An image of her father popped up in her brain. He wasn’t any better than Tim—he’d left just after David was born and only came around every few years with a few overpriced bribery gifts and a pile of excuses.
As much as she loved her brother, she didn’t really believe in David anymore either. It was just one excuse after another. He took her help, but never seemed to make any lasting changes in his life. Were all men immature jerks?
Dana’s husband, Brett, seemed like a reliable and lovable man, a small voice chimed in her head. Dana and Brett seemed to really like each other and get along, and they loved each other and their kids. And they’d been together for fourteen years. Krissa supposed it wasn’t impossible to find a good man, but Brett seemed the exception, not the rule.
She just wasn’t fated to have a trustworthy or dependable male in her life. Krissa settled her chin on her curled-up fist and leaned on the counter. Was it fate or just bad luck? Maybe there was something wrong with her. It didn’t seem very fair. She was nice, wasn’t she?
She wondered if it was just something about her that made men untrustworthy and unreliable. She felt glum at the thought of spending her life without ever knowing a strong, loving relationship. What about kids? She could always adopt, but she wasn’t sure about how she could handle being a single mom. Was there really no one out there who was worthy of her trust?
Maybe Nick was okay.
But hadn’t Tim seemed awfully nice at first too? Well, not exactly the same. Nick seemed to set her on fire—one look and she was panting! Krissa flushed and wriggled in her chair. Oh, no, indeed. It hadn’t been like that with Tim. With him, it had been a soft, warm glow of attraction. Not a bonfire of desire and wanting. Krissa tugged at her robe and let the air cool her down.
Had Tim really seemed as nice? She couldn’t recall him interacting with any of his young cousins at family gatherings, and he’d certainly never expressed any interest in her students. Was there anything she actually liked about her ex? Well, he’d had a good job.
“And great dental insurance,” she said as she laughed out loud.
And a mouthful of shiny, white veneers. Yep, he did like to act as if he was perfect. Krissa grinned and felt relieved that she really couldn’t conjure up any longing or yearning for him. No, she didn’t miss Timothy Finchley.
An ache crept up slowly as the memory of the little dream that had been growing in her that had died on the day she had caught Tim cheating on her. That pain was still with her. She dabbed at a few tears sneaking down her cheeks. There was no point in thinking about it. She couldn’t change the past.
She yearned for the little life that had been taken from her too soon. That baby had seemed like her chance to right all the wrongs of the past and erase the pain of a no-show dad. It had seemed like her chance to be a caring, loving, and fully involved mother. Krissa wiped at the tears that coursed down her cheeks.
That chance had slipped away from her. All that was left now was her dream of helping her students and building a rewarding career. It would be enough, wouldn’t it? Krissa managed a tiny smile, but an ache remained.
With a last sip of her now-cold drink, Krissa headed up to shower. She’d better not be late or somehow Angie would find out and send her packing, no doubt.
* * * *
Nick leaned back in his chair with a grunt of irritation and rubbed his hand through his hair. He’d run the column of numbers three times and come up with three different totals. His head was not in the game. So much for spot checking the books and making sure everyone was still on the up and up with him.
He twirled his pencil absently as images of Krissa shimmying and shaking while she played the video games danced in front of his eyes. None of the numbers were going to add up unless he could forget about that redheaded teacher.
It was mid-afternoon and the Wescott Lake Rentals office was humming with voices as vacationers and renters stopped by to grab keys and write up fix-it requests. He smiled at the happy voices. He listened to Paula Besston, the office manager, chat with the visitors and get them to talk about their vacation plans. She was worth her weight in gold and kept all of the vacationers in good spirits.
He’d known her since he was five years old when his parents first brought him out to Vail and his uncle’s resort. When his parents died, she’d become housekeeper, nanny, and keeper of secrets to all three of the Olin orphans rattling around his uncle’s house. She’d mothered each of them.
