Page 50 of You, Me, & Après-Ski
She offered her hand and I took it in a firm shake. “Mr. Keller. Phil said you wanted to speak with me?”
I flashed one of my charming smiles, but Tess merely crossed her arms.Immune to my flattery.I respected her more for it.“You’ve worked here for a long time?”
“I guess.” But then her eagle eyes zeroed in on me with a harsh glare, and I knew I was in for it—whatever it was. “Pardon my frankness,sir, but what exactly are your intentions with Val?”
I blinked, taken aback. “My intentions?”
“You bought her that board she’s been dreaming about for years. And don’t think I don’t see the way she looks at you when you two are off on your excursions. You’ve got that pretty head of hers spinning like a pinwheel in a hurricane.” Tess tossed her curls over her shoulder with a huff. “You’re an engaged man, Mr. Keller. Am I right?”
I picked a nonexistent piece of lint off my sleeve. “I am. And I’ve done nothing untoward.”That you know of.“I have no intentions with Val.” The lie tasted bitter, but this was none of Tess’s business. One thing, though, was clear—I needed to watch my fucking step with Val in public. If Tess noticed our effect on each other, who else had?
“Does she know that?” Tess asked.
“I’m not having this discussion because there is nothing to discuss.” Tess’s lips formed a thin line and her gaze hardened.Great. I’m antagonizing the witness.“I do, however, have a few questions about January 2004.”
Tess’s face remained shuttered. “What about it?”
“Do you remember anything unusual preceding my mother’s accident? Or anything noteworthy after?”
At the mention of my mother, Tess’s expression softened. “That’s what this is about? Nolan, the police deemed there was no foul play. It was a freak accident. I wish I could give you whatever answers you seek, but I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” I said, adjusting my already perfectly straight cuff links.
“What’s going on? Did they find new evidence?”
I gritted my teeth. “There’s no new evidence.”Except for those fucking letters.
“That season, the Alistairs were interested in buying the property,” Tess said. “They were around a lot, but Arthur always chased them off. Was always dead set against selling the place, even back then. Maybe you could ask Anton or his father if they noticed anything amiss.”
Tess’s words reminded me of the impending sale looming over my head like a guillotine, and my mood became stormy.And goddamn fucking Anton.That arrogant asshole was the last person I wanted to involve in this. “The Alistairs are always lurking around to rip off our ideas. We can’t outright ban them, but they’re never left unsupervised. Interesting that they’d been here during that January but likely irrelevant.”
With a shrug, Tess said, “That’s the only thing I remember causing any kind of stir. Everything else was business as usual. Might be worth looking into, if you’re at a dead end.”
I gave her my CEO smile, curt and empty. “Thanks for your time.”
“Sure thing.” But as Tess reached for her coat, she turned to me, frowning. “You should be careful with Val. She’s a good person.”
Holding her stern gaze, I said, “I know she is.”
With a firm nod, Tess weaved her way through the spectators gathering to watch the athletes practice. There was a competition at aneighboring resort this weekend, and Hale’s Peak occasionally caught some of the spillover crowd. Val and I would have to take extra care, which meant I’d probably spend the majority of the day trying not to ogle her.
Shortly after, a burst of cold air smacked me in the face as Val blustered through the door. When she saw me, she gave me a bright, but tentative, smile.
“Feeling shy?” I asked in a low voice only for her. “Even after that streak of boldness I saw the other night?”
Her eyes widened briefly, but then she surprised me by snatching the brown paper bag and to-go cup of coffee from my hands. “How’s that for bold?” she asked, taking a sip of coffee as she peeked in the bag, nodding her approval. She looked so fucking cute with her curly hair tucked under a knit cap and a vintage ski jacket devouring her curves. I wanted to cart her off right then and there, but Val reminded me of my purpose. “So you want to tell me why you canceled my plans for usagain? Or are you not done staring at me yet?”
Bold, indeed.And damn, did I fucking love seeing her come out of her shell for me. “You keep ranting about how much you love the town, so I thought I’d go see it for myself. But I knew if I went without you and your expert itinerary, there’d be hell to pay. ”
Eying me over the top of her coffee cup, she said, “All right. Itisthe first bluebird day we’ve had in a week. But tomorrow, we’re doing whatever I say.”
God, that harmless statement shouldn’t have gone straight to my cock, but it did. I gave her an easy smile as I discreetly adjusted myself. “I’m willing to negotiate. Come on, Stan is waiting.”
We piled in the Escalade and headed down the mountain road into the town of Hale’s Peak. During the ride, Val kept her eyes glued to thescenery. I would have thought she was daydreaming had it not been for her knuckles turning white as she gripped her coffee cup.
“Sleep well?” I asked.
She darted a look at me and twisted the cardboard sleeve around her cup. “Yep.”
