“Jess, darling, I have a present for you.”
I looked up and met Barry’s eyes. They were warm with just a hint of puppy dog in them.
“Oh, Barry, driving me to the airport was gift enough.”
“I wanted to get you something else,” he insisted. “Open it.”
I removed the wrapping paper and discovered a stuffed animal, slightly larger than my fist. It was a white rabbit.
“A snow bunny for my snow bunny,” Barry said.
I couldn’t help the small smile. The bunny was goofy and sweet, just like Barry was when no one was looking. And of course, Barry had chosen his moment perfectly. A quick glance around the concourse confirmed that no one was looking. My other sorority sisters were talking among themselves over by the gate. Only Hayley was casually looking in our direction.
“This is really sweet,” I said, giving Barry a hug and then tucking the rabbit in my bag.
“I wish I could go with you,” he said.
I pulled back with a sigh. “It’s a ‘girls only’ trip. As much as I’d love to have you along...” I sighed again. I had argued with Regan and Hayley about bringing our boyfriends, but they’d been insistent. Just Chi O sisters. Since it was Regan’s family’s chalet, I’d let it drop.
“That’s okay,” Barry said. “You’ll be back in time for us to be together before Christmas.”
“Yes I will. Or do we have to be at your parents earlier?”
“No,” Barry reassured me. “Father hasn’t called. I don’t think he will, since Mother was so upset about his last-minute changes last year. I don’t think he wants to endure another of her crying fits.” Barry and I shared a smile. No one with any sanity wanted to endure one of his mother’s crying fits.
“Well, hello, Bartholomew.” Hayley had walked up while we’d been talking.
“Hello, Hayley,” Barry said.
“Nice of you to see Jessica off,” she said with a small smile. Her eyes flicked to me and back.
“It’s what any gentleman would do,” Barry said.
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re a gentleman.” Hayley’s face contained a little too much innocence for me to believe she meant what she said, but Barry didn’t see it. Instead, he reddened a little at the compliment.
“Just living up to the family name,” he said, a little too eagerly.
I shot Barry a dirty look, but he didn’t see it. Hayley was still smiling at him, turning on the charm. Of course, I knew it was just a mask; she had no real interest in Barry’s well-being.
“So how is your family? Your father’s firm doing well?”
“Quite well,” Barry said. “They should bring in record profits this year.”
“Well, that must make for a very merry Christmas,” Hayley said.
“Oh, yes.”
Hayley glanced at me and moistened her lips as she grinned. “Jessica is so lucky to be dating you,” she practically purred, returning her attention to Barry. “She’s so lucky to have caught you!”
“Hayley!”
We looked in the direction of the shout and saw Regan waving her arm. Hayley turned back to Barry.
“It was good to see you, Bartholomew,” she said, lightly touching his arm before turning and heading over to join my sisters.
“She is such a bitch,” I spat through gritted teeth.
“What?” Barry responded. “I thought she was perfectly nice.”
“You didn’t catch the insult? That I had to be lucky to be with you?”
“That was an insult?” he asked.
Barry, dear Barry, was completely clueless. I just shook my head.
“She’s always getting away with stuff like that,” I muttered.
“Huh?”
I turned and looked Barry in the eyes.
“You know I don’t like her, but it’s more than that. Her nickname’s ‘Hayley Devil.’ It’s partially a play on her last name, Devlin. Most people think it’s because she can be so naughty. But some of us know better.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She’s selfish, amoral, and smart enough to get away with it,” I said. “She can be really nasty too.”
“She’s always been nice to me.”
I closed my eyes for a second and gritted my teeth. Barry could be so sweet, but he just didn’t see beneath the surface.
“So, if she’s all those things,” Barry asked, “why hang out with her?”
“You know why. We’re sorority sisters.”
“Oh.”
Barry seemed to still have a question hovering on his lips. While I was debating whether to try and explain more, we heard the boarding call.
“You have to go,” Barry said with a small pout.
“Yes.” I stepped forward and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight until we heard the second boarding call. I pulled back and we exchanged a quick kiss.
“Take care of yourself, darling,” he said, forcing a smile.
“I will.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I pulled away, slowly letting go of his hands, before turning toward the gate. With a final wave, I boarded the plane.
