Page 31 of Traitor
Touched, I scoop up my purse and follow her back to the main room eagerly. Finally, something is going my way. “I’m not picky, really. I’m grateful.”
“That’s a start,” she says.
“I appreciate your help. I’d love to know more about what we’ll be doing here.”
“Of course. Let me give you an overview and then, if you’re still interested, we’ll go take a look at the house.”
Before I can thank her again, she’s off. Alice leads me to each of the smaller rooms. “These are primarily for small get-togethers. Sometimes we have birthday parties, dates, classes, business events, and so forth. You’ll be responsible for coordinating with the person arranging each event, the supplies, making sure they have everything they need. If you’re up to it, I’d also love to have you teach a class or two, maybe run a Paint and Wine night.”
The thought causes those butterflies to triple. “I’d love to teach. Anything you need me to do, really.”
It isn’t just because I need the money and want to stay close to the town, although both of those are important factors. Working here will require that I get out of my room, interact with other people. I’ll get to know the locals and keep my skills fresh at the same time. By getting to know them, it may help me discover what happened on the lake. It may not, but I feel like I owe it to the woman to at least try.
Hours later,I return back to the lodge with a job, and a place to live once my stay is up. The house Alice owns isn’t really anything to write home about. If Uncle Bradley were to see it, he’d think I was joking. Located on the far side of Bear Lake, it’s a small, two-bedroom, shotgun style construction built sometime in the tail end of the 1940s. The walls are wood paneled. The floors are chipped, cheap linoleum. The bathroom is covered in an obnoxious pink tile that reminds me of Pepto Bismol.
But it’s got a roof, sturdy locks, and Alice is letting me rent it ridiculously cheap.
Maybe there’s something to this small-town thing.
Nell and Ford’s sister give me the same assessing look from behind the front counter when I burst through the doors, but I’m floating too high to read too much into it. I take the steps back to my room, two at a time, and when I open the door to find it dark again, it doesn’t even faze me. Tomorrow is my last full day at the lodge, so I take a few minutes while I’m feeling energized to pack. Somehow my belongings had exploded all over the place.
That done, I change into a pair of skinny jeans, a fitted, button-up flannel shirt with a camisole underneath, and run a brush through my hair. I don’t exactly consider dinner and drinks with Ford a date, so I don’t do more than swipe on some mascara. As I’m walking out of the room, I check my phone and find a missed call from Uncle Bradley, which I resolve to return…later.
I lock eyes with Ford the second I step out of my room. The grand open first floor makes it easy for him to watch as I come down the stairs and cross the lobby. Nell and his sister have disappeared. The lobby is empty save for us.
My mouth goes dry at being the center of his focus. Suddenly shy, I tuck my hair behind my ear and concentrate my gaze on his chin. “Hey,” I say, when I reach the counter. I can feel his eyes studying me and I flush.
Ford comes out from behind the counter and I nearly swallow my own tongue. He’s wearing his shitkicker boots, jeans that hug powerful thighs and cup him in all the right places, and a tight, long-sleeved Henley I want to peel off.
“I’ve got steaks and veggies from the grill for tonight, whiskey and wine. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect. Where exactly are we going?” I ask, as he retrieves a fabric bag with clicking bottles and a tray full of food from behind the counter. “Here, let me take that,” I offer and shoulder the bag.
“Thanks. One of our rooms is going through renovations. It’s a mess, but it has the best view of Bear Lake and the mountains. If you’re here for landscapes, it’s where you want to be.”
“It sounds amazing. I appreciate you going to the trouble.”
He glances over his shoulder. “It’s no trouble, Peyton.”
Inspiration strikes, and I say, “So this room, it’s covered in like plastic sheets and everything, right?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“Wait here just a second,” I tell him and run to my room. I come out a few minutes later with a bag full of supplies, my easel, and two large canvases. I’m loaded down with stuff, but I don’t care. One night of fun is worth it.
“What are you doing?” he asks warily and the look on his face is so comical, I laugh.
“Relax, we’re just going to have some fun. I’m not the only one who needs to let go a little.”
“I don’t need to let go of anything.”
I snort as I follow him up to the third level of the lodge I didn’t even know was there. “Your wound up tighter than a two dollar watch. It’s probably why you can be such a jerk.”
He eyes me as he holds the door to the room open. “I’ll remember that next time I decide to feed you.”
“Wow,” I say as I walk in the room. “You weren’t kidding. This place just keeps getting more and more beautiful.” The windows mimic the first-floor lobby, floor-to-ceiling windows and on the other side is a breathtaking view of Bear Lake. “I’d kill for a place like this.”
“My parents used to live up here before we converted the back rooms downstairs to an apartment. My sisters and I grew up here. I’ve been updating it the past couple months as I can.”