The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska)

by Sarah Morgenthaler

  “Did he just call me off?”

  “It was a double insult, darlin’,” Graham said in her ear. “If he riles me up enough to hit him, then Jax gets first punch next time.”

  “This makes no sense. Which, considering it’s you, makes complete sense.”

  Slipping away from his hold, Zoey stepped sideways, looking at both of them as if they’d lost their minds. With a grin, Graham moved in and gripped Jax in a massive bear hug.

  “Let’s start over. Jackson Shaw. This is Zoey. She’s taken me down, and I promise you, she can do the same to you. Tread lightly, my friend. She has pointy toes and knows how to use them.”

  She offered him a pained look. “Really?”

  “Zoey, this stuck-up rich boy is Jax. Believe it or not, he’s not half-bad.”

  “Don’t wax poetic on me,” Jax teased, then said to Graham, “Where are we going? I don’t want to eat in this shitbox.”

  “You’re reading my mind, brother.”

  Their usual haunt was Rick’s pool hall, and Zoey agreed to share a pizza with them. They piled into her rental car at Zoey’s insistence. Hands tight on the wheel, Graham wondered if she was still upset at Jax or if there was something else bothering her.

  Rick didn’t say much, but he gave Jax a rough hug in greeting before sticking a pizza in the oven for them. The pool hall was empty at that time of day, leaving the bar-height tables free for them. Even after consuming a mass quantity of bread, cheese, and meat, Zoey seemed frazzled. More so than a simple accidental thumb-breaking situation would have caused. Wrapping his arm around the back of her chair, Graham tilted his head to catch her eye. Only then did he notice the hairline crack in the center of her glasses or the tiny piece of scotch tape holding the delicate frames together over the bridge of her nose.

  “Hey, what happened? Did your glasses break on you?”

  “That’s one way of putting it.”

  Graham slid his arm down to her shoulders, hugging her tight. “Should I ask? Did the planned spontaneity not go as planned?”

  Zoey groaned. “I’m at the point I don’t even want to talk about it anymore.”

  Jax raised an eyebrow.

  “Her vacation is trying to kill her,” Graham supplied helpfully.

  “It started with a zip line. A spontaneous, exceptionally long zip line, which sort of…stopped.”

  “How far in?”

  “About halfway.” Zoey put her forehead on the table, her mangled glasses digging into the bridge of her nose. “And they argued awhile about who would have to come get me. Then I was hooked up like the bad end of a tow truck and hauled to the next line. Which, again, was really long.”

  Oh, this poor woman. Even now, her face flushed with the embarrassment she must have endured.

  “How many times did you get stuck?”

  “Every. Single. Time. At least until they started sending me out with someone else to make sure our weight kept us moving.”

  “Did it?”

  “Nope. They decided halfway through the course that my equipment was faulty and needed replacing. They held up not just our group but every single group following us until they could get my entire butt sling thing changed out. Guess who was everyone’s favorite zip line companion today?”

  Graham squished her sideways into him, as much as he could safely squish her and not break her or her taped glasses.

  “I think you get the record for having the worst luck on excursions.”

  Jax frowned. “This wasn’t one of ours, was it?”

  She shook her head. “No. I booked all my excursions in a package deal with Moose Springs Adventurers. They gave me a discount for adding this last minute.”

  “There’s your problem,” Jax decided, lightly slapping his hand down on the table. “They suck. Like, they seriously suck. Don’t go anywhere with them. I mean, I get that people want to save money, but if the price is bargain basement, you’re probably going to get screwed somewhere. Just stick with us, Zoey. I’ll tell the concierge to make sure you get in one of our zip tours today.”

  Despite his friend’s intentions, Graham felt Zoey tense.

  “Drop it, man,” Graham warned in a light voice, catching Jax’s eye and giving a hard shake of his head.

  “What?”

  “Thank you, Jax.” Her appreciative words didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll talk to the concierge later.”

  “Naw, let me call them now. Freaking Grass is over there. Who names their kid Grass?”

  “That’s what I said. Hannah called me a jerk.”

