Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
I remembered, and I was still fascinated.
When I’d seen her in the cathedral garden, I’d recognized how beautiful she was, but in a distant sort of way, all of my emotions had been muted. Now, though, looking back, I’m dying to see her again, just to know if her beauty, and the muffled connection I’d felt for her, was as staggering as I remember.
Elowen is the polar opposite of what I would have imagined I’d be drawn to, and even more interesting to me because of it. Short and perfectly curvy with a cloud of chocolate brown curls, a smattering of freckles, and eyes the color of early summer grass, Elowen and the single memory I have of her threaten to grow from interest to obsession, and I just can’t let that happen. It’s too soon.
My late wife Celeste wasn’t a love match, but a match that benefited both of us and our families. In time, though, I did come to love and respect her, even if it wasn’t the fiery sort of love everyone anticipates to feel when they’re young. Not the wringing-my-heart-tightly type. The fact that I loved her at all means thinking about Elowen as much as I am isn’t appropriate, but I can’t stop myself. So the only thing I can do is bring her into my sphere of influence, but as an employee and not a personal acquaintance. The fact that I genuinely do need a French translator helps, too.
Now I stand in front of the windows of my Seattle office, watching the rain streak down the windows twenty floors above the city. It’s been a long day, meetings blurring together, the same song and dance I slog through day after day. During the lull in work, my mind drifts back to Elowen once more.
Has she applied for the job? If so, how have the preliminary interviews gone?
Like clockwork, there’s a knock at my door, and my assistant Oliver enters without waiting for me to answer. He’s carrying a tablet, glasses perched on his nose. “Human Resources have sent over the applicants who have passed the preliminaries.”
I motion for him to give me the tablet and scroll through. There were twenty-three initially, but it’s been parsed down to just five now. That hardly matters, since I’m only interested in one of the five final names–Elowen Hart.
Her professional headshot is next to her name, dark hair pulled back, green eyes bright. All the other options fade into the background, and Oliver quickly notices.
“She’s the one you had me send the posting to directly, yes?”
“Yes.” I take a final look at her picture and hand the tablet back. “Hire her.”
“Just like that, huh? She’s overqualified for temp work, you know.” He taps the screen and turns it around to show me her resume. She has a Master’s in linguistics, and she’s fluent in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and of course English, with some proficiency in Dutch. Her list of previous freelance jobs is long.
“Even better.”
Oliver has worked for me for nearly twelve years. He knows when not to push further, though the faint crease between his brows tells me he remains unsure about what has gotten into me. But finally he nods, “Very well. We’ll have her in for orientation Thursday, and I suppose she can sit in on some virtual meetings with overseas clients until your trip to France.”
“See that it’s done,” I tell him. I know he senses that something is up, but it’s no one’s business but my own.
This is my damn company, and I’ll hire who I please.
3
ELOWEN
Elowen
By the time my train nears Chamonix, I have already had many moments of panic about my decision to accept this contract.
The snow outside the window stretches all the way to the peak of Mont Blanc, the sky a gray so pale that the view looks almost monotone. There is a thick line of dark pines closer to the train tracks, but the trees grow sparser the closer we get to the mountain.
I’ve been working for Valmonte Global for months now, doing per diem work that involves sitting in on virtual meetings and parsing contracts that aren’t written in English. All of it has basically been a long training program for this trip, but now that I’ve nearly arrived at my destination, I want to go home an intense amount, job be damned.
The company booked me a private suite here on the train, but being alone with my own thoughts is almost worse than being with the crowds. As the minutes to arrival count down, I go over my itinerary for the millionth time, chewing on my thumbnail as I do so.
Valmonte Global Alpine Summit
Chamonix, France
Duration: Two weeks
My itinerary is nearly identical to Adam Valmonte’s, at least according to his assistant, Oliver. It’s also subject to change at any moment. The itinerary is packed with black-tie events and dinners with meetings and presentations scattered throughout. It looks like a lot more networking than actual work, especially the planned ski expedition. I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, and I’m getting paid enough to not care what events I’m dragged along to.