Falling for Denver (Restless Hearts) Read online

  Falling for Denver

  By: Hunter J. Keane

  Falling for Denver

  Emma Ellis is having an awesome day. An early snowstorm has struck Chicago, blanketing the city in a foot of snow. She finally makes it into work, only to be fired from the soul-crushing job she never wanted in the first place. When she catches her fiancé with his tongue in another woman’s mouth, she decides to stop letting the universe decide her fate. Taking a leap of faith, she packs up her car and heads to Utah to take a job with an old friend.

  Luke Denver has been in love with Emma for years. Now she’s finally single and she has moved into the house next door. This is the chance he’s been waiting for, but is Emma ready to love again?

  Emma knows that Luke is everything her fiancé wasn’t-he’s kind, considerate, affectionate, and wants nothing more than to make her happy. But now that she has finally escaped her nightmare, she must decide if she is ready for all of her dreams to come true.

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2014 by Hunter J. Keane

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  NOVEMBER

  Chicago

  “It’s going to be a mess out there, everyone. If you haven’t left for work yet, you’re never going to make it in time. Over six inches of snow fell last night, making the roads a slushy mess.”

  “I get it!” I snapped at the television, feeling inexplicably hostile toward the newscaster. Roberta Robertson had never actually done anything to me, but I didn’t appreciate the happy way she had just informed me that my day was going to suck.

  I was late for work; this weather was going to make me even later. As if I didn’t already hate the snow enough, now it was going to get me fired.

  Hurriedly, I slammed my feet into my warmest pair of boots and reached for my coat, which could’ve passed for a sleeping bag. I couldn’t believe that the weather had turned so bad so early. It was only November. Winter hadn’t even technically started yet, but that didn’t stop Chicago.

  I almost fell three different times on my way to the bus stop. Naturally, I just missed my bus and had to wait in the cold for ten minutes for the next one. Even with my gloves on, my fingers were starting to go numb by the time I was safely aboard the bus. Then we headed onto Lake Shore Drive which might as well have been a parking lot.

  I was over an hour late for work, which might have bothered me if I actually cared about my job. For the last month, I had been having dreams of severance packages and unemployment. Yes, I was aware that I had a problem.

  “Parks is in one of his moods,” my coworker, Kyle, said as soon as I walked into our cubicle area. We shared a wall, and since he was one of my only friends in the office, we also shared a lot more. Mostly gossip.

  “Great. I have a 3:00 with him today.”

  Parks was our boss, but really he was just an ass. He liked to have meetings where he listed all of the reasons we were bad at our job. It was very motivational.

  “Just don’t bring up the Sifread project.” Kyle leaned over the wall while I settled into my chair.

  I hesitated with my hand on the keyboard, knowing that once I signed on I would be committed to answering emails, filling out status reports, and updating work breakdown structures. Just the thought of that made me die a little inside.

  “I can’t do this,” I said, my head shaking. “Coffee?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Kyle and I got coffee together every morning. It was our chance to vent about work and procrastinate from doing more work. Today was no exception.

  Kwest had been a dream job when I first started there after college. It was a start-up, and that meant I got a lot of opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten at a more established company. But now, two years later, it had become a standard corporate job with layers of bureaucracy. I had been half-heartedly planning an exit strategy for the last month.

  After enough stalling in the kitchen, I finally started my work day. I suffered through hours of meetings and dozens of emails. By the time my meeting with Parks rolled around, my annoyance level was at an all-time high. I probably should’ve taken a few deep breaths before entering his office, but I didn’t.

  “Sit down, Ellis.”

  Parks was a gruff man. He was young-in his mid-thirties, but his personality was that of a much older and harder man.

  “I assume you want to talk about Sifread.” I didn’t feel like playing games. Might as well get it over with.

  “Past deadline and over budget.” Parks ran a hand through his thinning hair. “What the hell went wrong?”

  This time I did take a deep breath. “We didn’t have the right resources on the project. We got started late because of bad equipment. Half of the team members quit during the project. We were set up for failure.”

  “Sounds like a lot of damn excuses.” Parks’ volume increased exponentially.

  “Sure, if you choose to interpret it that way.” I had dealt with my boss in a variety of environments. From fall-down-drunk to sexual offensive to insanely hostile. I wasn’t sure which version of him I disliked the most.

  Parks let out a loud breath. “I don’t have time for this. I wanted to let you know that we are restructuring the project management team. We’ve decided to outsource most of the work to a consulting company.”

  “Outsource?” That meant only one thing. “Are you firing me?”

  “Not firing,” he said in a hurry. “We are laying off all of the team except for senior management.”

  “So you are firing me.” I was surprised at how little that bothered me. “Effective when?”

  “You can stay on for two more weeks, or you may leave today. It’s your decision.” He pretended to study a piece of paper on his desk. “You will be getting six week’s severance pay regardless of your decision.”

