Page 22

I ignore the jab and give Callie a reassuring smile. My brother is marrying into her family which means that Melanie and I are bound to cross paths again. It shouldn’t lead to anything unpleasant or adversarial.

“Here, you should try this wine,” I say and pour a glass for Melanie.

“Kay here is somewhat of a sommelier,” Callie adds.

Her sister gives me a slight nod and swirls the ruby red liquid around in its glass before taking a sip. “Not bad. I’ve had better, but I’ve never been crazy about Cabernet.”

“Oh, really?” I ask. “What are you into?”

“Bordeaux is more my style.”

“Equally distinguished, not as heavy on the palate. Yes, I get it,” I reply.

A stir behind me draws my attention; the three Anderson men and Bryan stride toward us.

My heart melts. All the anxiety over dealing with Melanie gets washed away, though I’m not sure that tonight will go as smoothly as any of us might’ve hoped.

Especially Bryan, whose facial expression already speaks volumes.

“Uh-oh,” Callie mumbles. “Here they come…”

“Makayla was right,” Melanie whispers. “Just blame me. I decided to pop in and see what the fuss is about this Swedish resort. Plain and simple.”

“Okay…”

But then Melanie’s lips curl into a slow, sultry smile, like a cat eyeing a canary. A chill slides through me—darkness lurks beneath her polish, layers I may regret uncovering.

“Melanie!” Bryan exclaims, clearly not excited to see her but working hard to be pleasantly surprised. “I certainly didn’t expect to see you here!”

My gaze flicks between them, and I notice the Anderson brothers have gone pale. They mask their emotions well, but I’m no stranger to their body language. Bryan isn’t the only one who dislikes Melanie. But they keep quiet.

“Honey, I had no idea,” Callie chimes in with an apologetic smile.

Melanie waves a manicured hand. “Callie kept going on about how wonderful this place is, I figured I had a week off, anyway. Might as well visit Sweden and see for myself. Bryan, I do hope you won’t mind. Of course, I’ll stay out of your way, if that’s what you want.”

“Nonsense,” Bryan replies. “It would be rude and, besides, we’re quite the group here, already. Please, join us. Callie’s sister is always welcome at our table.” He gives Alex, Oscar, and Kellan a brief, curious glance.

Oscar lowers his gaze but replies with a subtle nod. He’s got the triplets’ approval, I guess. The more I observe, the more bothered I am. There is something going on here, but this also isn’t the right time or the right place to push for answers.

“Good, I’m glad,” Melanie says, giving my brother a hug. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Bryan says, coming around to kiss Callie on the cheek.

Melanie stands up to make room for him, offering her hand to Kellan. I stand up too, because I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her take the spotlight. Kellan shakes her hand briefly. I watch carefully for signs of any interest on his part, but there are none.

“Hi,” Oscar mutters.

She gives him a warm smile. “Hey…”

Oh, the familiarity between them unnerves me and then some. Yet I notice the interest comes mostly from her. None from my guys.

Kellan looks over at me, his eyes sparkling.

He’s not even looking at Melanie at the moment, and I hope that means she can just fade into the wallpaper.

Oscar comes up to pull my chair out for me.

He doesn’t even bother to shake Melanie’s hand.

Alex offers the requisite handshake but is just as uninterested in her as his brothers.

“How was the whiskey lounge, then?” I ask.

“Oh, it exceeded our expectations,” Kellan answers easily. “The single malt collection is truly impressive. I plan on spending an evening or two in there before we leave. Henrik, the bartender, promised he’d organize a private tasting session for the four of us.”

I giggle. “Look at you, all excited.”

“He did give us a few samples before we came back here,” Bryan says, taking his seat beside Callie. “I have to admit, I did not expect the Japanese to make such fine whiskey.”

I sit on Callie’s other side, while Oscar sits beside me.

Alex chooses a seat next to Bryan, opposite me so that I can see him clearly across the table.

That leaves only two empty seats for Melanie and Kellan.

Kellan smiles at Melanie, but it’s so superficial, I’m sure there’s no meaning behind it.

He decides to sit next to Alex, leaving Melanie at the end of the table between two of my wonderful suitemates. I’m not sure how I feel about that.

