Open Eyes (Open Skies) by Marysol James Read Free Book Online Page B

said. “Phil was right, I see now. About her being tough under that meek exterior. I think there is way more to Vicky than meets the eye.”
    “Yeah,” Rob said. “But haven’t we known that, right from the start?”
    Jake raised his glass. “To Vicky, ass-kicker extraordinaire . May she keep shining.”
    “We’d better invest in some sunglasses for the office,” Rob said. “I get the feeling that she may well blind us all.”
    **
    For Vicky, her first weeks at Open Skies passed in a blur of activity and determined focus. Overnight almost, autumn became winter. Vicky stood in her living room looking at her first snowfall in the mountains. It was breathtaking.
    She snapped a few pictures on her cell phone and sent them to her Mom. She had just poured a cup of coffee when the burner phone rang and she smiled.
    “Hi, sweet pea.”
    “Mommy! The snow!”
    “I know, baby girl. It’s beautiful, huh?”
    “We don’t have any yet.”
    “None?”
    “Nope.”
    “Well, it’s only November,” Vicky told her. “Winter comes a bit sooner in the Rockies. But I am sure that you’ll get plenty of snow your way soon enough – more than enough to make a snowman, I’ll bet.”
    “Ben says that we can gather fresh snow and bring it in the house and put syrup on it. He says it’s delicious.”
    “I think Ben is right. It’d be like ice cream.”
    “Yummy.”
    “So, what are you and Granny and Ben going to do for Thanksgiving?” Vicky asked.
    “I don’t know. I think we’re staying here.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yeah. Granny says we can go to the waterpark, though. Go swimming.”
    “Now that sounds like fun.”
    “It would be more fun with you. Can you come for Thanksgiving?”
    Vicky closed her eyes for a brief second; the pain of missing her daughter was sharp and immediate. “I’m sorry, Sonia. I have to work next weekend.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I work at a hotel, and we’re open that weekend. In fact, we're full-up with guests! All seven cabins are booked.”
    “Really?”
    “Yep. Lots of people want to spend the holiday here. It’s beautiful and the food is good…”
    “And they can ride the horses?”
    “They can.”
    “Huh.” The little girl thought about that for a minute. “Maybe next year I can be there for Thanksgiving?”
    Now Vicky’s cheeks were wet with her tears. “I hope so, sweet pea.” She took a deep breath. “I’m counting on it.”
    **
    “OK, guys… are you all ready?”
    Everyone nodded and settled in to their chairs. The whole ‘backroom team’ as Julie called them was present at the meeting this morning: everyone from Sales and Marketing, and Julie too.
    “Well, I know it’s only November now,” Julie said. “But Rob and I have been talking about the summer promotions already. We want to do something big for this summer – much bigger than just some ads or online media stuff.”
    “Really?” Allison Sabler’s eyes were shining. “How big?”
    Rob smiled. “About seventy-five-K big.”
    Everyone gasped. That was the biggest budget ever set for a single campaign at Open Skies.
    Allison looked at Vicky and grinned. The two women had become very close over Vicky’s three months at the office, despite the age gap of almost fifteen years. Allison was bright and airy and fun, and Vicky admired her exuberance and sheer love of all things creative. The younger woman reminded Vicky of herself at the same age: so full of hope and brimming with possibilities and optimism. She prayed that Allison never met her own version of Carl, and if she did, she never let him in to her life.
    Vicky pushed thoughts of Carl away and focused on Rob.
    “So, Julie and I want to do something a bit different this time, OK? We’ll try it, see how it goes. We’re going to ask each one of you in Marketing to pitch a campaign idea – just one idea, OK?” He nodded at Vicky, Allison and Peter Kingsley. “I’ll pitch one too, so I’m putting in as much time on this as you all are.