Rich Girls Read online

  Liz hopped out of bed and rose to investigate, pulling her comforter around her shoulders. She opened the door, and a burst of cold air blew through the room. Liz stepped outside, her bare feet tingling on the snowy wood deck.

  I have never been anywhere so beautiful, Liz thought, looking out over the valleys and mountains that spread out at her feet like a carpet. The land fell away from the wooden terraces of Dr. M-C’s amazing house, giving Liz the impression that she was flying over the snowy landscape.

  The pristine sight banished all of Liz’s resentment over being stuck in coach so that Grumpus could fly first class.

  Liz began to shiver, so she stepped back into the house, rubbing her shoulders against the crisp, thin air. She closed the door to the terrace and bundled back up in her cozy bed. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was early; the time difference from New York meant that she was up two hours earlier than normal.

  I wonder what time I’m expected to start taking care of the kids? Liz thought. She had never gone on vacation with Dr. M-C before. Am I working 24/7 while I’m here?

  After a long, hot shower, Liz changed into a pretty pale blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans, and debated wearing the pale blue Ugg boots she had bought for the trip. Were Uggs over? Would she look like an idiot? A poser? A draft blew through the room, and Liz decided she would wear them—it was too cold not to.

  Liz walked down the long hall and stepped through a pair of glass doors into an incredible room. It was huge, divided into three large sections by timber-framed white plaster walls. Windows stretched floor to ceiling, and a series of flying staircases led to the bedrooms upstairs. The room had an unfinished, rural feel, with hand-hewn beams and wide plank floors. Everywhere she looked, light streamed in through the paned windows, washing over the comfortable leather furniture and enormous patterned carpets. Liz stared at the cathedral ceilings and admired a long balcony that hung over the living room, giving the third floor the same view as the second.

  In the middle of the room, a large pit contained a roaring fire, the flue hanging over it like a hat.

  “Ain’t much in the way of crackling,” said a voice just outside her view. “But it throws off enough heat.”

  Startled, Liz walked farther into the room. A pleasant-looking older woman with short white hair stood wiping a glass clean with a cloth in her hand.

  “Billie Baird,” the woman said with a smile. “Are you Miss Braun?”

  “Yes,” Liz said. “But please call me Liz.”

  “And you call me Billie,” the woman said. “A package came for you. I put it on the table.”

  “Great, thanks.”

  Billie vanished through a swinging door into what Liz guessed was the kitchen. Liz looked around and spotted a box sitting on a low, Italian-tiled coffee table.

  It’s so much homier here than back at Dr. M-C’s Fifth Avenue apartment, Liz thought as she crossed the room. Clearly someone else did the decorating!

  Liz knelt down beside the table and opened the slim, velvet-covered box. Her dark eyes widened as she pulled out a thick platinum charm bracelet. She gasped when she saw the small diamond snowflake charm dangling from the chain.

  “‘Welcome to Aspen.—Parker’” she read aloud from the card. She held up the bracelet and let the light dance off its shining surfaces. Maybe the whole thing with Isabelle is a big fat nothing, Liz thought.

  “Elizabeth!” Dr. M-C appeared at the top of the stairs flanked by Heather and David. “We have a schedule to keep!”

  “We do?” Liz said, slipping the bracelet back into the box. “We just got here.”

  “Precisely. Time’s wasting. I have to get to work. I have the children’s itinerary right here.” She held up a clipboard. “Their ski lesson starts in just a few minutes.”

  “Have you guys skied before?” Liz asked.

  Heather nodded. “I fell down a lot,” she said. She didn’t look too thrilled to be making another attempt.

  “Grumpus doesn’t need lessons,” David said. “He’s an expert!”

  “Oh, David, that’s wonderful,” Dr. M-C gushed. “He can help Heather with her form.”

  Heather rolled her eyes.

  “Grumpus knows you don’t like him,” David said. “He doesn’t like you, either.”

  “I don’t care,” Heather declared.

  David giggled. “Grumpus just stuck his tongue out at you!”

  “David,” Liz said in a warning tone. He made a face, but stopped teasing Heather.

