In Too Close. Katherine Garbera

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      BRADLEY WALKED INTO his offices above Fresh Sno in Park City and tossed his leather duffel bag onto the big, overstuffed couch in the corner. The office area was a large loft above the retail store, and its open floor plan allotted lots of cubicle space for all his staff. Right now it was fairly empty.

      “Cult of Personality” was blaring from the speakers, and his assistant, Tia, stood next to her desk flirting with Carter Shaw, world number-one half-pipe snowboarder and all-around lothario.

      Tia was tall, curvy and had thick, brown dreadlocks that hung to the middle of her back. She wore an insanely short denim miniskirt over a pair of mustard-yellow tights and combat boots. She had on a thick Irish wool sweater that Bradley had brought her back after his last trip to the U.K. Fresh Sno had won a bid to supply skis and boards to a chain of indoor winter sports centers in England, Scotland and Wales, and he’d racked up quite a few frequent-flyer miles traveling overseas these past few months.

      “I thought I was paying you to work,” he said.

      “Believe it or not, boss man, I am working,” Tia replied, turning around to face him. “Carter is here with a business proposition.”

      “I think that’s not the only proposition he had in mind,” Bradley remarked.

      The snowboarder threw up his hands. “Hey, a boy can dream, can’t he?”

      “Indeed. I need coffee, but then we can talk in the conference room at the end of the hall.”

      “No problem,” Carter said, stepping away to check his cell phone. “Take your time.”

      Carter was an Olympic gold medalist and had the sort of bad-boy reputation that the public adored. He was leading the lobby to have all of the resorts in Park City open all their ski runs up to snowboarding, and having the Thunderbolt Energy Games stop in Park City had certainly helped his cause.

      As a retailer who sold a lot of snowboards, Bradley was backing the boarders. The only downside was that it caused some friction between himself and Elizabeth. Most of the luxury resorts preferred to keep to the status quo. Another way that Elizabeth was making herself old before her time.

      Bradley didn’t enjoy being at odds with her. It reminded him that he came from a different world than she did. And he didn’t like it.

      “Anything pressing?” he asked Tia as he escorted Carter out and stopped by her desk.

      “No. But a package arrived for you from Tiffany’s.” She gave him a wry look. “Are you dating someone new?”

      “None of your biz,” Bradley said, as he went to the coffee machine in the corner and made himself a double espresso. It was going to be a long day. But his reward was dinner and an evening with Elizabeth. He’d been in a state of semi-arousal ever since he’d called her two nights ago.

      Elizabeth. That one kiss had been way too long ago. A part of him wondered if he’d imagined how good it had been. Her taste had been so unique and so right. He’d kissed other women since then but they’d all left him wanting.

      “Not that its any of your business, nosy,” Bradley said, “but it’s for Elizabeth. She’s just been promoted to the general manager of the Lars Usten Lodge.”

      Carter whistled. “Impressive. That place is first class all the way. They still aren’t as boarder friendly as I’d like them to be, though.”

      “Actually, it is now. I have a contract to provide all equipment for ski rental there.” Holding his cup of steaming espresso in one hand and his briefcase in the other, Bradley led the way to the conference room. “But I think you are here to discuss something else.”

      “Yes, I am. I want to put together a group of exhibition events similar to the Thunderbolt Energy Games and I need some sponsors to do it,” Carter told him. “I’d like Fresh Sno to be a major participant.”

      “Would we do it here in Park City?” Bradley asked as the two of them entered the conference room and took a seat at a long, narrow table. Already he was weighing the pros and cons. He liked community events but his company wasn’t big enough to give too much to charity without it affecting the bottom line. “Why would we need to do another Thunderbolt Energy Games thing?”

      “I want to combine it with kids who aren’t already at the top, the ones who haven’t been exposed to good equipment and teachers. Part of it is to use my reputation to give back to the community that nurtured me.”

      “I like it,” Bradley said, the wheels already turning in his head. “I bet we can get some of the resorts in the area to kick in as venues. What do you think?”

      “Great idea. I grew up here and I know how hard it can be to get your start if you don’t have money. I want the kids who are out there using secondhand boards and skis to have a place to compete and maybe win some new gear. I want to make things easier—”

      “I get it,” Bradley acknowledged with a smile. “Give them the shot that you wish someone had given you.”

      “Exactly, dude. I know that I could convince my Thunderbolt Energy Drink sponsor to stop here on their tour but I want some events that aren’t part of that.”

      “So are you thinking this would run concurrently?” Bradley asked. “I don’t know how that would work.”

      “Actually, I’d rather it was a separate event. Use the publicity from the Thunderbolt Energy Games to generate some word of mouth for our Park City games. Or Fresh Sno...I don’t know what else we could call it.”

      “How about Fresh Faces?” Bradley suggested. “I’ll ask my marketing guru to get on it.”

      “I’m going to be traveling the next two weeks but then will be back in Park City the week before Thanksgiving. My mom would kill me if I missed the holiday.”

      “Moms are like that,” Bradley said, because he knew that was what was expected.

      “Yeah, but mine’s the best, so I don’t mind it.”

      “We can meet that week and I’ll let you know what I’ve come up with. When are you thinking of having this event? I believe that the Thunderbolt Energy Games are going to be in town in January.”

      “They are, so I was thinking next November. That gives us a year to talk it up and to get everything lined up.”

      “Okay. Just keep in mind that I’m not making any promises yet. I’ll bring this to my team meeting this afternoon and see who wants to get involved.”

      “Awesome.” Carter gave him a high five. “I think I’m going to like working with you, man.”

      “Would you consider an endorsement deal, too?” Bradley asked. “We could link it with your desire to help the local kids. Maybe get some of Park City Recreation’s best and brightest to do the ads with you.”

      “Yes, I will. Of course, my agent will have to be involved so shoot me over an email with the deets and I’ll have him get on it,” Carter said, pulling out a business card and handing it over.

      Bradley СКАЧАТЬ