Page 9 of Pity Present

“I’m sure it will be very successful,” I tell her.

“I hope so. It’s a jungle out there in the dating world.”

The reality of her words settles like a weight on my chest. “That’s the truth.”

Sounding surprised, she asks, “Youaren’t still single, are you?”

I take a moment and enjoy the fact that I don’t present myself as the hopeless singleton I am before confessing, “I work a lot, so it’s hard to meet people.”

She signals a passing waiter and asks for a glass of wine. Turning her attention back to me, she commiserates, “I barely dated at all before Heath and I got together.”

“How did you meet?” I quickly follow that up with, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Trina puts her elbows on the table and teepees her fingertips in front of her. “I don’t mind at all. We went on one date for charity a couple of years ago, but Heath told me he didn’t want to get serious with anyone. Then we both spent the summer here. We were neighbors and, well, the rest is history.”

“It sounds like the two of you were meant to be.”

With a large smile on her face, she says, “We’re getting married in June.”

“Congratulations!”

“It’s amazing how your life can change when you least expect it,” she says.

I nod my head slowly. “My life has been pretty much the same for the last few years. I’m not sure I have any surprises coming my way.”

“You know what?” Trina leans toward me like she’s about to share government secrets. But instead of telling me that aliens arereal and they’re walking among us, she says, “I just had a last-minute female cancellation. You should join our event.”

My nervous system responds in overdrive and beads of sweat pop up on my forehead. Suddenly, I’m burning hot and freezing cold at the same time. I wonder if I’m getting sick. “I couldn’t,” I tell her. Stammering along, I add, “I … I … I’m here to work.”

She waves an elegant hand in front of her which gives me a chance to check out the giant rock on her left-hand ring finger. I knew Heath Fox was loaded, but he must also own a diamond mine to find a doorknob like that. “There will be plenty of time for you to workandenjoy the activities I’ve lined up.”

My mind spins with possibility. What are the chances Trina would have a cancellation the same time I’m here, the same time Blake is here? “Can I think about it?” I ask.

“Of course you can. And there won’t be any charge. I couldn’t fill the spot with such short notice anyway, so think of it as my gift to you.”

“That’s very nice, thank you.” If I decide to do this, I can never tell my sister. At least not until after the fact. She’d make me crazy asking questions and giving me advice.

Trina and I chat for a few more minutes before she stands up. “I’ll see you in the gift shop tomorrow morning at ten.”

“I’m looking forward to checking out what you’ve done so far.”

“It’s not your standard store.” Trina says this like she’s warning me not to expect too much.

“Don’t worry. We’ll have you up and competing with the Ritz in no time,” I tell her.

“I hope not,” she says cryptically. Waving her fingers, she adds, “See you in the morning, Molly. We’re very happy to have you here.”

I can’t help but feel glad to be here. I love my job and while I usually enjoy my stays at the beautiful hotels I work at, there’s something about the Elk Lake Lodge that feels very different from any place I’ve been before.

CHAPTER SIX

BLAKE

The quiet of rural Wisconsin is rather unsettling. I’ve become so used to hearing police sirens and traffic noise outside my window that I barely slept a wink last night. After getting out of bed, I make a beeline to the coffee pot and start it up. While the promise of caffeine drips down, I walk across the room and open the draperies.

Holy heck! There must be a foot of fresh snow out there. The tree branches are so heavy with it that they’re bowing under the weight. The smaller trees are unrecognizable and look more like oddly shaped snowmen.

I take a moment to enjoy the scenery and let the pristine whiteness settle any lingering annoyance I have about being here. I remind myself that this is the kind of thing I’ve been missing living in LA. The first few years I was there were great, but after that, I started to long for a real winter. By the looks of it, Elk Lake takes the season very seriously.

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