Page 102 of The Family Guest

“You’re not worried?”

“Not a bit.” I stifled a smirk. “Trust me, Matt’s not going to do a thing. He doesn’t have it in him.” Or the means. “Let’s hit the buffet before they put it away.”

As I was about to rise from my chair, two effusive words filled my ears.

“Natalie, dahling!”

I recognized the breathy voice instantly, but when I looked up I blinked hard. It was Alexa Roth, except her wavy hair was now platinum blonde and blown straight. She’d also added a fringe of bangs. I swear with all her Botox she looked like she could be Tanya’s older sister. The resemblance between them was uncanny.

Dressed in a quilted white Chanel jumpsuit, she strutted over to us, her daughter, Rachel, by her side. Rachel went to Coldwater and was a senior like Paige and Tanya. I almost didn’t recognize her. She’d cut her reddish hair into a pixie and dyed it jet-black. With her father’s stocky build and coloring, she’d never looked much like her mother, but now they looked like they came from different planets.

Against my better wishes, I let Alexa hug me.

“Nat, I had no idea you’d be here.”

“A last-minute decision,” I said flatly. “Matt and the kids are here too.”

“Yes, I saw him briefly in the lobby yesterday.”

Damn. I was hoping at the mention of Matt’s name, she’d find an excuse to move on, but she lingered and turned her attention to my guest. “And you must be Tanya, Natalie’s English exchange student. I’ve heard so much about you from my daughter.”

“Hi, Rachel,” mumbled Tanya. I could sense a bit of animosity between them. Rachel, like Paige, didn’t seem her type.

Not looking comfortable, Rachel returned the “hi” and then tugged at Alexa’s sleeve. “Mom, let’s go. I don’t want to be late for my snowboarding lesson.”

“Raye, take a chill pill.”

Her daughter pulled a face while Alexa’s gaze stayed fixed on me. “Dahling, please forgive me. I’ve got to run. But maybe we can catch up later? Go to the spa or meet up on the slopes?”

In as few words as possible, I told her we should make a plan. Thrilled, Alexa and her daughter departed.

“God, I thought they’d never leave,” huffed Tanya, pushing her chair away from the table.

“Tell me about it. Let’s eat!”

Five minutes later, we were back at our table, our plates loaded with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, apple sausage, and fresh fruit. We ate heartily, taking intermittent sips of our foamy lattes.

“Natalie,” said Tanya, cutting into a thick sausage. “I have a little bit of a problem.”

A brow shot up. “What’s wrong?”

“No biggie, but I can’t get my feet into those snow boots you lent me.”

I’d lent her Anabel’s almost brand-new ones. Her dusty-pink Ugg Adirondacks.

“They’re a size seven and I wear a size ten.”

“Oh. I totally forgot about that.” Anabel and I had almost identical narrow, petite feet. Paige wore a size nine. Wide.

“With the big snowfall that’s coming, I’d love to have boots that fit.” She ingested a forkful of her eggs. “After brunch, can you take me to get a new pair?”

I took a sip of my latte and contemplated her question.

“Darling, I can’t. I have other things to take care of.” Like figuring out what to do with the gun before Matt came back and discovered it was missing. “But I’ll ask Paige to take you shopping. There’s a wonderful ski and snowboard store on Highway 18 that should have a big selection of snow boots. It’s about twenty minutes away.”

She flashed a smile. “That would be awesome.”

Perfect. I’d have some time alone to work out the plan. But right now, something else was pressing. My bladder.