  “She’s called you a lot worse,” Jax said with a smirk.

  Even though Zoey knew about Hannah, having the other woman mentioned casually in front of her left Graham uncomfortable.

  “I’m going to find the restroom,” she decided. “Excuse me.”

  Jax might have been cut from the same roughneck cloth Graham was, but he’d spent too much time in the kind of circles Graham never would. When Zoey pushed her chair out, Jax rose to his feet, the manners drilled in automatically. The moment she was gone, Jax dropped down to his seat with a grunt and a curse.

  “What’s with the death glare?” Jax asked.

  “She can’t afford it. And before you do, don’t. You’ll only make her feel worse.”

  Jax gave him a considering look. “That’s disturbingly astute of you.”

  “Keep calling me names, and this shit’s going south fast.”

  Barking out a laugh, Jax settled back in his chair, manspreading for all he was worth. “Okay, seriously. What the hell are you doing? Last I checked, you wouldn’t touch a girl like her with a ten-foot pole.”

  Bristling, Graham sat up straighter in his chair. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I mean, she’s hot enough, but come on.”

  “You’re more of a jerk than I remembered.”

  Jax snorted, shaking his head. “Maybe I’m just tired of being around people I can’t speak my mind to.”

  “Well, how about you don’t start by running your mouth about Zoey? Cause all pleasantries aside, you and I are about to speak our minds outside.”

  A massive grin spread across Jax’s face. “No shit. When Ash told me, I didn’t believe it. You’re screwed, man.”

  Gritting his teeth, Graham looked away. “You didn’t come all the way here to mess with me about my love life or lack thereof. What’s the deal?”

  “I don’t know. My folks are acting real weird, and they told me I had to come. There’s some benefit or something I’m supposed to represent the family at.”

  “Lucky you.”

  “You think I like going to that crap?”

  No, Graham knew Jax didn’t. There was a reason they were sitting in Rick’s instead of eating up at the resort.

  “By the way, they said to ask you if I saw you—”

  “No way. Hannah brought it up the other night too. I’m not opening a second location, and definitely not at the big house.”

  Jax hit him with a calculating look. “It could help the foot traffic at your place.”

  “Low blow, man, using intimate knowledge of my misery to advance your mother’s agenda.” Graham shook his head. “I’m not hiring employees. The last thing I need is someone depending on me. It makes being undependable too hard. No, but thanks.”

  “Hey, I told them you’d say no, but you know how Ma is when she wants something.”

  “Yeah, I remember.” They had constantly been in trouble with Jax’s mom when they were little. “The woman has eyes on the back of her head. So you go to this thing, watch some rich morons spend their money to save whatever the cause of the month is, catch some fireworks, and then what? Are you staying for a while?”

  Jax frowned. “I don’t know. My gut says to get out and back to New York while I can. Have you seen the guest
list this week?”

  This time, Graham was the one who snorted. “Since when did I ever pay attention to who’s up there?”

  “It’s a lot of money. Too much money. And the timing? I know the fourth is big around here, but my gut tells me this isn’t all about some fireworks. But everyone I talk to seems closed lipped about it.”

  A door swung open at the far side of the pool hall, catching Graham’s eye. As Zoey appeared from the bathroom, she smiled at him, a real smile that reached her eyes even from across the room. Yeah, he probably was screwed when it came to her.

  Funny how it didn’t bother him half as much as it should.

  “You have the dumbest-ass look on your face,” Jax teased. “That woman’s got you by the balls.”

  Graham didn’t bother to deny it. “Remind me to tell you how hard she kicked me in them. I still pee too far to the left.”

  When she sat back down, Jax turned his focus on her, eyes bright with curiosity. “So, Zoey. Since my buddy is totally smitten with you, I’d love to know more about you. The good stuff, not the bullshit stuff.”

  He was a direct guy, Jax. Unfortunately, Jax had always had a thing for the shy, sweet type.

  “He’s going to try to steal you from me,” Graham warned her. “He started with my favorite trading cards when we were kids, then spots on the school’s sports teams. Jax actively tried to seduce every girlfriend I’ve ever had.”

