When We Met (Fool's Gold #13)(23)

She nodded.

“All of us.”

“Sure. You, Kenny and Sam.” She paused as his gaze stayed locked on her face, then stood up and stepped behind her chair. Not to mention away from the backpack. “No.”

“Taryn, you’re a partner in the firm. He said all the partners. It’s only for a couple of days.”

“It’s camping. Outdoors. On purpose. It’s one thing if you crash your car and end up in a ravine. That could happen to anyone. Then sleeping outside until you’re rescued is no big deal. Because you can’t help it. But this is on purpose. In dirt.”

“We’d go to a campsite,” Kenny added quickly. “With bathrooms.”

Jack elbowed him. Kenny winced. “Okay, not the running-water kind.”

“That’s disgusting. You can pee standing up. That’s not an option for me.”

She didn’t do the outdoors. Didn’t like it. When she needed to commune with nature, she dined alfresco. Or bought a plant. Her most athletic project to date was planning how her walled-in garden was going to look. So far it was all on paper. She had yet to touch actual soil.

“Have you seen my shoes? Do I look like a camper to you?”

Jack walked around her desk and approached her. He put his large hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Taryn, this is a big account. Not so much in size but in opportunity. We’ve worked the distribution side of things, but we’ve never made it in the retail world. This is our way in. It’s one weekend of camping. We’ll all be there with you. This is important to all of us.”

She looked at him and knew he was right. About all of it. She sighed. “I’ll do it.”

“Really?” Kenny sounded surprised. “That’s great. We can help you prepare, if you want.”

“No, thanks. I’ll take care of that end of things.”

No way she wanted the guys watching her struggle to learn whatever it was she needed to know to camp. It was hard enough keeping them all in line without giving them that much ammunition. Besides, she thought, remembering a pair of broad shoulders and cool gray eyes, she had resources.

“You won’t regret this,” Jack told her with a grin. “It’s going to be great. We’ll get the account and then there’s no stopping us.”

He and Kenny headed out of her office. When he was in the doorway, Jack turned back and pointed to the pack. “You can keep that,” he said graciously. “It’s got everything you’re going to need for our weekend.”

“Great.”

She waited until they left before moving toward her desk. She poked the backpack, then went to pick it up. It didn’t budge.

She tried again, this time using two hands, and was barely able to lift it off the desk.

“Very funny,” she muttered, unfastening the clasp. No doubt Kenny and Jack had put rocks or bricks inside, just to mess with her.

But when she flipped open the top, all she saw was stuff that looked a lot like camping gear. Not that she’d experienced it in person, but she’d seen pictures.

She tried to lift the pack a third time and not only broke a nail but felt a sharp pain in her shoulders.

“This,” she murmured to the empty room, “is going to be a problem.”

CHAPTER SIX

HENRI’S WAS A five-star restaurant tucked into the grandeur that was the Gold Rush Ski Lodge and Resort. A name that made Taryn wince. Whatever had the owners been thinking? The name was so long that it would always look awkward on signage, and she would guess their business cards were a cluttered mess. When it came to names, less was more. Still, not her rock to carry, she told herself as she stepped out of her car and handed the keys to the valet. Her rock was an oversize backpack still sitting on her desk.

She started toward the building, but before taking a step, she paused. A slight shiver tiptoed up her spine. It wasn’t a familiar sensation, but it got her attention. If she didn’t know better, she would swear that she was being stalked. Or at the very least, watched. She turned and saw a black SUV had pulled in behind her car.

The windows were tinted, so she couldn’t see the driver. Had it been any other vehicle, she would have assumed it was Angel. As much as she would never admit it, he seemed to be the only man who had ever had the power to make her quiver with just a look. Only she’d seen what he drove, and the large, loud, aggressive Harley he favored had nothing in common with the Chevy Traverse in front of her.

She was about to head into the hotel when she hesitated a fraction of a second. Then she saw the driver and blinked in surprise. It was Angel. Once again dressed in black and looking very man-about-town.

She waited until he joined her, then glanced back at the SUV being driven away.

“Unexpected,” she said.

“Long story. I’ll tell you over dinner.”

“Don’t tell me you sold the Harley.”

“Never. I still have it.”

He took her hand in his and looked her over carefully. She struck a model’s pose, then half turned so he could see the back.

She’d bought the dress the previous year, but it was still one of her favorites. A Halston Heritage white knit sheath, with black panels along the side and a black band at the jewel neckline. She’d kept her jewelry simple with gold-and-onyx earrings and a gold link bracelet from Tiffany.