Laura tossed a towel over the monitor and climbed onto the machine. Billy could’ve sworn she was blushing. “It’s an elliptical trainer,” she said primly.
Sorrow made a snorting noise that sounded suspiciously like a swallowed laugh.
Billy read her mind and began backing out of the room. “Well then. You all look like you’ve got it under control here. ”
“Yeah,” Sorrow was quick to add. “I told Billy I’d help him with…a thing. ” Catching his eye, she jerked her head toward the door. The moment they were safe in his SUV, she said, “That was…”
“…something else,” Billy finished for her. When their laughing died down, he said, “At least I seem to have risen in your dad’s estimation. I’ve gone from accused to merely a person of interest. ”
“I’m afraid Dad’s a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ kinda guy. ”
Billy was thoughtful for a minute, then asked, “Was he that curmudgeonly before his stroke?”
“He was always a tough guy. But no, he’s gotten worse. Isn’t that what they say happens with age? Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and all that?”
“Maybe so. ” Though Billy wasn’t entirely convinced. In fact, he thought he had the man pretty well figured. “Might be that he’s just frustrated he can’t get around like he did before. ”
She nodded, letting the idea sink in. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about what you said before. It’s got to sting, letting go of so many responsibilities. ” But then she laughed. “Either way, I thought his head was going to explode when he lost power to the TV. ”
“Hey,” he said, “speaking of electricity, there sure were sparks flying between Laura and Eddie. ”
“Laura? No way. You thought my dad was proud? My sister will gain twenty pounds, sprout wings, and fly before she hooks up with a Sierra Falls man. ”
“I sure am glad you didn’t get that whole dieting gene. A man likes something to hold on to. ” He reached across the car to squeeze her thigh. “And hey”—his fingers slid up to give that luscious rump a playful tweak—“what’s wrong with Sierra Falls men?”
She squirmed away with a squeak. “You know there is nothing wrong with Sierra Falls men. We attract only the finest. ” It was her turn to reach across, resting her hand on his thigh, growing thoughtful. “Laura hightailed it out of here after high school and wants nothing to do with the place. I’m sure she pictures herself in some urban loft somewhere, shacked up with a dot-com bazillionaire. ”
Billy cut his eyes from the road long enough to give her a perplexed look. “Then why is she still hanging around?”
“Now that’s the question. ” Sorrow leaned back, kicking her feet up on the dash. “Maybe she’s hoping her dream bazillionaire will drop from the sky and check into the lodge. ”
“Maybe there’s something else going on with her. Have you thought about just asking her?”
“I tried,” she said, dismissing it.
“I don’t mean in the middle of an argument. I mean, you could have a sisterly heart-to-heart. ”
“Uhh, no thanks,” Sorrow said. “I’ve grown fond of my head and would prefer to keep it attached to my body. ”
Billy let out a laugh. “It’s obvious she’s wound pretty tight, but…I don’t know…She was a pretty big help at Emerald’s memorial. Maybe you underestimate her. ”
“I guess she has done a lot for the festival,” Sorrow admitted. “She asked if I’d cook a special gold rush dinner. ”
“That’s great. ”
“Yeah, I guess it kind of is. ” She shrugged. “She’s constantly online, doing whatever she does. Some historical journal is even coming out next week to do a write-up on Buck Larsen and his days in Sierra Falls. ”
“That’s cool,” Billy said enthusiastically. “That’s something. It’ll bring in more tourists. It does seem like you have more guests than usual. ”
“I guess,” she said grudgingly.
“So what’s the problem, then? The festival is coming together. You’re drawing more visitors. Your sister wants you to cook for everyone. She must be good for something. ”
“All this buzz is great, sure. But I’m totally overwhelmed. The place is falling apart at the seams. Every time I fix one thing, something else breaks. Apparently, somebody may or may not be out to get me. Getting more visitors is all well and good, but it means more mouths to feed, more rooms to keep perfect, more things to stay on top of. ”
“You’re overwhelmed, and it seems like Laura wants to help. It’s not like you love every aspect of running the business. Why don’t you let her have a crack at it?”
“Have a crack at it…” Sorrow’s feet slid from the dash, hitting the floor with a thump. “Guess who’s going to clean up the mess when her whole crack at it thing fails? Who’s going to pick up the pieces when Laura decides she’s done and takes off again?”