“Did you just get into an altercation in the lobby?”
Her voice was tense, and it wasn’t until I heard it that I noticed her whole face was red.
“How did you—”
“I have staff who tend to alert me to these sorts of things,” she reminded me. “This isn’t like you, Tess. First the incident at the pool and now this. You know better. When you’re here, you’re a representative of this family, of this resort. You have to be on your best behavior.”
I was so taken aback I didn’t know what to say. Here I’d been about to ask her about the lawsuit—to try to help—and she was attacking me.
“Did they tell you who I was arguing with?” I asked.
“That’s hardly the point, Tess.”
“No, actually, it is the point,” I told her, shaking from the effort of having yet another argument. She was right. This wasn’t like me. And I didn’t like it. “I was arguing with Christopher Callahan. You know, the person whose family is suing Evergreen Lodge?”
Loretta paled. “How do you know about that?”
“Because he told me!” I cried. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her lips twitched, and she stood completely still. “Because it is none of your concern.”
“How is it not my concern?” I demanded. “You knew I was hanging out with him. You could have told me. Do you think I don’t care about this place? Maybe I can help. Maybe I can—”
Loretta barked a laugh. A not-at-all-kind laugh. “Tess, I appreciate that you feel passionate about this, but you need to stay out of it. You and Christopher shouldn’t even be talking about this.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because you are a minor,” she shot back. “And so is he. And there are a hundred nuances involved in this matter that you couldn’t possibly understand. This is the type of thing that needs to be left to the grown-ups.”
My jaw dropped open, but no sound came out. I felt so insulted I wanted to scream.
“Now go to your room,” she said, dismissing me like I wasn’t just a child, but a small one. A child she couldn’t bear to be around any longer. “And don’t talk to that boy about this again, do you understand?”
I didn’t move. I still couldn’t speak.
“I said, do you understand?” she said slowly.
“I understand,” I whispered.
I slammed the door to our room so hard, the wall sconces rattled. Lauren was still in the shower—I could hear the water running and her off-key singing echoing off the walls. I let out a groan and paced over to the window, stripping out of my ski jacket and sweatshirt and kicking off my boots. The cool air hit my sweaty skin, and I immediately shivered, but felt maybe one percent better.
I couldn’t believe Loretta had spoken to me that way. I mean, she’d never been the warmest person, but for half a second there she’d looked like a villain out of some horrible kids’ cartoon. Didn’t she understand I just wanted to help? And she’d dismissed me like I was nothing. I hadn’t even had the chance to ask her how much money they were suing for. If it could ruin the business. And had she talked to my father about it? Had she asked for his advice?
Honestly, I was still having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that it was even happening. Christopher’s family was suing the resort. Okay, yes, businesses got sued every day. My father was legal counsel for a resort chain, so I knew. I knew the kinds of things people would get litigious about. They sued over food poisoning. Over falling down in the lobby while the floor was being mopped. Over there being no gluten-free options on a menu. Sure, someone might sue over an employee injuring their son. But this was my family. And it was my friend who was suing us.
At least, I’d thought Christopher was my friend. Couldn’t he have told me about this the second he found out Loretta was my grandmother? Shouldn’t he have? Maybe I could have talked him out of it. Or at least talked to Damon and tried to figure out what had actually happened. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding, and I could have helped figure it out.
I sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. But then, everything else came rushing back at me. Like that girl, Kacey, for starters. Did Christopher really like her? What had they talked about while I was up on the mountain? Had they talked about me and my list? Had they laughed about it? And also, he seemed so pissed off that I’d gone skiing without him. Or was it really the fact that I’d gone skiing with Damon? Or was it both? Because if Christopher had wanted to be at my side for every single thing I accomplished on my list, then he should have spoken up when I’d added the black diamond slope the other night. I could have thought of something else. Something we could do together.
But honestly, was it really my responsibility to keep him entertained all day? Whether or not Damon had been involved, Christopher had a broken leg. There was no getting around that. He would have been stuck in that lobby whether Lauren and I had ever shown up here or not. He had no right to blame me for wanting to get out of the lodge for a bit and have a little fun. I mean, hello? This was my vacation.
The second that thought hit me, I stopped pacing. Because it didn’t sound like me at all. My whole intention when I’d arrived here was to spend the entire week on my butt reading books and watching videos. If I was being honest, that’s what I would have done if not for Christopher suggesting I get out of my comfort zone. If not for his help making the list.
Why did everything have to be so complicated all of a sudden?
I groaned again and flopped back on my bed. My phone jutted into my hip, and I pulled it out. Damon had sent the video of me skiing the black diamond, which there was no way I could watch right now. I wasn’t sure I could take the humiliation of watching myself fall on my butt. There were also half a dozen texts from my dad, asking what we were up to and requesting photos. He’d also sent me a picture of a misshapen tomato that looked like a heart that made me smile. I felt like I’d been neglecting him, so I sent him a couple of skiing pics Carina and I had taken. A text popped back almost immediately.
Who’s the girl?
New friend. I skied a black diamond today.
No way! Congrats! So proud. And I’m glad you’re making new friends. No boys though right?
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
Yes there are boys here. It’s not Mars.
LOL but not a particular boy?
I hesitated for half a second. Did he know about Christopher somehow? Had Lauren clued him in? Doubtful. She wasn’t really speaking to our father at the moment, just like I wasn’t really speaking to our mom. Maybe Loretta had called him and told him about the paper airplane–flying incident? That I was flirting with the kid whose family was suing the resort? I blushed just thinking about that moment Loretta had interrupted, and irritation twisted my gut. Was that really just yesterday that I had felt so close to Christopher? That we’d almost kissed?