Nick absently rubbed his neck and tried to imagine someone else owning Wescott Lake Rentals and the resort. It was hard to wrap his head around it.
The bell jangled and announced another visitor. Krissa strolled in with her furry white and brown Husky, Shasta. Nick almost jumped up, but forced himself to stay seated in the back office. He didn’t think she would see him. He listened to her laugh and joke with Paula and then quiz Paula on some of her favorite places to hike or have a picnic.
“I may be over sixty now, but I still love a good hike,” Paula replied. She described an easy hike near the back bowls of Vail Mountain by a small lake and asked if Krissa had been there yet.
“No, is it far?” Krissa asked.
Nick sat still and avoided drawing attention to himself. Paula gave directions and Krissa jotted them down.
“There are good signs showing the way. At the dead end, there’s a charming little picnic area,” the office manager added. “There’s a trail that makes the complete circuit around the lake. It is so beautiful and there are views of the mountain and sometimes you can see its reflection. It’s only six miles around it, so it isn’t too far at all. It is an easy hike with just a couple of smallish hills to go over.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely.”
“I think all of the snow has melted now. Sometimes it can linger in that area until Fourth of July. You just call me if you need more directions or someone to take a stroll with.”
“That is so kind of you. Everyone is so friendly here. I know it’s a cliché, but big cities are nothing like this.”
“I’m glad you’re fitting in,” Paula said. “I hear good things about you from your students and the parents.”
Krissa smiled and murmured her thanks.
“Have you found any nice young men?”
Krissa blushed up rosy, and Nick tried not to lean closer to catch what she said.
“Oh, I’m not looking for anyone to date,” Krissa said heartily. “I am a single kind of girl.”
Nick listened to the two women exchange good-byes, and then quiet settled over the office as the door clicked shut behind Krissa.
Nick wished he could figure Krissa out. One minute her smile was friendly and inviting and the next she was cool and impersonal. Maybe she just wasn’t attracted to him.
He could accept that…but he couldn’t shake the memory of her body snuggling closer and pressing into his kiss. Hot, sultry kisses that sent his pulses racing just thinking about it. She had certainly thought the kiss in Dana’s hallway was a wow.
But then she’d shooed him off and told him she wasn’t interested. Somehow it didn’t jibe in his head. Maybe she didn’t want to like him. That was much more likely, and it would sure explain her attitude.
He knew he should just ignore her, but those few kisses and her hot response made him hunger for more. He ought to just let it go, but he felt a funny pull toward her. Even though she came across as strong and determined, there was a hint that she was soft and vulnerable on the inside. He felt protective. He thought about some of his past girlfriends and realized that he’d never felt like they needed him. Certainly not Angie Jarrett; she’d been on a rampage to hunt him, bag him, and hang him over the fireplace.
Krissa wasn’t a flirty, vain socialite. She seemed like she genuinely cared about her students and enjoyed her job. Nick frowned and realized all the women he’d been dating these last six years were more interested in the parties he could escort them to and the shoes they wore at those events. Maybe he’d only been d
ating shallow women. Was that why he got bored so quickly?
Well, Krissa might want him to go away, but he wasn’t going to just disappear without a good reason. He was a presentable guy and pretty nice. He’d try again. He trusted his instincts and they were telling him to figure her out. Just like he could uncover unappreciated and undervalued deals, his intuition told him to keep on digging.
A knowing smile lurked on his lips. She certainly had his attention and he was not going to quit…at least not yet.
Nick bent his head and returned to the number crunching. The Marindon Group was scheduled to arrive tomorrow and he was going to be prepared for any eventuality. He thumped his fist on the desk and grinned. He was so close to clinching this deal and landing a coveted seat at the partners’ table. Five years of virtually non-stop travel and work was about to pay off.
His fingers flew over the ten-key calculator and he smiled in satisfaction. All the figures matched…and they were up twenty percent from last year. It was a good omen.
