Geri Krotow - Colton's Mistaken Identity

But she wasn’t done with him, and Ariella was certain that once she presented Prescott with her plan, he’d agree to again partner with her. That had been her one mistake—she hadn’t let him in on her career plans right from the start.

He wasn’t going to come easily, though. It’d be impossible to get him to meet with her and have a calm adult discussion. Ariella knew it would be risky, but she was determined to win Prescott back, even if it meant officially kidnapping him to get him in the same room as her.

And getting rid of women like the redhead who were in her way.

“Have you heard from Skye this morning, sweetheart?” Mara Colton was already dressed in her work clothes, which meant she looked like she’d just stepped out of a boardroom. Her navy suit was official looking enough to give her mom the impression of measured control over what they both knew could erupt into total chaos with one wrong decision. They planned all year for the Roaring Springs Film Festival and worked well together, but this year felt different. Between Skye’s failed romance, the Avalanche Killer, and the loss of revenue due to the latter, nothing was going as usual.

“No, not since she told me she needed some space.” Phoebe wiped her brow with the bottom edge of her running shirt. “Don’t worry, Mom. She’s had a rough breakup, and you know how she takes them.”

“‘Space’ is not an option, with the press arriving today. What on earth are we going to do if she’s not here to handle tonight’s event?”

Mara’s concern made the tiny lines around her mouth deepen, and Phoebe hated that her twin was putting her mother through this. It was one thing to go all trauma-drama when you were a teenager, or even in college, but at twenty-five it seemed a little excessive.

Not that Phoebe could relate. Skye had always enjoyed a healthy dating life, her outgoing nature attracting men like adrenaline junkies to the high mountains that surrounded The Chateau. As the quieter twin, Phoebe normally didn’t have a problem with her more introverted personality, but she was starting to wonder when she’d have more than the more casual relationships with men she’d enjoyed so far. She wasn’t sexually inexperienced, but it’d be nice to have a man who wanted something more. Something lasting.

While she tried to think of how to answer her mother, a skinny boy of thirteen came barreling around the corner, followed by a rosy-faced toddler.

“Hey, Phoebe!” Joshua pulled up short and looked over his shoulder to make sure the little girl was with him. “Come on, Chloe.”

“Good morning, you two.” Phoebe gave Josh a quick hug and then bent down to lift Chloe into her arms. She buried her nose into the baby curls, savoring the sweet scent.

“Grandma, can me and Chloe go to the playground? I’ll make sure she doesn’t climb too high.” Josh was Phoebe’s nephew and the son of her brother Blaine, who’d just returned from his military stint. They’d all only met recently, as no one had known that Joshua’s mother, Tilda, gave birth to Blaine’s son back in high school. Russ and Mara were proving much warmer grandparents than they had been parents, and immediately wrapped Joshua in unconditional love. Still, it was disconcerting to hear him call Mara “grandma.” Phoebe smiled and poked at Chloe’s stomach. “Who has a cute tummy?”

Chloe’s squeal of delight warmed Phoebe and chased away her worries about Skye. Chloe was the daughter of her cousin Sloane, the woman Russ and Mara had raised as their own. Both children were the first grandkids for Russ and Mara, and it showed in how very spoiled they were whenever they came to the resort.

“Phoebe. We need to settle how we’re going to fix this.” Mara hugged Joshua to her as she spoke, her eyes softening for the young teen.

Chloe started to squirm, her legs kicking like all get-out, and Phoebe reluctantly set her back down.

“You two go on ahead, I’ll have Lania meet you there.” Mara spoke to Joshua, referring to the nanny she’d hired to help during festival week.

“Thanks, Grandma! See you, Aunt Phoebe!” Joshua and Chloe sped off, the toddler’s legs furiously pedaling to keep up with her older cousin. Mara placed a quick call on her cell. She instructed the nanny to text the minute she arrived at the playground. With the Avalanche Killer on the loose, there was no such thing as being too careful.

When Mara turned to face Phoebe, she was ready with the best answer to ward off her mother’s inevitable freak-out.

“Skye will be back in time, Mom. I’ll text her in a bit and see where she’s at.”

“You remember that I still need you in the ballroom by nine this morning, right?”

Phoebe looked at her watch. “Yes, and that leaves me another two hours to shower, eat and show up.”

“And I thought we agreed you weren’t going to go running by yourself until everything gets cleared up?” Mara reminded her.

Great. Now her mother was turning her angst on the nearest target—Phoebe.

“Mom. There’s no safer place on the planet, second only to maybe downtown Roaring Springs. I never went off the main path, and it was light by the time I took off.” She opted to not mention the creepy feeling she had of being watched, nor the sounds of breaking twigs that she’d been afraid might have been some unseen trespasser. Her imagination had always been on hyperdrive, a byproduct of having her nose in a book since she was a kid. Her reading tastes ran the gamut of genres, but her favorites remained thriller and horror.

“Sabrina thought it was a safe place, too.” Mara’s mention of her niece and Phoebe’s cousin hit Phoebe square in her heart. She winced, wishing the pain would somehow ease and then immediately felt guilty. Sabrina Gilford hadn’t been given a chance to escape the pain and suffering of her murder. What right did Phoebe have to even consider complaining about her own life?

“I’m not going to win this conversation, Mom. Let me get something to eat and I’ll see you in the ballroom later.”

“Wait a minute, sweetheart.” Mara’s normal businesslike tone was tinged with concern.

“Yes, Mom?”

“You need to be prepared. If this is one of Skye’s more prolonged relationship-grieving periods, she might not be back in time for tonight. I’ll need you to step up.” Mara’s words made Phoebe’s heart stutter. Skye wouldn’t leave them in the lurch, not with the opening gala tonight, would she?

Her clenched jaw told her the truth. Skye could take breakup misery to a whole new level, and there was a good possibility she’d back out of tonight if she truly didn’t feel up to the task. But it wasn’t something Phoebe wanted to reveal to her mother, who always bore the brunt of the festival’s pressure each year. She forced a smile, made her stance more relaxed and put a hand on her mother’s shoulder.

“Mom, we’ve been through this. Skye is the face of The Chateau’s marketing. She’s a natural at dealing with the public and especially the press. I’m the depth of our team. Like when I ran cross country in high school and college. I never was the fastest, but Coach could always count on me.” And she never wanted to be in front of a television camera, not willingly. The thought of having to stand in front of the gauntlet of reporters, all craving the latest and greatest gossip on the featured actors, was more frightening than the scariest novel she’d ever read. “Trust me, Mom. You don’t want me doing one bit of her job.”

“Coltons don’t quit, Phoebe.” Mara clearly had her teeth sunk into the idea that Phoebe could instantaneously replace Skye, and she balked.

“Wait a minute—I’m not the one who took off with a broken heart. I’m right here, Mom, standing in front of you. Please don’t put this on me. If on the very tiny chance Skye isn’t here in time, we can ask one of the hotel management interns to step in. It’d be the best training for them, and we can let the press know we’re giving an intern from another part of the country a great opportunity.”