Suite Embrace (20 page)

“What in the world is wrong with Mark?” she muttered crossly as she shoved her notebook into her desk drawer. “Why is he so dead-set on promoting that school anyway? What has gotten into him?”

After a few churning moments of rage, she settled on an answer to her question: Skylar Webster. That's what happened to Mark and Virina knew what she had to do. Picking up the phone again, she connected with information and got the number for the county courthouse in Tampa, Florida. That would be the place to start. If Skylar had been a paralegal there, then surely there was some record of her connection to the court system. It might take some doing, but Virina would not give up until she learned everything possible about Skylar, and she was certain some of it would not be good.

And when I get my ammunition, Mark will realize that I am right to steer him away from that woman and that place, she vowed. Grabbing her pen to jot down the phone number for the Hillsborough County Courthouse.

Within seconds, Virina got through to the county Human Resources department and politely asked for an employment reference for Skylar Webster.

“Oh, yes, Skylar,” the woman replied. “All I'm permitted to tell you is that when she terminated her employment with the county after her accident she had an excellent work record.”

“She was in an accident?”

“Oh, yes,” the woman concurred, going on to describe the elevator accident in great detail. “You know, the accident is public record, so I'm not violating any rules by telling you what happened. Such a shame. Good thing Skylar came out of it okay. Everyone at the courthouse loved working with her.”

“So, she's fully recovered?” Virina probed, hoping to lead the woman deeper into the conversation. “Her injuries won't interfere with her ability to work as a salesgirl at my cosmetics company, will they? Are there any restrictions or workman's compensation issues that I need to be aware of?”

“Oh, let's see,” the woman replied.

Virina could hear the lady shuffling through some papers.

“No. Everything is settled. Dr. Pope approved her return to work.” A beat. “But why is Skylar applying for a job with your company anyway?”

“Because she needs the money, I guess,” Virina replied.

“I doubt that. Would you be looking for a job if an elevator company awarded you four million dollars?”

“Four million dollars?” Virina repeated, clutching the handset of her phone, her throat beginning to dry. “Are you sure?”

“Sure? Of course, it was in the papers. Everyone knows about her settlement.”

Everyone except Mark
, Virina thought, realizing that she had found the ammunition she needed.

 

Richard Nobel stared at his phone, which was still humming with a deadly buzz. Virina Dagrun had just sabotaged his project! He jammed the handset back into its cradle and placed his fingertips to his lips, worried. Anxiously, he scanned the pile of bills on his desk, the folders filled with contracts committing him to thousands of dollars.

I've got no investors, and I'm already in the hole for a hell of a lot of money in preproduction costs.
Richard got up and paced the floor of his studio, thinking.
The film is half finished. I've already spent too much time and money to toss it in the trash. What in hell am I going to do?

Richard knew he had enough material to create two different pieces if he had to: One on Mark Jorgen to satisfy Virina's investors, and another on Scenic Ridge that could stand on its own. But that was not what he wanted to do and not what BES expected him to deliver. If he didn't straighten this mess out quickly, he'd lose all credibility with the network and he was not about to let that happen. He had to either find other investors or change the focus of the film. At this late date, neither option seemed promising.

S
nowflakes drifted down, adding to the accumulation that already covered the brick walkway that led from the main lodge to the ice skating rink. Skylar lifted her face toward the star-filled sky and stuck out her tongue, smiling to feel the tiny bits of ice melting in her mouth. Winter weather was still so new to her, but she enjoyed it and had come to love the peaceful quiet that fell over everything when snow blanketed the land. The moon was full, adding to the luminous sheen of white that surrounded her, creating a feeling of being lost in a wintry fairyland.

Stopping at a wooden bench facing the rink, she sat down, tucked her hands into the pockets of her parka and leaned forward, focusing on a middle-aged couple in the center of the rink who were trying hard to remain upright.

From the way they were interacting, Skylar guessed that they were married—and definitely still in love. They were laughing and holding hands, oblivious to the other skaters, who whirled past without giving them any notice. When the woman crashed to the ice and landed on her backside, her companion quickly leaned down to help her up and then kissed her gently on the lips. The romantic gesture made Skylar's heart lurch in longing. She missed Mark so much and wanted nothing more than to be sitting with him right then, her arm linked through his, her head resting on his shoulder.

