professional on his way up.
“LET ME GUESS. You couldn’t afford a beach vacation, so you decided to make your own.”
Angela Krizova looked up from the work table behind the front counter of the Chocolate Moose at her friend from the Mountain Theatre, Tanya Bledso, who had just come in from the snowstorm raging outside. Angela adjusted the silk orchid she’d tucked behind her left ear, wiped her hands on her Hawaiian print apron, and gave a hula shimmy as she went to greet her friend. “If I can’t get to paradise, then paradise can come to me,” she said. “What do you think?”
Tanya unwound a pink woolen scarf from around her throat and looked around at the candy shop turned tropical escape. Jimmy Buffett crooned in the background and the four tables in front were covered in tropical-print fabric and strewn with silk flowers. A placard by the cash register announced a special on macadamia nut truffles, and the stuffed moose head on the back wall wore sunglasses and a colorful lei. With the heat turned up to seventy-five, condensation had formed on the front windows, obscuring the sight of winter.
“Nice,” Tanya said at last. “Can I stay here until June?”
“Next week I may decide I feel like traveling to Scotland, but this week, it’s Hawaii comes to Elk Avenue,” Angela said. “Tell all your friends.” She moved back behind the counter. “What can I get you?”
“I was going to ask for hot chocolate, but it seems inappropriate now.” Tanya sat at one of the tables, her gloves, parka, scarf and hat piled in a chair beside her.
“How about a non-alcoholic chocolate colada and a couple of the chocolate gingersnaps I just pulled out of the oven?”
“Sounds heavenly. And fattening.” Tanya made a face. “I’ll try a small one.”
“One more reason I’m glad I’m not a leading lady,” Angela said as she dumped coconut milk, pineapple juice and chocolate syrup into a blender. “Nobody cares if the heroine’s sidekick wears a size sixteen.” Besides, if she’d been that concerned with being skinny, she wouldn’t have started a business that required dealing with sugar, cream, butter and other luscious ingredients all day.
“You’re the best sidekick I ever had,” Tanya said. “You can act rings around some of the people I worked with in L.A.”
“Can we print that in the playbill of the next Mountain Theatre production?” Angela splashed skim milk into the blender and added a scoop of ice. “Former Hollywood star says Crested Butte actress has talent.”
“I wasn’t a star.” Tanya raised her voice to be heard over the roar of the blender. “That’s why I came back to C.B. Annie and I were practically starving to death in L.A.”
“I’m sure glad you came back.” Angela poured the drink into a malt glass, added a cherry and a straw. “The theater has a whole new life since you showed up.” And since the Mountain Theatre was a big part of her life, she was doubly grateful to Tanya for her role in revitalizing the troupe.
“I’ve had help,” Tanya said. “Your idea to have a chocolate extravaganza for a fund-raiser was great.” She accepted the drink and took a long pull at the straw. “Wow. You’ve got to put this on the menu for the fund-raiser. With rum. How’s that coming, by the way?”
“This afternoon I spoke with a guy at the Elevation Hotel who’s supposed to help coordinate everything.” Angela smiled at the memory of the flirtatious conversation. When she’d contacted the hotel and been told the assistant manager would call her back she’d expected to hear from some older stuffed shirt, not a young-sounding, sexy guy.
“What’s his name?”
“Bryan Perry.” A name she wouldn’t forget any time soon. “I don’t know him.” But she was definitely looking forward to meeting him. She wanted to see if the real man lived up to her telephone fantasies.
“You need to get out more,” Tanya said. “Or see someone besides theater people.”
“I like all kinds of people. It’s just that between this shop and the theater, I don’t have a lot of time.” She sat across from Tanya and helped herself to one of the chocolate gingersnaps. They were baked from a new recipe she’d developed, and if she did say so herself, they were delicious. “Do you know Bryan?” she asked.
“I know of him.” Tanya reached for a cookie. “He’s one of those guys this town is full of—good-looking, fun and totally irresponsible.”
Okay, she’d already pictured the cute and fun part, but irresponsible? “A guy like that is in charge of our fund-raiser at the hotel? That doesn’t sound good.”
“That is strange,” Angela agreed. “I didn’t even know he had a job. But he’s a nice guy.”
“Wait a minute.” She studied Tanya more closely. “Have you dated him?”
Tanya shook her head. “Not me. Divorced women with kids do not attract party guys like that. But I’ve seen him around. I can’t believe you haven’t. You’ve been here, what, almost three years? And I’ve only been back in town a few months.”
Angela nodded. “Yeah, but if he doesn’t buy chocolate or hang out at the theater, he’s not on my radar. Though maybe I should expand my horizons a little.”
“This fund-raiser might be the excuse to get to know him better.”
“Maybe.” Flirting with a guy over the phone was a long way from starting a real relationship—something she’d successfully avoided for three years now.
“Not interested in settling down?” Tanya sighed. “I can’t say it worked out all that well for me. Of course, I did get Annie out of the marriage. But she’s about the only high point of an otherwise wasted seven years.”
It wasn’t that Angela was opposed to love and marriage and happily-ever-after—at least in movies, plays and books. But in real life she felt safer remaining on her own, rather than getting her heart stomped on when she didn’t live up to some guy’s idea of Ms. Right.
In any case, Bryan probably had his pick of women if he was the type of guy who filled this town. The best she could hope for when they met was more mild flirtation and fuel for her private fantasies. And that was more than enough until she found a man she could count on to be there for her. Always.
“BRYAN, MS. KRIZOVA is here to see you.”
Bryan startled, awakening from an expense-report-induced doze. He leaned forward and depressed the intercom button. “Tell her I’ll be right there.” Anticipating this appointment had gotten him through a morning filled with dull meetings and even duller reports. He smoothed his tie, buttoned his jacket, then went out to greet his visitor.
February was one of the busiest months at the ski resort and the lobby was packed. As Bryan scanned the cavernous room, he quickly ruled out anyone dressed for the slopes, as well as two mothers with young children and all the men. That left a hefty brunette in a wine velvet dress, black leather boots and a low-slung black leather belt at the front desk, and a petite blonde in gray tweeds by the fire. Neither was the bombshell Angela’s voice had led him to expect, but the blonde had definite possibilities.
He started toward the blonde, but froze when a familiar voice spoke behind him.
