The Maid's Diary(22)

Jon is galvanized. He feels like he did when he was in his late teens and early twenties and on the ski circuit. This woman sees the hero in him. She knows him, is proud to have reveled in a part of his athletic life. She is thankful. This woman has plugged Jon directly into a magnetic current, and he feels that vestigial part of himself rising. It’s intoxicating. He’s alive again.

She angles her head, holds his gaze, and he has to lean closer to hear her speak as the music from the band goes louder. “To tell you the truth, Jon,” she says, “I’d forgotten all about the BergBomber, until I saw you in that booth. Here’s to glory days.”

He pulls a wry mouth, his body so close now their arms are touching. “Sounds like a sad old Springsteen song.”

“Yet here we are.”

“You a skier yourself?”

His phone vibrates in his pocket. Daisy again. Jon can’t face talking to Daisy right now. He’d have to confront the falsity of all the reasons they moved here. He feels anger at her, too. And something a little more sinister needles into him—could she have known? Daisy is very close to her parents, her mother especially. Why would they not have told their daughter that this move back home might come to naught? Unless . . . maybe he’s been set up. Maybe the Wentworths wanted Daisy home before they cut him loose. His heart begins to pound.

“I am.”

“What?” Jon asks.

“A skier. You asked if I was a skier.”

“Right, yes. Are you local? I detect an accent.”

“I’m originally from Belgium. I live in Switzerland now. I come and go for business here.”

“What sort of business?”

She falls silent. Her eyes appraise him.

“Apologies. I . . . I don’t even know your name, and here I am asking what business you’re in.”

“It’s okay. I’m Mia. I’m a banker.”

Impressed, Jon holds his hand out. “Pleased to meet you, Mia-the-banker.”

She laughs and places her hand in his. It’s slender, and her skin is soft and smooth and cool. Her nails are deep red. They match her lips. He notices no ring on her ring finger. And she has noticed him noticing. She withdraws her hand.

“Does Mia have a last name?”

She hesitates again. And Jon quickly dials it back.

“No worries,” he says. “We can leave it there.” But now he really wants to know. He wants to know everything about Mia the sultry banker who has awakened the beast in him that had begun to shrivel with time and complacency and the mundane.

“I should go.” She finishes her drink and begins to slide off her barstool.

“Do you—ah—would you like to join me for one more? In the booth—it’s so noisy here, so close to the band.”

She checks her watch and Jon’s heart sinks a little.

“I—okay. Just a quick one. I have an early start tomorrow.”

Instantly buzzy again, Jon hurriedly orders two more drinks. They relocate to the booth. Mia is easy to be with. She flatters him in all the right places. She talks about ski racing and the ski industry with knowledge. He feels a kinship as well as sexual arousal.

She says her last name is Reiter. Mia Reiter.

He tells her he’s still with TerraWest.

“It’s a good fit for a skier, the ski resort business.” She laughs. He laughs, too, leans closer.

“Was that a business colleague you were with earlier?” she asks.

“Henry? Yeah, one of the old toads. He goes way back with Labden Wentworth.”

“Your meeting looked intense.”

He gives a shrug. “He wanted to give me a heads-up about some job competition.”

“Serious competition?”

“It’s nothing I can’t take care of.”

She regards him intensely, then says, “Labden Wentworth’s resort business has grown into an international powerhouse with global impact. Their latest quarterly report shows summer visits are booming. In some TerraWest resorts they’re now outpacing winter visits.”

“Thanks to the mountain biking.”

Her gaze locks with his. “Industry magazines also tell me you’re married to his daughter.”

Daisy’s face floats into Jon’s mind. He’s instantly reminded of the joy he felt while holding her hand and watching their baby boy moving on the ultrasound monitor. What in the hell is he doing here? He glances at his watch, his heart beating faster.

Mia notices him checking the time, and her features change. “Of course, I—you know, I really didn’t mean to monopolize you like this. I should go. I need to call it a night.” She reaches for her purse and begins to slide out of the booth.

“Thank you for the chat, Mia,” he says. “I needed that.”

She stills. “Needed what exactly?”

Jon’s phone vibrates again.

Mia exits the booth.

His phone continues to vibrate. Tension coils in his chest. Before he can reconsider, he blurts, “Wait. Don’t leave just yet. I need to take this. Give me a moment?”

She hesitates, then reseats herself. He connects the call.

“Hey, hon,” Daisy says immediately. “Is everything okay? I was worried about you.”

He holds up two fingers to Mia, mouths, Two minutes. “I’m fine. Let me take this somewhere quieter. Hang on a sec.”