The first leg of the flight was uneventful. My “little sister” Gina met us in Atlanta. Her entire family and boyfriend Paul saw her off, so I didn’t think Barry doing the same for me was that unusual. Despite what Hayley might say.
As I settled into my seat by the window, Gina surprised me by throwing her bag into the same overhead compartment.
“Hi, Jess,” she said.
“I thought you’d be up with Regan,” I said, gesturing toward First Class.
Gina frowned. “When Regan made the reservations, she said she’d get me a seat with her, but she didn’t reserve enough seats in First Class. Then Hayley persuaded her that they needed to talk about some ‘plans’ for the weekend. So I got bumped.”
“Plans?”
“They didn’t say.”
Gina sank down next to me. A few moments later, Gina’s fellow pledge Cassie appeared in the aisle. She looked tense as she claimed the remaining seat, her eyes darting to Gina and me and back. I gave her a reassuring smile as she got settled and pushed her carry-on under the seat in front of her. As she did so, she gave a quick sideways glance at Gina, who had pulled out a book, and then retrieved her own paperback. Neither girl looked up during the pre-flight safety announcement. I watched the two readers while the flight attendants conducted their spiel.
Gina was already several chapters into Burger’s Daughter, by Nadine Gordimer. I had to smile. My World Lit professor had put it on our optional reading list, claiming that Gordimer was one of the best writers to ever come out of South Africa. I hadn’t picked it up, but Gina was apparently reading it for pleasure.
Gina was like that, I mused. Smart, serious about school, but still a lot of fun. I was glad we’d offered her a bid to join the sorority, even if I was cynical about some of my sisters’ motivations. Since Gina’s mother was Indian, she had a darker complexion, which allowed us to claim we didn’t discriminate against minorities. Never mind that she was the only ‘minority’ in the pledge class. Our annual ‘token’ pledge.
Cassie, on the other hand, was fair-skinned with dark hair. She was much more of an intellectual lightweight than Gina, although she worked incredibly hard to compensate. She was a Chi O legacy through her mother, but Hayley constantly reminded her that it didn’t guarantee she’d get in. I tilted my head so I could see the cover of her book. A bodice-ripper romance. That figured.
I pulled out my own book as we taxied toward the runway. Agatha Christie, Dead Man’s Folly. Not as highbrow as Gina, but not as trashy as Cassie. Just right, I supposed.
I only finished a couple of chapters before the attendants started serving drinks. Gina and Cassie had already set their novels down and lowered their trays. I decided to switch to a travel magazine for a while and pulled out my carry-on. Gina spotted the white bunny in my bag as I moved it to make room for my book.
“A gift from Barry?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I admitted, unavoidably brightening at his name. “He can be such a sweetie.”
“Cool,” Gina said. “I’m glad he does things like that. He usually seems so...” I could tell she was trying to pick her words.
“Stuffy?”
“Yeah. Stuffy. At least when I’ve been around him.”
“You and everybody else,” I said. “His dad has drilled this idea of ‘proper’ behavior into him. Unimpeachable morals and reputation. The works.” I sighed. “So Barry doesn’t relax unless no one’s watching.”
“Must be hard to be with him,” Gina said.
“It can be. But he’s really sweet, and a good guy otherwise. How can I not love him?”
“I know what you mean,” Gina said, nodding.
“Since we’re on the topic, how are things with Paul?”
“Good,” she said. “We’re finally getting some time together.”
“Except you’re leaving for a week of skiing,” I pointed out.
Gina sighed. “True. But Paul urged me to go. He knows how much I enjoy it. I mean, our families have been skiing together for years.”
“Really? Where?”
“Park City, Utah. We rent a condo every year.”
“I’ve only been skiing a couple of times,” I admitted. “But Regan’s place sounds wonderful.”
“You haven’t been there before?”
I sighed. “I was never part of Regan’s crowd, so I never got invited. But the girls that did go used to tell these incredible stories. So I jumped at the opportunity when Regan invited the entire sorority instead of just her friends. I decided I still wanted to go even when most of the others declined.”
“You and Regan aren’t friends?” Cassie asked. She’d put down her book and was listening in on Gina’s and my conversation.