  “We want to see some improvement by the time we leave,” Dr. M-C. said. “That’s why I’ve hired someone training for the Olympic team to be your instructor. He’ll be here soon. We can’t keep Lars waiting!”

  “Well, then, let’s get you into your ski clothes and grab your equipment,” Liz said, heading for the wide stairs.

  She joined them at the landing. Dr. M-C handed Liz the clipboard, then vanished back into her room. As Liz followed the kids down the hall, she scanned the itinerary.

  Her mouth dropped open. Wow. Dr. M-C has scheduled these kids within an inch of their lives! Ski lessons. Skating. More ski lessons. Several events at the opera house. And I’ll also have those note sessions with Dr. M-C, Liz realized. When am I ever going to get a chance to see Parker?

  “Do I have to go?” Heather whined when Liz stepped into her room.

  “Don’t you like to ski?” Liz asked.

  “It’s cold and it’s wet and the ski boots are too heavy,” Heather complained.

  “Well, maybe with some lessons with Lars you’ll start having more fun,” Liz said.

  “Maybe…” Heather didn’t sound very convinced.

  “Give it a try,” Liz said. “If you really, really hate it, maybe we can come up with another activity that your mom will approve of.”

  Heather sighed, but she turned and began pulling ski clothes from her dresser.

  One down, one to go, Liz thought, going to David’s room. Make that two more, she reminded herself. Grumpus will undoubtedly be joining us on the slopes.

  “David, how are you doing?” Liz asked, going into his room.

  “Grumpus needs help,” David said.

  “I think you need some help, too,” Liz said. She knelt down and rebuttoned and rezipped everything David was wearing.

  “Now get Grumpus ready,” David insisted. “He needs his skis!”

  “Well, get them for him,” Liz said. It was bad enough catering to the whims of little kids and a crazed psychologist. She wasn’t going to wait on an imaginary child, too! At least not when Dr. M-C wasn’t around.

  David reluctantly mimed handing skis to Grumpus, and Liz went into her room to get herself ready.

  Liz had skied all of once before, on a Pheasant-Berkeley school trip. She had done well for a beginner, but had never ventured beyond the easiest of trails. Hmm. Maybe I can get Lars to give me a few tips, too.

  She stepped into the hall. “Everybody ready?” she called.

  “Liz,” Heather whined, appearing in the doorway of her room. “I’m hot.”

  Liz stifled a laugh. In her snowsuit and multiple layers, Heather looked more like the Michelin tire man than a child.

  “We’ll be outdoors in a minute, and then you’ll be fine,” Liz said.

  David stepped into the hall and frowned. “I have to go to the bathroom,” he said.

  Liz sighed. Back to square one.

  Finally they were ready. By the time they got downstairs, Lars, a tall, blond, college-age guy, was standing just outside the sliding doors of the living room. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he had a sweet, wholesome face. Dr. M-C was going over her goals for the children with him.

  “Oh, there you are,” Dr. M-C said, a trace of irritation in her voice. “We were beginning to wonder what happened to you.”

  “Grumpus needed some special attention,” Liz said. If David can use Grumpus to his advantage, Liz figured, so can I.

  “Grumpus, yes, of course.” Dr. M-C smi
led broadly. “Do you have your notebook?”

  Liz nodded. She had stashed the notebook in her fanny pack, along with a few contraband snacks to use as bribes if the kids started acting up.

  “Good,” Dr. M-C said. “Now I want you to keep very careful notes on everything Grumpus does. We’ll review your observations at the end of every day.”

  Oh, joy, Liz thought.

  “Liz, where are your skis?” Dr. M-C demanded. “We don’t want to waste any more of Lars’s time.”

  “I don’t own skis,” Liz said. “I thought we’d have time to rent them.”

  “I’ll bring a pair for you tomorrow,” Lars promised in a light Nordic accent. “For today, you will be there to help with the children. That will be most important.”

  “Thanks,” Liz said. She could tell he had jumped in to prevent a problem with Dr. M-C. Obviously, the good doctor had already proven to Lars what a demanding nut-job she was.

  “My pleasure,” Lars said. He smiled, revealing dimples.

