“Miss Li?” He checked his logs. “Oh yes, of course. We’ve been expecting you.” The look on his face made it clear I was definitely NOT what he was expecting.
“Is the bar still open?”
The valet peeled my death grip off the Louis Vuitton handle. “The Aspen Lounge is open until midnight. I’ll bring your key as soon as your room is ready.”
I nodded gratefully and limped toward the bar, leaving a trail of pine needles across the polished hardwood floor.
Hobbling inside, the Aspen Lounge was exactly what I needed, all leather chairs and mood lighting, with a massive stone fireplace on one wall. I collapsed onto a barstool, my feet screaming in relief.
The bartender eyed my disheveled appearance. “Rough day?”
“You have no idea.” I glanced at the cocktail menu propped open on the bar. “I’ll take the Mountain Sunset Martini.”
“Coming right up.” He started mixing the drink, pouring liquids in a fluid dance that was almost hypnotic. He slid the martini in front of me, a gorgeous gradient from deep purple to orange, garnished with a twist of lemon peel. “On the house.” His eyes lingered on my head. “May I?”
“May you what?”
He reached over and plucked a leaf out of my hair, holding it up with a sympathetic smile.
“Thanks.” I took a long sip of my Mountain Sunset Martini, letting the combination of vodka and mountain berry liqueur wash away the trauma of my trek through the wilderness. The sweet-tart flavor bubbled over my tongue. “You’re my new favorite person.”
“Name’s Steve,” said the bartender.
“Nice to meet you, Steve.” I couldn’t help but notice that Steve was kind of cute. And wasn’t wearing flannel. And didn’t have a wild animal as a pet. And best of all, didn’t have R.G.F.
Resting Grumpy Face.
As I turned around on my stool to see if the valet had made any progress with my room key, a woman wearing a hastily pulled on business suit, who looked like she’d just woken up, attempted to sprint in high heels.
“Miss Li! I’m so sorry about the transportation mix-up.” As she got close, I saw she missed a button on her blouse, and one earring was missing. She covered her mouth in a failed attempt to hide a yawn. Only one of her eyes had eyeliner.
“I’m Maya Rodriguez, the resort manager.” She reached over and picked another leaf out of my hair, then handed over my room key. “I had your bag delivered to your suite after the staff scraped the mud off.” She glanced at the nearly empty drink in my hand. “Can I get you another cocktail?” Her eyeswandered over my stained and rumpled outfit. “Or arrange some dry cleaning? And maybe the earliest appointment at our in-house salon?”
“Yes to everything.” I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a wheeze.
Maya held up two fingers, and Steve mixed another pair of drinks. Once he handed them over, Maya guided me to a table in the corner, away from the other guests.
“I can’t apologize enough for the transportation mix-up,” said Maya, downing almost half her martini in one gulp. “We pride ourselves on five-star service, and I can assure you that what happened today was not up to our usual standards.”
“You don’t usually strand your guests at the airport?” I knew I was being a smart ass, but in my defense, it had been one hell of a day. “Sorry.”
“No, no, you’re right. Bob, our normal driver, had to leave when your flight was delayed, and, well, Noah was there visiting his sister anyway, so …”
I held up my hand to stop her. “It’s fine. Really.”
Maya downed the rest of her drink, then waved down Steve for another.
“So what does Noah do around here, anyway?” I casually glanced around the bar, feigning disinterest. “Hopefully nothing that involves people.”
Maya snickered as Steve brought her drink. “Noah’s not a resort employee.”
“He’s not?”
“It’s complicated.” She leaned in closer after Steve returned to the bar. “To be honest, we try to keep him away from the resort guests as much as possible.”
Thinking back on my very brief and very irritating encounter with Noah, he certainly didn’t seem like any resort employee I’d ever met. He wasn’t wearing a uniform. He didn’thave a name tag. Truth be told, I wasn’t entirely sure he had even showered that day. Not that he smelled bad. The opposite, in fact. He smelled of fresh air and pine trees, with undertones of something earthy and masculine.
“Are you okay?” I looked up to find Maya staring at me. “Sometimes the altitude makes people a little loopy when they first get here.”