“No,” I answered. “But we’re not enemies either. I just don’t know her well enough. Not like Gina does.”
Gina pursed her lips in a small smile.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to come,” Cassie continued, “but Hayley reminded me that stuff like this would help my chances of getting in.”
“Regan told me something like that,” Gina said.
“Neither of you have anything to worry about,” I reassured them. “You’ll both get in. Being a pledge is just a step we all go through.”
“Some step,” Cassie said sourly. “I can’t wait until Hayley can no longer call ‘Oh, Pledge Cassie!’” She curled her lips into a frown and stared straight ahead.
“So don’t answer,” I said.
“It’s not that easy,” she said. “Hayley knows my mother.” She didn’t look at us as she answered.
I paused. I’d met Cassie’s mom too. Four times in fifteen minutes, she’d told her daughter what to do and how to behave. I could easily imagine Cassie’s mom going on a tirade if her “precious daughter” didn’t get into the same sorority she’d been in.
“I know what you mean,” Gina said. “When Regan says ‘Pledge Gina,’ it’s hard to say no.”
“Regan’s just a pledge herself,” I said. “Even though she’s been hanging out with the Chi O’s since she was in high school, she doesn’t vote on whether we let you in, and she wouldn’t blackball you anyway. She likes you, and you don’t blackball your friends.”
Gina nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
“Well, I’m sure everything is going to be fine during this trip. We’ll get in some good skiing and have a lot of fun.”
Gina nodded in agreement.
I glanced over at Cassie, but she’d already buried her head in her book again. That seemed like a good idea, so I picked up my magazine and we all returned to reading.
I finished my magazine before we touched down in Boston. The layover before catching the commuter flight to Rutland was short, and we spent most of it in the Crown Room Club, courtesy of Regan once again. I tried reading a newspaper someone else had left, but I mostly just watched Regan joke with Gina. Regan seemed relaxed and ready to cut loose. She was getting a little loud and almost giggly. Gina was having a good time too, and looked more relaxed than she’d been earlier.
On the commuter flight, Gina and Regan ended up several rows ahead of me. I wasn’t too disappointed because my friend Patricia took the seat across the aisle from me. Since the plane was so small, that constituted our entire row.
“Hey, Jess,” Patricia said facetiously, once we’d gotten settled. “Long time no chat.”
I snorted. “What, a full week?”
She grinned at me.
Since we ate lunch together a couple of times a week, the only reason we hadn’t talked recently was because of the rearranged schedule for finals and then Christmas break. However, vacations and finals had been the only times we hadn’t talked since we both joined the sorority two years ago.
“How did your exams go?” she asked.
“Pretty well,” I replied. “I struggled in finance, but I think I pulled it out. I also aced marketing.”
Patricia grinned. “Your dad will be proud.”
“He was proud the day I announced I was following his footsteps into Hotel Management,” I said, beaming. Dad had been very proud.
Patricia gave me a knowing smile.
“How about you?” I asked, returning to the subject of exams.
“Not too bad. I got enough studying in and they went pretty smoothly.”
“Found enough time to study, eh?” I grinned to show her I was teasing.
She grinned and shrugged. She was habitually overbooked, with classes, extra-curricular activities, and an internship she’d picked up at a law office. How she managed to find time to see her boyfriend, Rusty, was beyond me, but somehow they managed.
“You looking forward to this?” Patricia asked.
“A week of good skiing? You bet!”
“Oh, the skiing will be great. Killington’s really great.”
“I don’t know much about it,” I admitted. “This’ll be my first time.”
“Oh. Well, skiing is skiing, really. You’ve been to Vail,” Patricia said. I nodded. “Killington is smaller, without as many trails, but it’s got about the same amount of snow.”
“That’s okay,” I said, “there’s more to a ski trip than just the skiing.”
“True,” Patricia said, grinning. “The town’s great—lots of good bars so we can always find a party. Some good places to eat too.”
“I hope it’s good,” I said, “I’ve heard enough stories that I’m looking forward to it.”
“Speaking of stories,” she said, “I assume you heard the latest about Regan and Rod?”
“The last time I heard, she was talking about spending New Year’s with him.”
