Any Way You Plan It: An Upper Crust Series Novel

by Monique McDonell

  Her eyes were raised very pointedly at Marissa. She didn’t want the subject to turn to her so she backed Esme up.

  “You really should try to date, Todd.”

  “Thanks for the advice, ladies, but what I am doing is working for me.”

  Esme let out a chuckle. “Yes, dear, of course, that’s why you spend half your time with your elderly neighbor. It’s going swimmingly.”

  He shook his head. “I enjoy being with you, Esme, and with Marissa. You’re my two best girls.”

  “Yes, well, that’s a bit sad, Todd,” Esme said, although she did smile at the compliment. “But you keep telling yourself how happy you are, dear.”

  She stood to go inside. “Cold, Esme?”

  “Tired mainly. You two go eat; I’ll see you later.” She turned back. “And even if I think you should both be spending more time on romantic pursuits, I love every minute I spend with you two.”

  Marissa couldn’t help but notice Esme didn’t seem quite as vibrant lately as she usually did. Still, maybe she really was just tired. Marissa herself could relate to that.

  They walked across to Todd’s place. His actual house, not the treehouse, which was used mainly as an office. Marissa stopped along the way to grab lasagna from the back of her car that she’d made to share.

  “You’ve been cooking?” he asked. “I was thinking we’d order in.”

  “Yeah, I’m so used to cooking for my folks now I find myself making huge meals and it is just me. My freezer is overflowing.”

  “Well, you know me, always happy to help a damsel in distress by eating her lasagna.”

  “You’re a prince, Toddy.” She hip checked him.

  “You know it.” He chuckled.

  They walked through to the kitchen, and he slid the lasagna in the oven while she got down two wine glasses. She hesitated, did she need a third? “Is Mike joining us?”

  “Town council.”

  No, she didn’t.

  He pulled out a bottle of wine.

  “It’s a shame neither of us is attracted to each the other, Todd, because we’re already kind of like an old married couple,” she said as she held out the glasses for him to fill.

  “Marissa, for the record, I find you very attractive. It would be, in fact, impossible for anyone not to know you were attractive, and I know you find me attractive because I look exactly like Mike and you’ve been in love with him for years. I think it’s that frisson we lack.”

  “Frisson? Seriously? Have we been reading our thesaurus?”

  “Yeah, you know what I mean. And if I was the kind of guy who just wanted to be married by forty, I would certainly make one of those ‘if we don’t meet anyone else’ pacts with you that people sometimes make, but as you know, I intend to live and die a crusty old bachelor. And you do not.”

  “I do not, you are right, intend to be a crusty old bachelor.” She smiled at him. “And I wish you would at least open yourself to the possibility of something else.”

  “What we know for sure about my gene pool is that we are crap at choosing partners. Mom has proven it at least twice, and the jury’s only out on Dad because we can’t really remember him. Mike has already proved to be a failure for our generation. I’m just avoiding the misery, honey.”

  “What if you’re actually the one with the good taste, though? What a tragedy!”

  He laughed. “If I was the one with the good taste, I’d be wooing you, Marissa. Smart, pretty, kind, funny, and you cook. Seriously, you’re the whole package.”

  “That’s very sweet.” They clinked glasses. Then they headed into the living room and settled in for a night of murder shows. Perhaps they were too similar, too compatible.

  She wondered what Moose was watching tonight. Did he like a good procedural investigation?

  He’d left a message for her today, inviting her up to his ski lodge for the weekend. She should call him back and accept, but something was holding her back. Was it nerves or was she just not interested?

  “Todd, do you think I should go visit Moose at the ski lodge?”

  “I do.”

  “You do? Really?” Had she expected him to say otherwise? Or maybe she hoped he’d tell her to hold out for Mike, that his brother would come around, but Todd wouldn’t do that. He wanted her happy not deluded.

  “He’s a nice guy. He owns a ski lodge, he likes you.”

  “It’s flattering . . .”

  “Marissa, give it a chance. You don’t have to marry him, heck, you don’t even have to sleep with him, but you should give it a go, get out there.”

  He was right. Do what you always do, get what you always get. Thanks, Dr. Phil, she thought.

  “I’ll just go call him.”

  Todd paused the TV and headed to the kitchen.

  Moose picked up on the third ring.

  “Hey, beautiful, I was hoping it was you.” His loud voice boomed down the line.

  “It is. I got your message.”

  “Yeah, you think you might like to come up this weekend. We’ve got some good powder, and I think it could be fun. I’ll show you around. There are Christmas markets in town. Girls like markets, right?”

  She laughed. “We do. I’d love to come, but I have to work Saturday morning so I won’t be up until late afternoon, but the library is closed Monday.”

  “Perfect. I’ll email you directions and a map.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll book you a room in the main building. This will be fun!”

  “It will.”

  She hung up and reminded herself that’s what it was all about. She might have to kiss a few frogs to find a prince, but maybe, just maybe, that wouldn’t be so bad after all. She wanted to shake things up, try new things, and branch out, and what better way to start than skiing. In fact, she will have left town two weekends in a row, and that in itself was remarkable.

