Page 9 of The Familiar Stranger

“I hate the spa,” she stated, monotone.

Her comment took me aback. “Oh.”

“I mean, I’ve never liked massages. Don’t like anyone touching me. Except Harmony, of course.” She shot a quick glance my way. “And, outside of her job, I don’t like her touching anyone else either.”

I was at a loss as to how to respond to hertouchyrevelation, but I managed, “Ohh … kay. Well, different strokes and all that.”

My massage joke was clearly lost on Almond, or if it wasn’t, she didn’t acknowledge it.

She switched her focus back to the two giggling goofballs, who were now holding up several bottles of wine in our direction.

“Which ones should we get?” Maddie shouted across the room. “They’re all so good.”

Harmony laughed and said, “Let’s get all of them!”

The change in Almond’s demeanor left me feeling uncomfortable. Without another word, I joined the others to help make some decisions on their wine purchases, though my thoughts were still on Almond’s abrupt mood change.

How could a personal trainer be so weird about human contact? Wasn’t that a part of her job, to some degree? And why, with that attitude, would she choose to date someone who was a masseuse, of all things?

CHAPTER7

Our first stop the next morning was the spa for a swim and a trip to the sauna. I couldn’t imagine this kind of luxury ever getting old. Truth be told, I could spend all day here and not feel the slightest bit guilty about it. It was why we’d chosen to come in January, after all—the chill of the mountain air paired with steamy pools was nothing short of divine. I envisioned days upon days of Sloane pampering, reading books, enjoying healthy food and mocktails from the café …

I was jolted out of my happy moment when I heard the words “Harmony,” “attack,” and “mysterious note.”

I grabbed Maddie’s arm. “Did you hear that?”

I looked around and spotted a small group of staffers whispering off to the side.

Maddie nodded. “Someone said something about a mysterious note?”

“And something about Harmony being attacked, I think,” I said. “Wonder what that’s all about?”

“Why don’t we just ask?”

“Who are you going to ask?”

“I’mnot going to ask,” she said. “Youare. You’re better at approaching people out of the blue and forcing them to reveal things. You’re scary good at it sometimes.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

It was true, but sometimes I wished it wasn’t.

The whispering group of women began to disperse, and I wasted no time approaching one of the nail technician’s, a girl I’d seen the day before. She’d seemed chattier than the others, and I hoped approaching her was the right choice.

Pulling her to the side, I asked, “Hey, are you and Harmony friends?”

The petite redhead shrugged. “Kinda. I mean, we work together is all.”

I got right to the point.

“Has something happened to Harmony?” I asked.

Her green eyes, ringed with massive false lashes, went wide. “Uhh, yeah.”

I pressed her for information, making sure to mention that I’d become friends with Harmony during my stay. She was more than happy to spill the tea. And the tea was this: Harmony hadn’t made it in to work that morning. At present, she was lying in a hospital bed getting treated for a head injury.

Maddie, who’d been standing several feet back, sprung to my side and said, “What’s this about an injury?”

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