“Well, that may change. She broke up with Rod during finals when she found out he’d slept with a DZ after a party.”
“Again!?” I shook my head. “How many times does he have to cheat on her?”
“Who knows?” Patricia said, rolling her eyes. “But he manages to convince her that he’s sorry and she forgives him. Of course, that doesn’t prevent him from bragging that he’s screwed half the Chi O’s. You think she’d figure it out.”
“Or find a better relationship,” I muttered.
“No kidding. I really wish she’d look for another guy, but she never seems interested in other men when she and Rod are broken up.”
“Why should she?” I asked. “She’s got her ‘sisters.’” Patricia and I grinned at each other. Regan’s interest in girls was no secret. The story around the sorority was that her ‘private’ birthday party had been an all-night, all-girl orgy. Neither Patricia nor I had been invited, but Margot had basically confirmed it. Since Margot was just a blonde satellite in Regan’s orbit, we assumed all the stories of that night were true.
That got me thinking. “This is an all-girl trip. You don’t suppose...?”
“With Hayley along?” Patricia snorted. “Anything’s possible. But it doesn’t bother me if it does. I’ll just leave or watch, depending on my mood.”
“Me too,” I said, grinning.
“Although it won’t be all-girl for long,” Patricia said. “Rusty and some of the other Pikes are showing up on Saturday.” Two days from now.
“What?! When did they get invited?”
“The day after Finals. Or at least that’s when Rusty found out.”
“But why? Why would Regan invite them?”
“Beats me,” Patricia said. “Rusty found out from some of the other fraternity brothers that Rod was organizing a trip and so Rusty got himself included. Except we’re not going to stay in Killington very long. Rusty’s older brother lives in Ithaca, so we’re going to head over for a visit Monday morning after the guys arrive. We’ll be back Wednesday, a few hours before everyone heads home.”
“So you’ll miss a lot of the skiing.”
“I’ll get plenty in.”
“Wait a minute...,” I said, “Rod was organizing this? I thought you just said he and Regan broke up again?”
“I did. But Rod told Rusty he’d been invited and was allowed to bring some of the Pikes. So I don’t understand it either.”
“Huh.”
Patricia just shrugged in reply. “So what do you and Barry have planned for the holidays?” she asked, changing the subject.
“The same as last year,” I said. “Christmas Eve dinner with his folks followed by church. Then the full set of Williams’ family traditions the following day, until late afternoon, when we’ll go see my folks.”
“Expect any problems this year?”
“Not really...,” For the next few minutes, I told Patricia about how I expected Barry’s parents to be saner this year, and how I hoped my own would be more accepting of my choice of boyfriends. Patricia shared some stories about Rusty’s brother, and before we knew it, the pilot was telling us to prepare for landing.
After we debarked, most of the girls headed to baggage claim. Regan split off, walking past a sign that pointed to ‘ground transportation.’ I followed.
“Regan!” I called. “I heard some of the Pikes are coming up.”
“They are,” she said. “Rod, Neil, Rusty, Tommy, and John.”
“Why did you invite them?” I pressed. Unfortunately, the guy at the counter was now ready to talk to us.
“It was Hayley’s idea,” she said. Then she turned to the counter guy.
“Well, not entirely,” Hayley said from behind me, startling me.
I turned to face her.
“Rod was so upset that he hadn’t had a chance to fix things with Regan before we all left,” Hayley said, “and she agreed to give him a chance if he was willing to trek up here.” I glanced at Regan, but she was too busy to pay attention.
“So why five of them?” I asked.
“That’s the part that was my idea,” Hayley said. “I figured we’d have a better time with more guys. Better partying.”
I scowled. While Margot’s boyfriend, Neil, and Patricia’s boyfriend, Rusty, had been invited, neither Barry nor Gina’s boyfriend, Paul, had been. At least Cassie didn’t have a boyfriend to neglect.
“We only invited Pikes,” Hayley said, as if reading my mind.
“You could have mentioned it and let me invite Barry on my own,” I shot back.
“Do you really think Bartholomew would be able to handle a wild Pike and Chi O party?”
I bit my lip and didn’t answer. She was right about Barry, dammit. That didn’t mean he shouldn’t have been given the chance to decide for himself.