  Together, Liz and Lars managed to get Heather and David into their skis and out the door. Dr. M-C owned a house right on Buttermilk, the slope famous in Aspen for being kind to beginners. All they had to do was ski out the sliding doors and they were already on the mountain. No need for lift tickets, lift lines, or, Liz realized, pesky tourists on a budget.

  “Snow!” David cried. He used his ski poles to kick up snow. “Look, it’s snowing!”

  “Not funny,” Heather said.

  “You should slide the skis, Heather,” Lars instructed. “You don’t need to pick them up as if you were walking.”

  Heather tried to do as Lars said, but her front leg slid so far in front of her that she was trapped in a split.

  “Help!” she shrieked. “My legs are going to rip off!”

  Liz shook her head and helped Heather back up to a normal stance. She glanced at Lars and saw that he was trying to get David to stop making snow angels and not get smacked by the little boy’s skis.

  “David, get up,” Liz ordered, holding Heather upright by clutching her under the armpits.

  “Oh, okay.” David reluctantly got back up to his feet, as Lars shot Liz a thankful look.

  10:13 Grumpus won 27 gold medals for skiing and snow-boarding and never once did he have to wear a hat, so David wants to know why HE has to wear one.

  10:15 Grumpus thinks it’s hilarious when David falls down. So David falls down a lot “just to make Grumpus laugh.”

  10:22 Grumpus objects to Heather having a turn with Lars.

  Liz was bored out of her mind. The kids were behaving better now that Lars had really begun the lesson. So Liz started taking notes for Dr. M-C to keep from noticing how cold she was.

  It’s because I’m just standing here, Liz realized, stamping her feet. I’d be a lot warmer if I were actually skiing!

  10:47 Grumpus has been strangely silent—perhaps he has skied away?

  10:50-11:05 Ignore previous note. Grumpus has been making nonstop demands for the last fifteen minutes.

  “Maybe it’s time for a break,” Liz suggested. She could tell the kids were reaching their limit. Heather was shivering, and David had plopped down in the snow and didn’t seem interested in getting up.

  “Grumpus wants hot chocolate,” David announced.

  “If Grumpus gets hot chocolate, I do too!” Heather shouted.

  “Is there a place nearby where we can we get them something hot to drink?” Liz asked Lars.

  “Sure!” Lars said. “There’s a lodge at the bottom of the hill. I can drive you all down.”

  “Great,” Liz said. “Why don’t we call it quits and grab some?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Lars said.

  “Liz!” a voice called behind her.

  Liz’s heart fluttered at the sound of Parker’s voice. She turned as he skied up to her in a spray of snow. He looked devastatingly hot in his ski gear, his silver Ray-Bans, and perfect form.

  “Hi,” Liz said, grateful that the first time Parker saw her in Aspen she wasn’t bumbling around like a newbie on a pair of rented skis. “I got your gift. It’s beautiful. I meant to call to thank you, but—”

  “Liz, it’s time for hot chocolate!” Heather complained. “I’m freezing.”

  “One sec,” Liz said, focusing on Parker.

  “Grumpus thinks you aren’t paying enough attention,” David scolded. He stumbled forward a few feet on his skis, Lars gliding alongside him.

  Liz glanced sheepishly at Parker. “I think Grumpus may be right. You are much too distracting.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Parker grinned mischievously. “So when can we get together?”

  “I’m not really sure,” Liz admitted. “Dr. M-C has all these plans…”

  “Well, give me a call once you know,” Parker said. “I’m heading up to the Highlands now.”

  “Those are serious slopes,” Lars said.

  “Know ’em like the back of my hand,” Parker said. “My friends and I have been hanging up there even before they got hot.”

  Friends like Isabelle? Liz wondered.

  “Have fun with the rest of the bunnies,” Parker said. He gave Liz a quick kiss. “And don’t fall for the ski instructor,” he whispered. “It’s so cliché.”

  Liz giggled. “Don’t worry,” she promised. “I’m nothing if not unique.”

  Parker leaned back on his skis, a slow smile spreading across his face. “You got that right.”

