Читать книгу Second Chance Christmas - Tanya Michaels, Tanya Michaels - Страница 12

Chapter Four

Elisabeth finished drying her hands and consulted her watch. 11:28 a.m. She should hurry back out to the lobby and—

No. No hurrying. She wasn’t some sixteen-year-old eager to see her boyfriend. She was a grown woman who was doing Justin a favor by meeting him. Frankly, her schedule was already full. The lodge was doing brisk holiday business, and Steven was arriving tonight. She’d shuffled several tasks to squeeze in this lunch. It might do Justin some good to wait a few minutes.

Taking her time, she pulled her brush and lipstick out of her purse, but then stopped. She might not want to rush on Justin Cade’s behalf, but she wasn’t about to primp for him, either. He was not the reason she’d dressed that morning in formfitting black jeans and a gold sweater that was both festive and complemented her coloring. No, if she’d put any extra care into her appearance, it was for her fiancé.

She pushed open the door to the ladies’ room and made her way through the evergreen-scented lobby. In addition to the fourteen-foot tree the staff had helped decorate, Elisabeth and her father had hung a dozen wreaths throughout the main building. Currently, her dad was working a shift as ski lift operator, and she hoped he’d stay out of the main building while Justin was here. For a month after the breakup, Graham Donnelly had threatened daily to “give that bounder a piece of my mind.”

Elisabeth had also gently maneuvered her mother, Patti, into leaving the premises. The school system’s two-week winter break kicked off today with an early release for students. Patti was picking up Kaylee from school and taking her to lunch. As difficult as the past few months had been for Kaylee, the one bright spot had been watching a girl who’d never had an extended family blossom under the attention of doting grandparents and a conspiratorial aunt.

Thoughts of Kaylee’s lunch plans scattered when Elisabeth locked eyes with her own lunch date. Justin leaned against the corner of the reception desk. Though his body language was relaxed, he had that intense, hyperalert gaze that had so often caused her stomach to flutter. Of all her reasons to be angry with him, that gaze topped the list.

Elisabeth wasn’t naive—she’d heard rumors about Justin before dating him. But since she didn’t let gossip make her decisions for her, she’d gone out with him, prepared to make up her own mind. In spite of his flirtatious, skirt-chasing reputation, he’d never looked at another female when he was with Elisabeth. He’d smiled absently when a cute waitress fawned over him without ever taking his eyes off his date.

When he’d unceremoniously dumped her, he’d reminded her, “I told you I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I didn’t lie.” But he had. Not verbally, but with his actions. He’d made her feel adored and singularly special.

While she and Kaylee were in New Mexico visiting Steven, he’d apologized for being preoccupied with the software update his company was about to release. Frankly, Elisabeth found it a relief to be with someone who didn’t constantly make her feel like the center of his universe. The heady euphoria wasn’t worth the harsh disillusionment.

She didn’t realize how reluctant her steps had become until Justin gave up waiting on her and met her halfway, moving with that unconscious swagger of his. Damn it. Even the way the man walked was irritating.

He took her hand between both of his. “Beth. You look great.” There was a raspy quality to his deep voice that always made his words sound more intimate than they should.

“Elisabeth,” she corrected, withdrawing her hand. “No one calls me Beth.” She wasn’t the type of person who inspired nicknames. As a child, she’d been shy and serious—the worrier on the sidelines who did her best to keep her reckless twin out of trouble. As an adult, Elisabeth only revealed her fun-loving side to a select few. She commanded a sizable staff and sometimes had to deal with difficult guests. People needed to take her seriously.

She ignored the undignified memory of shrieking with laughter as Justin tickled her one morning. Justin didn’t do “serious.” At least, not in his personal life.

“I asked the restaurant manager to have a table ready.” She was proud of her casual tone. No reason to get emotional about this. “I can spare about half an hour.”

He nodded. “Same here. Lead the way.”

In the evenings, a hostess seated diners, but during the slower day shifts while many guests were on the slopes, restaurant manager Javier Ortiz did double duty. Javier, a slim man with salt-and-pepper hair, had started as a busboy when Elisabeth was in sixth grade. When he saw her with Justin, he did an almost comical double take.

“Señor Cade. It has been a long time.” He cut his dark eyes toward Elisabeth, as if seeking guidance on whether he should be happy to see Justin. Whatever Javier glimpsed in her posture or face led him to instruct, “This way, Señor” in a clipped tone he never would have used with a guest.

After they were seated, Justin shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. “I think it’s safe to say I’m no longer on Javier’s Christmas card list.” He tapped his napkin-wrapped silverware. “In fact, I kind of got the feeling he might come at me with one of these knives.”