  Mike sat in the town council meeting, trying to stay focused. He needed to write a story about it for the paper. Town councils were the lifeblood of small papers like his, however tedious their proceedings. In fact, Mike considered his ability to make the proceedings sound interesting one of his greater journalistic achievements.

  Yet, his mind was wandering to Marissa. He knew she was over having dinner with Todd, and that was fine. Todd and Marissa hanging out was entirely normal; sometimes he wondered if Marissa wasn’t closer to his brother than he was. No, the reality was beginning to dawn on him that everyone was right. Marissa was moving on with her life and that meant she wouldn’t be hanging out with him anymore. She didn’t imagine some hot boyfriend would want to come to poker night at Todd’s or over for midweek crime television.

  No, whoever she moved on with would want her all to himself.

  Maybe that was Moose because there was a rumor going around hot on the heels of the flowers that he had invited her away for the weekend. Or maybe it would be the next guy because there was no doubt that some smart guy would come and snatch her up now that she was open to it.

  She was smart, kind, sexy, and beautiful and she didn’t really know it. And why not? Because he and his brother had monopolized her time in between her parents needs up until now. They’d kept her apart with their friendship and that had worked for everyone until now. But she was moving on, without him.

  He’d vowed never to have a long-term relationship again and had managed that just fine because, as Todd pointed out, he’d had all he needed from Marissa. He had been, as Lucy had told him on the quiet at her party when she’d caught him watching Marissa dancing, a selfish prick. She’d cornered him after a wine or two and been rather more frank than she would have been normally, but she was right.

  And now Marissa was wising up and moving on without him.

  And what did that mean? It meant he was losing her.

  The truth was he wanted Marissa to be happy. He loved her. She was the brightest light in his somewhat drab life, but what if she was gone? Then what?

  And more to the point, what was
he going to do about it?

  Chapter 11

  It was late when Marissa pulled into the ski resort. The place was all wood and stone and lit with thousands of fairy lights. It looked magical.

  Marissa had been skiing before, but this place was five-star, not like the lodges she was used to. She climbed out of her rather beaten up little car and felt a little self-conscious when the concierge came racing to help her.

  “Checking in?”

  “Yes.”

  Moose then appeared out of nowhere and slapped the guy on the shoulder. “Jake, she’s with me. This is Marissa, and she’s staying in the Mountain Suite.”

  “Excellent,” said Jake.

  Then Moose pulled her in for a hug. “You made it! I’m so pleased.”

  He then released her and slung an arm over her shoulder.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “It is pretty nice. My parents spent a lot of energy making this the sort of place people wanted to come back to time and again.”

  “Well, I think they succeeded.”

  “Yeah, so well I can’t quite talk them into retiring.” He laughed.

  “Does that mean they’re here?” she asked.

  “What, nervous about meeting the folks on the first date?”

  “Kind of.”

  He chuckled his deep low laugh. “No, they’re not here. Fear not, I wouldn’t do that to you. They’re a little eager to see me paired off; their enthusiasm is not exactly an aphrodisiac.”

  “For you or the ladies?” she asked. They’d crossed the foyer and entered a large bar with a huge fireplace. It was Saturday night and the place was packed. Small groups and couples mainly.

  “Some of the ladies love it, but I’m not sure their motives are all that pure. Keys to the kingdom and all that.” He smiled down at her. “What can I get you?”

  Marissa opted for a wine and found a seat in the corner while he ordered. It was a young affluent crowd mixed in with some older folks who no doubt were regulars. It took Moose a while to make his way back because it was obvious lots of the guests knew and wanted to hang out with him.

  She watched him work the crowd. He was tall and confident and affable. He was one of the good guys. Still, the truth was when he’d hugged her and put his arm around her there hadn’t been a spark.

  “It might come,” she told herself.

  He came back apologizing for the delay. In fact, the drinks had beaten him to the table. “It’s fine. I know you’re kind of working.”

  “Cheers!” he toasted. “I’m so glad you came. I know it sounds odd because obviously I am surrounded by people all the time, but it’s nice to be sharing the company of someone I chose.”

  “And it is nice to be chosen.” They clinked their glasses. And it was. It felt like a lifetime since she’d been more than a default or a backstop for someone.

  He asked her about her day at the library and her drive up. He was an attentive guy, even if guests kept coming over to chat.

  “Sorry,” he mouthed after the third interruption.

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Really?”

  And so it was that they spent the evening in a large circle of guests drinking schnapps, eating sliders, and laughing. It was like being at a big party. Some of the male guests even flirted with her that every so often Moose would give them an angry stare or, in one case, even a growl at a guy who got a little handsy. As she took her sixth schnapps, Marissa knew it was a mistake, but it was nice to be out making mistakes for a change instead of being at home avoiding them.

  Moose walked her to her room at the end of the evening. He gave her a chivalrous kiss on the forehead and agreed to meet her at nine in the morning for breakfast and skiing.

  She let herself into the most opulent room she’d ever stayed in and collapsed on the large white bed that was littered with flower petals, not exactly native to Maine in winter, and was thoroughly pleased she had decided to come.

  The weekend progressed as a whirlwind of skiing, drinking, and shopping. Moose was kind and sweet and so much fun.

