Page 42

CHAPTER 41

LIZZY

FULL LIZZY

After dinner, I find Grace and Kayleigh at a high top over by the bar, sipping flutes of champagne while I’m on my second double of whiskey. I’m not sure why I’m surprised Clay has great taste in whiskey, like everything else.

Grace is in a dark forest green, silk slip dress that matches the color of her eyes. It hangs effortlessly off of her tall, thin and fit frame. She looks every bit of a Chapman, complete with dark brown hair pulled into a perfect pair of Dutch braids that I now look at very differently.

Kayleigh looks the part of the professional athlete. She’s in a sleeveless, high neck ice blue dress that makes her black hair pop in contrast. Although it’s floor length, it has an elegant slit that ends just above her knee, accentuating her long, very toned legs.

“You ladies look stunning tonight.” I stand between them at the table, suddenly very aware that even heels don’t make up for being 5’3” around them.

Grace scoffs. “Um, girl? I watched my brother’s jaw practically hit the floor when he saw you. That dress kills it.” She smirks at Kayleigh before looking back at me. “And don’t even get me started on the princess thing. I’m never going to let him live that down.”

I feel a flush creep across my neck up to my cheeks, knowing just how much I love it when he calls me that.

“I still can't believe someone finally brought his soft side back out,” Kayleigh says, looking at her champagne flute.

I raise an eyebrow at her. “ Back out ?”

They laugh in unison before Kayleigh goes first. “He was the biggest teddy bear when we met in high school. Much less scowling. ”

Grace shakes her head with a grin, looking up like she’s lost in a memory. “Yes! Way less scowling. See if you can get him to tell you about how excited he was when his first ski team sponsor was a cell phone company whose colors were pink and white.”

Kayleigh snorts a laugh, covering her mouth. “Oh! I forgot about that. That boy in a pink racing spandex ski suit was a sight.”

“I thought he skied moguls? You mean he didn’t always wear twenty shades of black?” I ask.

Kayleigh nods. “He still did some racing when they first moved here, but he settled into moguls as he got older and competition got more serious.”

My mind races with so many thoughts.

First, Clay in all pink spandex hugging that muscular frame.

Yes. Please.

But more importantly, I hope I get to see more of that soft side.

“Wait.” Grace’s almost squeal brings me back to the conversation. “I think I have pictures.”

She pulls out her phone and starts scrolling before stopping and grinning wickedly.

A second later, my phone buzzes in my purse. I pull it out and look down to see I’ve been added to two new group chats, Clay and the Girls , and another called Brunch Babes .

I see that she’s already sent an old picture of Clay and his mom on the slopes, with him in his very pink spandex.

Grace: Look what I found. Told you that pink works for you.

Grace looks up at Kayleigh and me. “The one is for us to tease him. The other is for us to plan brunches and happy hours, especially now that you’ll be around here in Park City more.”

“I like the sound of that.” I'm already feeling more and more at home here with these two. Veronica will always be my bestie, but Grace and Kayleigh make me feel so welcome and I know we can be just as close.

“Me too,” Kayleigh says, raising her glass over the table. Grace and I clink our glasses to hers.

I scan the room, spotting Clay at another high top talking to a couple with Kayleigh’s dad. I watch him reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. He flicks a thumb across the screen and even from across the room, I can see him toss his head back and groan.

All three of our phones buzz and we look to see a message in the new group chat.

Grumpy Roommate: Please. No.

I watch Grace and Kayleigh type away with matching giddy, mischievous smiles.

Grace: Too bad, so sad.

Kayleigh: Pink was a good color for you, Clayton.

I giggle looking down at my screen before I chime in.

Me: Yes, please. More pink!

I look across the room to see Clay, hanging his head and palming his face. Even from here though, I can see one of his dimples flash in a playful smile.

Grumpy Roommate: I’m going to regret bringing you three together, aren’t I?

“Alright, I’m going to go check in on him. But brunch tomorrow?” I ask.

Kayleigh and Grace both nod and I can’t help but feel this is the start of a great new chapter in my life with them. This is exactly the fresh start I wanted.

I leave them at the table, watching them start to scroll through the camera reels on their phones. As I walk over to the high top that’s now just Clay and Mr. Jensen, I laugh to myself along the way. Looking at my phone, they’re already flooding our group chat with Clay, sending more embarrassing yet cute pictures of him from his high school days.

Looking at the pictures, that same chiseled jaw, those heart melting dimples, and that tall, imposing stature were there. But now when I reach the table, I’m still in awe of the man I’m in love with. Even in a tux, there’s no hiding the rugged, rough, and devilishly handsome man he is today. From his neck tattoo popping out of his collar to the tattooed hands dwarfing his rocks glass. All of it is the pure, masculine sexual energy that sends molten heat to my core.

I walk up beside Clay, wrapping my arm around his waist, settling against him, craving his warmth even through his tux. He wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me into him.

He looks down at me smiling, his dimples popping before he turns back to his boss.

“Mr. Jensen, this is my girlfriend, Lizzy.” Hearing him say that with so much pride only magnifies the molten heat inside me he commands so easily.

