Liam looked around the restaurant before answering. There was a mix of customers, from families with young children, to a couple of tables of older folks, to men clearly dressed for a day on the slopes. The mood was friendly and open, much like he’d found throughout the town. His feelings about Crimson from years ago were jumbled, but he couldn’t deny that the present-day atmosphere was appealing.
“If we can make it work, I’d give it a go. But you should know this new company has nothing to do with Donovan Enterprises. My father and his money won’t be involved. I don’t know if that impacts your interest in us.” He watched Jase closely, waited for the disappointment that his father wasn’t backing LifeMap to flicker across the other man’s face. When it didn’t, Liam felt the tension ease out of his shoulders. “I’m courting investors now and hope to have financing secured by the end of the month. That’s another reason I’m in Crimson. The guys who own the venture capital company we’ve been working with are coming to Aspen to ski in a couple of weeks. I hope to meet with them in a more relaxed setting and close the deal.”
“If the deal means jobs and revenue for Crimson, I’m all for it. It’s not a sure thing on the town’s end, though. There are a couple of old-school locals on the council. They’d like to see Crimson revert back to how things were in the fifties—one stop sign in the middle of town and all that. But several of us have other ideas for the future of the town.” He leaned closer. “You should also know I’m planning on running for mayor next year.”
“This would be a damn good feather in your campaign cap.”
The waitress brought their plates at that moment. “Hope you like your green chili hot,” she said to Liam as she slid a dish with a football-size burrito smothered in green sauce in front of him. “We do things spicy here in Crimson.”
He couldn’t help but return her grin. “I like it spicy,” he answered with a wink.
She laughed. “You’ll fit in here, hon. Even if you do look like a smooth talker.”
Liam shook his head. “You have an uncanny ability to compliment and criticize in the same breath. That’s quite a skill.”
“Thank you, sweetness. I pride myself on it.”
“I love this town,” Jase said when she’d walked away again. He forked up a big bite of burrito. “It’s my home. Yes, I want to win my bid for mayor, but even more I want what’s best for Crimson.” He pointed the utensil at Liam. “If this deal works out, are you planning on sticking around longer?”
Liam took a bite of his own burrito as a way to buy himself a little time to think about his answer to that question. The idea of headquartering his new company here was just something he’d thrown out to appease his former nanny. Two days ago, he’d had no intention of spending more time in this town than was absolutely necessary. He had to admit the thought of starting LifeMap here held some appeal, even beyond making his father furious. But he couldn’t quite forget the past or how badly things had ended for him in Crimson once before. Although his anger and resentment felt as though they’d gone through a process to dull them, take down the harsh edges. He reached for the pain but couldn’t quite grasp it.
What he could remember with great detail was the way Natalie had felt in his arms last night. “There’s a long way to go before any decisions are made. I hadn’t really planned on considering Crimson as a headquarters, so we have other locations in the running, as well. I’m willing to consider this town if it can offer what we need.”
“What exactly is it you need, Liam?”
The word home popped immediately into Liam’s mind. A place where he was more than just his last name or his bank account. He focused instead on the company. “LifeMap needs to attract talented, smart people. I’m going to need a team of programmers as well as marketing experts. I want to invest good money in my intellectual capital and build a company that will attract those kinds of employees. The location will be important and I’d rather not do a new build. If I can renovate something or find a spot that’s move-in ready I’d be thrilled. That’s where you’re at a disadvantage. Bigger cities have a lot more to offer.”
“I can set you up with a commercial Realtor later today. If this moves forward, we can start talking about incentives from the town. We’re small, but we mean business.” He took another sip of coffee. “If you need a contractor to oversee renovations, they don’t get any better than Logan Travers. He came back to town last year and focuses mainly on residential and historic buildings downtown, but I’m sure he could give you some great advice. Do you remember him?”
Liam felt his breath hitch as his chest constricted. “Of course I remember Logan,” he said, his voice raspy. “His twin sister died in my arms.”
“If you take the medicine without a fuss, Mr. Manzia, I’ll give you an extra scoop of ice cream.”
“It tastes bad,” the older man said with a shake of his head, turning back to his newspaper.
Natalie wanted to groan. She was six hours into her shift and had a headache to match. Harold Manzia always complained about medicine. Normally she took it in stride, playing little games to see how quickly she could get him to acquiesce. But since her encounter with Liam two nights ago, she’d been sleeping worse than usual and was not on top of her game today.
“Harold, would you walk me down to the community room?” Ruth looked up from her needlework. “I’d like to get a good seat for the children’s concert this afternoon.” She gave Natalie a slow wink as Harold tossed down the paper and came to his feet.
“Be happy to, Ruthie.” It was no secret the elderly widower had quite a crush on Ruth.
“Medicine first,” Natalie said, holding out the small plastic cup of liquid.
Harold waved her away. “Later.”
Natalie moved in front of Harold. “Now.”
“I’m sure one of the other men would be able to take me if you can’t.” Ruth glanced over her shoulder. “But I was looking forward to spending the afternoon with you.”
With a growl, Harold grabbed the cup from Natalie and downed the white liquid, only shuddering a little as he did. “Nasty stuff.”
“I know,” Natalie conceded as he handed her the empty vial. “But it keeps you regular.”
“Regular is good,” Ruth added. “George Clark gets the worst gas when things aren’t moving. I can barely stand to be around him.” She stood, then reached out to pat Harold’s fingers. “I wouldn’t want that to happen to you, Harold.”
Natalie suppressed a smile as Mr. Manzia considered the possibility. She pressed a quick kiss to Ruth’s temple. “Thanks for the help.”
“My pleasure, dear,” Ruth whispered.
“About what I asked you earlier—your money and my ex-husband...”
Ruth’s sharp gaze went suddenly blank. “Liam handles my money, Natalie. You know he has gobs.”
“Yes, but—”
“It