  “How are you single?” she asked some time Monday afternoon. “You’re like the perfect date.”

  “But not perfect for you?”

  “Huh?”

  “I can tell by the way you look at me.”

  “How do I look at you?”

  “Like I’m a force of nature.”

  “And that’s not good?” she asked.

  “Oh no, that’s fine. But you don’t look at me like you can’t wait to rip my clothes off and do naughty things to me, involving whipped cream and syrup.”

  “Are the cream and syrup optional?”

  “Sure, but you still don’t like me like that.”

  “Maybe not,” she said, biting her lip. “Then again, I’m not getting that vibe from you either.”

  “That’s true.” He sighed. “I so wanted to be desperately in love with you.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “Me, too. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m having a great time.” He pulled her in for a hug. “I really like you in a keep your clothes on kind of way.”

  “Likewise,” she said, smiling into his enormous chest.

  Another hot male friend. She supposed there were worse things to take home from a fun weekend away.

  Chapter 12

  Mike walked into the diner and saw Marissa sitting alone in the corner booth. She had a phalanx of papers spread out in front of her and she was busily writing away. She had her dark hair pulled behind one ear but a curtain of curls still fell across her face. As she often did when she was thinking, she was chewing on the end of her pen.

  The fact she was here at all on a weeknight was out of character. The fact she was working seemed even more strange.

  Mike walked over to her booth and slid in opposite her. She seemed almost startled by his presence and jumped a little.

  “Hey, sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  She blinked once, twice. “No, I was just . . . absorbed. What’s the time?”

  “Six thirty,” he said, after glancing at a clock on the wall.

  “Wow, I really lost track of time.” She leaned back in her seat and rolled her shoulders, then she cricked her neck side to side. She had a beautiful neck.

  “What were you so absorbed in?”

  “I’m working out my finances. You know, if the house sells quickly and if it doesn’t and how I’ll manage it all.”

  “Kind of tough to sell an old New Hampshire farmhouse in the dead of winter,” he said.

  “I know, I need to keep it running so the pipes don’t freeze and all that, but I don’t really want to live out there alone. It’s too quiet.”

  “I bet.” He remembered visiting that house as a teen. Marissa’s older siblings seemed to fill every corner with their loud voices and boyfriends and it was utter chaos. Even more recently her somewhat overbearing mother had managed to fill the house up. It would be strange to live there alone. “And is that what everyone expects you to do?”

  She gave a shrug. “You know what they’re like. No one’s really thought about that.”

  Myrna came over to take their order. “Are you two eating?”

  He looked at Marissa and hoped she wouldn’t leave. She hadn’t been avoiding him lately but she certainly wasn’t seeking him out. “I was planning to.”

  “Sure.”

  She ordered some soup and he ordered the meatloaf with a side of mac and cheese.

  “How do you not get fat eating that?” she asked.

  “I work out,” he said.

  “Really? How did I not know that?”

  “I’m a man of mystery,” he teased.

  “Seriously? You’re a creature of habit. Like me.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re sitting in the diner working your life out and you’re dating some millionaire from Maine, so people can change.”

  “We’re not dating exactly.”

  He raised his eyebrows at her. “No
?”

  “Okay, maybe we are, I don’t think I’m going to label it.”

  “Another change. You love to label stuff.”

  She laughed. “I do, actually. I lost my label maker at home last week. It was a serious crisis.”

  “I bet. Well, I hope he’s treating you well, this Moose guy.”

  She looked up from under her lashes as she stacked her papers into her bag. “Yeah, he’s a good guy. I’m just taking it nice and slow. I’ve never really had a long-distance relationship, so . . .”

  He wondered if she was referring to him. How she’d written to him when they’d gone to college, and after a month or so he hadn’t bothered writing back.

  “So you’re moving into town then?”

  “Yeah, there’s an apartment coming free in the old shoe factory complex just after New Year.”

  “They did that place up really nicely. The apartments are great,” he said. Their town wasn’t exactly a hotbed of development, but there had been some nicer condos built in the downtown in the last few years. “Let me know when you’re moving, I’ll give you a hand.”

  She smiled at him, that special smile she seemed to have only for him. “Thanks, Mike.”

  It occurred to him he hadn’t seen that smile lately. He wondered if she was now saving it for Moose, and that idea was not appealing.

  “Will your folks be okay if the house doesn’t sell?” He didn’t like to pry, but he figured by the papers she had piled up that that was part of the issue.

  “I don’t know. They made a rather impulsive decision, and I’m honestly not across their finances so well. The running costs of the house, yes, but all the other stuff, I just don’t know. Dad has always been pretty sensible, but with Mom, who knows?”

  “Someone will buy it,” he said, trying to be reassuring.

  “I hope so, it needs a good paint job and some of that seventies wallpaper is diabolical.” She gave a shudder. “But it is a great house; a young family would be very happy there. I’d like to think that’s who will buy it.”

  “I can see that.” Their meals arrived, and as he arranged his napkin, Mike had an image of himself and Marissa living in that house together, making dinner in the kitchen while two dark-haired children sat at the table. Man, he was losing it.