She unrolled her own cloth napkin and studied the butter knife. “If it makes you feel better, I doubt these would do much damage.” She paused a beat. “But I suppose he could always grab one from the kitchen.”

“He wouldn’t be the first to ambush me this week. Do you know your sister recently threatened to tear me limb from limb?”

“Lina?” It was a dumb response—she had only one sister. One highly confusing and increasingly erratic sister. When Elisabeth had announced her engagement, Lina seemed to take the news as a personal affront. Next she’d overcompensated by acting as if they were teenage BFFs who should be together or be texting every waking second. Finally, and most bizarrely, Lina had thrown herself at Justin on the dance floor with all the subtlety of a brick.

Then again, a case could be made for throwing bricks at Justin.

While Elisabeth momentarily indulged in that fantasy, he’d begun speaking again. “Lina and I saw each other at the sporting goods shop. She was pretty angry, ranting at me that your engagement is...might be emotional fallout from... There’s no way to say this without sounding like a deluded egomaniac.”

“You’ve never let that stop you before,” she said sweetly.

“Does your moving away have anything to do with me?”

The question shocked her into silence. Is that what he thought? Justin and Lina considered Elisabeth so pathetic she’d let an ex-boyfriend run her out of town?

She kept her voice calm and low. One might even say detached. “You stopped having influence on my life the day you broke up with me.” Well, later that same week, anyway. There may have been a weepy, seventy-two hour period of hoping he’d come to his senses that she didn’t like to recall.

“Good.” He gave her a relieved smile. “Glad to hear it. Please be sure to tell your sister.”

“Oh, trust me, she’ll be getting an earful.” Elisabeth would already be headed up to the third floor for a sisterly chat if Lina weren’t with a client right now. It had been Lina’s idea to offer some limited day-spa services, which helped them generate income even after the snows melted for the year. Her hot stone massages were proving to be a big hit.

Instead of a waitress, Javier himself came to the table for their orders. “Your usual salad, Señorita Donnelly?” He waited for her nod, then glowered at Justin. “And what do you want?”

It was an excellent question, in Elisabeth’s opinion. What on earth did Justin want? Even if Lina’s crazy suspicion had been true and Elisabeth was rebounding, why would he care? He’d walked away from Elisabeth—and by extension, Kaylee—without a backward glance. Was he feeling some sort of belated guilt? Maybe it was one of those Dickensian situations, where he’d been visited by three ghosts who’d made it clear what a cad he was.

None of that was her problem. She had Steven and a bright, sensible future awaiting her.

Once Javier had gone, Justin leaned forward, his eyes earnest. “Obviously, Lina has some of her wires crossed, but just because she was wrong about your reasons for going to California doesn’t mean she’s wrong about everything. She’s afraid you might regret this move, and she could be right. You’ve never been so far from your family.”

After this week, she wasn’t sure California was far enough from her meddling sister. Maybe I should ask Steven more about his company’s European offices.

“And you’ve got Kaylee to consider,” he added.

Despite her constant self-reassurance that she would not let Justin get to her, her temper flared. “You think I don’t know that? You think that’s not on my mind when I fall asleep at night and still there when I wake up in the morning? Raising a daughter is a massive responsibility. She needs structure in her life and as much security as I can possibly give her, which is why I’m lucky to have met a man like Steven Miller.”

“I wasn’t implying that you take your responsibilities lightly.” Justin held up his hands in a placating gesture. “But, since you’ve never actually been away from your family, you might not understand how hard it will be. On both of you. Wait, his last name is Miller? Like The Steve Miller Band?”

Before she could respond, a child’s excited squeal interrupted. “Justin!”

Elisabeth whipped her head around, dismay pooling inside her. Oh, no. She’s not supposed to be here. Kaylee, showing more enthusiasm than she’d exhibited for anything since the monkeys at the Albuquerque Zoo, was hurtling toward them, joy lighting her small face.

Trailing behind was Elisabeth’s mother. At fifty-four, Patti Donnelly’s red hair was faded and her figure was slightly plumper than in her younger years, but she was as lively as when she’d taught her girls how to hokeypokey on roller skates two decades ago. Her round, cherubic face, which usually made her look younger than her age, was crinkled in agitation. Although she didn’t question Elisabeth outright on Justin’s presence, her raised eyebrows spoke volumes.

“I haven’t seen you in forever and ever,” Kaylee declared, scrambling into Justin’s lap.