For the past two weeks, she had made it a point not to be alone with Mark and knew he was upset with the way she'd been acting. Even during filming when Richard's crew had been in town, she had made sure that her contact with Mark had been limited to times when other staff or students had been around. By cooling down the relationship, she had hurt him very much, but not as much as she feared she would once she told him the truth.

Though she had been busy with guests' demands during the Black Winter Sports Reunion, and then involved with Richard during his filming, all of that was over now, and she could no longer use work as an excuse not to spend time with Mark.

The last time she saw him was in the main dining room yesterday afternoon, and he had actually turned his back on her and struck up a conversation with a buxom sister from Georgia who was not shy about showing off every one of her curves in her skin-tight, red ski suit. The sight had made Skylar slightly nauseous.

But she had no one to blame for her misery but herself, and it would be up to her to make things right. Mark had stopped inviting her to dinner and no longer called every night to hear her voice before he went to bed. They had drifted so far apart that the possibility of losing him completely was great, making Skylar shift nervously on the bench.

She loved Mark, and knew he wasn't going to hang around forever, waiting for her to tell him what was wrong. Why should he stick by her, only to be brushed off again and again? He deserved better, and she had to tell him everything or pull out of the relationship all together.

“Tomorrow,” she decided, prepared to take her chances. “Whatever happens, I'll deal with it, but at least I'll know where I stand.”

 

When Mark answered the knock on the door of his cabin, he was shocked to see Virina standing on the porch, dressed in a camel suede poncho and a fluffy coyote fur hat. He had barely recovered enough from her surprise visit to say hello, when she blurted out the reason she had come.

“We need to talk,” she stated in that flat, demanding tone that Mark had heard too often during his youth. It meant that she was upset with him, was determined to have her way, and was not going to listen to a thing he had to say. There had been a time when that crisp edge to her voice would have made him very nervous, but no more. All he could think of was that it was late, he was tired, and not in the mood for one of her ranting, raving outbursts over something petty that didn't concern him.

“Well, welcome back,” Mark said, ignoring her rude declaration. “When did you get here?”

“Two hours ago.”

“Come on in. What's up?”

Virina stepped inside, quickly shed her outer clothing and then glanced around, as if to make sure they were alone. “Is anyone here with you?”

“No, why?”

“As I said, we need to talk.” She sighed and went over to the bar. “Fix me a
Linie Aquavit,
will you, Mark? My nerves are absolutely shot. The flight in from Los Angeles was horrid! Turbulence all the way, and Henri forgot to stock the plane's bar before we left. I swear I'm going to fire that man.”

Mark grunted his reaction as he went to the bar and fixed his mother's drink. “You can't fire Henri. He doesn't work for you, he works for Wilhelm, doesn't he?”

Virina simply glared at Mark, accepting the glass he offered to her. “I can get Wilhelm to fire him if I complain enough. That man is worthless. Absolutely worthless.” She swallowed a hefty gulp of the schnapps and then licked her pink-tinted lips. “It's so hard to get good help, people who want to do their jobs. I just don't understand it.”

“So, did you come all the way back to tell me you're firing Henri, or is there something more important on your mind?” Mark asked, moving to sit on the sofa. Virina sat down on the love seat opposite him and crossed her legs.

“Oh, I came with plenty to say, but I'm afraid you're not going to like most of it.”

“Go on,” he urged.

“It's about Richard's documentary. I was extremely upset when I saw that he had turned it into a promotional piece for this place. It was supposed to be about you, Mark. Not about Jerome Simpson and his family. You are an Olympic gold medal winner who happens to head their ski school. That's it. I can't raise money for a film if it's not exclusively your story. It's one thing to mention where you work and refer to Scenic Ridge in passing, but all that back story on Jerome Simpson's family. And why the hell was Skylar even interviewed?”

“She is Deena's sister and she's a member of the staff, too,” Mark managed to get in.

“Whatever,” Virina grumpily acknowledged. “As I told Richard, all that stuff on the Simpson family has turned my investors off. They all backed out because they felt it smacked of too much promotion.”

“What kind of people were they? If the history and importance of Scenic Ridge as a minority-owned ski resort isn't of interest to them, then it's their loss. I'm not really interested in participating unless Scenic Ridge is in it,” Mark told her.

