Chapter Five #2
Holly looked over his shoulder. “Look at all that snow!”
“Isn’t that something? Do you ski, Holly?”
“Yeah. My dad taught me.” Holly watched raptly as he scrolled through some of his best action photographs. “This place looks cool.”
“You and your mom will have to come and check it out.”
“Not likely. Mom will say it’s too dangerous.
” Holly’s attention was drawn to the box of newspaper clippings he’d been saving on the Beckett case.
She picked up the most recent article about Max Strongman.
“Do you think Max knew his son was going to shoot that man? My family believes it was all his idea.”
“I think they’re right,” Jake said. “But it won’t be an easy thing to prove. Especially if his son is prepared to lie to protect his dad.”
“I would have lied to protect my dad,” Holly said softly. She set down the article then sighed. “I wonder if anyone will ever figure out what really happened that night.”
“I’d like to think that one day we’ll know.” He’d like to, but he didn’t really believe it would happen. Not all crimes were solved the way they were on the TV. And the more time that passed, the less likely were the chances of uncovering the truth.
“Can I look at the rest of these?” Holly asked, pointing at the box.
“Sure.”
She rifled through the stack of clippings. “Wow, looks like you’ve saved everything about the case.”
“I was pretty concerned about it. A lot of people thought my cousin Dylan was responsible at first. I’d still like to see justice served.”
Holly glanced at the time display on her phone. “I guess I should be going. Could I borrow these?”
He hesitated, not sure if it was appropriate. But hell, there was nothing in those articles she couldn’t learn from the internet. “Yeah, why not.”
He waited while she transferred the articles to her backpack, then walked with her outside. Maureen was in conversation with Beth Gibson on the sidewalk between their two cars. Both women looked focused, intent. Did that mean Maureen was going to put in an offer?
He wasn’t sure how he felt about having Maureen as a neighbor as well as a business partner.
There was no denying her attractiveness. That was part of the problem. He didn’t want to notice the way her blond hair glowed in the late-afternoon light, or how her casual fleece jacket and jeans clung to the gentle curves of her lanky body.
Having seen her in both her big-city garb and this more relaxed style of dress, he had to say he preferred the latter. What surprised him was that she carried off each look equally well.
*
Sunday morning, very early, Maureen was surprised to receive a phone call from Jake.
“I’m making a trip up to Grizzly Peaks today. Wondered if you and Holly would like to come along. Figured you’d like a firsthand look at your investment.”
“This would be in a helicopter?” she asked hesitantly.
Jake laughed. “Unless you’re interested in a four-day backpacking excursion.”
“Um. No, thanks. The helicopter will be fine.” She’d never been in one before. Nor had Holly. She hoped her daughter would think this was a great adventure and not complain too much about having to get out of bed early on a weekend.
She needn’t have worried. Holly was thrilled at the prospect especially since Jake was coming along. Maureen didn’t know how it had happened so quickly, but Jake had already won Holly’s approval.
Jake picked them up and drove to the landing pad where the helicopter was already waiting. Maureen was glad the weather was clear. She was a little nervous and Jake seemed to sense her unease. As she was about to step into the helicopter he took her hand.
“It’s going to be fine,” he hollered, over the thwack, thwack, thwack of the rotating blades and growling idle of the engine. “Wally’s been flying for years. He’s the best.”
“I have no doubt.” She tugged her hand away and followed her daughter inside. The pilot handed them headphones to filter out the noise and allow them to speak to one another.
Last in was Jake, and with little fuss they were off. The sensation of rising straight up was peculiar, to say the least. Maureen focused on the dizzy, dazzling view. “Look, there’s Big Mountain. You can see the runs and the lifts so clearly.”
“Do you ski a lot?” Jake asked.
“Used to.” When she was in high school she’d been on the freestyle ski team. As a couple she and Rod had skied together a few times, until Holly was born and she became a working mom.
“Daddy used to take me all the time. When Mom was busy at work.”
From her tone Maureen could tell that Holly didn’t appreciate the reason she and her father had been able to ski so much was because of how hard Maureen worked.
“Dad was a really good skier,” Holly continued. “He was good at lots of things. He taught me to ride a horse and said I was a natural. I would’ve started show jumping except Mom wouldn’t let me.”
“What can I say?” Maureen knew her voice sounded tight and hard. “I’m just one of those mothers who doesn’t want her daughter to risk a head injury.”
Holly rolled her eyes and Maureen turned her attention back to the view. It was hard being the parent who always said no, but she’d grown used to the role.
The trip was longer than Maureen had expected, and she panicked a bit as the helicopter descended. She didn’t know how the pilot did it, landing perfectly on the concrete pad built three hundred meters from the main lodge.
Ten minutes later, Maureen acknowledged that she’d bought into a piece of true, pristine wilderness.
The panoramic views had her turning circles on herself.
The beauty transcended the physical; in fact, it was powerfully spiritual.