When the little girl had first met him, he’d earned her eternal affection with humorous impressions of every major character on SpongeBob SquarePants. Kaylee still asked when he’d come visit her but, mercifully, those requests had become less frequent. The last thing Elisabeth wanted was for the child to get attached to him all over again. She needed to explain that this lunch was for adult conversation.

“Kaylee—”

“Elisabeth, dear, might I have a word with you?” her mom interjected. “Lodge business. Should only take a moment.”

Lodge business, huh? Elisabeth suspected that was code for maternal interrogation. Nonetheless she followed her mother to an unoccupied corner of the dining room. “I thought you and Kaylee were having lunch in town,” she said pointedly.

“I told her she could pick any place she wanted, but you know how much she adores Chef Bates.”

Elisabeth would never forget the first night she and Kaylee had arrived home after the funeral in Denver. Worrying that Kaylee had barely eaten in days, Elisabeth had been anxious to get some food into her. But the kid-friendly suggestions she’d offered—everything from grilled cheese to chocolate cake—had reminded Kaylee of things her mother used to cook. The girl had dissolved into body-wracking sobs. In a fit of desperation, Elisabeth had pulled out a container of leftover black ink risotto that she’d brought home from a fancy event at the lodge.

Kaylee had been intrigued enough to try a bite. Even though she hadn’t immediately loved it, she wanted to know what else Elisabeth had in her fridge that came from Chef Bates. The six-year-old plowed through some lobster ravioli, then fell into an exhausted sleep on Elisabeth’s sofa. After that, finding exotic foods for her to try had become a coping mechanism for them. There would be no chicken nuggets like her mom used to serve for lunch or chocolate chip pancakes that Michelle cooked on her birthday. Luckily, lots of meals were exotic to a young child who’d never been outside of Colorado.

Patti’s hazel eyes narrowed. “Maybe I would have done a better job of keeping her away from Justin if I’d known he was going to be on the premises. Why on earth is he here?”

Because your other daughter is a lunatic. “We just had a few things to discuss. You know his sister, Arden, is a photographer? I’d like to do an engagement photo with Steven while he’s here this weekend. We might even hire her for the wedding.”

“You want your ex-boyfriend’s sister to take your wedding pictures?”

“Possibly. But I figured the courteous approach was to ask him first. So you see, our having lunch together isn’t noteworthy. I would have preferred keeping Kaylee away, though. Once the shock of losing Michelle started to wear off, she was crushed to realize Justin wouldn’t be part of our lives. I don’t want her to suffer that disappointment again.”

Patti reached out and smoothed a strand of Elisabeth’s hair. “I know exactly how you feel. I’ve...never seen you so lost over a boy as you were when he walked away.”

Boy? Elisabeth stole a glance back at their table. Justin Cade—thirty years old, sexy as sin and the best skier she’d ever met in her life—was no boy.

“I don’t want him to hurt you again,” Patti insisted. “Are you sure you’re all right with his being here? Say the word, and I’ll have Javier throw him out on his ass.”

Elisabeth covered her mouth with her hand to smother a giggle. “That won’t be necessary, Mom. All I need you to do is pry Kaylee away from him. Don’t worry, Justin can’t hurt me.”

Dating him had been like a cruel vaccine. He’d done so much damage the first time around that now she was immune.

* * *

JUSTIN HAD ALWAYS been fond of Kaylee Truitt. Yet he couldn’t help wishing that Elisabeth and her mother would finish their discussion and rescue him. The pixie-faced girl with her corkscrew curls and glittery purple sweatshirt looked harmless, but she had an uncanny knack for mixing the trivial and the tragic, always finding the cracks in his armor.

She’d gone from telling him why the orange crayon at school was better than the blue one to demanding to know why he hadn’t come over to play since she’d moved to Cielo Peak. Feeling like slime, he’d stammered something about being busy and recently becoming an uncle, relieved when she moved on to asking if he’d ever eaten squid and if he knew the difference between squid and octopus.

Then she looked him square in the eye and asked, “Do you think Santa can do anything to bring my mom back?”

His lungs burned with the sudden difficulty of breathing, and his arms squeezed around her in a quick, reflexive hug. “No. I’m sorry, kiddo, but not even the big guy from the North Pole can help you with this one.” He was jolted through time to that first December without his mom. That year, he’d been ashamed of every toy he’d ever asked for—none of them mattered. He would’ve given up toys and video games and candy for the rest of his life to have her back.

“I’m sorry about your mother.” He touched his forehead to Kaylee’s. “Mine’s gone, too, and I miss her. But your mom knew that Beth—Elisabeth—is going to take really good care of you. And that Elisabeth loves you. Just remember you’re not alone, okay?”