  “And you’re still friends?” She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

  Leaning forward on his elbows, Jax aimed a lazy smirk at her. “He didn’t tell you what he did to me.”

  When Zoey leaned forward too, taking a long sip of her water, Graham groaned. He recognized that sparkle in her eyes.

  “By all means,” she said. “Enlighten me.”

  * * *

  They’d lingered in Rick’s too long.

  By the time Zoey realized what time it was, she had to rush Graham back to his truck so he could get back to work. Even though Zoey was worried about him arriving late to open for the dinner shift, Graham didn’t seem in any hurry, spending too long telling her goodbye in the parking lot. As goodbyes went, it was beyond satisfactory if far more discreet than their morning in the booth.

  Zoey would take it.

  Lana was deep in conversation with Hannah and Quinn when Zoey walked through the lobby, but she caught Zoey’s eye, holding up a finger to ask her to wait.

  Finishing whatever they were speaking about, Lana hustled over. “Were you just out with Jackson Shaw?”

  “Yeah, he’s a friend of Graham’s. Why?”

  Lana pursed her lips, glanced at the man leaning on the front desk, talking to Grass, then flapped her hand. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll catch up with him later.”

  “You’ve been very mysterious this entire trip. Are you ready to spill the beans?”

  “Let’s get to the room, then we’ll talk.”

  Patiently, Zoey waited to grill her friend until they had ridden the elevator to their floor and safely closed the hotel room door behind them. Bending over sideways, Lana pulled the four-inch stiletto pumps off her feet.

  “Oh, I’ve wanted to burn these since I put them on this morning.”

  “Then why did you wear them?”

  “Power shoes, dearest. Men have power ties; women have power shoes. I had a lot of people to talk to today, and I needed all the power of persuasion available to me.” Tossing her purse on the counter, she rolled her shoulders, then twisted her neck to ease the strain. “In answer to your question, my mysteriousness is not drama so much as discretion. And if I tell you, mum’s the word.”

  “I’m mum.” Zoey perched on the kitchenette counter next to Lana’s purse. “Swearsies realsies.”

  “You Mudvillians say the weirdest things.”

  “Mudgetonians.”

  “Yes, that’s what I said. I’m working on a project for Moose Springs. An important project that will really help the town, but it needs to stay under wraps until it’s…well…not. There’s going to be enough red tape to jump through, and I’m still working on financing the project.”

  Zoey leaned over, stretching so she didn’t have to abandon her seat while pouring herself a glass of water from the sink. “Lana Montgomery, are you actually worried about money?”

  “Darling, I think you have far overestimated what I do and do not have access to. The Montgomery Group’s assets are not my personal piggy bank to break open anytime I want a new toy. Especially not when those toys are spectacular.” With a sigh, Lana dropped onto the couch. “I’ve finalized all the plans for tomorrow night’s gala, but I’m still nervous about it.” Turning hopeful eyes Zoey’s way, she perked up. “Have you decided if you’re coming with me?”

  Zoey cringed. “I was kind of hoping you’d forgotten about that. Are you sure you want me there? I’m not going to fit in with your people. I never do. We have three disastrous New Year’s Eve parties under our belts to prove it.”

  “They’re just people, and you’ve already met some of them. Besides, you can bring a date. Graham cleans up handsome, and he’ll love an excuse to get out of work early.”

  “Lana, I can’t ask him to go to something like this. He’ll hate it.”

  “But you’ll come?”

  When Lana gazed up at Zoey, for once looking vulnerable and uncertain, Zoey felt her last resistance cave.

  “It’s just for a couple hours?”

  “Black tie, a couple hours, and it will be fabulous. Bring Graham; everyone else will have a date. Trust me, you’ll have an amazing time.”

  The only thing Zoey trusted was how much Graham was going to hate this idea.

  “He’ll say no.”

  Finally, the stress in Lana’s eyes shifted to mirth. “Zoey, a boy like him risk messing things up with a woman like you? He wouldn’t dare. Now come on. We need to pick out a dress. I brought three for you, but if you don’t like them, we’ll take a quick jaunt to Anchorage.”

