Page 6 of She’s a Big Deal

Using her first name did not occur to Olivia at the moment, and Grace did not offer it. Well… Olivia was not used to people taking an instant dislike to her, though, for some reason, the simple fact that she was here, breathing the same air, seemed to annoy her friend’s relative. Olivia was curious about her. The way Grace had raked her crystal-clear blue eyes over her at the door may have quite a bit to do with it. The deliberate once-over had made Olivia feel X-rayed from top to bottom. Dissected, almost. And stripped naked, more or less. Michaels had done this with the aplomb and confidence of a woman used to undressing others, with her eyes and otherwise. Or so Olivia estimated. In turn, she found it a little difficult to take her eyes off her. It was true that Grace Michaels could not be said to be her type. Olivia did not usually go for hard, driven, badass businesswomen. She tended to favor slightly softer characters. Then again, Michaels was also fantastically female in appearance. She hit the uber-femme vibe beautifully in tailored black slacks, which must cost more than Olivia’s entire wardrobe, high-gloss ankle boots, and a fitted white linen shirt under an old-style livery frock coat, maroon, with antique golden embroidery on the front. Her full-bodied platinum blond hair, cut in a sleek bob, rustled attractively every time she moved her head. A choppy fringe highlighted almond-shaped, intelligent blue eyes. With her sculpted cheekbones and dramatic jawline, Grace Michaels was definitely a looker. Forget finding it just a little difficult to look away. Olivia found herself staring way too hard instead. This earned her another cutting glance from Grace.

“Okay.” Man! The woman was intense. “I should leave you to it and take the dogs for that walk.”

“Thank you, Oli.” As Charlie smiled, Olivia noticed Grace quirk an eyebrow as if she had a problem with the shortening of her name. “Be quick with it, and you can have a cup of tea with us. We’ll save you a cookie.”

Olivia wondered if Grace Michaels would save her one, or throw it in her face, more like. She whistled to Jerry and Everett, nodded to the two women, and promised herself to take her time out there.

◆◆◆

Grace relaxed the second Olivia left the room. She had no idea why she was tense, but something about the other woman made her feel on edge.

“She’s a good girl,” Charlie declared, clearly not using the qualifier in the same way that Grace routinely did with her erotic play partners.

“Uh-huh. Is she a new friend of yours?”

“Kinda new, yes. I met her at the vet a couple months ago. We started talking, and she said she’d be happy to walk Jerry for me when the weather got bad. Or if it’s snowing a lot.”

Grace had never heard her aunt complain about this kind of thing before.

“Is your hip bothering you a lot?” she asked.

“It’s been tighter than usual. But still, not too bad.”

“You know, Charlie, you don’t have to grit your teeth and just suffer through this. My offer to you still stands.”

“I know. Thank you. But I’d be lost in Miami, darling.”

“Not for long, I’m sure. And the warmer weather would be much kinder on your joints. You could join a salsa class, make friends and exercise at the same time.”

“Oh, Grace.” Charlie laughed and patted her warmly on the thigh. “I dread to think what I’d be like on the dance floor. If I ever moved to Miami, it would be to be close to you.”

“That would be nice.”

“It would. But you know I belong here. In this house... It is my home.”

She glanced at the smiling portrait of her late husband on the fireplace mantel. They had been married for twenty-seven years. Lived in the same house, yes. He’d passed away in 2017 after a short illness, in his own bed, with his wife by his side. Grace nodded in respectful understanding.

“Maybe you could just come to visit a bit more often,” she offered. “Give yourself a break when you need it.”

“That I would like very much, yes.”

“We’ll work something out. Maybe in January to escape the worst of the freezing cold.”

“What about Jerry?”

“Jerry can come too. What are you doing for Christmas and New Year?”

“I’ll be in Burlington. Just the usual, you know?”

“Hmm.” Grace winced imperceptibly. “Yes.”

Her father still lived in Burlington, in the stone mansion all the kids had grown up in. The residence lacked a lot of character. Well, at least according to Grace, who knew a thing or two about such things. It did have enough rooms to accommodate the entire family for Christmas, which used to be important to her mother. The holidays remained a big deal for the Michaels, with all the kids expected to attend Christmas lunch. As the black sheep of the clan, Grace was never invited. Looking on the bright side, she supposed it saved her having to decline. Her father, John Michaels, had done well for himself in the seventies, buying and developing property. He was not into design or hospitality but very good at spotting opportunities and putting talented managers into place. Once the new business was up and running smoothly, he would sell it for profit and re-invest the money into something else. He applied the same formula to bars, restaurants, and nightclubs all over the US, becoming a multi-millionaire in the process. When Grace was five years old, he acquired an old crumbling building and some land on the shore of Lake Champlain. He decided to keep this piece of property and, over the years, turned it into one of the top vacation spots in the country. The Red Eagle Golf and Spa Resort catered to the rich and famous. Movie stars, singers, sports icons... Even the odd royal from time to time. The plan had always been for Grace to take over after her father’s retirement. But then… Well. ‘Shit happened’. Her brothers, Chloe, and her husband were in charge of running the family business now.

“I always miss you so much at the Christmas table, Grace,” Charlie added softly. Thoughtfully. “Have you got any plans for this year?”

