Missy was traveling with a large and a medium suitcase as well as an oversized tote that she could hardly lift onto her shoulder. “Books” she had explained, sending the other women into whoops of laughter.
“Haven’t you ever heard of a Kindle?” Keeli had questioned.
“I just like the feel of a real book in my hands,” Missy had explained.
“Yeah, but do you like the feel of real books in your luggage?” Linda had challenged, setting them all to laughing again.
“You can bring as many books as you want,” Sloane offered, “as long as it’s you lugging them and not me!”
“I wouldn’t be one to talk,” Missy fired back at her. It was true. Sloane had brought two medium designer suitcases, one of those old-fashioned hard-sided make-up cases to match and a large tote, slung over her shoulder.
“I couldn’t decide what to bring, so I brought it all,” she conceded as they laughed at her.
“But a makeup case?” Linda couldn’t resist observing. “Even if we were getting all dolled up, which we aren’t, no one carries a makeup case anymore.”
“Oh that,” Sloane reached for the case she had carelessly tossed on an empty seat of the jet when she came aboard. “That is for emergencies.” She had piqued the women’s interest with this comment and they were leaving over her when she opened the case. It had a small amount of makeup and sunscreen in the top tray, but when she pushed back the top layer and revealed the larger open compartment, it was full of candy bars.
“Oh my God, I love you,” Linda squealed, reaching into the container for a Nestlé’s Crunch as Missy removed two Snickers. “You are the perfect traveling companion.”
“So much for the baby weight,” Missy mumbled between bites of the gooey chocolate and peanuts.
The four women traveled companionably for the four-hour flight, talking, dozing or reading. It turned out that Linda and Sloane were vaguely acquainted and they all got along beautifully, right from the start. They had dinner plans for the first night and agreed not to plan anything beyond that other than glorious relaxation. They would take in the mountain air, eat some good food, hike, lie by the pool and, maybe, if they were brave enough, try swimming in the cold lake waters.
And they would shop. With their combined wealth, this group of women could improve the economy of the area easily if they chose to, and several wanted to pick up toys or souvenirs, do some early Christmas shopping or just find things for themselves. Shopping was definitely in the plan.
A limo met them at the small airport and soon they were following the road around the bluest lake Sloane had ever seen, in the most picturesque setting she could imagine. It had been years since she had been there. She was flooded with warm memories of family vacations, then hit with the realization that they had been an act then and that they would never occur again.
They drove past the casino and promised to come back during the week. Linda confessed to being an avid gambler. “In and out of the casino,” Keeli had added, a reference to some private joke between the two them. They spied shops and restaurants that might be interesting and just generally got increasingly excited as they approached their home for the week. Sloane left her melancholy behind as they drove along the scenic route.
Soon the car turned off the main road and made its way uphill on a winding secluded road. Mailboxes strategically located at a few turn offs were the only indication of other mountain inhabitants. The quiet was overwhelming after leaving the constant noise of a city like Chicago. Sloane lowered the window beside her and caught the faint song of an unseen bird. The trees were thick at the bottom of the road, blocking the views but they thinned as the car climbed closer to the mountaintop. Before long, Sloane could catch a glimpse between the trees of a large house, and here and there she spied views of sparkling turquoise beyond. She could only imagine what awaited them. She knew Wyatt had spent a lot of money to secure the home for a week and he had exquisite taste.
Nothing prepared the women for the gorgeous stone and redwood home that stood before them when they finally came to a halt. The building was more modern than most in the area, but it managed to capture a rustic feeling too. Sharp angled wooden peaks and enormous expanses of glass reflecting the sun into their eyes topped massive rock walls that seemed to be a part of the landscape. The house was just at the edge of the tree line, and it felt strange to look down onto the pines below.
“Wow, would you look at this place?” Keeli said in awe. “I feel like I just stepped onto a movie set or something.”
“This is spectacular,” Missy echoed looking at the others to gauge their responses. “Sloane, pick up your chin.”
