All I want right now is my quiet room, a bottle of wine, and some Advil.
In that order.
Heidi rides to the same floor as me, and I’m surprised to find that she’s my neighbor. “I’m so glad I got a private room,” she says, mirroring my thoughts.
“Me too.”
“Are you going down to dinner?” she asks, nibbling her lip. She’s a pretty woman, in her mid-forties. She looks athletic and fun.
“I really just want room service,” I reply with a tired smile. “Who knew that listening to someone talk all day could be so exhausting?”
“Well, he made us dance too,” she reminds me. “I haven’t danced in years.”
I nod and smile at her as I reach my door. “He’s good looking, but he’s not a great dancer. Have a good night.”
“You too!”
My room is blissfully quiet. I open my curtains and sigh at the view. Giant mountains frame a blue lake. Despite it being early June, there is still snow on the peaks.
I can’t get over how late the sun stays up here. It’s late afternoon, but the sun is high in the sky. As I watch, several women walk out of the resort and down the dock to a waiting tour boat that trolls around the lake.
I bet the views they get are amazing.
I sigh and kick out of my heels, stretching my feet on the carpet and text my sister, Van.
First day is done.
She immediately replies. How did it go?
Long. Lots of talking and information.
I’m sorry if you hate it, she says. Instead of reply via text, I dial her number.
“Tell me you don’t hate it.”
“I don’t hate it,” I reply truthfully. “There is some good information so far.”
“And Simon isn’t bad to look at,” Van adds with a smile in her voice.
Boy, you aren’t lying. “No, not bad.”
“Oh, stop it.” I can practically hear her rolling her eyes. “He’s hot and you know it.”
“Just because the man looks like Henry Cavill doesn’t mean I think he’s hot.”
“Liar,” Van replies with a giggle. “At least you get to stare at eye candy all day.”
“I should be working,” I reply without even thinking about it.
“The shop is fine,” she says. “It’s in good hands, and you deserve some time away. Enjoy it. And keep me updated.”
“Okay. Love you, sugar.”
“Love you, too,” she says and hangs up and I sit heavily on the bed, looking around the lodgy room. There is nothing about this room that’s my style, but it fits the Montana motif. There’s a gas fireplace framed by logs and rocks, and there is even a teddy bear on my bed.
Nice touch.
My other sister, Gabby, would love it here. As an innkeeper, she’s always been fascinated by different resorts. I’ll have to mention it to her, and suggest that she and her new husband, Rhys, make a trip up.
I’m starving. I could order from room service, change into my yoga pants, and relax the rest of the evening.
Or, I could take advantage of being here and go be social.
I’m good at being social. It was bred into me. I can talk to anyone, and sell them shoes.
“Suck it up, Charlotte, and go experience what you came here for.” I nod once and slide my feet back into my heels, grab my bag and room key, make sure my name badge is on, and set out for the restaurant.
Once in the lobby, I run into Heidi again.
“You decided to come down,” she says with a friendly smile.
“So did you.”
“Well, I did pay to be here,” she says with a sigh. “Might as well soak it all in.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I reply. “Would you like to join me for dinner?”
“I would love to,” she says and we walk into the restaurant together. The lodge theme is carried through the place, with a stuffed bear and moose at the threshold of the restaurant.
“Two?” the hostess asks.
“Yes, please,” I reply.
“This way.” She leads us through the restaurant toward a table. I glance to my left, and sitting by the window is Simon, his assistant Todd, and a blonde woman I saw this morning named Shelly.
Simon’s eye catches mine, and he stands. “We have two empty chairs here. Would you ladies like to join us?”
Heidi and I share a glance, then a shrug. “Sure.”
We sit across from Simon, facing the lake and the mountains, and I can’t help but sigh at the view. Both the man and the nature behind him are amazing.
“Tired?” Simon asks with a knowing smile.
“A bit,” I reply with a nod. “And the view is incredible.”
“No kidding,” Shelly says with an annoying giggle, and I realize she thinks I’m talking about Simon.
For fuck sake.
“Actually, I was talking about the mountains,” I add, stifling a laugh when Heidi knocks her knee against mine. “The views here are unreal. When I saw that the conference was to be held in Montana, I just figured we’d be in the boonies, on a dude ranch or something with no wifi and hunting and gathering our food ourselves. I had no idea that this existed.”
“It’s one of my favorite places in the world,” Simon replies with one of his insane smiles. Seriously, he smiles and the room lights up. He’s changed into a casual blue T-shirt that hugs his shoulders and reveals the sleeve of tattoos down his left arm. In all of his public appearances, he wears long sleeves, covering the ink. It’s sexy as hell, not to mention the lean muscle there. His dark hair is disheveled from pushing his fingers through it all day, and his eyes look a bit tired, too. “Where are you from, Charly? Is that the South I hear in your voice?”