by Jamie Beck
“You guess right.” She turned away. “See yourself out, please.”
It’d be futile to try talking to her now. She’d humiliated herself, and he knew from his own experience how humbling it could be to face people in the immediate aftermath of that kind of misstep.
Beneath the initial surge of irritation, he found compassion. She was an unhappy young woman who had bargained away a chance at real love for the comfort of security. Tomorrow morning he’d act like nothing happened and hope for the best. For now, he’d try not to dwell on his shitty scorecard for the day.
Women angry with him: 2
Good decisions (not sleeping with a married woman): 1
Job security (on either front): 0
#
Nikki hoped her face showed no emotion while listening to Millie yammering on the other side of her desk at seven thirty in the morning. Inside, her heart deflated as if it had been run over by a Sno-Cat. “This is a serious charge. One I’ll have to put on Andy’s employment record. He’s a probationary hire right now, so this will also likely get him fired.”
Surely the severe consequences to Andy’s career and reputation would convince Millie not to press forward with a lie. And Nikki prayed this was a lie.
Millie’s expression remained firm. “I mean, I really don’t want to get him in trouble, but he was out of line. I’m married now. I don’t know what he was thinking last night, but I’m not comfortable having him as my instructor. I’m happy to go back with Billy.”
Thinking back, Andy had kissed Nikki without warning or invitation that night in the parking lot. Maybe Nikki’s sour phone call had planted the seed, like a twisted dare. Or maybe old feelings came up, and he assumed Millie would fall into bed with him. Now that Nikki knew exactly how much pleasure he could give, she was almost surprised Millie hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity.
“Billy will be happy to keep you as a client. I’ll make the change. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go inform the head of HR about this.” She watched Millie carefully, searching for a hint of remorse or regret. Nada. The woman must have been telling the truth. Nikki’s stomach lurched, but she had to do her job. She couldn’t play favorites, not even for Andy.
“Thank you.” Millie rose from her chair and left Nikki’s office.
Twenty minutes later, Nikki went outside, clutching her clipboard, stomach fighting to keep breakfast down. She handed out assignments, carefully avoiding Andy’s gaze. When she assigned Millie to Billy, he shot Andy a look.
“You must’ve screwed up big time.” Billy’s shit-eating smirk bothered Nikki, but she still didn’t look at Andy. She did, however, feel him staring at her.
She hadn’t assigned him any lessons. Once the crowd dispersed, she looked at him. It took effort to keep her voice even. “We need to go to Don’s office now.”
“What the hell is going on, Nik?” He followed her inside, his own expression a mix of concern and anger.
“Millie filed a complaint.” She kept walking, looking straight ahead.
Andy stopped. “She did what?”
Nikki turned to him. “She said you tried to get her into bed last night. Shades of sexual assault, she said.”
“That’s bullshit.” His jaw ticked.
She wanted to believe him, but how could she know for sure? And regardless, legally speaking, Millie’s claim had to be reported. The resort had to protect itself against a possible lawsuit or public scandal. It couldn’t have instructors assaulting clients. “I explained that her claim would have to go through HR. She knew all the consequences but remained firm. You two were friends. Why would she hurt you that way for no reason?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because she’s embarrassed that I rejected her?” He crossed his arms.
She hesitated. A plausible defense, but, again, without evidence, it didn’t matter. “I’m sorry, Andy. It’s ‘he said, she said.’ I had to report it. It’s HR policy and protection against liability. You know this.”
“Do you believe me?” His gaze bore into hers for an agonizing few seconds, while her thoughts tumbled like a first-time skier. “Wow. Your hesitation tells me all I need to know.”
“I don’t want to believe her, but you didn’t call me last night, either. I have no idea what you did or were thinking.”
“I told you to call me once you got your panties out of a bunch. That’s why I didn’t call.” He shook his head, then strode ahead of her toward Don’s office.
When they arrived, Don gestured toward the chairs. “Andy, I’m sure Nikki has filled you in on the complaint.”
“She did.” He said nothing more.