Sloane didn’t mind the good-natured chide. She was certainly standing there gaping. The vista was magnificent and the house was an architectural marvel. She did not know where to look first. Their home for the week had numerous rooflines and balconies and the marriage of wood, stone, steel and glass looked to her to be an engineering wonder. It appeared to grow from the land it inhabited. She could barely see one corner of a roof way below them; otherwise, they were utterly alone with nature. They were in a paradise that – only a few months ago- Sloane had believed she would never experience again.
Keeli removed the keys from her bag and moved toward the door just ahead of their driver, who was weighed down with his first load of luggage. Poor man, he had to make two more trips, but Sloane figured he was well paid and well tipped for the effort. Keeli was still pressing bills into his hand when Sloane walked past her into the house.
Stepping into the shaded interior, Sloane’s eye was immediately captured so that when Keeli joined her they could only stare past a massive stone hearth at the more than 180-degree view of the lake. The sun reflected off the deep blue of the water until it was hard to tell where the lake ended and the sky began.
“I have never seen anything like this,” Keeli whispered reverently. “I don’t think I can ever get used to a view like this. How does someone walk away from all this and rent it to total strangers? I would never, ever leave.”
Sloane was thinking the same thing. “If this was mine, I think I would stay here year round. It’s so peaceful looking out at all this.” It was a cloudless day and Sloane felt her spirits lift, as they had not in ages. She felt free here. Unencumbered by the troubles awaiting her at home, unconcerned about her loneliness, her problems with the Feds or with Randall.
“This is truly a place for renewal.” Sloane was surprised to hear Missy say.
“That is exactly what I was thinking.”
“I agree,” Linda responded from across the enormous room. She was standing in the open kitchen, all redwood and stainless steel. It was a gourmet chef’s dream. The open floor plan allowed the four women to be in the same room yet still need to shout across the expanse. Keeli was already standing on one of several decks, near the dining area, pointing to an outdoor grill and a table for ten. She told the women that she could see another deck below “with a huge hot tub, just for us.”
Sloane could not contain her pleasure as she moved from room to room. There was a huge screen in the media room, a billiards room, two offices, and seven bedrooms for them to choose among, each with a stone fireplace. The master suite had a separate loft with a spiral staircase leading up to it, and by mutual consent, that room went to Keeli.
After selecting a large bedroom with a platform bed, windows from floor to ceiling and a modern black metal walled fireplace, Sloane wandered back to the main room and into the kitchen. Normally not much of a cook, the space made her itch to try her hand at a meal or two. There were two Gaggeneau ovens and a 5-burner gas stove, a high-end microwave and a fully stocked wine refrigerator.
Pulling open the Sub-Zero refrigerator, Sloane found it stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, bowls of whole apples and pears next to containers of cut up pineapple and mango, the blues and reds of berries peeking through the chunks of yellow and orange. It all made her mouth water. There were prepared foods from
a gourmet shop in town that looked fantastic, cold cuts, cheeses and containers of lettuce in the crispers and drawers. There was milk, orange juice
and even yogurt in all her favorite flavors. Opening the cabinets, Sloane oohed and aahed at the bone china and Irish leaded crystal.
Who leaves this stuff available to strangers?
The wine selection was outstanding. Sloane expected it to be under lock and key, but it wasn’t. There were baskets of breads and rolls, and cabinets filled with canned goods. There was a completely stocked bar against the far wall. She couldn’t think of anything she might want that wasn’t here, and she wracked her brain trying.
A note sat on the counter that read “Welcome, ladies. Enjoy my home as if it were your own. I have tried to guess what you might like and stocked the kitchen, but call the caretaker, Dana, should you need anything else. Keys are in the cars but be careful on these roads at night. There is a stack of menus from local restaurants in the kitchen drawer, as well as the number for an excellent chef who will come in at your request. Enjoy!”
