CA 35 Christmas Past (9 page)

           
It was dark as they
reached town. He gave her the directions to a restaurant that didn’t require
reservations.

           
Molly parked the SUV
and climbed out. Her legs were a little stiff. She would be sore tomorrow, but
the outcome had been worth every step of the climb—and the couple of slides
she’d taken.

           
“You’re sure this place
is good?” she queried. This was one place she’d never been. Carlo’s was a
little off the beaten path and without the panache of Aspen’s high-class
offerings.

           
“If you like Mexican
food, you’ll love it.”

           
She definitely liked
Mexican food.
Could eat her weight in it.
Especially tonight.

           
Tonight felt special.

           
It was crazy. They
barely knew each other. In fact, he didn’t know her at all.
Would
never know her.
As much as she was enjoying spending time with him,
anything beyond this time together was, in the cold harsh light of reality, out
of the question.

           
She had lied to him.

           
Repeatedly.

           
She would just have to
enjoy tonight and maybe tomorrow, then it would be over.

           
Inside the cozy little
restaurant it felt warm and smelled heavenly. She inhaled deeply. Her stomach
rumbled.

           
“Told you it was good,”
he said, noticing her dreamy expression.

           
As the hostess led the
way to a table, he held Molly’s hand. She felt as if she was back in high
school and out with the captain of the football team after a game. His training
to stay in shape for racing kept his body lean and muscled. He had a great
body.

           
Fewell
ordered a feast of several items on the menu. Soft drinks and water completed
the list.

           
“We’ll have the
champagne when we get back to the lodge,” he explained. “I made a call. It’ll
be waiting in the room.”

           
“Very
good,
Fewell
.
I can see why you’re a winner.
You stay ahead of the game.”

           
He was also smart.
Drinking, even a glass of wine, and driving was risky business. She liked that
he took that into consideration.

           
Jason
Fewell
was a really nice guy. Nothing like the celebrity,
self-absorbed personality she had expected.

           
“When do you have to go
back to Chicago?”

           
She dragged herself
back to reality. There was a question she would just as soon not answer. “A
couple of days, the day after Christmas I guess. I have the rest of the week
off.
How about you?”

           
“I thought I’d stay
through New Year’s. Maybe even do some skiing.”

           
The waitress delivered
their drinks.

           
Molly took a sip of
water,
then
laughed. “You’d better not do any more
climbing without me. That wouldn’t be fair at all.” Not to mention, she would
worry about him going alone. That was never a good idea, no matter how
experienced the climber. Mountaineering was not meant to be a solitary sport.
Particularly this time of year.

           
“You could stay.” There
was that hope glimmering in his eyes again. “The room is ours.
For free.”
He grinned. “Might as well milk it for all it’s
worth.”

           
“Is that an invitation,
Mr.
Fewell
?” That same hope she saw in his eyes had
her pulse fluttering.

           
“It is exactly that.”

           
The waitress showed up
again, bearing platters of steaming entrées. God, it smelled good.

           
“Well.” Molly dished
samples of everything onto her plate. “I might just take you up on that,
hotshot.” She searched his eyes. “You’d better make sure you know what you’re
asking.”

           
His gaze was steady on
hers, real and open. “I know exactly what I’m asking.”

           
“Then the answer is
yes.” She shoved a chunk of enchilada into her mouth. Her eyes closed and she
moaned with delight.

           
They ate. They laughed.
She wasn’t ready to go but the restaurant was closing.

           
Even the cold air felt
somehow warm when they walked to the car. She hadn’t felt like this, ever. Not
over a guy.
Maybe over a career accomplishment, but never
over a guy.

           
This one was nice.
Truly nice.
Smart. And he loved all the outdoor activities
she loved.

           
Was there nothing they
didn’t have in common?

           
The answer was yes.
They didn’t have the whole truth in common.

           
He’d been totally
honest with her the last twenty-four hours.

           
And she was still lying
about why she was here and where she worked.

           
When he’d parked in the
garage at the lodge, she sat still for a few moments, her eyes closed. She
wanted to hold on to this feeling a little longer. It wouldn’t be long until it
would be over…He would have to know the truth.

           
And those warm, fuzzy
feelings he had for her would be gone for good.

           
He opened her door and
she turned to look at him. “I could sleep right here, I think. I’m beat.”