Nausea continued to churn, burning a hole in her stomach. Andy was pissed at her, but her hands would still be tied, even if she had given him the benefit of the doubt. Still, her doubt had hurt him.
Crap. She’d screwed up.
“Is that it?” Don asked.
“Millie’s lying, but I have no proof. She invited me over to bid on a remodel job for her master bathroom.” Andy shifted a bit, looking down. “Apparently, her real agenda was to resume our past personal relationship. But I don’t dabble with married women, so she kicked me out. That’s it.”
Don nodded, glanced at Nikki, then returned his focus to Andy. “Unfortunately, while I’d like to believe you, I’m in a bind here. I’ve got a client filing a serious charge. This kind of thing can hurt the resort, so I can’t dismiss it. Given that you’re already on probation and we’ve had a prior client complaint, too, I really don’t have a choice. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to let you go. It’s not personal.”
Andy’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t act out. He also didn’t spare Nikki one glance. He merely stood and extended his hand to Don. “I understand. I’ll get my things.”
“Thanks for taking it well. Again, I’m sorry it didn’t work out.” They shook hands, and Andy left without a word to Nikki.
“Finish up the paperwork on this and put it to bed, okay?” Don said.
“Sure.” Nikki hustled out of his office, hoping to catch Andy before he left the building. She saw him near the door and hollered, “Andy, hold up.”
He stopped but kept his eyes on the ground.
“I’m sorry. For all of it. I’m sorry about my attitude yesterday, and I’m sorry that I had to report this to Don.” She reached out for his arm, but he shirked her off.
“I’m used to people thinking the worst of me, Nik. I just didn’t expect you to be one of them.” He took two steps toward the door.
“That’s not fair, Andy. It’s not even true.”
He whirled on her, his green eyes blazing with accusation. “Isn’t it? You doubted me, which means you’re not the friend I thought you were, and this”—he gestured between them—“isn’t what I thought, either. So there’s nothing left to say.”
He turned and punched open the doors, letting the cold air rush inside. Didn’t matter. Her insides had already frozen.
She watched him through the glass as he crossed the patio and disappeared around the corner of the building.
Turning away, she took a deep breath and went to her office, realizing her doubts had more to do with her own insecurities than with a flaw in Andy’s character. That admission, however, couldn’t fix the trust she’d broken.
#
Andy needed to talk to his sister, so he shucked off his ski clothes and boots, tossed them into his car, then drove into town. She told him to meet at Kelsey’s office, where those two were finishing their morning coffee. Avery’s clinic didn’t open until nine, so she still had thirty minutes before her workday began.
Through the plate glass window of Kelsey’s real estate office, he saw them chatting. They were laughing about something, and he almost felt bad for ruining their nice morning with his foul mood.
“Oh, boy,” Avery said as soon as she saw him. She set down her cup. “What the heck happened?”
“I lost my job.” He ran his hand through his hair and relayed the whole sordid story�
�minus the part about Nikki and his little fling on Christmas night. The fact that he’d thought it had been the beginning of something special proved, once again, how stupid he could be.
“I’m so sorry.” Avery jumped up to hug him. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted from his sister and Kelsey, but he didn’t want their pity.
“Bull! That’s what this is.” Kelsey stood and paced around like a Doberman, her loopy blond hair bouncing with each step. “Vindictive little witch. I wish I’d never sold Millie’s husband that home.”
Andy wished that now, too. Millie’s conniving scheme had surprised Andy, but Nikki’s response had surprised him, too. He pictured her face again—the doubt in her eyes—and frowned.
“Problem is, it’s not only the resort job. If this gets out, I can kiss good-bye any plans for a remodeling side business.” Andy sank onto one of the vacated chairs and crossed his ankles.
Kelsey whirled around on him. “Oh, no you won’t. I sell houses and condos every week, and tons of them need work. We’ll make you up some business cards, and then I’ll give them to every client.”
