Holiday ROMANCE

A CHARMING BIFFCULT CLIENT

lly Thompson stepped out of the warmresort lobby and into the crisp mountainair. She took a deep breath, feeling the coolbreeze fill her lungs as she gazed out atthe snow-covered peaks. This was exactlywhat she needed - a change of sceneryand a new challenge.As she made her way to the resort'sconference center, Holly's mind turned tothe high-profile wedding she was about toplan. The happy couple, both wealthy andinfluential, had chosen this exclusive resortCHOTas the perfect venue for their special day.Holly pushed open the conference centerdoor and was immediately struck by theman standing at the front of the room. Tall,dark-haired, and impossibly handsome, heturned to face her with a charming smile."Ah, you must be Holly Thompson" he said,striding towards her with an air ofconfidence. "I'm Jake Collins, the resortOwner."Holly's eyes met Jake's,and for a moment,tion. But as quicklyshe felt a spark of a'as it appeared, sheied it aside. Shewas here to work. not aet distracted by acharming but no doubt difficult client."Nice to meet you, Mr. Collins' Holly said,extending her hand.Jake's handshake was firm, his eyescrinkling at the corners as he smiled."Please, call me Jake" he said. "We're goingto be working closely together over thenext few weeks.Holly's heart skipped a beat at the thoughtof working closely with Jake. She pushedthe feeling aside, focusing on the task athand."of course" she said, smilingprofessionally. "I'm excited to get startedon planning the perfect wedding for ourclients."Jake nodded, his expression turningserious. "Im glad to hear that" he said."Because I have to warn you, Holly - thiswedding is going to be a challenge."Holly's eyes narrowed. "What kind ofchallenge?" she askedJake leaned against tne conference table,his eyes glinting with amusement. "Let'sjust say our clients have very..specificrequests" he said. "And I'm not sure you'regoing to like them."Holly's instincts went on high alert. Shehad a feeling that this wedding was goingto be a lot more complicated than she hadanticipated."Im ready for whatever they throw my way"she said, smiling confidently.Jake raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smileplaying on his lips. "We'll see about that" hesaid.As they sat down at the conference table,Holly pulled out her notebook and pen. "So,tell me more about these specificrequests, she said.Jake leaned back in his chair, steepling hisfingers together. "Well, for starters, thebride wants a winter wonderland theme"he said. "Complete with ice sculptures,snowflake decorations, and a horse-drawnsleigh."Holly's eyes wideneu. hatsounds...ambitious" she said.Jake nodded. "It gets better. The groomwants a fireworks display, a live band, anda special performance by a famous singer."Holly's mind was racing. This was going tobe a lot more complicated than she hadthought."I think we can make it work" she said,smiling confidently.Jake raised an eyebrow. "You're a braveCHATwoman, Holly Thompson' he said.As they continued to discuss the details ofthe wedding, Holly found herself growingmore and more aware of Jake's presence.She couldn't help but steal glances at him,admiring the way his eyes crinkled at theCorners when he smiled.But she was determined to keep her focuson the task at hand. She was here to plan awedding, not get distracted by a charmingbut difficult client.As the meeting dreiclose, Holly felt asense of relief wash uver her. She had a lotof work ahead of her, but she was ready forthe challenge."Thank you for your time, Jake," she said,smiling professionally.Jake stood up, his eyes glinting withamusement. "The pleasure was all mine,Holly" he said. ""Il be keeping an eye onyou."Holly's heart skipped a beat at the thoughtof Jake's eyes on her. She pushed thefeeling aside, focusing on the task at han"Im shaking in my boots,' she said, smilingconfidently.Jake chuckled, a low, husky sound thatsent shivers down Holly's spine."Im looking forward to seeing what you'reworking with, Holly Thompson' he said.As Holly left the conference center, shecouldn't help but feel a sense ofexcitement. This was going to be achallenging wedding to plan, but she wasready for it.And as she caught a glimpse of Jakewatching her from across the room, shefelt a spark of attraction that she couldn'tignore.As Holly walked back to her office, shecouldn't shake off the feeling that Jake waswatching her. She quickened her pace, herheart beating slightly faster.When she arrived at her office, Holly took adeep breath and sat down at her desk. Shebegan to review the notes from hermeeting with Jake, making a list of all thetasks she needed to complete.Just as she was getting started, Holly'sphone rang. She answered it, hoping itwasn't another problem with the wedding."Holly Thompson' she said."Hi, Holly, it's Jake" said the voice on theother end of the line.Holly's heart skipped a beat. "Hi, Jake," shesaid, trying to sound casual."I hope I'm not interrupting anything" Jakesaid. "I just wanted to follow up on ourmeeting earlier""No, you're not interrupting anything" Hollysaid. "I'm just reviewing the notes from ourmeeting."Great" Jake said. "I was thinking thatmaybe we could meet again tomorrow todiscuss some of the details."Holly hesitated for a moment. She wasn'tsure if she was ready to spend more timewith Jake."That sounds fine" she said finally."Great, Jake said. "TIl meet you at theConference center at 10 am."Holly nodded, even though Jake couldn'tsee her."See you then" she said.As she hung up the phone, Holly couldn'thelp but feel a sense of excitement. Shewas looking forward to seeing Jake againtomorrow.But as she sat back down at her desk,Holly's mind began to wander. What was itabout Jake that made her feel this way?She shook her head, trying to focus on thetask at hand. She had a lot of work to dobefore the wedding. and she couldn't lether feelings for Jake get in the way.But as she sat there, staring blankly at herComputer screen, Holly couldn't shake offthe feeling that her life was about to