Page 14 of Battle of the Exes

“You might not have to,” she says. “I’m hosting awine and cheese at the house tomorrow. Jasper’s coming.”

“Wait, he’s sticking around town?”

“Beau too. Said he wanted to talk about the Quill. Apparently, he has ideas.”

I groan. “Do I have to be there?”

Rue gives me a look, then softens. “It would be nice. And you could talk to Jasper without an audience.”

Of all the times Beau could have landed in Silver Pine, it had to be the same weekend that I’m here. Maybe Rue’s secretly trying to kill two birds with one wine-and-cheese stone—save the Quill and force Beau and me into the same room. For what reason, I have no idea.

I nix the notion as soon as it crosses my mind. Manipulation is not in Rue’s repertoire.

Still, I swirl the melting ice in my glass and try to ignore the tiny flutter in my chest that wasn’t there before.

It’s probably the whiskey. Or the chance to get to know Jasper better.

Or maybe it’s just old ghosts and bad decisions creeping in with the mountain air.

Something tells me tomorrow won’t be as simple as wine and cheese.

Chapter Twelve

Beau

Rusty lies at my feet and starts snoring. Golden retriever, ten years old and slowing down, just like the rest of us.

My home office has the best views in the house—floor-to-ceiling windows facing west. Right now, they frame the Ten-Mile Range as the sun sets behind it, painting the peaks in molten orange. The mountains look like they’re catching fire in slow motion. I’ll take this over television any day.

I bought this place six years ago as a quiet escape from the LA book scene. But something about Silver Pine took hold of me. Maybe it was the air, the quiet, or the way the place forces you to slow down. Maybe it was something else entirely. Either way, I stopped renewing my lease in L.A. and made this my home base.

Having drinks with Jasper at the hotel bar, I succeeded in my plan to put him in a good mood, sharing my plans with a fair amount of spin. My efforts paid off when he said he liked the idea. “All eyes on yours truly,” was what he said.

I ponder the term ‘super ego.’ If it didn’t already have a specific definition, it would mean Jasper Kensington. You’d think the guy was a movie star with groupies hanging all over only to watch him flip his lustrous locks with unabashed conceit.

But here’s the kicker. None of it is real.

The hair, I mean. He doesn’t know I know, didn’t see me on the opposite side of the street. But one day in the Windy City proved both informative and wildly entertaining. Now, every time he slow-motion tosses that synthetic masterpiece I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from losing it.

Still, if it weren’t for the hefty fee he’s paying me, I would have left his sorry behind back at the old firm.

I remind myself that he’s here. Coming to Silver Pine this time of year isn’t exactly ideal. It’s the shoulder season—too slushy for skiing, too muddy for hiking. A three-week lull before the hardcore outdoor types return. But I’m about to change all that.

My phone buzzes with an email. Tapping it open, I see the words,All Systems Go. I smile to myself, pleased at what I’m pulling off.

When Rue called a few months ago, I was surprised to hear from her. My first impulse was to ask after Ivy but of course, I didn’t. Instead, I inquired about herparents, glad to hear they’re making the most of their retirement.

The conversation was somewhat awkward and not only because I was married to her older sister. She was asking me to bring Jasper, the current golden boy of publishing, here, and on short notice. His book tour had been locked in for months.

That’s what tipped me off. Rue’s a smart woman. She knows better than to ask for the impossible unless there’s real pressure behind it.

So I said I’d call her back, and I did some digging. What I found was upsetting. The Silver Quill is in trouble.Shut the doors for goodkind of trouble.

By the time I got back to her, I’d come up with a doozy of a story—a Kansas City bookstore canceled due to tornado damage. I told her I had an unexpected hole in Jasper’s schedule. She could barely contain her excitement.

I’m still not sure why I went to such lengths. Maybe because The Silver Quill has always been my favorite bookstore. For someone in my line of work, that’s saying something. Or maybe because when Rue called, it felt like a door cracked open.

And I walked through.

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