Page 64 of Stranded with the Resort Owner

"You know it isn't." Lucas steps closer, close enough that I can smell the subtle notes of his cologne and see the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw.

"Then what was it?" I meet his gaze directly, needing clarity before I can make impossible choices.

"A beginning." His answer comes without hesitation. "Or at least, I thought it could be."

"Lucas, I—" The simple honesty in his expression steals my breath.

"You don't need to decide anything tonight." He reaches out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear gently. "Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't decide about Paris based solely on your career." His fingers linger against my cheek. "Make it based on what makes you happy."

The request lands like a stone in still water, ripples spreading outward through everything I've believed about success and fulfillment. What makes me happy? The question is simultaneously simple and profoundly disorienting.

"I should go." I step back, needing distance to think clearly. "Early morning tomorrow."

He nods, accepting my retreat reluctantly. "Goodnight, Amelia."

I make it halfway to the door before turning back. "For what it's worth, these past days with you... they've changed how I see things. How I see myself."

"For what it's worth." He echoes. "They've been the most challenging and rewarding days I've had since taking over this place. Regardless of what you decide about Paris."

We stand separated by the empty reception room, the space between us filled with possibility and uncertainty. Tomorrow looms with its demands for decisions and goodbyes, for choosing between the career I've built and something entirely unexpected that's taken root in this mountain sanctuary.

Chapter 15

Creative Solutions

Morning light filtersthrough the guest room window, falling across the small suitcase open on the bed. I fold another sweater, adding it to the meager collection of belongings I'll take when I leave Angel's Peak.

The wedding concluded in picture-perfect glory yesterday, the Mortons departing for their honeymoon with effusive praise for both the resort and my crisis management skills. Most guests have already checked out, returning to their regular lives with photos and memories of a mountain fairytale.

Only I remain, caught between worlds—the career waiting in Paris and the unexpected connection forged in this snow-covered haven.

A knock at the door interrupts my packing. I open it to find Miranda dressed in a sleek traveling suit, her designer luggage waiting in the hallway behind her.

"My car leaves in thirty minutes." She steps inside without invitation, assessing my half-packed suitcase critically. "I need your answer about Paris before I go."

No preamble.

No congratulations on the wedding's success.

Just the direct pressure I've come to expect from her over the years.

"I'm still considering the offer." I close the door, steeling myself for the confrontation brewing in her narrowed gaze.

"Considering?" Disbelief colors her tone. "Amelia, this is the opportunity you've worked toward since you joined Elite. The cornerstone of the five-year plan you presented in your last performance review."

"I'm aware." I move to the window, buying time as I gaze at the mountains bathed in morning light. "It's just a significant life change to commit to immediately."

Miranda's reflection appears beside mine in the glass, her expression a mixture of confusion and calculation. "This isn't like you. You've always been decisive, ambitious."

"I'm still those things." I turn to face her directly. "But perhaps my ambitions are evolving."

"This is about him. The resort owner." Understanding dawns in her eyes.

"This is about me." The correction comes firmly. "About what I want for my future."

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