The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1)(94)

“I’m not happy with you, sweetie, but my guess is you won’t be happy with me either. But it’s not going to change how much you matter to me. I’m not the kind of guy that bails on my friends. Okay?”

She nodded, accepting a tissue from Zoey to blow her nose.

Graham waited for her to compose herself, then continued. “Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to take a deep breath, then you’re going to tell me what happened. And then Easton and I will take care of it.”

“It’s not your problem,” she whispered. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know. I’ve been watching you for a long time now, and I believe you’re capable of anything. But this place here? This is just a bunch of sticks and concrete glued to a mountain pretending to be far more important than it actually is. It’s not real, L, and neither are the people. It’s not worth getting hurt for, and it sure isn’t worth protecting anyone for.”

Zoey put a warning hand on his arm. “Graham, not now.”

“I’m just saying—”

“Say it later, okay? Not now. Look, she’s half-out as it is.”

Zoey wasn’t wrong. Lana had started to sway, her eyes glazing. The combination of alcohol and who knew what else was quickly taking her down for the count.

“Should we call a doctor?” he asked Zoey, wrapping an arm around Lana’s shoulders.

“No, she’s done this before when she was upset. I don’t know what she takes, but it helps her calm down.” Voice clipped, Zoey took Lana’s shoes off. “Help me get her to bed?”

“Did I do something to upset you?” Graham couldn’t imagine what, but he wasn’t imagining her teeth clenched tightly together or the way Zoey wouldn’t look directly at him. He chose instead to focus on the woman currently falling asleep against his shoulder.

“We’ll talk about it later.”

Well. That was never good.

Zoey finished taking off Lana’s earrings and necklace, a ridiculously expensive diamond-encrusted set he would have been afraid to touch, let alone stuff in a jewelry box without looking twice. Clearly, Zoey was more used to Lana’s jewelry, moving on to shed her of a delicate tennis bracelet worth more than Graham’s house and land put together.

Watching Zoey wipe Lana’s streaked makeup clean from her eyes with a makeup remover cloth, it occurred to Graham these two made a strange pairing, but their friendship was real.

“She’ll be horrified if she wakes up with mascara on her face.” Her voice was still clipped, but Zoey’s movements were careful. “It always embarrasses her the morning after, when she’s been upset. Okay, she’s ready. Put her on the left side. That’s the side she sleeps on.”

“Carrying around drunken women in this hotel is starting to become my thing.”

“She’s not drunk, she’s sedated. And that wine was more than half-empty when I left today. She couldn’t have had much more than a glass.”

“She had enough,” Graham drawled.

They pulled the covers over Lana and closed her door most of the way, leaving just enough room for Zoey to be able to check on her. Grabbing his arm, Zoey pulled Graham toward the hotel room door, as far away from Lana’s bedroom as they could get.

“What is wrong with you?” Eyes flashing behind her glasses, Zoey’s voice was pitched quiet, but the anger came through loud and clear. “It’s not real? Look around, Graham. This place is getting more real by the minute. And it’s real enough that some local lowlifes hurt my friend. I want you to get Jonah up here right now and take care of this the right way.”

“I don’t need Jonah. East and I will put the fear of pain in them.”

“I don’t want the fear of pain. I want Jonah to arrest them. I want them behind bars for hurting her, all because of this stupid local versus resort bullshit that you are constantly promoting!”

Tightening his mouth, Graham ground his teeth in frustration. “That’s not fair, Zoey, and you know it. I didn’t hurt her.”

“No, but I would put twenty bucks down that you’ve already started riling everyone up to fight the condos being planned.” Busted. She knew it too, because like a spider monkey, she was all over him. “People listen to you, Graham. They follow you. You think I don’t notice how people react when you’re around? You’re an alphahole.”

“Excuse me?”

“Figure it out. Everyone follows the alphahole. But guess what? Alphaholes don’t get to play innocent when innocent people get hurt. You’re not better than her. You’re not better than me or anyone, Graham. We’re all just people. And tonight, your town took this too far.”

Trying to fight his anger, Graham nearly chewed his tongue off to keep from raising his voice. “You don’t get it, Zoey.”

“No, because I’m not a local. So any loyalty I have known in my life couldn’t possibly compare to what you have here. There’s no way anyone will ever be good enough or belong. You have made that crystal freaking clear from the beginning. But maybe if a bunch of jerks down there had thought a little less like you, maybe my friend wouldn’t be in there like that!”

Graham’s jaw rippled. “Tell me how you really feel.”