His phone alarm chirped and whistled. He had twenty minutes to make it back to the resort for a conference call with the insurance adjusters and then he had to head back to Wescott Springs for his appointment with Angie. Damn. He just hoped she would stick to the school playground plans and skip any drama.
* * * *
After chatting with Paula Besston at the rental office, Krissa cruised down the mountain and checked out the string of towns dotting the glorious Vail Mountain. The alpine chalet style of the many lodges and resorts tickled her fancy. It seemed so romantic and almost impossible that she was living in such an amazing and beautiful location.
She played tourist and wandered on foot from one boutique to the next. She found a swanky eatery with a French-inspired menu and savored an amazing late lunch. With a full belly, she continued to meander the avenues of Vail until she strolled into an elegant and inviting wine bar. She savored the flight of whites and reds and made friends with the owner, a woman in her late twenties who’d inherited the place from her father.
Cruising home with her bounty of wines, she laughed at herself for already joining their wine club. It sounded like they had some lively events planned for the summer with lots of music, food, and flavorful wines. It was a chance to develop a new friend.
Krissa rolled through Wescott Springs and delighted in the Old West flair of the buildings. It was charming with tall, false fronts and brickwork galore. She almost expected to see women in long skirts and bonnets strolling between the shops. Krissa rolled to a stop at the one stop light in town and watched a pair of giggling teenage girls stroll through the crosswalk with their eyes glued to the screens of their phones and their thumbs busily tapping out messages. It was definitely the twenty-first century.
She glanced over at the quaint village park with its expanse of green lawn, a grand white gazebo, and a spraying water fountain. A couple sat side by side on a bench with their heads together studying an oversized paper. It was Nick and Angie.
Krissa’s light turned green, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Angie as she reached over and placed a possessive hand on Nick’s arm and then leaned in to confide in him. Krissa’s stomach roiled and she turned away.
It seemed that Nick was chasing more than one woman at a time. Krissa sat very straight in her seat and drove steadily onward without turning her head or staring back at the couple.
* * * *
With a dissatisfied huff, Krissa tossed her cell phone onto the couch. David was in the middle of another crisis. She wished this rotten day would come to an end. It had started so nicely with an easy school session that let out at the usual lunchtime, so she’d had time for an afternoon country drive, wine tasting, and a new friend. But from there, it had all gone downhill. First watching Nick and Angie in the town square with their heads together and looking very cozy, and now David’s precarious life was crumbling to bits.
It had taken all of her willpower not to yell at her younger brother and tell him to pull his head out of his backside and take some ownership of his life. She wondered what parts of the story her brother wasn’t telling her. David was sure his boss hated him and had cut his hours again.
He needed a direction and a career. She’d tried to get him to talk about what interested him and see if he could get some training in something. No luck. David had only answered her in a dull monotone and then hung up once she’d agreed to send a little more money.
With a mournful shake of her head, Krissa knew she was going to have to pull the plug on sending him anymore funds. Her little brother was going to have to grow up and take responsibility for himself. If David would just get a game plan in place, she would be thrilled to help him out.
Why were other people’s problems so easy to solve? It seemed so clear to her what David needed to do. Her life, on the other hand…it just seemed a whole lot less certain. Why couldn’t she simply stay away from Nick?
She felt a hard knot of discomfort form in her belly. It was a jangling ball of anger, disappointment, and fear. She suppressed a curse word that hovered on her lips. Stupid, stupid, stupid. All she could see was Angie draped all over Nick. Was that why the woman was so cold to her now? She must have a thing going with Nick.
What was Nick doing kissing her and playing footsie with Angie? Who knew how many other women he might have dangling. He sounded like he traveled constantly. Hmfph. Probably a woman in every town. He was a rat just like Tim. He might be an amazing kisser, but she was not the kind of woman who would fall into his arms.
Um…she had fallen into his arms. Twice. Krissa’s eyebrows scrunched up in anger. Well, she wasn’t going to do that again. Twice was enough. Right? She had her students and she was making friends in this beautiful new town. She was good on her own. Indeed. She was most definitely not thinking about Nick. Not even a little bit.