“Don’t worry, Jess,” Hayley said, raising her eyebrows conspiratorially. “Barry doesn’t need to know what happens in Vermont.”
“It’d be no big deal if he did,” I said.
Hayley just smirked. I stared at her and she met my gaze, not blinking.
Regan had finished up her arrangements and turned to tell Hayley and me to go get our bags so we could meet the van. I broke away and retrieved my bags. Margot had snagged Hayley’s suitcase, so I was the last to join the group at the van.
When Regan had said we were driving from Rutland to Killington, I thought we’d be renting a car. It turned out she meant we’d be driven. The driver loaded all our bags into the back while we found our seats. I ended up in the back next to Margot, who only wanted to chatter about the upcoming partying. Mercifully, it was a short trip.
At the chalet we tumbled out of the van and milled around while the driver unloaded the skis and luggage. Regan waited until she had our attention.
“Since not everyone’s been here before,” she said, “let me explain some stuff. The shuttle to town stops just outside the gate. It starts at eight and goes pretty late, but not too late. When we go out for dinner, we’ll drive.” She waved toward a three-car garage off to one side.
When I looked back, Regan was unlocking the door to the lodge. She motioned for us to follow her in.
The foyer was completely paneled with pine and a huge stairway led up to a larger room. Benches lined either side of the entry with hooks for coats above them.
“Coats and stuff go here,” Regan announced. “Boots too.” She kicked her shoes off, opened one of the benches, and threw her gloves and hat into it. Hayley and Margot immediately did the same, so the rest of us got the hint. We followed Regan up the stairs.
The great room was huge. It easily reached two full stories tall, with floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side. The wood paneling continued from the foyer and old-fashioned ski equipment decorated the walls. Couches and end tables sat scattered throughout the room. Along one wall was a fireplace, and across from it ran a long bar. Two hallways led off to the left and right.
“This is the great room,” Regan said, continuing her lecture. “I know it’s not much, but we’ll do most of our partying here. There’s a hot tub on the deck.” She pointed to the windows on the far side where I realized there was a door and, indeed, a wooden deck.
But what was beyond the deck really caught my attention. The view was breathtaking. I immediately wanted a better look.
“Bathrooms are at the end of each hall. Kitchen is down that hall.” Regan pointed to the left. “There’s a maid who shows up at 8:30 and put some breakfast foods out on the bar, but if you miss it, you’re on your own. She also leaves before three, so if you make a mess in the evening, you have to clean it up.”
How convenient. The maid would be long gone by the time the serious partying began.
“Jessica and Gina—you have the room at the end,” Regan continued, pointing to the left hall. “Patricia and Cassie have the room in the middle, and Margot will be with me in the first room. At least until the guys get here.” I looked around, realizing that Hayley hadn’t followed us up the stairs. Where was she sleeping?
“Guys?” Gina asked.
“Yeah, guys,” Regan said. “Rod and some of the Pikes will be here Saturday and they’ll be down that hallway.” She pointed to the right one. “At least at first.”
“First room on the right,” Hayley told the driver, who was carrying her bags. She was pointing to the guys’ hallway. That seemed appropriate. It’d be easier to have one of the guys share her bed. I returned to looking at the floor-to-ceiling windows and the scene beyond them.
“You didn’t tell me about the Pikes coming,” Gina said to Regan. The other girls started to haul their stuff to their rooms. Meanwhile, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the view. I walked up to the windows and didn’t hear Regan’s reply.
The panorama was incredible. The ground behind the chalet sloped away, making the deck appear to be in the tree tops and not a mere story up. Beyond the trees, the ground dipped and then rose steeply up the far mountain. Almost near the top, the trees parted, revealing icy cliffs that sparkled in the fading sun. The window faced west, and I was sure the sunsets would be spectacular as the rays peeked through the rocks standing sentinel on the ridge.
The professional side of my brain kicked in. I imagined this view for a hotel, with the guests sipping their hot toddies and cocoa from the bar, watching the snow lightly fall. It wouldn’t be hard to add a popcorn machine or, even better, a small oven that baked cookies. The smells would mix well with those from the cackling fire. People would pay good money to sit here and enjoy this view.