Andy grinned. Thank God for his sister’s friends. They’d never wavered in their support, not even during his darkest days. “That’s nice, Kels, but if this alleged assault leaks, my reputation’s going to take another big hit.” He paused, letting the weight of that settle on him. “I don’t want your reputation caught in the middle of my latest shit storm.”
“Don’t worry about me. This is what friends do, Andy.” She marched over to her computer. “Let’s go online now to design some business cards, and you’ll have them in two days.”
Avery perked up. “I agree with Kelsey. You’ll rebuild, one step at a time. Lean on us for now, and together we move on.”
Andy held up his hands. “Thanks, guys, but maybe it’s time for me to move on elsewhere. I’ve been living under a cloud of suspicion here since the accident. Maybe that’s fair, because what I did was terrible. But I’m sick of having to prove I’ve changed. Of the nasty looks if I order a drink. Now this? People thinking I’m some kind of lech? In a new town, I’ll have a real fresh start.”
“But what about me and the baby?” His sister’s heartbroken expression made him feel loved and guilty at the same time. She’d miss him, even if no one else would.
“I’ll be involved, Ave. I won’t go far, either. Maybe up to Crested Butte or Vail or something.” He tapped his thumbs on the arms of the chair.
“Well, this really stinks.” Avery bit her lip. “I can’t believe Nikki reported you without investigating further. I thought you two were friends.”
He’d thought the same thing an hour ago. The truth was, Nikki had to follow the rules. He could’ve forgiven that, if she’d believed in him. If she’d defended him to Don. He almost told his sister about him and Nikki because she and Kelsey might be able to make sense of it for him. But what would be the point now that he and Nik were through? “She had a job to do.”
“More bull. Too few people value loyalty anymore.” Kelsey shook her head. “Let’s make the business cards up now, then give your sister and me a week to convince you to stay with your tribe. Once you get past this blue mood, you’ll be ready to get to work.”
Andy grinned. Kelsey had always been relentless in her pursuit of everything—friends, business, men. “You say that like you’re giving me a choice, but you’re not, are you?”
“Oh, Andy.” Kelsey made a playful curtsy. “You know me so well.”
“I’m so pissed off,” Avery exclaimed out of nowhere, her face reddening. Her outburst drew wide-eyed looks from Kelsey and him. Avery never swore. Never. Now he could practically see her mind vibrating with some scheme. “There’s got to be a way to bring Millie down.”
“You know I’m not opposed to a little vengeance.” Kelsey almost giggled with glee. “We should call Emma. She’s good at being sneaky.”
Andy snorted. “Emma? Sneaky?”
Kelsey and Avery exchanged a weird look, then Kelsey flicked a hand. “I just meant we three should be able to figure out a way to make Millie a pariah around town.”
“No.” Andy stood. “If you spread gossip or sling mud, then I still get dragged back into the public eye. Given my reputation, people are more likely to believe Millie than me.”
“That little liar is not going to run you out of town.” Avery scowled. “As for work, I’m sure Grey would hire you. You’d be out on the slopes again tomorrow.”
“No, thanks, Ave. Those guys don’t have the margins to hire another instructor without making a sacrifice, and I don’t want my brother-in-law to do me a favor after I mowed him over.” Andy strode to the window and looked out at Main Street. “I need to solve my own problems, one way or another.”
“Andy.” Avery sighed.
“Come on. You know I’m not a backcountry-expedition guy. I don’t have all those avalanche certifications, and that’s not really my passion.” He fell silent—they all fell silent—for a moment. “Maybe I should confront Millie.”
“Even if she confesses to you, what good will that do?” Avery asked.
“Maybe I can record her with my phone,” he mused.
“I like it!” Kelsey clapped. “Ooh, I really like it. Meet her somewhere and, before you get into the discussion, pretend you’ve received a text or something, then turn on the voice recorder.”
Andy’s blood began pounding with the idea of vindication. It might not change his joblessness, but at least he’d have the satisfaction of proving his innocence and embarrassing Millie. That didn’t make him a hero, but neither did being a doormat.
