conversation, Cassie thought. I might as well be invisible. Let’s face it. I’m ordinary, and Guy Walters is not.
At Boulder High School, Guy had been part of a group of six upperclassmen who’d called themselves the Boulder Bandidos. They were behind every outrageous prank, from filling the science supply closet with two thousand Ping-Pong balls to attaching a pair of moose antlers to the front of Principle Harrington’s Volvo. They were the first to take any dare, the first to try any new thing, from snowboarding to ice climbing.
Cassie had been three years younger, in the same class as Guy’s sister Amy. She’d admired him from afar, following his exploits in the school paper and later, when he’d gone to the University of Colorado, keeping up with him through Amy or other friends.
She slid the cup of coffee across the counter and he paid, adding his change to her tip jar. “Thanks,” she said, though she doubted he heard her. Head bent, he pushed open the door, bells chiming in his wake.
Jill came to stand behind her. “Why don’t you ditch Boring Bob and go after a man like Guy?”
“As if he’d have anything to do with me.” She picked up the carton of half-and-half and carried it to the refrigerator.
“Why not? You two have known each other a long time.”
“I used to be friends with his sister. Years ago. Even back then, he hardly noticed me. And you saw how much attention he paid to me just now.”
“You shouldn’t sell yourself short,” Jill said. “I’ll bet Guy would pay a lot of the right kind of attention if you gave him a little encouragement.”
She sighed. Guy was her fantasy man. An impossible dream. She had to deal with real life, and for now, that meant Bob. She’d invested the past two years of her life in Bob. He was the man her mother thought she should marry. After all, he was good-looking and financially secure. So why hadn’t that been enough for her lately? “How do you think I can get things back on track with me and Bob?”
Jill shrugged. “Show him what he’s been missing by neglecting you. Seduce him.”
“Seduce him?” Saying the word sent a shiver up her spine. It sounded so wild…so daring. “How?”
“I don’t know.” Jill waved her hand. “The usual. Sexy lingerie. Champagne. Why don’t the two of you go away for the weekend? Some place romantic.”
Cassie sagged against the counter and shook her head. “Can’t. Bob’s going up to Aspen Creek to work this weekend.”
Jill made a face. “What kind of work is an accountant going to do at a ski resort?”
“He’s rented a condo up there for the weekend. Said it was the only way he could catch up on all his paperwork.” Cassie opened the dishwasher and began unloading coffee mugs. “He’s been working really hard lately. I think he’s bucking for a promotion.”
“All work and no play are going to make that dull boy even duller.” Jill began stacking the clean mugs on the shelves above the espresso machine. “Why don’t you surprise him? Go up to the condo and convince him to take a break from the paperwork and work on what’s left of your relationship.”
“Maybe…” The idea sounded good, but was she brave enough to follow through with it? Could she seduce a man? Was this what she and Bob needed to set things right between them?
Even if the weekend was a bust, at least she’d know she’d tried. One way or another, she was bound to be better off come Monday. “All right. I’ll do it.” A shiver of excitement ran through her. Time to prove to Bob, and to herself, that she wasn’t boring, that she could do something she set her mind to do. If she didn’t, she might as well resign herself to spending the rest of her life as the invisible woman.
2
CASSIE WAS FAIRLY CERTAIN she wasn’t crazy. Desperate, maybe, but not insane. “Tell me again that this is a good idea,” she said as she and Jill pulled into the parking lot at Aspen Creek Resort two days later.
“Most men would be delighted if the woman they loved surprised them with a planned seduction,” Jill said. “Although, I wouldn’t say Bob is like most men. In fact, I’m a little surprised you’re doing this.”
Cassie stared at her. “But you’re the one who suggested it.”
Jill frowned. “Well, yeah. But I never thought you’d do it.” She glanced up toward the lodge. “Are you sure Bob’s worth it?”
“Of course he is,” Cassie said, without much conviction. Bob had been acting so differently toward her lately, she couldn’t be sure about anything. Except that she owed it to herself to try one last time to make things work between them. She opened the door and climbed out of the car.
“You know, you could find someone better.” Jill looked at her over the top of the car. “Someone who would really appreciate your efforts.”
“You mean, seduce a complete stranger?” Cassie pulled on her gloves and zipped her jacket against the biting cold.
“No. But there are probably a lot of men who’d be interested in you if you’d give them a chance.”
“Name one.”
“Guy Walters.”
Cassie laughed. “Guy Walters doesn’t know I’m alive.”
“Don’t be so sure about that. I’ve seen him watching you.”
A shiver danced through her at the thought. “You lie.”
“Trust me. I know a lot about men and I think Guy’s really interested in you. And he’d be a lot better for you than Bob.”
Sure. As if Guy Walters didn’t already have half the women in town after him. An ordinary woman didn’t have a chance. She shrugged. “Bob’s who I’m stuck with now, so I’m going to make the best of it.” Even to her own ears, she didn’t sound enthusiastic.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait around, in case things don’t work out?” Jill followed her around to the trunk. Fresh snow crunched under their boots and a gust of wind blew more snow down onto them from the trees.
“You don’t have to wait. I’ll be fine.” Besides, if she knew Jill was still here, she might chicken out before she ever got to Bob’s room. She hefted her backpack out of the trunk and checked its contents: bottled water, energy bars, champagne, strawberries, scented candles, some extra clothes and a change of underwear.
“What have you got in there?” Jill tried to peer over her shoulder, but Cassie quickly zipped up the pack.
“Don’t forget these, Miss Girl Scout.” Jill reached into the trunk and tossed her the box of condoms that must have slipped from the pack.
Cassie blushed and shoved the box into the pack’s outside pocket. “Bob always forgets,” she mumbled.
“He doesn’t forget. He just knows he doesn’t have to be prepared because you always are.” Jill stepped back as Cassie closed the trunk. “I