I take in Mr. Jensen, the man I’ve heard so much about. In person, he’s obviously athletically built, even in his late fifties. His dark, short and straight hair, is peppered with grays and he’s clean shaven. He’s very much the image of old school, traditional Utah.

But the second he smiles at me and stretches out his hand to shake mine, I see what Clay means. That smile is weird and, frankly, this man gives me the creeps.

Knowing what Clay’s told me about him in passing and how he trained him into a self-loathing robot lights a different kind of fire in me. And after talking about him with Kayleigh this morning, I do my best to hide my distaste for him. I will save that for another time because I do have things to say to him.

He eyes me curiously when I grab his hand and shake it firmly before letting go .

“Glad to finally meet you. I was wondering who could distract my best employee enough to make a mistake like forgetting to run the heaters at a job site.” He smiles like he’s making a playful, off the cuff comment, but his tone is mocking and condescending. It immediately turns my stomach. I feel Clay tense next to me and his thumb rubs the dip of my waist through the fabric of my dress.

I feign a laugh with a dismissive flip of my hand. “Oh it’s not that bad. Mistakes happen. People are human, they’re not robots. It’s why businesses have insurance.” I grin back at him, leaning hard into Clay. “Besides, it brought us together and I’m certainly not mad about that.” I feel Clay’s body relax into mine.

“Well, when you build your own company, you care about those things.” He laughs dismissively again before continuing. “It was a costly mistake. Definitely one he knows better than to make.”

He raises his soft drink, taking a sip before looking at Clay with an annoyed glare. “That’s why we spent years learning to stay organized and focused, right Clay?”

I feel Clay tense again and I look down to see those tattooed knuckles tighten around his glass. If he squeezes any harder, it’s going to shatter. He nods and gruffly replies. “Yes, Mr. Jensen.”

This is the kind of condescending asshole I deal with every day. But to see someone talk like that to Clay, my Clay , is a whole other level of entitled boomer male that I can’t stand.

I’m done playing nice with this dirtbag.

He looks back to me with that dismissive, fake grin. “That's the kind of thing I like to make sure doesn’t happen to keep my shareholders happy. Something I’m sure you know all about in whatever business you’re in.” There he goes with that tone, talking down to me again. “What is it you do exactly, honey?”

Clay’s hand slips from my side and he steps forward. I watch his posture go from tense to downright predatory as he steps toward his boss, putting himself between us .

“That’s my girlfriend you’re talking to, the woman I love. I know we go way back and that you’ve done a lot for me and I will always be grateful for that, but show her some respect and apologize right now and maybe I won’t quit.”

Mr. Jensen gives Clay an incredulous look before his eyes meet mine.

I step around Clay, brushing him back with a hand on his chest. “I love your enthusiasm and the whole protective thing is definitely doing it for me, but hold that thought. I got this.” His eyes go wide and he holds up his hands, taking a step back, clearly seeing I’m a woman on a mission, not to be disturbed.

Yes. Clay, I’m going Full Lizzy - something I wasn’t planning on doing tonight.

“It’s funny you mention shareholders.” I smirk at him with a wry, grin, batting my eyes innocently.

I love it when these self-righteous idiots make it easy and walk right into their own mistakes.

His nostrils flare in irritation as he eyes me with open disdain now, any semblance of his carefully crafted, polished veneer gone.

“I work in corporate accounting and finance, specializing in auditing.” I take the last sip of bourbon and set the glass on the table, feeling more emboldened than ever. “And funny enough, your extremely capable employee here thought something was off with all of your GJF Inc. invoices on your most profitable, under budget projects lately.”

I look at Clay, who quirks his head at me, wondering where I’m going with this. I wink at him, flipping my ponytail over my shoulder before turning back to his boss.

He glares at me, pure rage in his eyes, probably miffed that the little blonde princess is about to skewer him. “You better watch yourself,” he says through gritted teeth, not wanting to draw more attention to the unfolding scene than we already have .

“Nope, I’m good,” I tease playfully. “I wasn’t planning on bringing this up tonight, but you just had to go and be the asshole everyone says you are.”

He looks back at me, then to Clay, and now Kayleigh and Grace standing behind us.

“Bringing what up?”

“Oh.” I bring my fingertip to my lips in mock thought, drawing out the syllable. “Just the little issue of you stealing from your shareholders. It was pretty clever, always swooping in at the end of your jobs that come in under budget. Pocketing the profits for yourself by paying the consulting firm you conveniently own. It was almost always the exact the amount you came in under budget too. Then you skip out on paying your shareholders and investors their portion of profit.”

I smirk at him, relishing in the deer in the headlights expression.

“I’ll admit, it took me a second to figure out what GJF Inc. was, but someone just reminded me of the Golden Jensen Family legacy. You really should have come up with a better name.”

“You little bitch,” he snarls, stepping towards me as that bewildered look turns to rage.

And that’s when shit goes sideways.

