First Day

As I’d expected, the bed is marvelous. Comfortable, cozy, and practically begging you to sleep through the night. Of course, I only managed a couple of hours, despite how exhausted I was last night.

Not only because my mind won’t stop going over what happened in the restaurant bathroom, but because when I came out, I needed every ounce of willpower to ignore the piercing gaze of my partner in crime.

I don’t know why I thought that after our encounter he would disappear and I could pretend nothing had happened.

But there he was, talking with his friends—or pretending to, more like—because I felt his gaze on me the entire time.

Finally, when Carson noticed my unease, I decided it was better to call it a night.

It felt like a defeat and it bothered me immensely.

Yet another reason to add to the list for not sleeping all night.

The shower wakes me up enough to go down to breakfast with a cheerier attitude.

I’m surprised to see the variety of food this inn offers despite how small it is.

I would have imagined they’d serve coffee and some packaged pastry.

Maybe some fruit too, but not an all-you-can-eat buffet of this caliber.

It takes me several minutes to decide. Afterward, I sit at one of the tables by the window to admire the scenery. You can make out the mountains in the distance and a lush forest right next to the inn. This place is a paradise for nature lovers. And it just so happens that I am one.

“Trees and mountains,” Carson says, sitting down beside me. “And probably wild animals everywhere. This place is primitive.”

“I like it.” I smile at him. The views have lifted my spirits.

“I shouldn’t be surprised.” He picks up a pastry from the plate he brought to the table and devours it in a single bite. “You’re different from every woman I know.”

“And yet, somehow, that sounded like a criticism.” I take a sip of my tea to keep from saying anything else.

“I don’t understand what you could possibly find attractive about a place like this,” he comments by way of explanation.

My thoughts betray me, traveling once again to the restaurant bathroom, to the image of that man driving me wild with nothing but his mouth.

I clear my throat and drink more tea. I don’t think I could respond right now, even if I wanted to, without giving myself away, so I turn my attention back to the landscape.

“We still have time, gorgeous.”

“Took you long enough, Carson.”

I look at him with irritation. There isn’t a single occasion when we’re alone that he doesn’t bring it up. At least I can be grateful that he’s discreet in front of the other colleagues.

“They say a good morning shag is the best way to start the day.”

“They also say the same about not being late to a meeting with my father,” I remind him, with little subtlety, that we’re not here on vacation but for work. And that he needs to leave now or he’ll be so late he’ll anger the boss.

“Always so professional.” He finishes his third pastry and gulps down his coffee in a rush. “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want, gorgeous, but I guarantee you’ll think of me in a couple of days and regret not accepting my offer. You won’t find any entertainment around here.”

Once more I remember the bathroom and try to suppress the heat in my body by taking another sip of my tea. It’s possible that Carson didn’t find anyone to have fun with while he was here, but in my case, I received the best welcome. Of course, that’s something he doesn’t need to know.

“Drive carefully,” I tell him as he leaves. “I’d miss turning you down when I get back.”

I don’t even know why I’m joking with him about it—it’s like giving him hope; but by the time I realize it, it’s too late. His grin says it all, and I curse under my breath when he comes back and leans over me.

“I can be very quick when I set my mind to it,” he whispers.

“I have no doubt.” I don’t look at him. “But what I enjoy is telling you no. If I sleep with you again, the whole thing loses its charm. Go now or you’ll be late.”

“Someday, gorgeous,” he promises. “Someday.”

“Not if I can help it,” I murmur so he won’t hear.

Men like him become more insistent the harder the challenge—I mustn’t forget that. Joking around with him will only encourage him, and that’s not what I want.

It’s still early when I return to my room, but I’m eager to get started on the project and I try to reach Mr. Odell at the phone numbers Carson gave me.

He warned me it wouldn’t be easy to set up the first meeting, and I confirm that after fifteen minutes of trying.

Either there’s no one at the office at this hour, which I doubt, or they’re deliberately avoiding answering.

Which makes me think that if this is how they treat potential new buyers, it’s no wonder they’re going under.

But their evasive tactics won’t work with me.

