Winter of Secrets Read Online Free Page B

enjoying it. They’d accepted Mrs. C’s suggestion—okay, her quiet bullying—to have a traditional Christmas Eve in the common room. But Jason had left hours ago, and hadn’t come back, and no one had seen Ewan since yesterday.
    “We’re going to get old waiting for them,” Sophie said. “It’s long after midnight. Hi, Laurie.”
    “Lorraine.”
    They’d flown in from Ontario and Quebec. A group of friends getting together for a ski vacation in British Columbia. A cozy B&B in Trafalgar. Days on the slopes, nights in the bars. Christmas cheer and New Year’s revelry.
    It had all gone wrong, almost immediately. Although that shouldn’t have been any sort of a surprise ,Wendy thought . She shouldn’t have come. These were her brother Jason’s friends, and she didn’t like any of them. Now Jason had taken off, leaving her to celebrate Christmas with his university buddies. And the awkward local girl he’d collected like a dog collects fleas—a wide-eyed child who was anything but innocent.
    God fucking bless us, every one.
    Wendy threw herself onto the couch. “Jason’ll be here soon. I don’t want to open our presents without him. It was his idea to have our party tonight, so we could hit the slopes first thing tomorrow.”
    “Get real, Wendy,” Jeremy said. “Jason found something more interesting than us, and he’s snuggled up in someone’s bed getting his private Christmas present.”
    “He wouldn’t,” Lorraine said. Light from the fire reflected off her washed-out blue eyes. “He invited me to come. For his away-from-family-Christmas, he said. He wouldn’t forget that.”
    Wendy pulled out her phone, one more time, and dialed Jason’s cell. Again, it went to voice mail. Maybe he had run out of juice, like Lorraine said.But that didn’t explain why he wasn’t here. He had to know she was waiting for him.
    “You can sulk all you want.” Alan said. He switched his smile to “on” like the actor he was and turned it full force onto Mrs. C. “I’m in the mood for Christmas. And speaking of something better, I’ll bet there’s something here for me.”
    The landlady laughed. “You have to wait, just one minute. Kathy, help me in the kitchen. You stay right there, Sophie,” she said to the girl who’d only leaned over to nuzzle the back of Alan’s neck. “I don’t need any help.”
    Mrs. Carmine and Kathy, her daughter, returned moments later, carrying trays precariously balanced with glasses of pale yellow eggnog, platters of sliced shortbread, mince tarts, cheese and crackers.
    “I have something to add to that.” Alan ran up the stairs and was back a moment later, clutching a bottle of Champagne. Being Alan it was the real stuff— Moët et Chandon .
    “Nice,” Jeremy took the bottle from him. Sophie, Alan’s girlfriend, ran toward the tree. “You have to open mine first. You must.”
    Alan swept Sophie up as she passed. “Let me get you some Champagne first.”
    Everyone jumped as the cork popped out of the bottle. With a big grin, Jeremy held it high. Wendy was still looking at Alan and she saw the cloud flash across his handsome face. He’d wanted to do the ceremonial opening, to continue being the center of attention, but Jeremy had upstaged him. Alan never liked to be upstaged.
    Rob and Kathy held the glasses while Jeremy poured the drinks into an assortment of champagne flutes, beer mugs, and wine glasses. Kathy beamed at Rob who seemed impervious to her charms, modest as they might be. Alan threw himself into an armchair, smile fixed in place. Lorraine accepted her drink with wide eyes and brought the glass slowly to her lips.
    Pearls before swine .
    When everyone was served, Mrs. C clapped her hands in delight. “Presents, presents. We must have presents.”
    Alan opened his gift from Sophie. Good, reliable ski gloves, just shy of being top notch.
    Like Sophie herself, solid, respectable, but most definitely not the best.
    Wendy sipped at her champagne and