The damp sparkle in her eyes was like a punch in the stomach. Don’t cry, kid. He didn’t think he could take it.

He began babbling, trying to stave off her tears. “It’s not just Elisabeth who loves you but her whole family. Her parents, the employees here at the lodge, your crazy aunt Lina. And I hear your family’s going to get bigger soon, when Elisabeth gets married. I bet you’ll have a really pretty dress to wear to the ceremony.”

Kaylee wrinkled her nose. “She’s marrying Steven. He doesn’t like me.”

“What? That can’t be true.” He pulled back to study her expression and gauge her sincerity.

“We stayed at his house, but he didn’t want to play with me. He worked on his computer the whole time. He wouldn’t even stop to watch SpongeBob.”

“Maybe he likes you just fine, but he doesn’t like SpongeBob.” What the heck was taking Elisabeth so long? He wasn’t qualified as a family counselor. “Try other cartoons. Give him some, er, Bugs Bunny DVDs for Christmas.” Did kids still know who Bugs Bunny was?

“Christmas presents go under the tree. We don’t have a tree.” Her tone vibrated with anxiety, and her lower lip trembled. “Does that mean I don’t get any presents?”

“Hey, no worries. You’ll have presents,” he assured her. “There’s plenty of time to get a tree. I haven’t picked mine out, either.” No point in telling her that he never bothered with one.

“Picked what out?” Elisabeth asked suspiciously as if he might be plotting with a six-year-old behind her back. He was so relieved by her return that he wasn’t even offended.

“Christmas trees,” Kaylee answered. “Can we get one today? Justin can go with us!”

“Actually, kiddo, I have to get back to work.” He tried to sound chagrined instead of eager to be rid of her. “Trails to groom, conditions to check, people to save.”

A waitress arrived with plates of food, and Kaylee groaned that she was staaarving. Did that mean the little girl and Elisabeth’s mother would be joining them? If so, the already strained level of awkwardness for this lunch date was about to rocket to mythic proportions.

Patti, who seemed even less happy to see him than the hostile restaurant manager, held out a hand to her granddaughter. “How about we visit Chef Bates and see what he can whip up for you?”

That brightened Kaylee’s expression. She lowered herself from Justin’s lap but paused to pin Elisabeth with an impatient glare. “When are we gonna get a tree?”

“How about tomorrow? I have to work until at least three, but we could go after that. And since Steven gets here tonight, he can come with us. Won’t that be nice?”

Kaylee grimaced.

“Let’s get you some food,” Patti intervened. “Being hungry makes us cranky.”

Justin watched them go, then turned back to Elisabeth. “She doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about a new stepfather.”

Emotion flared in her clear green eyes. She looked as if she wanted to argue or tell him to mind his own business, but her composure won out. “It will be an adjustment,” she admitted calmly. “We’ll get through it together. That’s what families do.”

Her statement struck a chord with him. How would he and Arden and Colin have coped without each other? And how would Justin manage when both his siblings were gone? An unfamiliar sensation speared him, and it took a moment to identify the pang as loneliness. Ridiculous. Between buddies and beautiful women, Justin was never alone.

He poked at his food. “You mentioned last night that you had something to discuss?”

She nodded. “With Steven in town this weekend, we have a small window of opportunity for engagement pictures. And I was wondering...would it be weird for you if I hired Arden? I was thinking she might be a good candidate for the wedding if she’s not already booked that weekend.”

“She’s a great candidate,” he said loyally. “Her work is terrific.”

“So it won’t bother you at all?” she prodded.

“Why should it?”

Her lips compressed into a thin line. “Right. Silly of me to think it might.” She set down her fork. “I know I said you could have thirty minutes, but Mom alerted me to a guest problem that needs to be addressed. Since we’ve concluded our business here...”

“Don’t let me keep you.” He stood, reaching for his wallet. “I should get going, too.” His obligation to Lina was fulfilled. He’d given Elisabeth his unsolicited opinion on raising a child, and now he wanted to get out of here before the tension between them got any worse. Or Kaylee had a chance to ask him any more difficult questions like why he wasn’t her friend anymore.

Elisabeth shook her head when he pulled cash out of his billfold. “You don’t have to pay for this.”

Oh, but he already was. He followed her back to the lobby, trying not to notice the flattering way her jeans hugged her butt. In the past five months, he’d almost forgotten how fascinated he’d been with her composed nature, how he delighted in the challenge of getting her to open up to him. She was so cool and calm that every time she revealed an emotion—whether anger or laughter or something more vulnerable—had been like a victory. It had become addictive, helping her cultivate her responsive side and knowing he was one of the lucky few to glimpse it.