Page 14 of Faking It with the Ice Queen

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first victim to the Silver family hangover. Not many escape that.”

Grace blushed, remembering how she stumbled around the room and chuckled. She certainly hadn’t expected to be wine drunk in front of so many people. As she munched on the muffin, her eyes finally landed on the clock.

Jolting up, she cried, “It’s noon! Oh my god I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep so late. Did I miss anything?”

Elara coolly watched Grace, her calm demeanor exuding ease. “You haven’t missed anything. Today is meant to be for everyone to explore the resort. The events will be later this afternoon. I’ve reserved us a spot for the cooking demonstration and class later this afternoon. You have plenty of time to get ready.”

Grace sighed in relief as she sat back down. “Oh. Good.”

Elara simply watched Grace as she continued to down her cappuccino, saying nothing. Between sips, Grace would flick her eyes up at Elara and admire the way she looked in her gray slacksand silver sweater. Something about her was softer, although it certainly didn’t soften the hard planes of her tall frame.

Grace finished off her breakfast in silence, the only sound being Elara’s fingers softly tapping on her iPad. As soon as she stood, she realized that nearly all of her legs were on display, and Grace hurriedly closed the robe, announcing that she was going to get ready. As soon as she closed the door, putting up a physical barrier between the two, Grace covered her face as she turned bright red.

When Elara’s eyes had trailed up her legs, the memory of last night came flooding back. Grace felt so embarrassed at how much she had wanted Elara to grip her hip.

Turning the shower on, Grace chanted, “It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.”

The smell of garlic and aromatics wafted through the room as the chef explained the first steps of making a pan-roasted duck breast. Grace felt her mouth watering at all the delicious smells around her. Next to her, Elara was discussing some upcoming business deal with the executives at their table, but the sound of their conversation was nearly drowned out by the clatter of pans echoing throughout the fully chrome kitchen. There were only a handful of people who chose to attend this cooking class, hosted by the executive chef of the resort. Elara had carefully chosen seats next to some of her business associates, leaving no room for her brother or his wife to sit near them.

Grace considered trying to pretend to be part of whatever important conversation was happening beside her but just couldn’t pull her attention away from the chef giving instructions. She had always loved watching her mother cook,although her childhood kitchen was nowhere near as pristinely scrubbed as this professional space.

Pulling her out of her reverie, James leaned over and surprised Grace by commenting, “She’s always like that. All business, no fun, eh? Does she ever have time for you, Grace?”

Grace blushed, looking down at the meal she was preparing to avoid eye contact. “Elara is driven. It’s part of what makes her special.”

James’s smile grew sharp, a knowing look in his eyes. “Driven at work, but never at home. I’m surprised she even brought you here.”

Grace blinked at the thinly veiled implication and moved her gaze over to James’s wife, Julia. “I’m sure you know how it goes, being married to a Silver and all.”

Julia thankfully caught on to Grace’s attempt to change the subject and smiled kindly. “I certainly do. Sometimes I have to drag him out of the office just to go to dinner.”

At this, Julia playfully pinched her husband as she continued, “But as passionate as he is about work, he is doubly so in the bedroom.”

James coughed as he looked at his wife in surprise. Grace couldn’t hold back the nervous laugh, sounding slightly hysterical. Elara turned at the sound and coolly stared down her brother.

“James, I hope you are being nice. I know Mother would be disappointed to find out you are not being a gracious host.”

Not wanting to cause a rift in the family, Grace grabbed Elara’s elbow with a reassuring squeeze and explained, “Julia and I were just discussing the Silver siblings’ capacity for passion.”

Elara’s eyes widened, prompting Grace to let loose another nervous giggle.

Elara lowered her voice, saying, “I hope you aren’t revealing too much of our bedroom secrets now.”

Seeing Elara’s discomfort, James dug his claws in. “She hasn’t revealed anything, Elara. Although I’m not sure thereismuch to reveal, now is there?”

Elara narrowed her eyes at her brother, retorting, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

James turned to Grace. “Where did you meet my lovely sister again? She almost never leaves the office these days.”

Feeling trapped, Grace looked back and forth between Elara and James before replying, “Through mutual friends.”

Before the inquiry could continue, waiters came around serving the pan-roasted duck with plates full of samples of the local produce the staff used in the kitchen. Grace felt her stomach flip with anxiety as she ate in silence.

Grace stood in front of the mirror, fussing over her curls that refused to stay in place. She had chosen to wear it down tonight, trying to tame her usually messy mane into an elegant shape. As she tucked one side behind her ear, the unruly curls began to pop out in a halo. Grace sighed as she shoved in yet more pins, finally forcing her hair to behave.

Grace felt as if she were teetering on the edge of a cliff, with no idea how to get things back in balance. Nothing seemed to go as she had expected today. Elara had seemed kind—thoughtful, even, with the cappuccino and breakfast—but then she had been distant, barely looking at her most of the day. Then there was Elara’s brother, James. What was with that guy? Up until that point, Grace thought that the family was curious, not outrightsuspicious. James had basically called them on their bullshit, and Grace was left floundering on how to fix this situation.

She tried to remind herself that this wasn’t her problem. Elara was the one who needed to convince her family. Though no matter how hard she tried, the guilt ate at her. She had made a promise, and Grace did not take that lightly. The problem now was how would she fix this?

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