And so peaceful. Maureen filled her lungs and tried to decide how it made her feel.
Ten pounds lighter and twenty years younger.
“You’ve done an incredible job with everything,” she commented as they followed Holly, who was skipping ahead. “The small chalets, even the main lodge—they just seem to belong.”
“Wait until after the renovations,” Jake confided. As they approached the construction crew working on the new spa, Jake asked if she wanted to join him for a progress report.
He looked surprised when she said no, but Maureen’s expertise wasn’t in construction and she wanted to keep an eye on Holly who seemed to have forgotten they were in bear territory and was straying too far on her own.
An hour later Jake rounded them up to eat the picnic lunch he’d packed. They settled by the creek that passed just behind the back deck of the lodge.
There were baguettes stuffed with meat, cheese and sprouts, beautifully cut veggies with a container of dipping sauce, a thermos of lemonade and a whole array of baked cookies and squares.
“This is fantastic,” Maureen said, amazed.
“I’m good at sandwiches. But I bought the treats at a bakery.”
Holly selected one of the vegetarian baguettes and started strolling along the creek.
With her gaze trained on her daughter, Maureen relaxed on the blanket Jake had spread over the wild grass. The sun was directly overhead now, and she removed her jacket to use as a pillow. She sensed Jake watching her, and when she turned and caught him at it, he smiled.
What was he thinking? With Jake, she could never tell, and that was a big disadvantage. She felt she’d pegged him pretty accurately as a man whose life revolved around the superficial—having fun, seeking thrills and avoiding commitment along the way.
On those moments when his gaze caught hers, however, she saw hints of something deeper. Empathy and intelligence that defied her easy categorization of the man. Worse was the feeling that when he looked at her, he saw much more than other people did—even her sisters.
It was this attribute in particular that made her most uncomfortable in his presence. And today it reminded her that he knew so much more about her than she did about him.
“Dylan says you were an only child, Jake. What was that like?”
“Pure hell.” Jake was straight-faced for a moment, before he smiled.
“My father died when I was very young, so growing up it was just me and my mother. The highlight of my year was summer holidays when Mom sent me to Uncle Bud’s ranch.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed those trips.
Mostly it was the freedom to run around and be myself. ”
“You didn’t have that at home?”
“My mom liked schedules. I had my chores and my homework. Violin lessons and debating club. Mom didn’t approve of any of the sports I was crazy about.”
“Violin huh?” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m having a hard time picturing that.”
“I hated it. Quit as soon as she let me. I was a big disappointment. But she remarried a few years ago. I think she’s happier than she’s ever been.”
Maureen was keeping an eye on Holly as she listened to Jake. Her daughter had perched on a flat rock by the water, about twenty meters away, and had taken off her shoes to trail her toes in the cool stream.
“Careful not to fall in,” Maureen called out.
“Oh, Mother. Chill, why don’t you.”
Maureen felt as though she’d been slapped.
Hiding her reddening face by leaning over the container of veggies, she rejected the idea of rebuking her daughter.
Instead, she grabbed a handful of carrots and celery, not bothering with the dip.
She nibbled on the vegetables, then leaned back, her face tilted toward the sky.
The sun was so nonjudgmental. It spread its warmth over everybody, everything. Even though her eyelids were closed, she guessed Jake was watching her again. Probably thinking what a witch of a mother she must be, since her daughter so obviously couldn’t stand her.
*
She’s my investment partner, Jake admonished himself. He had to stop admiring the outline of her breasts against the soft blue cotton of her turtleneck, the inviting curve of her generous lips. An age-old reaction had him shifting his sitting position and the direction of his gaze.
This was supposed to be a business trip, yet his feelings kept veering toward the unprofessional.
Every time he saw this woman, he felt a pull stronger than the last time. Not just physical, either. For a supposedly strong, confident woman, she had surprising vulnerabilities—most notably around her daughter.
He could see how Holly’s blunt and occasionally rude comments wounded Maureen. But she was surprisingly tolerant of them. He had friends who’d told him about working moms’ guilt. But he thought the issues between Maureen and Holly went deeper than that.
“Holly’s an interesting kid. Most kids her age would find it hard moving so late in the school year, leaving all her friends behind.”
Maureen sighed. “She’s become a bit of a loner since her father died. I’m hoping the fresh start will be good for her. But no matter where we live, she’s still going to miss her dad. They were very close.”
“I can tell. She talks about him a lot.”
“Which is good. I’m glad she has so many happy memories. Rod was a fun father. I won’t ever be able to fill that role for Holly.”
“Let me guess. Rod was the parent who always said yes, and it fell to you to set Holly’s limits.”
“That’s exactly right.”
Maybe now that Rod was gone Maureen would be able to ease up on her “bad cop” role. Jake kept that thought to himself. From experience he knew no one wanted parenting opinions voiced by men without children.