working.
Kristen backed out before either voice in her head could win. In record time, she’d cleared the door with a “We’ll see you on the slopes!” and a laugh that was only partially muted by the door shutting behind her.
Silence overtook the room, and she stared at the spot her sister had practically run from. Then she collapsed back onto the bed. “Oh my God.”
“You okay?” Charles asked, sounding like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused or worried.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” She so wasn’t. But she would be. Things were going according to plan. That was a good thing. “Did Brent look convinced?”
A pause. “He looked as satisfied as a cat that just killed a bird.”
“That’s graphic.” But she couldn’t help a sudden surge of happiness. “This just might work.”
“It might, indeed.”
…
Giving Rachel the cold shoulder officially blew.
They sat across from each other in a quiet restaurant just down the road from the lodge. The urge to give her a reassuring smile was like an itch beneath his skin. One he couldn’t scratch, no matter how much it ached. Not that he was being openly rude to her—they’d decided against that. But his polite-yet-distant attitude made it plain to all that what had happened the night before hadn’t been serious. Not to Charles, at least. Rachel was taking the opposite approach.
“The waitress is waiting for you,” Kristen said, giving Charles an icy glance. How her attitude had shifted since discovering them together this morning. Of course, they’d made an effort to ensure everyone noticed how they were acting.
Brent hadn’t seemed to notice the undercurrent, or maybe he just didn’t care. Hell, maybe he had something more important to worry about—namely planning the exact wording for more threats against Alice. Or worse, plotting how to carry out those threats.
Cole had seemed equally clueless. Although even now, his eyes alternatively seemed to lock on Kristen for a hair too long, or avoid her completely.
“I’ll take the salmon special,” Charles told the waitress.
Keeping his distance from Rachel had proven more difficult than he’d imagined. After a couple of runs, she’d been limping slightly. Obviously she was trying to cover up the pain from her sore ankle, but he saw through her, even if no one else was able to. But he couldn’t help her without screwing everything up.
Worse, all day long on the slopes, Rachel had acted the part of a lovesick woman. She had made an effort to be near him. To talk to him. To ride the lifts with him. To sit next to him at lunch. And he’d had to make an effort to stay away. It was more than awkward. Even knowing her reaction wasn’t real, seeing the flash of disappointment in her eyes every time he blew her off was painful.
Hell, there had been a couple of times that her reaction had felt real. As if she also felt the pain of his forced reactions. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it right now. They were too close to success.
And they had to get this done tonight, because Noah was getting restless.
Charles studied the man sitting on the other side of Rachel’s sister. Nary a hair was out of place on Brent’s head, and as he had most of the day, he seemed rather amused. Now was as good a time as any. With a pointed toe, Charles nudged Rachel under the table.
She shot him a glare and he gave her his best innocent expression, before sliding his gaze purposefully to her sister. Understanding dawned, and she turned to Kristen. “What do you say to some sister time tonight? We could watch a movie or something.” Her voice was thready and a little high. She sounded like a woman trying very hard to sound nonchalant and failing.
Kristen hesitated, but only for a moment. “That sounds great.” Another chilling glance at Charles. “Why don’t we go to the spa first? They offer massages until nine.”
She gave her a halfhearted smile. “That sounds great. Thanks.”
Kristen
Kristen backed out before either voice in her head could win. In record time, she’d cleared the door with a “We’ll see you on the slopes!” and a laugh that was only partially muted by the door shutting behind her.
Silence overtook the room, and she stared at the spot her sister had practically run from. Then she collapsed back onto the bed. “Oh my God.”
“You okay?” Charles asked, sounding like he wasn’t sure if he should be amused or worried.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” She so wasn’t. But she would be. Things were going according to plan. That was a good thing. “Did Brent look convinced?”
A pause. “He looked as satisfied as a cat that just killed a bird.”
“That’s graphic.” But she couldn’t help a sudden surge of happiness. “This just might work.”
“It might, indeed.”
…
Giving Rachel the cold shoulder officially blew.
They sat across from each other in a quiet restaurant just down the road from the lodge. The urge to give her a reassuring smile was like an itch beneath his skin. One he couldn’t scratch, no matter how much it ached. Not that he was being openly rude to her—they’d decided against that. But his polite-yet-distant attitude made it plain to all that what had happened the night before hadn’t been serious. Not to Charles, at least. Rachel was taking the opposite approach.
“The waitress is waiting for you,” Kristen said, giving Charles an icy glance. How her attitude had shifted since discovering them together this morning. Of course, they’d made an effort to ensure everyone noticed how they were acting.
Brent hadn’t seemed to notice the undercurrent, or maybe he just didn’t care. Hell, maybe he had something more important to worry about—namely planning the exact wording for more threats against Alice. Or worse, plotting how to carry out those threats.
Cole had seemed equally clueless. Although even now, his eyes alternatively seemed to lock on Kristen for a hair too long, or avoid her completely.
“I’ll take the salmon special,” Charles told the waitress.
Keeping his distance from Rachel had proven more difficult than he’d imagined. After a couple of runs, she’d been limping slightly. Obviously she was trying to cover up the pain from her sore ankle, but he saw through her, even if no one else was able to. But he couldn’t help her without screwing everything up.
Worse, all day long on the slopes, Rachel had acted the part of a lovesick woman. She had made an effort to be near him. To talk to him. To ride the lifts with him. To sit next to him at lunch. And he’d had to make an effort to stay away. It was more than awkward. Even knowing her reaction wasn’t real, seeing the flash of disappointment in her eyes every time he blew her off was painful.
Hell, there had been a couple of times that her reaction had felt real. As if she also felt the pain of his forced reactions. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it right now. They were too close to success.
And they had to get this done tonight, because Noah was getting restless.
Charles studied the man sitting on the other side of Rachel’s sister. Nary a hair was out of place on Brent’s head, and as he had most of the day, he seemed rather amused. Now was as good a time as any. With a pointed toe, Charles nudged Rachel under the table.
She shot him a glare and he gave her his best innocent expression, before sliding his gaze purposefully to her sister. Understanding dawned, and she turned to Kristen. “What do you say to some sister time tonight? We could watch a movie or something.” Her voice was thready and a little high. She sounded like a woman trying very hard to sound nonchalant and failing.
Kristen hesitated, but only for a moment. “That sounds great.” Another chilling glance at Charles. “Why don’t we go to the spa first? They offer massages until nine.”
She gave her a halfhearted smile. “That sounds great. Thanks.”
Kristen
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