Snow Falls

chapter Thirty-One



The crowd was electric and lively, and Ryan moved through it, nodding at familiar faces, not pausing to visit. The speeches were over, and now the alcohol flowed with tuxedoed waiters making the rounds with silver trays. She deposited her champagne glass and made her way to the bar. She spied Charles doing the same with Presley right on his heels.

“Carmen gave another great speech, didn’t she?”

Ryan nodded, offering a quick smile to Presley. “She’s a pro. Mother, on the other hand, was as obnoxious as ever.”

“Scotch?”

“Sure.”

Presley still sipped from her champagne glass. She eased closer to Ryan as Charles went to the bar. “How long are you staying?”

“At the party?”

“No, here. Will you be here a few more days? I have some time. I’d love to get to know you better.”

Ryan was shocked at how forward she was, especially with Charles nearby. She looked her over, noting again how beautiful she was: flawless skin, makeup applied to perfection, blond and thin, young and energetic. If this had been last year, Ryan would have already had her in bed. But this wasn’t last year.

“I appreciate the offer,” she said, “but you should stick with Charles. Besides, I’m leaving in the morning. Early.”

“Pity. We could have had fun.”

“Fun? I guess I’m getting old then.” She leaned closer. “A quick f*ck, just to get off, isn’t really fun to me anymore. If that’s all I need, I can take care of that myself.”

Presley smiled seductively. “That’s a nice visual. But surely it’s more fun if you have help with that?”

Ryan laughed. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“You intrigue me.”

“Why? You’re straight.”

She shrugged. “Yes. But I’ve had many lovers, both men and women.”

Ryan looked up as a TV camera scanned the crowd; she turned away from it, taking Presley with her. Charles returned, handing Ryan her drink.

“I see you’re as shy as ever. Why do you think they try so hard to get a shot of you?” he asked. “Me? I don’t run from them, so they don’t even bother anymore.”

“Well, I don’t want to be on the cover of some tabloid next week and have quotes made about me by a friend of the family,” she said. “Besides, you love being on tabloid covers.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t had any drunken encounters with tabloid reporters lately. Old news anyway.” He glanced at Presley. “I have a reputation to uphold, you know.”

She nodded and smiled. “I love bad boys.” She looked at Ryan. “And girls.”

Charles laughed. “Very subtle, Presley.”

“She’s already turned me down.”

Charles looked at Ryan questioningly, but Ryan shook her head. “As much as I’m enjoying the conversation, I think I’ll go spend some time with Carmen,” Ryan said.

“That means she’s had enough of the party and is going to sneak up to her room,” Charles said.

Ryan nodded. “Alone. See you at breakfast.”

She made her way through the throng of guests, spotting her grandmother chatting with Senator Reynolds. Instead of interrupting, she turned, threading her way across the manicured lawn and back up to the mansion.

Once in her room, she kicked off her shoes and slipped out of the designer suit, tossing it across the settee. She hated these events with a passion. She hated playing dress-up, she hated schmoozing with the rich and famous, she hated the politics involved in it all.

She took a quick shower, wanting nothing more than for the night to be over so that she could head back home. She missed Sierra and Kia. She missed Reese and Morgan. She missed the quiet of the mountains. She missed her daily hikes. She missed the sunset from the ridge.

And God, she missed Jen.