Page 34 of Snowed In with the Bosses

“Bring beautiful women home for a shower and give them clothes?” Liam stood and stretched. “Never. He bought a golf course once because the owner was having a rough time keeping the place open and it was his favorite golfing green. But he’s never brought a woman here.”

That should not make me feel warm and fuzzy toward Alexander, but it did one hell of a number on me to know that I was the first woman here. It was a pipe dream to think I’d be the only one, but damn it, the fairytale had its claws in me and it was trying damned hard to keep me.

“Ready?” Liam snapped me from the edges of a daydream. “Alexander is setting up a conference call with Harrington for this afternoon. We need to update him on our progress and decide on next steps.” He held out a crimson coat for me.

I slid my arms through and nuzzled my cheek against wool so soft it felt like cashmere. Where did he find these things? “Where are we going shopping?”

“There’s a little village fifteen minutes away.” He jingled a set of keys. “And Alexander gave me the keys to the Land Rover.”

The beast of a vehicle sitting outside the chalet looked like it belonged in a movie. Silver paint flashed in the sun, and Liam had to help me up into the passenger seat since it sat so far off the ground.

Liam turned on the radio, seeming to understand that I needed a little time alone with my thoughts. The chalet took up most of the view in my side mirror, so I focused on the road ahead. Wherever we were, it was not as affected by the storm as Silverbrook. Snow littered the ground, but Liam handled our ride, the tires gripping the asphalt without any trouble. A row of simple shops popped up almost as soon as we passed a weathered sign with Mountain Pass stamped in faded green letters.

“Here we go.” Liam pulled up to the curb and turned toward me. “I’m headed to the shop there.” He pointed straight ahead, where a row of fresh produce sat organized in crates. “You want to look around?”

“That’s okay.” I tugged my coat tighter around my neck. “I just needed to get out for a minute.”

“Yeah. Same.” He chuckled when I jerked toward him. “Alexander doesn’t flaunt his wealth. None of us do. But it’s easy to get lost in the dream when we’re here. That’s why I always cook.”

We climbed out into the crisp air as I absorbed Liam’s words. “Can I watch you cook?”

“Absolutely.” His smile widened until it creased the edges of his eyes.

“Mr. Liam. You’re back.” The shopkeeper held out a hand to Liam, which he shook enthusiastically. “A shipment of tomatoes just arrived. Would you like to see?”

“Please. Thank you, Mr. Monte.”

The man rushed away, calling out to someone else when he entered the shop.

Surprise rooted me to the ground. Liam not only knew the man, but the man knew him by name, addressed him with respect, and was eager to show off his products to Liam. I’d always thought of Liam, Alexander, and Ethan as standoffish, maybe even arrogant. I should’ve known better, especially after how they treated me, but this casualness still shocked me into silence. Mom always said people would show you who they really were, you just had to give them time. Was I finally seeing the real men behind the business suits?

Liam completed his purchases and held out a hand to me. “Are you sure you’re ready to go?”

“Yes.” I nodded. “But maybe we could come back later? I’d love to do some sightseeing.”

“Deal.” He handed me back into the Rover. “Alexander is an excellent tour guide. We’ll all come back after work and he can show you around.”

The flutter from earlier returned with a vengeance. I nodded to keep from squeaking an answer and tucked my hands deep into my coat pockets.

Time blurred together as Liam drove us back to Alexander’s chalet. Seeing it from this angle brought the situation into perspective. I was living in a dream world. This was not mine to grow accustomed to.

I took one of the shopping bags from Liam and followed him through the foyer and into a spacious kitchen bigger than Mom’s entire house. It echoed with a hollow thud that caught in my chest. How did one man have all this while so many others struggled? It wasn’t his fault, or ours, that we were so far apart on the economic scale. Life was life. Still, it poked at me the whole time Liam cooked. He had a flair in the kitchen, a casual grace and experience that made him comfortable here as hedarted between the stove and the cutting board on the counter. He cooked without a recipe and kept up a conversation the entire time. We batted questions back and forth, leading to me learning he’d known Alexander far longer than I thought and that he’d grown up in upstate New York.

Alexander and Ethan entered the kitchen as Liam sprinkled the last of the fresh mozzarella over a series of plates.

He smirked at them. “Right on time. As always.”

“You texted that it was almost ready.” Alexander waved his phone and joined me at the counter. His elbow brushed mine, our bare skin turning the moment electric. He turned to me. “Harrington is anxious to see where we’re at with the designs. Is there anything you need to go over before the meeting?”

“No.” Liam set a plate in front of me and poured wine into four glasses. “Wow.” I twirled my fork through the pasta and took a hearty bite. “Wow.” Flavors exploded on my tongue. Tangy tomato with fresh basil. Perfectly cooked pasta that he’d made by hand blended with the three cheeses. “I can’t believe you cook like this.”

“I’m a man of many talents.” He said it with a side-eye and a wink that flushed my cheeks. “Maybe we’ll have time for me to show you later.”

Yes. Later.

The food was too good to bother wasting time on conversation. We all ate with the kind of gusto that came with excellent food and the press of the upcoming meeting. I wasn’t nervous, exactly, but I wanted the meeting over so I knew where Harrington stood. We’d done a lot in the last few days, designs and plans he’d yet to approve.

“I’ll clean up.” A short, stout woman stalked into the kitchen. She shot Liam a look, her eyebrows raised. “Where is mine?” Her words had a sharpness though she looked at Liam with carefulconcern. Her gray hair was tied back in a perfect bun, and she set her hands on her hips with a determination I found interesting.

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