Although the note was easily deciphered, it was signed with a bold, illegible scrawl. For Sloane, that signature conjured up the image of a strong hand attached to a very handsome man. She tried to imagine what kind of person owned all this. She had wandered into the two offices and it was obvious someone actually worked from here, but there were no personal items to give away anything about the owners. It certainly did not have the feel of a vacation home, and she wondered if someone lived here most of the year, someone who had graciously agreed to be displaced just to help raise money for the Children’s Hospital.
Not likely.
She did not have long to think about all this before Keeli came from her bedroom - or at least somewhere in that vicinity since Sloane felt as if she needed a map to find her way around. Keeli was waving a piece of stationary in her hand and shouting excitedly.
“Calm down,” Sloane said soothingly. “I cannot understand a word you are saying.”
Missy came from some other direction, eyes big as saucers from taking the house tour. “What’s all the commotion?”
“Wait until you see this,” Keeli approached Sloane at the same time Linda and Missy did. “You won’t believe it. We have two full pre-paid days at the Ritz-Carlton spa. One for the day after tomorrow for the four of us, one for later in the week after Regan arrives. Full days, the royal treatment. We have dinner reservations in their dining room too, but the note says to just cancel if we don’t want to use them.”
“Wow,” Missy exclaimed. ”You have certainly changed my brother. He was never this thoughtful or generous before he met you, Keeli.”
Sloane confirmed Missy’s opinion. “He never did anything like this in all the years I have known him. I wouldn’t have thought it would even hit his radar.”
“But that is just it,” Keeli was breathless with excitement. “It’s not from Wyatt. It is from the people who own this place. See that signature is right there. Can you believe it?”
Sloane could not believe it and took the vellum card out of Keeli’s hand to review it herself. There it was, that mysterious scrawl again. Perhaps their mysterious host would stop by while they were there and she could meet him – or her. Whoever it was, they had sparked her imagination.
Sloane had decided the signature was definitely male. It was a strong, scrawling set of totally illegible letters, similar to a doctor’s mark on a prescription.
A signature like that means he is confident, powerful. But perhaps he is as sweet and handsome as Randall. Stop that, no thinking of Randall anymore. You promised yourself to just let him go.
When Sloane accepted the invitation to join Keeli, Linda and Missy, she had thought long and hard about her mother’s words. Randall was still texting several times every day, although the flowers and calls had finally ceased after about two full weeks. She considered sending him an email, just to say apology accepted, but by the time she was ready to do it, too many days had passed and it felt awkward and clumsy. What could she say? So instead, she had vowed to put him out of her mind, along with work and legal problems and just enjoy herself for a solid, uninterrupted week.
Seven blissful days of denial and leisure. Then, I will figure everything out.
So, Sloane thought now, perhaps a mysterious stranger with a generous spirit and exquisite taste in spas, wine and houses will come into my life this week and make all my problems magically disappear.
You can always hope, Sloane.
“This place is amazing. I am going to finish exploring and call Stephen to talk to the kids before it gets too late there.” Missy outlined her plans.
“I am going to unpack a little and set up my Lake Tahoe Studio while I have the energy and the natural light,” Keeli responded. “How ‘bout you Sloane?”
“I think I will walk a bit of the grounds and then plop my white body in the sun on that gorgeous deck for a little while.”
“Sounds great. Wear sunscreen,” Missy replied as she left the room.
“Good for you, Sloane. I just want a nap,” Linda said, heading for the nearest sofa and dropping onto it like a stone.
“See you out there in a while,” Keeli told Sloane.
Sloane wandered the remainder of the house, taking in the amazing architecture and use of organic materials like slate and glacier stone. It was truly magnificent. She ran her hands along the sleek desk in the office and imagined being able to work from a place like this, with a view like that.
Maybe it’s time for me to get out of Chicago and start over. Maybe I could find a job that I could do remotely, or move to somewhere in sunny California.