Chapter Nine
Andy stepped out of his car when Millie pulled into her driveway. She killed the engine but sat in her car for a moment.
He’d spent an hour thinking about how to approach this and decided his only hope was if she thought she had all the power. He exited his car and strolled toward hers, stopping a few feet away to wait.
Finally, she got out of her car and affected an annoyed stance. With a bored tone, she said, “I thought I made it pretty clear that I wasn’t interested in seeing you again.”
“You did.”
Twirling her finger in a circle, she said, “Then turn around and get into your car, Andy. Otherwise I’ll have to call the cops for trespassing.”
The idea of being arrested again made his blood freeze for a second, but he couldn’t give up so easily. He raised his hands. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I only wanted to talk for the sake of our past friendship.”
Her nose twitched, like a rabbit facing a potential predator, but he could tell she would cave. “Make it quick.”
This was it—his only chance. He pretended his phone buzzed in his pocket. “Sorry. I’ve been waiting on a text.”
While she unloaded her skis from the ski rack, he opened up the voice recorder and hit “Play”; then he crossed his arms while keeping the phone in front of his chest.
“Well?” she asked, hugging her skis to her side.
“Help me understand why you threw me under the bus. I thought we were friends.” He stepped closer, doing his best not to muffle the phone mic. “More than friends.”
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world. I couldn’t risk you telling anyone what happened, so I had to neuter you.”
“But I’d promised not to say a word. You know me. You know I didn’t want to cause you trouble. I just didn’t want to have sex.”
He saw a hint of remorse color her expression. “You humiliated me. I woke up pissed off, so I wanted you to hurt, too. When I went to Nikki, I didn’t think you’d get in any real trouble—just get a little embarrassed and a slap on the wrist. When she explained the consequences, it was too late. If I backed off, I’d have looked doubly bad, and gossip would’ve spread. If Mitchell got wind of it, he might leave me.”
“So the whole open-relationship thing was a lie?”
“No. But it wouldn’t exactly be discreet if the whole town knew, would it?”
“I suppose not.” He had what he needed—but what a hollow victory. “For the record, if you had acted like a friend, neither of us would’ve been hurt.”
“Well, I don’t know what I can do now. I am sorry it went as far as it did, but I’m not going to lose my marriage over this nonindiscretion.”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t expect you to be so noble. I’ll fix my own problems. I only wanted to speak to you face-to-face.”
“So you’re not mad?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m real mad. But I believe in karma.”
She snorted. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
“Only if you believe in karma, too.” He turned and walked back to his car. Before he pulled away, she’d gone inside the home he’d never set foot in again.
He sat in his car to listen to the audio recording, praying it would be clean enough to prove his innocence. Once he confirmed that fact, he pulled away from the curb with one destination in mind.
A few minutes later, he pulled up to Don’s house and knocked on his door.
“Andy, what are you doing here?”
“Can I have three minutes of your time, Don? It’s important.” Andy waited, hoping he wouldn’t be turned away.
“Come on in.” Don led him to a small office. “I know you’re upset about this morning, but my hands are tied.”
“Millie lied. All I ask is that you listen to her confession. More than anything, I need to clear my name, okay? Whether I leave town or stay, I don’t want my name to be raked through the mud because of a lie.”
Don’s grave expression softened. “Okay. Let me hear.”
Andy pulled up the audio file and hit “Play,” then handed Don the phone so he could hold the speaker close to his ear. When the recording ended, Don handed him back his phone.
“Well, that certainly changes things.” He tapped his fingers on his desk. “I won’t make promises, but let me talk to legal. Maybe they can get her to sign some kind of release in exchange for you not suing her for defamation, in which case, I could hire you back.”
For an instant, he thought about the money he could probably get if he threatened Millie. She’d pay anything to keep him quiet so her husband didn’t learn about this mess. Then he thought of how Grey had twisted himself into a bunch of knots trying not to sue Andy—mostly because of his feelings for Avery, but also because Grey was a good person who didn’t take advantage of others’ mistakes.