No reason for that to change now.
“Afternoon, Ms. Newton.”
A new face was behind the counter of the registration desk. Young. Male. The son.
And he was on her list. Excellent.
“You must be Brady.” She gifted him with her best smile, the one some went so far as to call charming.
“Yes, ma’am.” He returned the gesture with a pretty damned charming smile of his own. Totally opposite from his sour-natured father.
Sarah crossed the lobby and extended her hand. He gave it a shake. “I’m Sarah Newton.” Tentative grip. Nervous, she decided.
“I know who you are.” His pleasant expression slipped a measurable notch. “You’re here about Valerie and ... Alicia.”
Alicia was his girlfriend.
“That’s right.” She searched those hazel eyes, noted the uncertainty and frustration. “I’m genuinely sorry about your friends.”
He lowered his gaze, busied himself with something behind the counter. “Me, too.”
“I’m glad to finally have the opportunity to meet you.” Sarah hadn’t seen the first sign of the wife or the kids. She’d begun to think the innkeeper’s family was another of the village myths.
“I have school, you know.” Almost reluctantly, he met her gaze once more. “After school I’ve been helping with the ... search.”
She’d suspected as much. “Alicia is a beautiful girl.”
That uncertain expression melted back into a warm, boyish smile. Cute kid. With that blond hair, if he had a tan he would fit neatly into the surfer-dude category.
“She sure is. I’m lucky she took a second look at me.”
Where had boys like this been when Sarah was eighteen? They’d all been jerks. “She’s made quite a mark in the world of beauty pageants.”
He nodded with unabashed enthusiasm. “But she’s got a lot more going for her than just that kind of thing. She has big plans.”
“Yeah.” Sarah gave an acknowledging nod. “Her mother told me.” Not exactly a lie.
“She’s going to New York for the summer.” He shrugged. “After graduation and all. She’s trying out for one of those model shows. You know, the reality kind.”
“I can absolutely see her winning.” The girl had the look. If she had half the ambition, she would have a very good chance of breaking in on some level. Sarah dug in her bag for a card and passed it across the counter. “You and Alicia call me when you get to Manhattan. I’ll show you around. Take you out to dinner. It’ll be fun.”
That got his full attention.
“Cool, thanks.” He pulled out his wallet and tucked the card away. “She’ll be real excited to hear that. We don’t know anybody there and”—he glanced around as if ensuring no one overheard—“the thought’s a little scary, even for me.”
He had no idea he’d just told off on himself. Sarah would wager that no one else knew he’d planned to escape the land of maple trees and moose with his girlfriend. She mentally marked his name off her potential-suspect list. The boy was in love. Love could certainly end in murder, but not this time. He was still holding out hope that Alicia would return and their plans to escape would see fruition.
“It can be a little scary for anyone if you don’t know your way around.” Sarah laughed, recalling her first day in New York. “Trust me, the bark is bigger than the bite. Many of the rumors you hear are blown way out of proportion. New York is just a bunch of little villages clustered together, that’s all.”
He laughed, probably the first in several days. “Definitely good to hear.”
“How long have you and Alicia been together?”
“Almost a year.”
He blushed. Definitely something you didn’t see often anymore. Sarah bit back a smile.
“Prom’s coming up. That’s our anniversary.”
