Zane winked at Ashley. “Maybe you’d like to go. It’s just for a weekend. You could check out what it is Jeff does with his day.”
Jeff hesitated. His first instinct was to change the subject. No way did he want Ashley to see what he did in his world. She would be terrified. Which meant it probably wasn’t a bad idea. Her being scared would be the safest way to end the relationship before he did something stupid and hurt her. Her current view of him wasn’t based in reality. The weekend away would change that.
“I’m intrigued,” Ashley admitted. “What happens during the training weekend?”
Zane shrugged. “It’s no big deal. A dozen or so executives join us in the mountains. We have a special resort we use. It’s rustic, but not unpleasantly so. We teach them some basics about staying safe, how to recognize a terrorist threat, that sort of thing.”
“Why do I think it’s slightly more complicated than that?” Ashley asked.
“You’d be perfectly safe,” Jeff assured her. “If you’re interested, I’m sure Brenda would be willing to baby-sit.”
She stared at him. “Do you want me go?”
No, he didn’t. But he also knew it was important that she saw a piece of his reality. Being around her was changing him, and not for the better. He was getting weaker, softer. If she saw the truth, she would back off.
“I think you’d find it interesting,” he said. “There’s nothing dangerous for the participants. It’s not survival training.”
“Are there bugs?”
He grinned. “Just little ones. You could take them.”
“Okay. Sounds like fun. If Brenda doesn’t mind watching Maggie, I’ll go.”
“Great.” Zane gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ll arrange everything.”
Just then Brenda announced that brunch was being served in the main dining room. Jeff put his hand on the small of Ashley’s back and ushered her toward the doorway. Amee said something about shoes and the subject was changed. But he couldn’t stop thinking about the weekend retreat, two short weeks away. Nothing would be the same at the end of those forty-eight hours. He wasn’t sure if his friend had done him a favor or just sent him a one-way ticket to hell.
Chapter 12
The site of the executive security camp was a lodge on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. As always, the weather was better than on the Seattle side. Ashley stepped into sunshine as she exited Jeff’s BMW.
“Now here’s something I haven’t seen in a while,” she joked as she raised her face to the warm rays.
The past few weeks had been typical for spring in Seattle. Plenty of cool days and lots of rain. The weather people kept hinting at sunshine but then changing the forecast.
Her feet crunched on the gravel parking lot as she moved to the rear of Jeff’s car and waited for him to open the trunk. She glanced at the cars around them. “Lexus, Jaguars, Mercedes and...” she counted “three limos. So, Jeff, tell me about these clients of yours.”
He pulled her shabby suitcase from the cavernous truck. His own bag was soft, black leather. It was so smooth to the touch, she wouldn’t mind a coat in the same material.
“Executives,” he said. “I told you that.”
“Yeah, but I was thinking about my local bank branch manager. These people are way different.”
He grinned. “I think one of our participants might own your bank. That counts.”
“Oh, sure. We can have a detailed conversation about the way the ATMs seem to always go out at five o’clock on Fridays.”
She looked at the lodge, noticing for the first time that it seemed much more elegant than rustic. She returned her attention to Jeff and realized he was dressed in one of his tailored suits. Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling that she was completely out of her element?
“Jeff, maybe I don’t belong here.”
He set his bag on the ground, then draped an arm around her. “Don’t be nervous. You have as much right to be here as anyone else. They’re all going to feel just as awkward because they’re all out of place. This is combat, not the boardroom. My staff and I make sure everyone attending is clear on who are the experts.”
She leaned into him, inhaling the familiar scent of his body. “Like that’s making me feel better.” She felt his mouth brush against the top of her head. Which did ease some of her tension. “So why are you in a suit?” she asked. “You told me to dress casual.”
He had, in fact, insisted on jeans, sweatshirts and boots or athletic shoes. The sky might be a whole lot clearer on this side of the mountain, but the air temperature wasn’t much warmer.
“I have to impress the clients during the introductory session. If I dress like them, they’ll relax.”
