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.”