  Then he turned and skied away, a gorgeous sight in the already gorgeous landscape.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  you should see the place in Vienna

  Mom had nothing to worry about, Liz thought four days later as she soaked in the hot tub in the enclosed patio just off Dr. M-C’s Aspen living room. I am definitely here to work!

  Every muscle hurt from learning to ski, falling, and grabbing kids. She’d been kept so busy by David and Heather during the day, and then by Dr. M-C’s demands to help her work on the book at night, that Liz had barely seen Parker other than in passing.

  But tonight! Tonight is going to be awesome, she thought, and all thanks to Parker’s smooth moves. Parker had dropped by (after daily flirty phone calls and text messages) and had persuaded Dr. M-C to let Liz go out with him. Although Dr. M-C had been reluctant to lose Liz’s secretarial skills, she relented—once Parker invited the doc and her kids to his parents’ ultra-exclusive Christmas party.

  Liz climbed out of the hot tub, wrapped herself in the luxurious robe that had been provided in her tiny broom closet/bedroom, and headed upstairs to dress.

  She frowned as she looked in her suitcase. Parker never told me what we’re doing, Liz realized, so I have no idea what I should wear. And even if I DID know, would I have the right outfit?

  For the last four days Liz had been checking out what the other girls in Aspen were wearing. She fit right in on Buttermilk, where the little kids, the older couples, and the beginners tended to ski. But the few times she’d spotted Parker in the Lodge, or in town, the girls in his orbit wore Chanel, Prada, and the high-priced Moon Boots that J. Lo was recently photographed in.

  Liz sighed. She didn’t have a lot of clothing options. All she could do was find a sweater that flattered her complexion and tight velvet jeans that highlighted her long legs and hope for the best.

  “Parker, come in,” Dr. M-C’s voice boomed up the stairs.

  Uh-oh. I’d better get down there and rescue him, Liz thought. She applied a fresh coat of lip gloss and hurried downstairs.

  Parker smiled when he saw her. She felt her knees go weak. I’m glad we decided not to go skiing together, she thought. I’d fall right over. There was just something about Parker that hit her hard every time she saw him. She noticed with relief that he was wearing a sweater and cords—nothing over-the-top.

  “So what do you two have planned?” Dr. M-C asked.

  Parker slipped his hand around her waist, his fingertips brushing against her skin, and Liz felt herself ting
le.

  “Liz hasn’t had a chance to see much of the town,” Parker said. “So I thought we’d check out some shops, and then swing by a friend’s party. Don’t worry,” he added, “I’ll get Liz back at a completely reasonable hour. I know how important taking care of David and Heather is to her.”

  Dr. M-C beamed. “Have a wonderful time, Liz. I know you’re in the best of hands. And Parker,” she said as she walked them to the door, “do give my best to your parents. I am so looking forward to their Christmas party.”

  Once outside, Parker opened the door of his gleaming Range Rover, and Liz slipped inside. Parker dashed around the car, then got in behind the wheel. He swiveled to face her.

  “So hi,” he said, brushing a strand of her dark hair out of her face.

  “Hi,” she replied.

  “I was beginning to think I’d never get a chance to be alone with you,” he said. He tipped her face up and kissed her softly.

  Liz kissed him back, thrilled to be this close to him again. It has been a long time, she thought as she finally pulled away to smile at him.

  He grinned back. “Now, that’s the Liz I remember.” He started up the car, and they drove into Aspen.

  “It looks like a town from some Western movie,” Liz observed, checking out the small wooden and brick buildings.

  “Well, it did start out as a mining camp, and there’s a whole historic preservation movement happening here,” Parker explained, taking Liz’s hand and helping her out of the car. “But somehow I doubt Cartier had a shop catering to the miners!”

  Liz laughed. Parker was right. Aspen was a weird cross between cowboy-ville and Madison Avenue. Limos fought for parking; socialites and movie stars sipped hot cocoa and coffee; store owners rung up thousands of dollars of sales—and all against the stunning backdrop of the mountains and old, rustic buildings.

  Despite all the glitz and glamour, though, Parker made Liz feel as if she belonged there—not in Aspen so much as she belonged right by his side.