Page 21 of She's a Big Deal

The fact that Grace paused long enough to deliver another smile and a look so blatantly sexual that it made Olivia moisten her lips in reaction felt like a tiny but tremendous victory. When she proceeded to walk out the door without answering, Olivia revised that opinion, even as itmade her laugh.

chapter 8

Oliva Bianchi may think herself tough, but the mushy look in her eyes when she held her puppy gave her away as not only a baby butch dyke, but a super-softie one at that. Her sweet but naive attempts at convincing Grace to have dinner with her, at least to begin with, only confirmed this. She would be frighteningly easy to seduce, Grace concluded, and probably already halfway there. Her kind was bound to bruise easily under a thin layer of daring attitude, so definitely not her type. And she was Charlie’s good friend. Grace would be crazy to risk messing that up. Having taken the measure of Olivia, she did approve of the friendship. On top of the rest, the woman also struck her as dependable and resourceful. Her aunt could do with someone like that around since she could not be convinced to move to Miami, especially after her recent health scare. With this in mind, Grace called the hospital and made an appointment with her cardiologist.

“Dr. Watkins will be able to see you tomorrow morning at eight o’clock if that suits you,” a helpful secretary advised her.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

As Grace drove through downtown Red Falls, she thought back to her encounter with Olivia. The more she looked at her, the more she had to admit that the woman really was beautiful.A touch of subtle makeup to highlight her velvety brown eyes, a smart haircut to emphasize her appealingly round face, and less baggy clothes, would reveal a stunningly attractive woman. She reminded herself that she was not interested and focused on the road instead.Same old, same old…Red Falls never changed much, and the road to Burlington looked like she could have been on it just yesterday. To Grace, everything appeared utterly familiar, but also as if she were observing it at a distance or through a pane of glass. Removed. Detached. She no longer belonged here. Not sure she ever did. And she would not allow the memories of the place to touch her. There was nothing wrong with the area, of course. It was gorgeous in any season. The people tended to be nice. Even so, life had been brutal to her here once upon a time. She wished she didn’t have to see her family. Staying in Red Falls with Charlie would be easier, for sure... But Grace was well aware that the easiest road was seldom the right one. She just could not let the rumors about Reece go unaddressed. On a hunch, she went straight to the resort. It had stopped snowing by the time she got there. Acres of precisely landscaped grounds, immaculately covered in the white stuff, unrolled in front of the lake under a dramatic sky. Something Libby would appreciate, no doubt. Grace barely paused to take it all in.

“Hello, Celia.”

Inside the office building, the receptionist on duty looked up from doing her nails with a blank, bored expression on her face. Only to blink and visibly shudder at the sight of Grace on the other side of the counter.

“Oh! Ms. Michaels!”

“Busy, busy, I see?” Grace prompted in a chilly tone.

“Uh—”

“Who’s in today?”

“Ah, um… Everyone, Ms. Michaels.”

“Great. In this case, I’ll be able to kill several birds with one stone then.”

Celia looked rather unsure and slightly worried at the turn of phrase.

“Well?” Grace prompted.

“Oh, yes. Let me announce you, Ms. Michaels. Your family are all in a meeting.”

Perfect.“Tell you what, I’ll announce myself. Wouldn’t want you to break a nail now, would we?”

“No. I mean, yes, Ms. Michaels…”

The nervous receptionist stared at her like a deer caught in headlights. Grace had to shake her head as she moved on. It was not in her power to fire the woman, but anyone in her office who behaved this way better be prepared for a speedy exit. Of course, no one who worked for her would dare to be so stupid. Grace strode to the conference room, thinking this would be the second time in less than a week that she crashed a private meeting. Might develop a taste for it. Or not, she reflected, as the case may be. Muffled, raised voices could be heard on the other side of the oak wooden doors. Sounded like they were in the middle of an argument.Typical.She sighed, already irritated. As far as Grace was concerned, relying on shouting to make a point was a sign of weakness and mediocrity. The fact that she was related to this lot never ceased to amaze her. Anyway.Let’s do this thing. Eat the frog.All that. She pulled the doors, walked in, and suppressed a wry chuckle when they all turned at once and fell silent at the sight of her.

“Surprise!” she declared, unsmiling.

“Grace!” Chloe exclaimed. “You’re here!”

“Hello, sis. Yes, I am.”

Chloe looked shocked as if they had not already spoken on the phone. And immediately guilty too, despite her black Chanel power suit and killer red lipstick on her lips. Grace gathered from her reaction that she must not have told anyone else about the phone call. Or perhaps only her husband, who flashed her a genuine smile. He seemed relieved and told her so.

“Hello, Grace. It’s good to see you.”

He was definitely the odd one out in the group. He was the only non-Michaels and had a successful career before he got involved in the resort. It showed.

“Likewise, Mark,” she said to him.

The twins both stood on the other side of the table, possibly signifying their position on whatever matter they’d been arguing about. Neither looked especially glad to see her, and this was no surprise.

“Jeremy. Reece.” Grace nodded to each in turn. “How’s it going?”

“What are you doing here?” Jeremy barked in reply.

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