           
“Come on.” He offered
his hand to help her out. “We’ll unpack all this gear tomorrow. We have
champagne waiting.”

           
That was something else
she loved. She wasn’t much of a beer drinker.
Or cocktails,
either, for that matter.
A nice wine, bubbly and sweet, that was her
weakness. He had, without knowing it, touched on another of her favorites.

           
As usual the lobby and
bar area were brimming with activity.
Skiers and hikers
sharing their adventures of the day.
The occasional leg or arm cast
could be spotted where someone had taken a nasty spill.

           
“Jason
Fewell
!”

           
A chill rushed up
Molly’s spine.

           
“Keep walking,” Jason
whispered.

           
They’d almost made it
to the elevators when three camera-wagging
dirtbags
and a reporter caught up with them. Molly recognized the one as a reporter
since he was the one shouting questions.

           
“Any comment on today’s
headlines?”

           
Jason stabbed the call
button, and didn’t respond.

           
“I see you’re getting
along with your babysitter.”

           
Dread detonated inside
Molly.

           
The elevator doors slid
open and Molly tugged at his arm. “Let’s go.”

           
But he didn’t budge. He
turned back to the reporter. “What the hell are you talking about?”

           
And that was the
beginning of the end.

           
CHAPTER EIGHT

           
Christmas
Eve, 9:00 a.m.

           
YOU LIED TO ME.

           
The words kept echoing
in Molly’s head.

           
She stared at the
champagne now floating in a pool of water in the ice bucket.

           
Jason had left the
lodge last night and he hadn’t come back. The concierge’s staff had packed his
belongings and taken them away.

           
Molly had tried to
explain that, yes, she had misled him. That his team owner had hired her to
come here and see that he didn’t get hurt.

           
But that was before.

           
Before
she’d known the man behind the name.

           
Before she’d let her
heart get involved.

           
He hadn’t listened.

           
She didn’t blame him.

           
If she’d told him the
truth, would he have climbed that mountain with her?

           
That part didn’t
matter. He could only see the lies.

           
The telephone rang.
Molly shuffled across the room and picked up the receiver, part of her hoping
it would be him.

           
“Molly?”

           
Not him.
Her employer, Victoria Colby-Camp.

           
“Good morning,
Victoria.”

           
“Are you all right? I
heard about what happened. Mr. Harris called.”

           
Molly explained the
details of how they’d been ambushed in the lobby by the paparazzi and a rogue
reporter. She should have considered that once the press had seen her with
Jason they would dig until they found out who she was.

           
But she hadn’t been
thinking.

           
Not the way she should
have anyway.

           
She’d gotten too close
to the man she was supposed to be keeping safe.

           
“When are you coming
back?”

           
She didn’t know how to
answer that question. She’d tried getting an earlier flight, but with the
holidays everything was booked.

           
“Maybe
in a couple of days.
Flights are all booked.”

           
“Take your time, Molly.
Tomorrow’s Christmas. Enjoy Aspen. Visit your family.”

           
She could do that.

           
Since their mother had
died, they didn’t get together nearly often enough.

           
“Mr.
Fewell
told Harris how you helped him achieve the goal he’d
set out to accomplish. Well done, Molly.”

           
Great.
At least he’d recognized that some part of their time together was worthwhile.
“He conquered his fear that once,” Molly agreed. She was happy for him, but she
couldn’t work up any real enthusiasm just now. “If he can do it once, he can do
it every time.”

           
“This isn’t your fault,
Molly. You did your job. And you did it well.”

           
Molly thanked Victoria
and placed the receiver back in its cradle. She plopped down on the sofa and
sat,
her head in her hands.

           
She had been so excited
about this assignment.
Her first chance to prove herself.

           
Was Victoria right? Had
she done well?

           
The mission was
accomplished. Molly supposed that she had done her job to the best of her
ability.

           
She should be ecstatic.

           
Somehow she wasn’t.

           
She felt empty.
Lost.

           
Like a traitor.

           
No point sitting here
feeling sorry for
herself
.

           
She got to her feet,
dragged to the table where her cell phone lay and put through a call to her
youngest brother. He was happy to hear from her. Of course, she should come
home for Christmas, he insisted.

           
With that out of the
way, she packed.

           
It didn’t take long.
She had traveled light. Like always.