If I have to go in person to set up an appointment, so be it.

I don’t think it’ll be too hard to find the building in a town this small, so I put on a charcoal gray pencil skirt with a white blouse and matching blazer, my heels, and complete the look with the briefcase where I’ll carry the reports.

These clothes are like my armor now. In them, I feel safe and confident.

Before leaving, I check in the mirror that no hair has escaped my bun and, determined to meet Mr. Odell today, I head for the street.

The sound of my heels on the pavement makes me aware that I’m out of place here in these clothes.

If anyone didn’t know it already—because I imagine everyone has known each other forever and can tell who lives here and who doesn’t—just seeing me in my impeccable city-lawyer outfit, anyone I pass will know I’m not from around here.

And although that has never bothered me, as I get closer to the factory, I have a feeling that this time it’s going to work against me.

I may have convinced other owners of family businesses, but none was situated in a place where everyone is on a first-name basis.

There are surely people from town who work at the factory and they’ll be afraid of being laid off.

I need to remember to put Mr. Odell at ease on that front.

If we can avoid it, we never let anyone go.

As I suspected, it’s easy to find the place.

It’s a small building surrounded by a vast stretch of open land and my analytical mind is already seeing the expansion possibilities that likely caught my father’s eye about this business.

It’s true that it’s too isolated and that’s a problem for driving the company’s growth, but on my way here to take over the negotiations, I noticed that the access roads aren’t bad at all.

Now, seeing the building’s location, I can imagine what my father hopes to achieve with Odell Textiles.

If he plays his cards right, he could put the whole town on the map.

“Good morning,” I say as soon as I walk in.

A young girl with light-colored hair is sitting behind a rather outdated front desk.

On it, there are two piles of papers and an old desktop computer that must be older than I am.

Modernizing all this will take time and money.

A lot of both. I make a mental note of these small details so I can use them to my advantage when negotiating a price.

“Good morning.” She straightens up in her chair and looks at me with her blue eyes. She seems nervous. “How can I help you?”

“I’m here to set up an appointment with Mr. Odell,” I reply. “You might want to have the phone line checked because I’ve been calling all morning with no luck.”

“Mr. Odell isn’t on the premises at the moment,” she apologizes.

“I don’t need to see him right now, but I’d like to set a date. The sooner the better. My colleague, Mr. Carson, has had to return to the city and I’ll be handling the negotiations from now on.”

“You’re a lawyer?”

She seems surprised and it annoys me a little, but I’m so used to it that I disguise it fairly well.

In any case, it shouldn’t affect me like this because ever since my father decided to buy struggling companies, I’ve seen more than once in the most picturesque towns the incredulity my profession provokes.

Some even went so far as to suggest that my place was in the kitchen or with the children.

I would have gladly told them what I thought, but I always keep in mind that anything I do will hurt me when it comes time to close a deal, so I bite my tongue and smile.

Composure is my greatest asset when dealing with people like that.

“Wow,” she goes on without stopping to think about what she’s saying, “I didn’t know someone so young could have a job like that.

Much less a woman. Don’t you have problems with your colleagues?

I bet they don’t take you seriously. You don’t look tough enough, and I’ve seen on TV that you have to be tough to win cases.

Have you won any? That must have been super cool… ”

“I need a date and a time, Miss…” I stop her, leaving the sentence hanging so she’ll give me her name, but she doesn’t seem to catch on. “What’s your name?”

“Mandy.” She grins openly, which makes her look even younger than before.

“How old are you?” I ask with genuine curiosity.

“Nineteen,” she answers proudly.

Barely more than a kid, I think.

“Let me give you some advice, Mandy.” I doubt very much she’ll follow it. “Try to watch what you say, especially to someone you don’t know. You could offend them without meaning to, and working with the public, you can’t afford to make that kind of mistake.”

She blushes and I feel bad for being so direct with her, but I didn’t appreciate her not believing I’m capable of doing my job.

Especially when she doesn’t seem to want to do hers.

And I don’t mean just because she hasn’t given me a date and time for the meeting, but also because of the paperwork piled up in front of her.