"Today's final relationship-building activity will focus on trust and boundaries," Serena announced. "We'll be working with comfort zones and intimate communication."
Garner's jaw tightened. I stabbed at my eggs with more force than necessary.
"Is everything okay?" asked the woman seated next to me. She and her husband were from Bozeman and had been married for ten years.
"Fine," I said, forcing a smile. "I’m not really a morning person."
She nodded. "The beds here are so comfortable, it's hard to get up. Though I imagine you two didn't get much sleep."
Heat flooded my face, and I let out an awkward laugh. "Um, well?—"
"We should head over to the activity room," Garner cut in. "Don't want to be late."
I followed him out of the dining room, my breakfast sitting at the bottom of my stomach like a brick. Once we were alone in the hallway, I grabbed his arm.
"What's going on?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "Why are you acting like this?"
He wouldn't meet my eyes. "Like what?"
"Like last night never happened. Like you can barely stand to look at me."
He sighed and ran his hand over his face. "Last night… we got caught up in the moment. The pretending, the situation... it was intense."
The words hit me like a sucker punch to the gut. "Caught up in the moment," I repeated. "Is that what you think happened?"
"Isn't it?" His eyes finally met mine, unreadable and dark.
I let go of his arm, stepping back. "Right. Of course. A momentary lapse in judgment. That’s all it was."
"Liv—"
"Don't call me that," I snapped, suddenly furious.
Other couples were starting to filter into the hallway, so I plastered on a smile and walked away. I could play this game too. I could pretend everything was fine while dying inside.
The morning activities passed in a blur. We participated like robots, maintaining our cover while barely speaking to each other. When the session broke for lunch, I mumbled something about needing air and escaped to the resort grounds. Anything to distract myself from the hollow ache in my chest.
I followed the same path we took the day before and ended up standing in front of the mysterious private residence. It was still locked up tight, but as I circled it, I noticed a stack of mail tucked into the mailbox. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then quickly flipped through the envelopes.
Most were addressed to "Mountain Peak Investments.” But one smaller envelope caught my attention. The return address was from "R. Nelson" with a PO box in Whitefish.
Ruby Nelson. It had to be.
I snapped a quick photo of the envelope, then flipped it over to see if maybe the seal had broken or come loose. Discouraged there was no chance of getting the envelope open, I held it up to the light. There was one piece of paper inside. Looked like an estimate. I squinted, trying to make out the blurred words. It was an estimate from some gym equipment company called Summit Strength Supply.
I carefully replaced everything exactly as I'd found it. This was the lead we'd been looking for… proof that Ruby was connected to this place. But instead of excitement, I felt only a dull satisfaction. Proving Ruby and Orville were working with the developer didn’t matter anymore. The only thing that did was what had happened with Garner.
Back in our room, I took the hottest shower I could stand, letting the water wash away the tears I refused to acknowledge. I dried my hair, applied minimal makeup, and chose my most comfortable outfit for the evening activities.
When I came out of the bathroom, Garner was sketching on the hotel notepad, his head bent in concentration. As soon as he saw me, he flipped it over.
"I found something," I said, keeping my voice flat. "An envelope addressed to Ruby at the private residence we saw yesterday."
His eyebrows lifted. "You still think she’s working against the town?"
"I think she might actually be helping Mustang Mountain, not hurting it," I continued, pulling up the photo on my phone. “I looked up Mountain Peak Investments when I got back. Their name is listed as the owner of a few of the buildings downtown, and they’ve been sponsoring local sports teams.”
Garner reached for my phone and looked at the picture.
