[right][h2]Francisco de la cal Delgado[/h2][/right]
[hr]

Francisco pulled off his ski boots and socks with a sigh of pleasure, scrunching his toes against the carpet that covered the front entry of his rented chalet. A fire was already lit, a fresh bottle of wine had been laid out, and Christmas music played softly from speakers cunningly built into wall fixtures. He set the ski boots neatly against the wall, picked up his socks, and moved into the main bedroom. Yesterdays laundry had been done and was neatly laid out on the bed for him to put away as he saw fit. 

He tossed the socks into a laundry hamper and stripped off his long underwear and boxers, tossing them after the socks. He stepped into the bathroom and the lights snapped on at once, illuminating the generous space. A red poinsettia had been set next to the sink, the mornings dirty towels whisked away replaced. For a moment he considered a bath but opted for the shower instead. He still had some business to attend to and time was short. 

"Hey siri, call Sunpeaks valet." Though his phone was in the other room, it was linked in the chalets bluetooth sound system; the sound of siri's voice filled the bathroom. "Calling Sunpeaks valet, work."

The phone was answered almost immediately by a very American voice. "Mr. Delgado, Mason speaking, how may I help you this evening?"

"Hello Mason, can you have my car brought around please? I'll be ready in fifteen minutes." 

"Of course sir, anything else?" 

"No, that will be all, thank you."

"See you in fifteen, sir." The line went dead and Francisco stepped into the shower. It was hot water on demand and he gloried in the steam for a few minutes before soaping down throughly with the chalets provided products that all smelled vaguely of pine tree. Not an unpleasant smell at any rate.

A short time later, dressed in a pair of grey slacks, practical black winter hikers, and an orange Arc'teryx jacket, he was ready to go. He glanced at his Bulgari watched and then smiled as a knock sounded on the rear door of the chalet. The front, now slowly vanishing as darkness crept across the landscape, overlooked Victoria Mountain, the heavily treed slopes criss-crossed by chairlifts and long inviting ski runs. A few lights glowed as machinery crawled up the mountain to begin grooming the runs.

Francisco opened the rear door to find Mason, a smiling twenty something from New York, trying to stand still on the step as he shivered in the cold despite his Sunpeaks puff-jacket. Beyond him, its engine purring, was the 2019 Subaru Crosstrek Francisco had rented for his trip to the states. It wasn't a luxury car but it was more than a match for the snowy roads and he found it very comfortable. 

"Right on time, as always, thank you Mason." Francisco handed the young man a twenty dollar bill and waved away his thanks. Mason vanished down the stairs, returning to the main building. Francisco waited until he was gone and then held his phone up. "Siri, lock the doors. No service needed tonight."

"The doors have been locked. No service tonight."

Behind him the inside lights snapped off, the patio lights dimmed, and he heard the doors lock with an audible [i]whirrr[/i]. Only hotel security or himself would be able to access the chalet now. He had always been a bit leery of electronic home security when it first came out but once he had installed it in his Villa back home, he'd never looked back.

The Subaru shifted smoothly into drive and he took the first turn toward town, the lights barely visible through the cloud cover that was hanging over the valley. The drive was enjoyable, the car handling the slick roads without any trouble, as he descended into the city. Traffic was fairly light, the majority of the snow lovers having already left the hill to find dinner or hit up their hotels. 

The cars navigation system led him directly to his destination without issue. He supposed that the American custom of meeting a business acquaintance for coffee was the equivalent of having wine and tapas in Spain. Not a coffee drinker himself, he had nothing against a hot chocolate or tea. 

It took him a moment to find parking somewhat closish to the coffee shop but he eventually found a stall in a nearby car park. He stepped out into the cold and felt his sinuses begin to run at once, his breath swirling around his head. The city was a riot of sounds and colours with Christmas lights everywhere and hurrying shoppers ducked into stores with big signs that screamed 40-50% off. 

He pulled open the door to Brewsters Coffee House and tantalizing smells were added the sights and sounds. It took him a moment to locate his host, Brian Ginter. The man was a big up and coming developer and relator in Ashton. He was heading up the near 7,600 units of low income apartments several blocks away. He stood to make a handsome profit as the city had been suffering from high property prices the last year or two, they had cut a lot of red tape to get the project going. 

"Francsico, good to see you." The American, his accent certainly local, had snagged a pair of chairs at the countertop. 

"Brian, an interesting spot to meet." The two shook hands as Francisco sat, his eyes scanning the room. It was the eclectic assemblage of American society he had come to expect. 

"Yea, for sure. But it's the type of folk I sell to. They complain about not being able to make rent but they can come down here and spend a fortune on flavoured water."

The two were interrupted as the server, a harassed looking Asian/American girl, appeared in front of them. She offered a pretty smile and glanced them over. It was clear she knew who Brian was, you couldn't live in this neighbourhood and not know who he was. He probably owned the building they were sitting in. A couple of teas and a pair of scones were ordered, and Brian turned back to Francisco.

"So, have you had a chance to think over my proposition?" He was referring to the large property had been looking at buying the edge of the city. Money was a bit tight at the moment and when he heard Francisco was in town he had approached the Spaniard to suggest a partnership.

"I have thought it over." Francisco was leaning back in his chair, still enjoying people watching. This trip had already been a success for him. He'd bought ownership stakes in three Canadian resorts, and had just closed a similar deal with the family who owned Sunpeaks. 

There were probably people in this room whose wages were now paid by him. "And I don't like it. I have not invested in apartment blocks before for a number of reasons. The foremost reason being the need to find renters. I am, however, interested in speaking to you about potentially purchasing one of the new apartment blocks to serve as staff accommodation for Sunpeaks..."

The conversation continued into the evening as the noise and people flowed around the two men, an ever changing mosaic of the American people.