They had, I realized. But Regan’s family didn’t have to share it. I wondered if Regan took that for granted or not.
That was probably the biggest difference between us, I mused. Regan could take things like this view for granted. Her family’s money went back generations. Mine was still accumulating it. While he couldn’t give me a lot of money, my Dad had shared his instincts for spotting business opportunities. They were everywhere, he often said, if you were perceptive enough and willing to do the work to ferret them out. So Regan saw a great room that ‘wasn’t much,’ and I saw what could have been the central room in a successful business.
I moved closer to the window. A large hot tub dominated the deck. It would hold a dozen people, and the roof extended far enough on one side to keep snow off the walkway between the tub and the lodge. I could already imagine us hanging out there after skiing.
When I turned away from the window, only Gina and Regan remained in the room, quietly talking off to one side. I wandered over.
“I still don’t see why you’re giving Rod what he wants,” Gina said as I entered earshot.
“He’s can be a pretty good boyfriend,” Regan said, her hands on her hips.
“On the face of things, maybe,” Gina argued. “In reality, he cheats on you all the time.”
“He comes back to me, though.”
Gina glared at her.
“You just don’t like him because of Paul,” Regan said.
That’s right, I thought. Paul and Rod hate each other.
“We’ve been through this,” Gina answered with a sigh. “I don’t automatically take my boyfriend’s side in everything.”
Regan noticed me for the first time and frowned. Gina turned and looked at me.
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize this conversation was private.”
“That’s okay,” Gina said. “We’re done.”
Gina and Regan silently stared at each other for a moment, before curtly nodding. Gina looked at me.
“So let’s go unpack,” I said.
“Sure.”
I grabbed my bags and followed Gina down to our room. Gina threw her bags on the closest of the two beds. I put mine at the foot of the other bed and started unpacking by putting the white bunny on my pillow. Then I turned to Gina, who was already transferring clothes to the closet.
“So what was that about?” I asked.
Gina crossed her arms and huffed. “I wish she’d told me she’d invited some guys.”
“Me too. Barry wanted to come and I told him it was ‘girls only.’”
Gina nodded. “Paul’s not going to be too happy, either.”
That reminded me of our conversation on the plane. Which reminded me why Gina had ended up sitting next to me.
“I wonder what else they have planned,” I thought aloud.
“What?” Gina asked. We were both nearly done unpacking, so I paused to look at her as I answered.
“Hayley got the last first class seat instead of you so they could discuss some ‘plans’,” I said. “They’d already invited the guys, so that can’t be what they were discussing.”
“Maybe they were talking about which rooms they’d give to the guys.”
“Maybe,” I replied. I wasn’t convinced, though. Hayley might have insisted on getting the first class seat, simply because she was Hayley and deserved the first class seat. But she wouldn’t have mentioned ‘plans’ then. Hayley was up to something, and Regan was somehow involved.
“Ready to go get dinner?” Gina asked a few minutes later, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“Sure.”
We met some of the others in the main room, though it took a while for Hayley and Margot to trickle out of their rooms. Regan still managed to get us all out the door and to the restaurant in a reasonable amount of time.
After dinner, Hayley wanted to go barhopping.
“It’ll be fun!” she insisted.
“I don’t know,” Patricia said. “I want to hit the slopes really early in the morning. We won’t be able to do that if we spend the night partying.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Regan?” Hayley asked.
“I could go either way,” Regan said.
“Margot?” Hayley prompted.
Margot hesitated, looking first at Regan, then at Hayley. “Whatever Regan chooses,” she said at last.
Patricia suppressed a snort, but not well enough to avoid a glare from Regan.
“I think we’ll go out,” Regan announced. “I can drop anyone off at the chalet who doesn’t think they can handle it.”
There was some general discussion as both Regan and Patricia asked Gina what she was going to do, and Cassie wanted to know what time we had to get up to go skiing in the morning.
In the end, Patricia, Cassie, and I returned to the chalet.
Patricia said goodnight immediately after we hit the main room. Cassie said she was going to soak in the hot tub for a little while, and I helped her track down towels. We found them in a cupboard near the door to the deck. She invited me to join her, but as much as the water was tempting, I decided I could use a little time alone. I found a deck of cards and played some solitaire in front of the fireplace before calling it a night and turning in.