A beeping alarm went off and Krissa grabbed her phone and silenced it. With a huff, she pulled her laptop over. It was time to grade some papers for her online students and host some office hours. A smile crept over her. At least she loved her jobs; this teaching and tutoring online was a blast.
After a quick check on the delivery status of her costume for the Mid-Summer’s Ball, Krissa turned on some music and wondered what the party would be like. She didn’t know more than a handful of people. She felt glum again. Parties just weren’t her thing; maybe she should skip. She’d worry about that later.
With a few taps on the keyboard, she logged onto the teaching website and started a chat thread with her students. This was her world and she was comfortable here. It was enough.
Chapter 12
AS Krissa stood in the doorway of the Wescott Springs Resort ballroom, she tried to calm the tumbling butterflies in her midsection. With a whoosh of air that she hadn’t even realized she was holding, Krissa let her eyes meander around the room and scope out the party.
The ballroom glowed in a luminous gold and silver. Palms and ficus trees were wound with glittering lights and the walls were covered in swaths and loops of silver and gold silk. Krissa glanced up and was entranced with the velvety night sky that had been re-created with dark fabric and twinkling lights peeping out in the shapes of the constellations. It was a summer paradise.
Krissa watched as servers mingled among the partyers with platters and smiled as the dancing disco light bounced off their satiny bronze uniforms and eye masks. Up on a stage, a musical trio beat out a popular pop song, and there must have been thirty or more couples dancing energetically on the wood floor. It was almost like a dreamland.
It looked like fun. It was going to be way better than the fiasco that was her last costume party. Who still felt nervous after a disaster in tenth grade? Krissa tried to muster some confidence. What trouble could a grown woman get into? None, she reassured herself. It was a Saturday night, and an independent and poised woman should be comfortable attending a ball by herself. There was nothing to be afraid of. Right?
Krissa smoothed her dress with a fli
ck of her wrist and scanned the room for familiar faces; she sent a silent plea that she wouldn’t encounter Nick. He was a busy man. Surely he’d gone back to Denver by now. Not that she’d noticed his pickup had been absent all day.
There were small groups scattered around the room at tables, but no one looked as they usually did, so she didn’t recognize a single person. Finally, she spotted a long buffet table groaning with tasty dishes. She nervously adjusted the leather fringe of her groovy sixties vest and hoped her long blonde wig with rainbow headband didn’t look too silly. “Here goes,” she whispered and hoped she didn’t look as foolish as she suddenly felt.
As she strolled over to the refreshments, she got a couple of second glances and cheerful chirps of, “Hello, Miss Courtland!” from her students’ parents. No Nick sightings. Nor Angie. She relaxed a fraction, and she stopped to chat with Paula Besston, who was dressed as a fluttering Regency dowager with a golden fan, a wealth of glittering necklaces, and an outrageous outcrop of osprey-like feathers drooping out of her elaborately curled wig.
The friendly rental office manager introduced Krissa to several of the partygoers, and before she knew it, she was dancing with the whole bevvy of revelers to a fast-paced song. Krissa tried to stay in character and grooved her best flower child imitation. As she shook her fringe, she prayed her long, blonde wig wouldn’t fly off. The music pulsed on, and Krissa lost track of how many songs she’d twirled and swayed and laughed to.
“I’m cooking,” Paula said. “Let’s grab a drink.”
“Let’s!” Krissa said and they marched to the side of the room with arms linked.
“You know what? I think I need the little girl’s room,” Paula said. “I’ll be right back!” The older woman disappeared into the crowd, but Krissa could still see her feathers bobbing and weaving near one of the side doors.
Krissa giggled and then her tummy growled and begged for some nibbles. She ignored the protests of her stomach and aimed for the pink, fizzy punch. She was parched.
Last Resort Love Page 10