Mom folded the newspaper and set it next to her plate. “Don't encourage her, David.”
I counted to three, then forced a patient smile. “I don't have time for encouragement or an egg. I'm heading to the lodge to drop off my notebook to Valerie. I’m going to let her take over the next event. She’ll do a great job.”
Mom sipped her tea, then placed the cup gently back into the saucer. “Leo's assistant is very attractive. I wouldn't be surprised if something was going on between thosetwo.”
“Suzanne,” Dad warned.
“What? It's only a matter of time. Everyone’s talking about it. Leo hasn’t dated a single woman since he returned home. True—he has been the town pariah, but that’s not the case anymore. And a man with his looks doesn’t stay on the market long. Imagine. The next wedding we have under the gazebo could be a Grayson wedding!”
I choked down the last bite of toast and chased it with a gulp from my thermos. The coffee tasted sour in my mouth. Leo wasn’t interested in Valerie. Was he? My mom lived to gossip, and that’s all it was.
Gossip that made my stomach burn.
“I have to go,” I said, slipping on my jacket and grabbing my bag.
The front door closed with more force than I intended, rattling in the frame. I scowled at the sky, noting the gray clouds gathering over the house.
“Don’t you dare snow,” I threatened.
A single snowflake drifted lazily from above and landed squarely on my nose.
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Leo’s potential wedding under a newly minted gazebo didn’t matter when I was getting the heck out of Cold Spell. I’d finish my last case for the year, and then I’d take a real vacation.
To a beach on an actual tropical island.
With white sand and gorgeous men who deliver you drinks in a coconut.
Yeah—I was going to Fiji. Eat your heart out, Grayson.
When I forced my eyes back open, the storm clouds were gone, and I felt centered and ready to check flight schedules.
But first, the notebook. I requested a ride to the resort and got out in front of the lodge.
In the time since we'd announced the rink project, there'd already been an increase in visitors to the resort. Skiers sailed past on their way to the lift, and guests with luggage stacked at their feet waited to check into the hotel.
A bit of pride expanded inside my chest. I was good at my job. The proof was right in front of me. While this trip was mostly a lesson in futility mixed with a confusing Ghost of Christmas Past reenactment, there was one merit: sweet validation.
I climbed the steps to the lodge, bypassing the line at the reservation desk, and spotted Valerie with a giant marker, coloring in the bottom of a cardboard cutout thermometer. It was already halfway full.
“Hey, Sage!” She dusted her hands on her black dress pants and waved me over. “I updated our goal marker. What do you think?”
I eyed her critically, noticing her flawless complexion when I should have been looking at the thermometer. She had the kind of skin that doesn't need makeup. Her eyelashes were so long they should have their own zip code. And her hair bounced! My hair had never bounced. Tangled? Yes. Frizzed? Most definitely.
No. You will not get sucked into the swirling vortex that was the Cold Spell rumor mill. You will, however, buy a string bikini and wear it in Fiji.
This thought spiral was ridiculous and the direct result of my mother’s rampant gossip. Valerie was not my enemy, and neither was her perfect hair.
“I think the goal marker is a great idea. You’ll be over the top in no time. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?”
“Can you hold that thought?” Valerie unclipped the radio at her hip. “I have to check in with the housekeeping staff first. We're busier than usual. Why don’t we meet in the dining area in a half hour and then we'll talk?”
I nodded, clutching my notebook to my chest. Valerie capped the marker, then disappeared into a back room while I did a quick scan to make sure I wouldn’t run into Leo. Confident the coast was clear, I went to the dining area and snagged a table partially hidden by a giant Christmas tree.
It was snowing again, gently, so I crossed my fingers, hoping it was flurries already predicted in the forecast. Snow could fall without it being some messed up curse.
With a menu hiding my face, and the tree blocking line of sight, I prepared to hunker down for the next thirty minutes. I was afraid if Leo found out about my imminent departure, he’d try to convince me to stay. Then again, if hewasromantically interested in Valerie, he might hip-check me out of the picture and gladly let her take over. They’d cuddle up next to my notebook full of ideas and make out.
My heart squeezed. This was why I needed to leave. My brain was the only thing looking out for the scarred organ inside my chest. Otherwise, my heart was ready to throw caution to the wind and play in the snow, hoping Leo wouldn’t slice his skis through it.