Gina was asleep in her bed when I awoke. I padded out and found Patricia in the main room, already dressed and assembling a day pack.
“No breakfast?” I asked.
“The maid’s not here yet,” she said. “I started coffee in the kitchen and there’s some cereal.”
“And granola bars, apparently,” I said, indicating the ones Patricia was putting in her day pack.
“There’s a bunch of other snack food too.”
“Good. I’ll get something. Will you wait for me?”
Patricia grinned. “What do you think I’ve been doing?”
I laughed. “We should’ve agreed on a time to set our alarms!”
“Maybe tomorrow. I want to get in a full day before Rusty and the guys get here.”
I nodded. Then I caught myself frowning. “I want to talk to you about that,” I said.
“How about on the lift?”
“Deal,” I said. “I’ll go get ready and have a granola bar on the way.”
I hustled through my morning routine as quickly as I could, since I knew Patricia would get cranky if we didn’t get to the resort before the crowds. As it was, the shuttle arrived almost immediately and the lines weren’t too bad. I spent the time in line watching how the resort handled the operations and trying to figure out what I’d do different if I was in charge.
“So,” I asked, once Patricia and I were seated on the lift, “exactly how did the Pikes get invited?”
“Like I said, the entire fraternity wasn’t invited. Rusty heard John and Tommy talking about going skiing in Vermont, and since he knew I was going, he asked if it was the same trip. They tried to dodge his questions, but he can be pretty insistent.”
I nodded.
“Ultimately, they admitted that Rod had invited them. But they said he told them to keep it quiet.”
“Why?”
“Why? I think because Rod didn’t want a lot of guys to come along.”
“Did he say so?”
“Pretty much,” Patricia said, shrugging. “When Rusty confronted him about the trip, Rod said only ‘selected’ guys were going to get to go. But Rusty pointed out that I was going, so he should get to go. Rod still wasn’t happy, and he tried to tell Rusty he wouldn’t enjoy Vermont skiing, but Rusty told him he’d been here before, when he’d been up visiting his brother. Rod shut up then and said he’d check if it was okay.”
“Hmm,” I said. “Obviously it was. I wish you’d told me, though, so I could have invited Barry.”
“It was last-minute and, besides, I haven’t seen you in a while, Jess.”
“True,” I admitted. “And I’m still not going to see much of you this trip.”
Patricia gave a sympathetic nod before continuing. “When John started asking Rusty how often he went to see his brother and how close they were, Rusty felt guilty about how long it had been. So he asked if I’d mind the side trip.”
“Anything special planned?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
For the remainder of the ride up the mountain, Patricia and I chatted about their plans with Rusty’s brother and his family in Ithaca. At the top of the lift, she lowered her ski goggles and pushed off.
“See you at the bottom!”
I grinned, lowered my own goggles, and followed.
The morning was glorious. Fresh snow had fallen overnight and the sun reflected off the new powder. There weren’t many people on the slopes, and we got in a few runs before the crowds started showing up.
We ran into Gina, Regan, and Margot when we took a break for lunch. They’d just arrived and were eager to get their first runs in, so we didn’t talk long. Patricia asked about Cassie, and Regan said that she and Hayley had left the lodge about an hour before them. So they had to be on the slopes somewhere.
That got me wondering about Hayley and Regan’s plans. What exactly were they up to?
Regan had invited the Pikes at Hayley’s suggestion—ostensibly to get back together with Rod—but then she’d invited five of them.
No, she’d invited four, I corrected myself. Rusty had bullied his way into coming along.
Why those four? Rod was obvious—at least for Regan. Neil too. Not only was he Margot’s boyfriend, but he was basically Rod’s lapdog. No way he’d be excluded.
John. He always struck me as a typical partying Pike. I didn’t know much about him beyond that.
Tommy was good-looking, rich, and partied hard. He regularly hung with Rod, so there was no mystery in why he was coming. He was also frequently in Hayley’s bed, which said a lot about his sexual prowess. While it wasn’t hard for a guy to get invited to spend the night with Hayley, most were never invited back.
That was a preview of Dealing with the Devil. To read the rest purchase the book.