Page 17 of Because You Loved Me

Shit.

Recollection flooded into his consciousness as Asher dragged himself out of bed and into the shower. After returning to his suite—alone—reality had crashed back. He had less than twenty-four hours to find a place to live and something to do for the next six months, because his father, in some sort of beyond the grave, sick joke had decided to fuck him over.

Right.

Asher turned the shower on as cold as he could stand it. He’d already wasted too much time by sleeping off the whiskey he’d downed the night before.

The cold water had the desired effect. Not only in clearing his head a little but also in dousing the flame that Noa had ignited the night before that was somehow still burning inside him.

As much as he would love the release of allowing himself a few moments of fantasy with the sharp-witted, blonde beauty playing a starring role, Asher resisted the urge, instead focusing on the problem at hand.

What the fuck was he going to do?

The only thing that swallowing back tumblers full of whiskey the night before had done was piss him off. Asher didn’t normally turn to alcohol to solve his problems, but the combination of the will reading and being blindsided by such a ludicrous stipulation, paired with Noa—and then…no Noa—was too much.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best way to deal with his stress, but Asher wasn’t one to dwell on past mistakes. Showered, changed, and feeling somewhat more human, he hit the button on his fancy coffeemaker to produce him an espresso and moved to the picture window that looked out onto the busy ski hill.

Skiers dotted the runs like ants. The chair lift was full, with a lineup at the base that was moving quickly, but just long enough to demonstrate that ticket sales were brisk.

It was a beautiful bluebird day, and the picnic tables scattered around the base area of the hill were full of people taking a lunch break. He couldn’t hear it through the thick glass, but he knew that upbeat music was pumping through the speakers below, creating a fun and festive atmosphere. The outdoor grill was serving up burgers for those who liked to eat outside, while their kids played in the snow nearby.

The restaurant and lounge would also be full at this time of day. Business at the Trickle Creek ski hill and lodge was booming.

Asher pressed his hands on the window, his arms stretched wide, and dropped his head.

Hehad done that.

True, his father had come into town and turned things around after the mines closed, making Trickle Creek a tourism destination. Michael Carlson had built out the world-class golf course and turned the almost-defunct ski hill into a viable business, with the lodge at the center of it all, but it had been Asher in recent years who’d added the condos at the base and created aresort.

And now, he had to walk away.

He slammed his hand against the glass in frustration. He couldn’t just stand by and let it all fall apart while he was in exile. He wouldn’t.

With new determination, Asher grabbed his phone and sent off a text to Penny.

Congrats. You’ve been temporarily promoted. Meet me in my office in thirty minutes for details.

Penny was his best and only choice for keeping things going while he was gone.

Gone.

Shit.That was his next problem.

His phone chimed with an incoming text. Assuming it was Penny’s response, Asher glanced at the screen.

How are you doing today?

He shouldn’t have been surprised that his youngest sister would be the first to reach out. Although the others knew enough to leave him alone when he wasin a mood,Kat never did have qualms about getting right up in the middle of his business. As the youngest, she’d gotten away with a lot. He couldn’t help but smile a little despite everything, and instead of returning her text, he pushed the number to call her.

* * *

Noa squeezed her eyes shut, willing her reflection to be different when she opened them a moment later.

It wasn’t.

Her eyes were lightly lined, with a sweep of glittery gold eyeshadow. Her skin was flawless, almost dewy in aradiantway that surprised her. The apples of her cheeks had been dusted with a subtle pink and her lips were painted a very pretty and feminine matching shade.

The makeup artist obviously had skills. She’d been able to cover the dark circles under Noa’s eyes to the point that not even she could tell that she hadn’t had more than a few hours of sleep the night before.

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