“I aced that one. You ready? Because I’m damned if I’m going to be outskied by a kid, even if she’s my kid.”
“You skied Scream at her age. Or maybe you were a year older.”
“Your memory sucks. You should talk to a doctor about that. I was seven when I skied Scream, and you know it since you were the one that pushed me off the top.”
“It was my duty as big brother to toughen you up.”
Tyler grinned. “And you think I’m the one on the edge of crazy?”
* * *
FAMILY NIGHT?
Why had she agreed to that?
Because the alternative had meant being alone with Jackson.
Thumping her palm against her forehead, Kayla paced the length of the lodge and back again.
She’d tried to work, but so far her brain refused to cooperate. Halfway through her session, Elizabeth called in to drop off Maple so that she could go and spend time with Élise in the kitchen.
The puppy settled down on the rug and watched Kayla, head on her paws.
Kayla sighed. “You think I was a mess last night? I’m worse today.”
Maple wagged her tail and rolled over on the rug.
Kayla put in a call to Brett, knowing he would still be in the office right up until late on Christmas Eve.
While she waited for him to pick up, she drank her coffee. Another fall of snow in the night had added a thick layer to the trees and they glistened in the winter sunshine.
“Kayla? How are things out there in the sticks?” Brett’s voice boomed around the cabin, and Maple shot to her feet, barking frantically. “You still there, Green? What the hell’s that noise?”
“It’s a dog, Brett. Four legs. Tail.” She scooped Maple onto her lap. “You have one at home. It’s just that you don’t often see it because you’re always in the office. I’ll send you a picture if that would help
.”
“Didn’t know you were a dog person, Green.”
She hadn’t known, either.
She smiled at Maple, snuggled on her lap. “Turns out I might be a dog person.”
“Just don’t bring it into the office or go home at lunchtime to feed it. So how are things there?”
Kayla looked at the trees. “Snowy.”
“Bet you can’t wait to get back to civilization. You’re probably so desperate you’re willing to leap on the back of Santa’s sleigh and grab the first ride out of there.” Brett laughed at his own joke while Maple watched her with gentle eyes and Kayla absorbed the fact that she wasn’t at all desperate to get back to New York.
She told herself it was because the job still wasn’t done. “I’ve made progress.”
“So what do you need to turn progress to profit?”
“I’m going to send the proposal across in the next couple of hours. I’ll brief the team, but I want printed and bound copies delivered here ASAP.”
“What’s wrong with electronic?”
Kayla thought about Alice and her glasses and Walter and his fear of progress. “I want hard copy.”