are going to be ready. Don’t make me get crabby.”
“All right.” She sighed heavily, then started taking boxes into the conference room. At least she would spend the afternoon outside, demonstrating the rope bridge. She couldn’t wait to see how it really was and what it would be like now that she could see everything.
She went inside the conference center. There were several smaller rooms and one large one with tables set up in a square so everyone could see everyone else.
“Very corporate,” she murmured as she opened the boxes and began setting out a notebook filled with very technical financial information, a pen and a pad of paper on the desk in front of each chair.
When she was done, she went exploring. The so-called media room was more of a theater, with raised seating, an industrial-size popcorn maker, a huge fridge and a remote control to turn down the lights. Heaven forbid anyone should get up and actually
She went upstairs and looked at the guest rooms. They were all beautifully decorated-a lush combination of upscale hotel and cozy B and B. The baths were spacious and well stocked and light filtered in from large windows.
She returned downstairs and made her way to the kitchen, where Norma was hard at work directing the catering staff.
“Nice place,” Izzy said, glancing around the restaurant-size kitchen. “It inspires me to cook.”
Norma barely looked up. “Don’t even think about it. I’m having enough trouble as it is. Did you see what was delivered? They’re not going to care if I serve them steak or dog food.”
Izzy looked in the corner. Cases and cases of beer sat ready to go in the massive refrigerator.
“There’s only thirty guys,” she said. “They can’t drink all that in three days.”
“I guess they’re going to give it a try. Can you put those in the refrigerator? At least as much as will fit on the bottom two shelves. We already have three cases on ice in the main living room and two more out back.”
Izzy admired dedication to a cause, but this was too much even for her. “Somebody’s going to be really sick by the end of the day,” she said.
“Just what we need. A bunch of finance guys puking all over the furniture,” Norma muttered. “Why didn’t I become a plumber? That’s what my mom always told me. People always need plumbers, you can overcharge folks who annoy you and are mostly out of the heat. But did I listen? Of course not.”
Izzy hid a smile. “You’re a fabulous cook. Aaron worships your biscuits.”
“I know. He’s a good boy.”
Words that would make him shudder, Izzy thought.
When Izzy had finished with the beer, she went outside. It was after ten and cars were already pulling up in front of the main building.
There were three and four guys to a car. They were all in their twenties, most wore glasses. They looked smart and geeky and the first words out of their mouth were, “Where’s the beer?”
“What company is this?” she asked Aaron as he walked by looking nervous.
“One who won’t be using these facilities again. They’re already annoying me. Did you see how much beer there is? They’ll be drunk by noon. I can only hope they all fall off the rope ladder.” He waved toward the building. “Go be flirty. Keep them busy and away from me.”
Izzy turned back, only to feel a prickling along the back of her neck. She searched until she found Nick by the back of the building. He was walking toward her, looking far too handsome and sexy in the sunlight.
She knew there were other guys around and under other circumstances she would be cruising the group to pick out any who interested her. But not right now. Maybe not for a long time. There was only one man who occupied her thoughts these days. Unfortunately, he was the most annoying person on the planet.
He walked up to her.
“You were a serious jackass yesterday,” she said by way of a greeting. “We were only trying to help. I’ll accept that everyone has issues, but we shouldn’t have to pay for yours. And it’s fine if you want to keep on punishing yourself for what happened in the past, but not having kids here more is punishing them and they don’t deserve that.”
He stared at her for a long time. His eyes were an impossible shade of green. Dark and rich and more appealing than she could have imagined. His mouth was even more tempting. Looking at it made her want to kiss him, which she couldn’t. Not until he was done being a jerk. It violated her principles. Oh, but she was tempted.
“You about done?” he asked.
“Maybe. Are you willing to admit you were wrong?”
“Maybe.”
She smiled. “Someone needs to beat you with a stick.”
“It would take several someones.”
“You think you’re so tough?”
“I
“Want to prove it?”
Fire flared in his eyes. “When and where?”
Here and now seemed like a good answer. Except…“You haven’t said you were sorry or that Aaron and I were right.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes. Admit it. My point’s a good one. It’s one thing to beat up yourself, but keeping kids from getting better is not the road to recovery.”
He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t have to. She knew what he was thinking-that there was no road to recovery. But she didn’t deal with that. Instead, she waited, hoping, believing he would see that she was right. That helping other kids, more kids, was the best thing to do.
“I’m sorry,” he said slowly. “And having more kids here makes sense.”
She grinned. “See? That wasn’t hard. Just accept that you can’t resist me and your life will be much easier.”
“Thanks for the update.”
His mouth twitched as he spoke. She had a feeling that he was doing his best not to smile.
“About that when and where,” she said. “Tonight?”
“Your room or mine?”
“I’ll come down to your room.” She turned to leave, then glanced back at him. “Don’t piss me off between now and then.”
“I’ll try not to.”
“As you’re a man, I guess that’s the best I can hope for.”
IZZY LOVED EVERYTHING about the rope ladder, except the harness Ethan, Nick’s mountain-climbing friend, had insisted she wear.
“But I’m not blind anymore,” she whined.
Ethan, a fortysomething tanned hunk, shook his head. “Until you can prove you bounce when you fall, you’re wearing a harness.”
“But it takes away from the experience.”
“What my seventeen-year-old son says about condoms. Do I look like I care?”
“Fine,” she muttered and started to climb.
The afternoon was warm, there was a slight breeze and if she ignored the very drunk finance guys and their tacky comments, she was fine.
“Baby, I’ll catch you if you fall,” was acceptable, but “Nice ass” made her want to practice a nice knee-to-the- groin move.
She reached the ladder. Ethan was already on the other side, waiting for her.
“I can do this,” she called, walking across without slowing. It was a whole lot easier with actual vision. She loved being level with the leaves on the trees and watching birds fly by.
“Can I go again?” she asked when she reached Ethan.
“I doubt it’s going to be a problem. They’re all too drunk to climb.”
“Maybe they’re afraid of heights and it was their plan.”
“You’re giving them too much credit.”