“Historically speaking, the Japanese have plenty to prove,” Melanie says. “They excel at almost everything, and with their tradition of sake and advanced fermentation techniques?—”

“True, but whiskey is a different beast,” I cut in, keeping my tone polite.

No way I’m letting her steer this after that jab at my looks and career.

“Historically speaking, as you said, the Scottish are the best because they perfected the distillation and the aging techniques. Fermentation is just one stage of the process, and it’s not the only contributing factor to a drink’s success. ”

Bryan chuckles. “Listen to her go—our future winemaker.”

“That being said, the fact that there is at least one good Japanese whiskey out there shouldn’t come as a shock,” Melanie insists. “They tend to learn quickly and apply swiftly, by nature.”

“This whiskey follows the peaty style of Laphroaig,” Kellan says.

Under the table, Oscar’s hand brushes my thigh. I look over, trying not to give him away. We can’t exactly play footsie at this table, tempting as it is.

“Well, I’m glad you’re so excited about that whiskey lounge,” Callie observes, then puts on a slight pout. “It’s a shame they don’t let girls into your fancy whiskey club, though. I would’ve liked a sip or two in your company,” she tells Bryan.

“I’m sure we can get the manager to make an exception,” Kellan says with a wink. “Besides, we agreed we’d cut back on our working hours even more while we’re here,” he adds. “It should give you two lovebirds plenty of time to try everything that this resort has to offer.”

Callie looks surprised. “Really?” She puts a hand on his arm and gazes lovingly into Bryan’s eyes. “That’s wonderful news, baby. You work too hard, anyway. You could use a break.”

“And I’ll do my best to relax a bit and enjoy myself,” Oscar announces, raising his water glass.

“Where’s the waiter?” Melanie asks, not at all impressed by our collective determination to have fun. “I’d love a glass of Bordeaux before dinner.”

Bryan looks around, locating a waitress on the other side of the room. He holds his hand up to signal that we’re ready for service, and she walks over, smiling politely.

“Can we have one bottle of Bordeaux for the table and,” he pauses to look around, his gaze settling on me. “Another Cabernet for you?”

“Actually, make that two bottles of Bordeaux. Specifically, the ’87 Rothschild,” I say, giving Melanie a confident smile. “You’ll love it.”

“I trust you,” she says.

But does she, though?

“Let’s add a bottle of Hibiki to this order,” Kellan chimes in. “Four tumblers, ice and sparkling water on the side, please.”

“He’s really hooked on that Japanese stuff, huh?” Callie says.

Melanie leans back once the waitress leaves. “What a cozy setting for a private party.”

Something about the way she says it strikes me as off.

I look around at all my friends to gauge their reactions.

Kellan, Alex and Oscar seem to be completely ignoring her.

I originally thought that was a good thing, but now it seems a little too obvious.

She’s a very attractive woman, and she’s also Callie’s sister. They’ve clearly met before.

And maybe that’s the issue. It points back to my original suspicion.

No one responds to her pointed observation and an awkward silence descends on the table.

Callie swoops in to save the day, putting a hand over her sister’s.

“You simply have to get out on the slopes tomorrow. The boys could do their whiskey lounge thing, and we could have a girls’ fun day out in the snow. ”

“Sounds like a plan,” Bryan says. He’s looking directly at Kellan as he speaks, and I can’t help but think that everyone is in on some knowledge that I’m lacking.

The waitress returns with our drinks, placing each order with practiced care.

I’m glad I went for the Rothschild, truly.

It rolls down my tongue and takes some of the edge off in the span of minutes.

When she’s done, the waitress gives us a moment to look over the menus.

We’re alone again when Melanie raises her glass.

“To old and new friends,” she cheers.

Oscar doesn’t look happy as he raises his glass. Neither do Alex or Kellan. My instincts have never failed me before, and I should trust my gut now more than ever. Something definitely happened between the Anderson brothers and Melanie. Callie seems out of the loop. Bryan, not so much.

You don’t need a psychology degree to see the truth.

I just need to keep my eyes open and get to the bottom of it, one way or another.