my boss and I’m…” I shake my head, shrugging my shoulders.

“Crushing on him. I fucking knew it!” she wails, pointing a finger at me.

---