  “Okay.”

  He looked at me carefully. “Is that all you have to say?”

  I considered it for a second. “Thank you?”

  “Thank you?” Now he was even more lost. “You’re thanking me for firing you?”

  “Yeah,” I said, fighting back a smile. “I am.”

  It should have been a depressing day. Not only had I been let go, so had the rest of my team. And I actually liked at least two of those people. But when I found Kyle and our other friend Sara waiting at my desk, they were all smiles.

  “Six week’s pay and no work?” Kyle pumped his fist. “Don’t mind if I do!”

  “What are we going to do?” Sara asked.

  “Enjoy every second of it,” Kyle answered without thinking.

  Sara laughed. “I meant, what are we going to do right now?”

  There was really only one logical answer to that question-drink.

  Our usual bar was nearly empty when we arrived. Most productive members of society were still working. I didn’t mind the prime bar seating and prompt service we got by drinking during off hours. In the first half hour, we finished two rounds of beers and shots.

  “I am not looking forward to job hunting again,” Sara said, slurring her words slightly. “My resume isn’t exactly impressive.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Kyle said
, for at least the third time.

  “This is for the best,” I said. “It’s not the end of the world.”

  Sara sighed. “Easy for you to say. You’ve got a rich fiancé that can support you. Not all of us are so lucky.”

  “I’m lucky alright,” I said with a frown.

  “Things still rocky?” Kyle asked knowingly.

  I had been dating my fiancé, Jared, since we were sophomores in high school. In fact, he was the only guy I had ever dated. We stayed together through college even though I went to school in the city while he attended a university downstate. After graduation, he had moved back to Chicago for law school and last year, he had proposed and I had said yes. Things had been strange ever since.

  “He’s busy with school and his clerkship. I barely even see him.” I didn’t want to sound like a clingy girlfriend, but it bothered me that I hadn’t seen Jared in over a week while we only lived two miles from each other.

  “How are things… you know?” Kyle smirked.

  I knew what he was hinting at in his unsubtle way. “Non-existent. We haven’t had sex in months.”

  “Whoa,” Kyle and Sara sung in harmony.

  “I know.” The truth was that Jared had never been a very sexual guy. We hadn’t gone past second base until after high school. Once we hit college, we only saw each other every few weeks and we both had lived in dorms for the first couple of years which hadn’t given us much privacy. Even after we moved into apartments with our own bedrooms, sex had been a rare occurrence. I had assumed that would change once we both lived in the same city, but it had actually gotten worse.

  “Doesn’t it bother you?” Sara asked.

  “Not as much as it should.” I knew that I was drunk because I never talked so openly about personal issues. “Jared is kind of… boring. In bed.”

  “Boring?”

  I shrugged. “It’s like he’s just going through the motions or something.”

  Kyle actually laughed. “Your fiancé is a lousy lay? Classic.”

  “Stop.” I glared at him, wishing I hadn’t said anything. “He’s not lousy. We’ve been together a long time and it’s comfortable.”

  “Whatever.” Kyle had already lost interest. “Drop the loser. You can do better.”

  “You don’t even know Jared.” I felt like I had to defend him. Jared was a really good guy. He treated me just fine and I had no reason not to be head-over-heels in love with him. Yet it still felt like something was missing in our relationship.

  Sara was ready to ease the tension. “Let’s do another shot.”

  Two hours later, I was having a hard time seeing straight. When I almost fell off my bar stool, I decided it was time to head home.

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Sara asked as I struggled to put on my coat.

  “I’m find.” I tried again. “Fine.”

  “I can walk you home,” Kyle said without moving.

  “I live five miles away.” I frantically searched for my phone only to realize that it was in my hand. “I’m taking a crab. Cab.”

  It took another five minutes for us to exchange drunken goodbyes. When I finally stepped outside, I was amazed by the amount of snow waiting for me. Somehow I had managed to forget that winter had arrived.

  I checked my phone quickly to see if Jared had tried calling. No messages and no texts. Even though I had called him after getting fired and told him that I needed to talk to him, he hadn’t reached out yet. That meant I was going to my own apartment to sulk alone. The problem was, I couldn’t get a cab.

  The bar was on a side street and if I had any hope of flagging down a ride, I needed to make it to LaSalle, just one block away. Not exactly a challenge under normal conditions, but it seemed to be a near impossible feat for a drunk girl in almost a foot of snow.

  Just five yards from the door of the bar, I fell. My feet slipped out from under me like a cartoon character and I landed in a snowdrift. Stunned, it took me several attempts to get back on my feet.

  I cursed several times and angrily wiped away snow. “As if this day wasn’t bad enough,” I muttered, looking around to see if anyone had witnessed my spill.

