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At that news, the woman’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth as if to say something. Before she could get the words out, though, the door slapped open again and the drunk guy from yesterday came walking in.
He called something out, and the woman at the bar rolled her eyes. She snatched up a menu and started staring down at it, giving me the impression she was trying to avoid talking to him.
“City girl!” the guy, whose name I recalled was Bill, called out as he approached the bar. “And Abbie. Wow, I haven’t seen you in months. Has Bo been hiding you away from us?”
The woman laughed. “Hardly. It’s not like we’re attached at the hip or anything.”
Pain shot through my chest. It felt like heartburn, but really it was just heartbreak.
Attached at the hip. Hiding her away. This was definitely his girlfriend. She might even be his fiancée or wife. But there was no ring on her finger, and surely, he would have mentioned it if he was married.
It didn’t matter. Even if she was just a girlfriend, he was taken.
Had I just done something really stupid? Had I slept with another woman’s guy?
“You know what? I have to go.”
I set my water on the bar and started walking. I took the side opposite Bill, wishing I could just take off from there. But I still had to grab my coat.
“It’s been nice meeting you both,” I said as I grabbed the coat and stopped for a second. “Something came up. An emergency. I’ll update his dad on everything.”
With that, I turned, leaving the two of them staring after me. Everything I needed was in that coat pocket. I could technically hop in my car and go, but I still had to run over to the hotel and grab my belongings.
Whatever it took, I was getting out of this town and I was getting out of here soon. Immediately. Before people could find out I’d seduced one of their own.
7
BO
I’d put together the best lunchtime dish ever. I was convinced of it. A big scoop of chicken salad with some fruit and crackers. If Emerald didn’t like that, I’d keep trying until I made her happy.
But my smile quickly faded when I passed through the door and saw the area where Emerald sat minutes ago. That spot was now empty. To the right of it was my sister, Abbie. To the far left was Bill, in the very spot he occupied every day around this time.
“Where’d she go?” I asked nobody in particular.
“City girl?” Bill shrugged. “Said she had an emergency.”
Abbie jumped in to ask, “What’s the deal with her?”
“Dad sent her here,” I said. But I didn’t have time to explain beyond that right now. My attention was fully focused on what Bill had said. “What emergency?”
I set down the plate. On the bar directly in front of me was a glass of water with a slice of lemon on the rim. That was exactly what Emerald drank all afternoon yesterday.
“She didn’t say,” Abbie said. “She said your dad would be in touch.”
“Can I get a drink?” Bill asked.
“Abbie, take over from here if you could.” I whipped off my apron and tossed it on the counter behind me. “I have to go see if I can catch her.”
Without waiting around for her answer, I rushed through the door and across the parking lot toward the Blackbear Bluff Inn. Ski season was in full force, which meant there were plenty of unfamiliar vehicles in the parking lot. Emerald’s car could be any one of those—or it could be gone. She might have already packed up and headed on her way.
Bryan Butler was working the front desk, as always. He looked a little alarmed when I burst in. His eyes went wide, and his fingers froze on the keyboard.
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded, struggling to catch my breath. I was in pretty good shape, but that had been quite a sprint. My breathlessness wasn’t about the run, though. It was all about my panic.
“Emerald Harper,” I said. “Has she checked out yet?”