I wince as he comes towards me, then I hear the thud of flesh and bone crunching and a gasp from someone nearby. All of a sudden I feel the sensation of something wet all over my chest.

I open my eyes to see that prick on the floor, grabbing his jaw in dismay with his empty glass shattered next to him. To my pleasant surprise, Clay is standing at my side, his arm pressed to my front protectively. This close to me, I know he wasn’t the one to deliver the blow. He would have been justified in every way to lay this scumbag out, but my heart pounds knowing his first instinct was to put himself in front of me .

When I raise my eyes, I’m shocked to see my dad standing over Mr. Jensen, rubbing his fist. His eyes are blazing in a way I’ve never seen.

“Dad?”

He looks at me, his eyes softening before looking down at the asshole on the floor.

“What the hell are you doing, Charles?” He grabs his jaw and rubs it, his eyes flickering back and forth between my dad, me, and Clay.

“It’s Mr. Frank, Randall ,” my dad replies in a tone reminiscent of the one used to scold Charlotte and myself when we were worse than usual. “And anyone that talks to my daughter that way has no business being a part of my company. I don’t care if you’re a minority shareholder or not, you will have nothing to do with this company any more.”

He looks up in pure stunned disbelief and I savor the moment the realization settles in. I look at Clay who has an equally stunned, albeit much more pleased look on his face.

“Remember how I said I had a couple more teensy things to tell you?” I raise my hand between us and shrug, holding my thumb and forefinger apart with the tiniest gap between them. “Well, I found out my dad bought the majority stake in the company and I also pieced together what this shit bag was doing thanks to what you told me earlier.”

Clay wraps his arms around me. He looks at me softly, his big, well worn hands rubbing my bare shoulders. “I knew you were the smart one between us.”

An angry voice on the floor behind us interrupts the moment and we both turn to see Mr. Jensen staring at my dad. “Your daughter? I had no idea. I’m sor-”

My dad waves a hand at him to shut up. He’s somewhere between full on business mode and this new, protective dad mode. “I honestly don’t give a shit if you knew she’s my daughter or not. No one should ever talk to a woman like that.” My dad looks at me softly and I nod, a grin spread across my face, watching him do all I’ve ever wanted, just be a dad.

Standing around outside the Grand Lodge at the valet circle is an interesting vibe to say the least. The last guests are filing out, whispering about the events of the night. Kayleigh and Grace are going on about our new group chats. Even after Clay got me a towel, I’m still a sticky mess from the soda but I hope dry cleaning will rescue my dress. But honestly, I don’t really care because I can’t take my eyes off the two men that make me feel so protected.

My dad walks over with Clay, both of them smiling at me in a way that melts my heart in one fell swoop.

“So I think I convinced your boyfriend not to quit.” My dad tilts his head to Clay, who lets out a low laugh. “And maybe take a promotion to do a little more design work since I hear he has quite the hidden talent for it.”

“Good, because he's probably the best asset in your new venture and he’s damn good at design.” I smile at Clay, who for the slightest moment has a pink hue in his cheeks as he wrings his hands.

“But we also have a proposition for you.” He turns to Clay before they both look down at me, sporting matching grins again. I’m in for a lot of heart melting moments if these two keep doing that.

“We?” I ask, arching a brow.

Clay nods and clears his throat, looking at me. “You wouldn’t just be working with your dad, you’d be working with me. Would you want that? You’re so damn smart and after everything you figured out, the company could use you - I could use you.”

My dad smiles proudly at me. “I know you’ve turned me down every time I’ve asked you to work for me before, but I think this would be a bit different. You’d have free rein and I think you’d like your coworkers.” He winks after the last line. “Who knows, if you’re as good as I believe you are, I could see this expanding to other ski areas, maybe even Jackson.”

This is definitely not how I expected my night to unfold. I was ready to patch things up with Clay, especially after talking to Kayleigh this morning. But another job offer in Utah? Dad’s right, for years I’ve turned down his offers that felt like handouts because I didn't want to be seen as the pretty little girl with rich parents. But this feels different. Maybe it would be a chance for us to reconnect.

I step forward, hugging my dad. “Sorry, still a little sticky.” He lets out a chuckle before I continue. “But I will think about it, seriously. I just accepted a promotion yesterday, but maybe I could do some part time work at JSC and see how it goes.”

He wraps me in his arms and I feel the same comfort I did last night when I poured myself out to him. “That’s fine, sweetie. I’d like that. How about we get you home and cleaned up?”

I step back, brimming that it feels like he’s really trying. But I look at Clay and my heart explodes.

“I’m going home, but that’s not the condo.” I grab Clay’s hand, my favorite hand, running my thumb over the back of it. “Home is with him.”

My dad looks at me with that same prideful look as before, like he finally sees me exactly the way I want to be seen. His nod says everything.

“But how about dinner tomorrow?” Clay says in unison with me, reading my mind. I flick my head to him, rolling my eyes as my dad laughs .

“You two are something, I can already see that.”

I lean into Clay’s warm body, squeezing his hand tighter.

Yes. I know my dad sees me - sees us - now.