Virina squinted her cold blue eyes at him. “That's what Richard told me, and frankly, that's why he lost funding. People want to invest in you, Mark…not the Simpsons. Don't be naive. You know how it goes.”

“Oh, yeah. I know all about sponsors and their demands, that's one of the reasons I'm out of the competitive arena and content to teach. Now, I can wear whatever kind of ski wear I like, use the brand of equipment that I prefer and live my life exactly as I please. It feels good not to have to ask permission from anyone before I make a move. And that's how it should be, you know?”

“In a perfect world, maybe,” Virina tightly conceded. “But you're not living in a perfect world. I had to chase the money and then call off the project because of your demands. That was very humiliating for me, Mark.”

“Sure, sure,” Mark responded with very little compassion. “Well, you know where I stand. If you're out of the picture, then fine. Richard can get his own money people, who will agree with our vision. Otherwise, I guess he'll have to find some other athlete to profile. I don't really want to discuss this again. The documentary can stay on the shelf as far as I'm concerned.”

“That's a stupid call, Mark, but it's yours to make.”

“Right, so drop it, okay? I'll get in touch with Richard and see what we can figure out.”

“Fine with me. I only agreed to produce it to help you. Now. There is another matter that we need to discuss.” She took a moment to pull herself together and settle herself more firmly on the love seat, as if preparing for the next round.

“What?” Mark prompted.

“This obsessive allegiance you seem to have with Scenic Ridge is all because of that girl, Skylar, isn't it, Mark? I don't think she ought to…”

“Stop right there, Mother,” he interrupted. “I told you not to bring her up.”

“Why? Do you love her? Plan to marry her? Have a family with her?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact I do love her, and yes, I'd like a future with her. I'm grown. I can choose for myself and I
know
she's the one for me.”

Though he was trying hard to sound convincing, he secretly wondered if there was any future for him and Skylar. For the past two weeks, she had been distant and edgy, not really eager to see him. Hopefully, it was just because she'd been overworked during the reunion, and then caught up in the chaos of having a film crew on the premises. But now all of that was over. Surely, things would get back to normal with them. He hoped so, because his feelings for her had not changed.

“Do you know why Skylar came to Scenic Ridge? Why she left Florida?” Virina was asking.

Mark gave himself a mental shake and refocused on his mother. “Yes, she needed a job and wanted a change.”

“A job? Why would a woman who is wealthy need to take a job as a concierge?”

Mark narrowed his gaze. “What're you talking about? She's not wealthy. She's just a working girl who had a tough break back in Tampa.”

“Her elevator accident?”

“Right. I know all about it. Anyway, how did you find out about that?” Mark wanted to know.

“I have my sources,” Virina coyly answered. “Did she tell you that Dorchester Elevator awarded her four million dollars?”

Mark pulled back, lifting his chin. “I don't believe you.”

“Ask her!”

Now, he shot forward, his elbows on his thighs, his face level with Virina's. “I will!” His eyes bored into his mothers. “You're lying! Skylar told me that she received a small amount of money and that the elevator company covered her medical expenses, but that's all. You're just twisting everything to make it sound so damn dramatic.”

“There's more I could tell you, Mark, but I can see that you wouldn't believe me. Go to her and ask her what else she's been hiding, what she hasn't had the decency to reveal to the man who says he wants to marry her. I've checked out Skylar Webster thoroughly and she is not the kind of woman you want for a wife, or I need for a daughter-in-law. She's a deceitful, untrustworthy liar and a penny pincher, too!” Virina paused to sit back and fluff out her hair. “What self-respecting woman hides her wealth and lives like a pauper? Not one in her right mind, as far as I'm concerned. What's the use of having money if you deny yourself the more pleasurable things in life?”

Rising from the sofa, Mark went to the hearth and stared into the blazing fire, his mind frozen in shock. Was this why Skylar was pulling away from him? Did she know her lies were about to catch up with her? But why had she lied in the first place? The fact that she had been awarded such a large sum of money was a shock, but not a big deal. In fact, he was happy for her. But what else was she hiding? What could be so bad that revealing it would destroy what they had found together?

Grabbing his jacket off the hook by the door, he pulled it on and then turned back to his mother. “I plan to get to the bottom of this, and you'd better not be lying.”

Virina simply shrugged her shoulders and widened her eyes, but did not respond.