  The street was empty, but I was right in front of another bar. A couple sat at the table near the window, too lost in each other to notice me. If I had been slightly more drunk or just a little more distracted, I might have immediately turned away. But something made me pause and take a closer look.

  “Jared?”

  His name escaped my lips in a puff of air. I didn’t know the girl that he was with, but he seemed to know her quite well based on the fact that his tongue was down her throat.

  If I had been holding something heavy, I would’ve thrown it through the window. As it was, I just stood in the cold staring stupidly at them until Jared finally pulled away and turned in my direction.

  His eyes connected with mine for a second, flitting away quickly. After a pause, they shot back in my direction. I glared at him and his mouth dropped open. I could tell that he knew I had seen everything.

  I did the only thing I could think to do-flipped him the middle finger and walked away.

  Magically, I was able to quickly catch a cab once I hit LaSalle. Twenty minutes later, I was inside my warm apartment, but I still felt very cold. After checking to make sure my heat was turned all the way up, I peeled off my many layers of clothes and stepped into a steaming hot shower.

  It occurred to me that I should probably be crying or freaking out in some way, but I didn’t feel sad. I was angry. My relationship with Jared hadn’t been easy, but I’d been willing to put up with a lot of difficult times because we had made a promise to each other. Jared had broken that promise.

  In less than eight hours, I had lost my job and found out my fiancé was cheating on me. It could be said that it had not been my best day. Unfortunately, it was about to get worse. After redressing in fleece pajamas, I found Jared sitting on my couch. I instantly regretted giving him a key.

  “What are you doing here?” I snapped.

  “I need to explain.” Jared stood and I noticed that he was wearing a new shirt. No doubt he had picked it out to impress her.

  “I don’t need an explanation, Jared.” I couldn’t even look at him. “Who is she?”

  Jared seemed surprised by the directness of my question. “Her name is Claudia.”

  “Claudia?” I made a face. “Sounds skanky.”

  “Emma.” Jared looked like he was about to reproach me for being mean, but he thought better of it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Too late.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “How long?”

  “How long?” Again, he looked surprised. I could tell from the way he took a deep breath before speaking that I wasn’t going to like his answer. “Three years.”

  The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I had been expecting him to say a few weeks, maybe a few months. But three years? That wasn’t an affair-that was a relationship.

  “Three years?” I laughed. “Sounds serious. Are you going to get engaged soon?”

  He winced. “Emma, please, let me explain.”

  Suddenly, I was thinking back on all the times Jared had been “busy” on the weekends, all the times my calls had gone unanswered. He had been lying to me for so long that I had no way of knowing what was true anymore.

  “I told you, I don’t want an explanation.” My chest started to constrict painfully.

  “What do you want then?” He gave me a helpless look.

  That same look used to make me feel warm inside. I would think how sad and innocent he looked and I would want nothing more than to kiss him. But not anymore.

  I yanked my engagement ring off my finger and set it on the table next to me. “I want you to get the hell out of my life.”

  Without another look in his direction, I marched to the bedroom and slammed the door behind me.

  I would like to say that I recovered gracefully the next morning, but that couldn’t have been further from
the truth. At least I didn’t have to worry about pulling myself together enough to go to work.

  After three days of doing nothing but watching junk television and eating junk food, I made the decision to move on. My life was more than my job and I was more than Jared. Now I just had to remember who I was.

  As I was scanning job postings online, I distracted myself by messing around on social media sites. Nothing made you feel better about your current situation than seeing people you hadn’t spoken to in ten years boasting about their adorable children and perfect husbands. It was a very painful form of therapy.

  But then a post caught my eye. My old friend, Luke Denver, mentioned that they were hitting their busy season at work and he needed to hire some seasonal workers for the ski resort. I hadn’t spoken to Luke in almost two years, since we graduated from college. He had been in the same fraternity as Jared so we had hung out whenever I was in town, but we were hadn’t exactly stayed close in the years since. I remembered that his father had died during our last month of college and he had given up plans to attend medical school so he could move home and take over the family business.

  I quickly clicked on the link he posted, mostly because I needed a break from kids’ birthday party pictures.

  Luke was now the owner of Denver Ski Resort, which was ironically not located in Colorado. He was out in Utah. The resort looked quaint and from what I could tell, catered to wealthy clientele. I suddenly had visions of myself selling skis to celebrities.

  “Whoa,” I said to myself with a shake of my head. “Slow down, Ellis.”

  It was a crazy thought. I didn’t know anything about skiing and I hated snow. Utah was really far away and I didn’t know anyone that lived there aside from Luke. Whatever jobs were available would be minimum wage and seasonal-not exactly a long-term career plan. I would be insane to even consider doing something like that.

  Yet the next thing I knew, I was emailing Luke.

  Everything happened fast from there. Of course Luke remembered me. And he would absolutely talk to me about a potential position at the resort. Did I have time for a quick call?