  “You have all the answers, don’t you?” Zoey slid off the counter and followed Lana into the bedroom.

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Zoey flopped dramatically down on the bed, defeated. “And you’re sure I can’t prove my friendship to you in any other way? Maybe by donating a kidney to you?”

  Lana just disappeared into her closet, humming cheerfully to herself. She came out holding three hangers, face triumphant. The dresses were floor length, haute couture, and probably cost more than Zoey’s car back home. “Rose, wine, or mint?”

  Zoey cringed, knowing she wouldn’t feel safe taking a drink of water in any of them. “Whatever I’m least likely to ruin.”

  “Mint it is. Oh, dearest. Graham’s going to just adore you in green.”

  Chapter 13

  “I can’t believe we agreed to this.”

  Graham adjusted his tie in the hotel’s oversized hallway mirror. “I didn’t agree to anything. You were the one who wanted to recreate Titanic, darlin’. Nice dress, by the way.”

  Grinning up at him, Zoey exhaled a laugh. “You know they all drown in the end, right?”

  “Not me. I’m with you on the door.” He leaned in, whispering in her ear. “Never let go, Zo.”

  “I wouldn’t dare,” she promised.

  Determined to use her car as much as humanly possible, Zoey had offered to pick him up after work when Graham shoved his dinner guests out at a paltry 8:00 p.m. He’d been tempted, but knowing he was about to spend an evening with the resort’s finest left Graham twitchy and in need of an escape route. After closing, he drove to the resort in his truck instead.

  The Tourist Trap’s dinner crowd was more passive than usual, and whatever event Lana had planned up at the resort had thinned their ranks. Even though consistency was the key to any business’s success, Graham knew he could get away with it. For every tourist he tick
ed off today, a fresh one would take their place next week. Frankly, it didn’t matter.

  Being Zoey’s date to some gala did matter, so Graham pulled his best—and only—suit out of the closet, dusted it off, and had it hanging in the back ready for after his shift. Reassured by Zoey’s promise to help him clean up tomorrow morning before opening, a quick change of his clothes in the bathroom was all Graham needed before zipping up to Moose Springs Resort.

  The dress she’d slipped into was more than enough to have him willing to follow her into any crowd, including this one. As they stood down the hall from the resort’s banquet room, Zoey hesitated, fiddling with her hair and checking her makeup in the reflection of the mirror next to them.

  “You look great,” he promised. “Come on. This is going to be fun.”

  “You think so?”

  “No, but we’re supporting L. And she’s fun. It’s close enough.”

  “What time do you need to get back home for Jake?”

  “He’s staying with Aunt Ash and Uncle Easton tonight. He likes them better, and I couldn’t get the adjustments made to his tux in time. Who knew dog tailoring would be such a nightmare?”

  She was so nervous, her voice shook. “Are you sure you don’t want to go spend the night with him instead? We could have a gala for three.”

  Graham didn’t want to be there, not for a single second, but one look at Zoey in her soft green dress, pale and trembly from nerves, and he knew he was right where he belonged. Resting a hand at the small of her back, Graham shifted closer to her side, letting her feel his presence beside her. Reminding her she wasn’t alone.

  “This is important to L,” he reminded her gently.

  Inhaling a deep, steadying breath, Zoey nodded. “You’re right. Lana needs us here. We’re being good friends. And there’s probably food.”

  “Theoretically.”

  The ballroom had been decorated with a similar kind of understated opulence as everything else in the hotel. Round tables glittered with polished silverware and crystal wineglasses. A massive hearth dominating the far wall burned with an attended fire, where a disgruntled Diego stood, balancing a silver platter of miniature s’mores in his hands, complete with tiny, perfectly charred marshmallows. A private balcony stretched the length of the ballroom, with two-story sheets of glass separating those guests still inside and those mingling around stone fire rings outside. Everywhere he could see, glasses of champagne were held carelessly in hands glittering with diamond tennis bracelets or expensive-looking watches.