Sloane allowed her imagination to wander, knowing she would never move that far from her mother. She found her way back to her room, shook out a few blouses, hung them in the enormous closet, and dug out her hiking boots. She had not worn them in years, but they still fit and she figured if she had carried them all this way, she was damn well going to wear them.
Wandering out the front door, Sloane made her way around the house and to what she believed must be the edge of the property, a spot where the trees were thicker and the grass ended. She could hear the movement of birds and other small animals in the trees but pine needles blanketed the ground giving everything a hushed, otherworldly feeling. She walked down the hill a bit, across the long driveway that wound in her path and up the rocky incline in front of her. After about 30 minutes she was feeling the burn in her calves and in her lungs, so Sloane made her way back to the deck, unlaced the heavy boots and laid down in the afternoon sun, turning her face to the sky. Shutting her eyes, she took three or four deep breaths and felt herself completely relax. In moments, she was asleep.
Sloane was only vaguely aware of Keeli joining her, stretching out on the lounge chair beside her, but she closed her eyes again and dozed a while longer. Afraid she was being rude, although Keeli had certainly said nothing, she eventually pulled herself awake and opened her eyes to find Keeli’s nose buried in a book about jewelry.
“Do you never leave your work behind?” Sloane asked good-naturedly.
With a shrug of her shoulders, Keeli replied, “Hazard of loving my job I guess. My brain is constantly designing new jewelry. You will see, I grab scraps of napkins to sketch wherever I go. I will try not to embarrass you.”
“Oh believe me, I don’t embarrass that easily. And after this year, I have grown a very thick skin.”
“It’s been a rough time for you, I imagine.”
“Oh, I did not mean to dredge anything up, Keeli. Really, I am just fine. Nothing to worry about.”
“Sloane, I hoped we could get to know each other better on this trip, really become friends. I don’t have many friends. I have Wyatt’s sisters, of course, but they are his sisters. I have my friend Clarice, a wonderful artist, and my sister-in-law, Sarah, but she is back in Gilman. Another business woman to be friends with, someone who knows the same people I know, that would be great. Linda has been fant
astic, I imagine we could grow close too, if you let us.”
“What would Wyatt think of all this? Are you sure he would approve?”
“First, he doesn’t get a say in who I am or am not friends with,” Keeli retorted sharply before continuing less hotly, “and actually, it was his idea for me to invite you this week.”
“His idea? You have got to be kidding. That makes no sense on so many levels.”
“Why would you say that Sloane? You and Wyatt used to be very close. Neither of you had your hearts broken when he called off the wedding, so why not resume the friendship?”
“Well, for starters, my dad went to jail for a scheme that almost ruined Wyatt’s father and his business.” Sloane could not hide the bitterness from her reply.
“That was your father, Sloane, not you. And you are paying a high price for it now, from what I can see.”
“You know, Keeli. I heard that you were a sweet girl from the farms, but I figured a sweet girl from the farms could not land a man like Wyatt. I had you pegged as cunning and clever, someone who set out to win him for his prestige, his family name and his money.”
Sloane waited for a response from Keeli, but the redhead just sat calmly, giving Sloane her full attention.
“I had you all wrong, didn’t I? You really are exactly what you appear to be. No wonder Wyatt dragged his feet with me. You are just what he was waiting for. I was too cynical, too sharp around the edges.”
“I don’t know about that, Sloane, but I know I love him with my whole heart, and I think he feels the same. I know we are happy. As for your cynicism, you can lose that if you want, you know. You are a brilliant woman who has sold her business and is about to start fresh. Seems to me you can be whatever and whoever you want.”
“No. It’s a nice fairy tale, but still just a fairy tale. There is no money, so I will have to take a job quickly. There is a scandal following me everywhere I go, and some who think I am guilty too.”
“Who thinks that? I don’t think that,” Keeli was quick to offer. “I think you were blindsided like the rest of us.”
Beholden (The Beguiling Bachelors Book 2) Page 22