Page 10 of You, Me, & Après-Ski
“Yeah, I got it. Picked up the meds yesterday.”
“Good. He’s doing okay on the new ones?”
“He seems to be adjusting fine. He misses you, though.”
My heart lurched. Bombarded by the slew of seasonal jobs, it had been a while since I’d made it home to Sun Valley, California. Diego worked odd jobs too, picking up extra gigs to afford rent and caring for Juanito. “I know he does. I miss you all too.” I paused, picking at my fingernail. “Any word from Antonella?”
I felt the air between us shift. “No. She calls, but we don’t pick up. If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay away.”
“Hal hasn’t tried to pick Juanito up from school again, has he?” I ground my teeth, thinking of Antonella’s lowlife of a boyfriend.
“No. The school knows not to let him do that now. Only I am allowed to pick him up.”
“Good.” Nothing killed the mood faster than talking about our mother and the wreck she’d made of our lives. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Love you, Val.”
“Love you too.”
I disconnected, feeling unsettled. I needed this job. While there were fewer rich tourists every year, the ones who showed up did tip well—especially after imbibing at après-ski—and Juanito’s meds weren’t getting any cheaper. My brothers needed me, and they needed me to be dedicated and responsible, unlike our mother.
Trudging through the lobby, I headed to find Tess. Before I could take another step, a rough hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into a nearby room.
“Wha—?”
The door slammed shut behind me and a hush fell across the deserted space—the ballroom—as I took in the person before me. I blinked a few times, certain there was something wrong with my eyes.Am I having a stroke?
Nolan Keller, looking devastating in a rich blue suit, azure eyes blazing. Standing inches away from me. I took a step back, bumping into the wall. If Austin’s presence made me nervous, Nolan’s sent me into the freaking stratosphere, my heart flapping in my chest like a trapped pelican.
“Mr. Keller, how can I h—”
“You tattled to myfather?” A dangerous current threaded through his voice as he leaned down to drop the full force of his fury on me. His snide tone snapped at that long-dormant part of me that Antonella hadcrushed under her boot in my childhood. I wasnothis prey, and I had done nothing wrong.
You’re not a doormat, Val. Stop acting like one.
I drew myself up to my full height—five-two, not very much compared to his well over six feet of tautly muscled man—and stared him down as best I could. “Hecalledme.He asked for a progress report, and I told him you fired me. You want me to lieto my boss’s boss?”
His pulse throbbed in his temple as he clenched his fists. I knew that last comment would rile him because I didn’t think Cyrus was technically his boss, and I took sweet pleasure in seeing him frustrated for things that were his own damn fault. What right did he have to be such an ass to me for merely existing and doing my job?
Closing his eyes, he took a sharp inhale through his nose. “Valeria.” Chills skittered across my spine at the timbre of his voice wrapped around my name.Well, that won’t make our working relationship any more awkward, no sirree.“I require you to resume your duties as my tour guide.”
I made a strangled noise as the unexpected comment cracked my armor of anger. “You—what?”
He opened his glacial eyes, pinning me with a sharp glare. “I do not enjoy repeating myself.”
I blinked, shocked. Before the nerves could constrict my throat, a long-lost voice in my head took over. “Ask me nicely.”Where the heck did that come from?I blanched at my own boldness but managed to hold my ground.My conversation with Diego about Antonella had me catapulting myself back to my younger years, dealing with a drug-addict mother and sticking my head in the sand instead of sticking up for myself. Every day, I fought to avoid falling into the mindset of that scared little girl. But I was a grown woman now, and I needed to remember that.
Nolan’s mouth twisted and something—amusement?—flitted across his expression before his carefully curated mask fell back into place. He stood close enough that his scent of spice and teakwood clouded my head.Nope, stop smelling him right now.
“I’d like you to do me the honor of showing me around Hale’s Peak this season,” he said.
Again, the voice that had never had the guts to speak aloud before came out of my mouth. “I didn’t hear a ‘please’ anywhere in there.”
His lips twitched. “I do not beg, Valeria.”
Andthatset off a riot of visions in my head that had absolutely no business being there. Grabbing my dignity with both hands, I looked up at him with what I hoped was a confident expression. “Okay, Mr. Keller. I’ll see you in the lobby in an hour. No complaints.”
His eyes twinkled. “No promises.” Then he left me alone in the ballroom to melt against the wall.