“Nothing much. I’ll be working, probably.” Grace answered with a flat shrug. “You know I don’t care much about traditional stuff for the sake of conforming. Christmas is just another day on the calendar as far as I’m concerned.”

“Come here,” her aunt invited, pulling her closer.

She was smart and sensitive enough not to push that topic. Grace passed her a forbidden cookie, which made Charlie smile. And she settled back on the couch with one arm resting loosely around her shoulders.

“How are things with the rest of the family?” she prompted. “Chloe was pretty weird on the phone when she called. Like she had a major ulterior motive for doing so.”

“Should I tell you?” Charlie inquired.

Puzzled at the hesitation, Grace looked at her. “Well. Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t you? What’s going on?”

“You won’t like it, my darling. The business is facing some trouble.”

“The resort?”

“Yes.”

“No way!” Grace chuckled in disbelief. “How can a five-star hotel in such a prime location, attached to a Michelin-star restaurant, glorious golf course, and luxury health spa, be facing financial trouble? It’s four businesses into one, all individually successful. The resort has been going strong for, like, forever!”

“Yes, but I didn’t say financial trouble.”

“What then?”

“You won’t like it,” Charlie repeated, though she sounded resigned.

“I never do, do I? Not when it comes to family stuff, which includes the resort. Come on. Give it to me straight.”

“It’s your brother, Reece,” Charlie confided. “Rumor has it that he behaved… inappropriately.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Sexually inappropriate behavior. ”

“What?” Grace almost choked on the word. “Reece?”

“Yes, with a massage therapist who works at the spa. She alleges he followed her into a treatment room after closing time when she was tidying up. According to her, he attempted to force her to undress. When she did not comply, he got a little rough. And then, he fired her.”

“Christ.” Grace blinked hard as her initial reluctance turned to dismay and a rush of powerful disgust. “Reece… My brother sexually assaulted a woman?”

“Allegedly.”

“No witnesses?”

“No. He claims the woman is lying, so it’s her word against his, obviously.”

“Obviously.” Grace noted the use of the word ‘claim’. As if Charlie were not convinced of his innocence.

“Even so, there were instant repercussions. Two days later, half the rest of the staff walked out in solidarity. Clients showed up for their treatments and found the place in disarray. It even made the evening news that night.”

“Oh, that’s not good.”

“Not good at all. Then, an assistant bartender came forward to say something similar happened to her. It made everything even worse.”

Grace understood now. There was nothing like a good sexual scandal involving a rich resort owner to sink an established reputation. Add to this the wrong kind of media attention, targeted social media posts... It might not be enough to close the business, but it could do significant damage. Was Reece really that stupid? He could be entitled, yes; she knew that about him. But a sexual predator? The mere thought of it made her skin crawl .

“Is the police involved?”

“No.” Charlie sighed.

“Not yet, you mean?”

“Hopefully, they won’t be at all. It’s all calmed down a bit since Mark told Reece to lie low.”

As a former litigation lawyer turned marketing consultant, Chloe’s husband would be a real asset in this kind of situation. The man had more business acumen and flair than all the rest of her siblings put together. If anyone could spin this story into a less damaging tale for Reece, it would be him. Grace thought of the women involved. As far as she knew, landing a job at the resort was a great deal for anyone looking to work in the hospitality sector. They would have a lot to lose if it turned out they were lying. So, would they? And for what reason?

“Do you think Reese is guilty?” she asked bluntly.

“Oh, Grace, I don’t know. It hurts me even to entertain the possibility. You know our Reece. Always such a charmer and the flirty type. But to try to force a woman…” Charlie shivered, and she left her sentence unfinished. “I dread to think of it.”

“So do I.” Grace could picture it in her mind’s eye, though. Yeah, Reece was a hell of a charmer. Handsome, mischievous, funny. Always a clear favorite with the ladies. But she knew he was also a spoilt boy who did not deal too well with things not going his way. It was not that much of a stretch for Grace to envision him crossing a line. Hopefully, by mistake. But twice? And trying to cover himself by firing someone? For sure, she did not like the sound of that. Noting the strain across her aunt’s tired face, she hugged her softly. “I’m sorry to make you think about this stuff. You should be resting, and I’m getting in the way of your recovery.”

“It’s okay, darling, I don’t mind.” Charlie was pale, though .

“I’ll speak to Chloe,” Grace assured her. “How about you go on upstairs and catch up on some sleep?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t mind.”

“Alright, good.”

“Oh, but Olivia’s still out with Jerry…”

“It’s okay; I’ll wait for them to get back.”

Charlie put her arms around her waist as Grace helped her to stand up. “Thank you, darling. How long are you planning to visit? I don’t want to waste it on sleep if you’ll be in and out.”

Though she’d hoped to be back in Miami by the weekend, at the very latest, family issues may require her presence in Red Falls a bit longer. Most of all, Grace did not like the anxious look in Charlie’s eyes.

“I’ll stay long enough to catch up with you properly,” she promised. “I’ve got a room at the Forester, so I can work without disturbing you. I’ll go check in, speak to Chloe, and come back to see you late afternoon.”

“Great. We could have dinner if you like. I have your favorite lasagna in the freezer. Real meat.”

“Wonderful. We can plan your stay in Miami as well.”

Charlie relaxed. “I really missed you, Grace.”

“Yes. Me too.”