EntangledTrio by Cat Grant Read Free Book Online Page B

back?”
    “You wouldn’t be the first ungrateful asshole to forget where he came from on his way to the top.”
    For a second, David couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. This went beyond his father’s usual pointed needling. Way beyond. Standing slowly, he tossed his napkin on the table. “You know what? Fuck this—and fuck you , old man. It’s not my fault your life’s so miserable you have to get hammered every night. I don’t know what your fucking problem with me is, but it’s your problem, not mine.” He glanced around the table, taking in the rest of the family’s shocked faces. “Sorry to ruin everyone’s dinner. I’ll get out of here and leave you all in peace.”
    His mother followed him out to the foyer, grabbing hold of his coat sleeve as he tried to put it back on. “Get back in there and tell him you’re sorry.”
    “For what ? I didn’t do anything!”
    “Other than cursing at him in his own house! Humiliating him in front of everybody!”
    “What about him humiliating me ? Or doesn’t that matter?” One look at her haggard, desperate expression, and he had his answer. “After all these years, you’re still making excuses for him. Well, I’ve had it. I’m not taking any more of his abuse.” He buttoned his coat and picked up his bag. “If he wants to apologize, he’s got my phone number. Not that I’ll be holding my breath.”
    “David, please . Don’t go.”
    He’d just started toward the front door, but her plaintive tone made him come back to plant a quick kiss on her cheek. “Sorry, Mom. I have to.” Then he turned and walked out.
     
    * * * * *
     
     
    Aleks had given their chef the holiday off, so later that evening they bundled up in their coats, scarves and boots and ventured out into the village. Barely an hour after sunset, and the sky was already the clearest, deepest blue Colette had ever seen, dusted with bright stars. The fresh, clean alpine air was so cold it almost froze her lungs. She and Aleks linked arms as they strolled through the cobblestoned streets, marveling at the utter silence. Zermatt lay high up in the Alps, with the train the only way in or out. There were no cars here, just sleighs and foot traffic. It was as if they’d been hurled back in time to the nineteenth century.
    Surprisingly, a number of restaurants were open tonight. They settled on a small, intimate place with sturdy wooden tables and a long bar with an impressive number of beer steins perched on it. The host came over and greeted them in rapid-fire German, showed them to a table near the fireplace, then took their order.
    They lingered over a pot of fondue chased down by a light, crisp Riesling. After, as they did a slow circuit of the town before heading back to the chalet, Aleks remarked, “Is something wrong? You haven’t uttered a word since we left the restaurant.”
    Why did he keep asking her that? With a stifled sigh, she glanced up at the mountains looming above them. “I’m just enjoying the ambiance and the quiet. It’s so peaceful here.”
    “It is indeed.” No sooner had he spoken the words when he spied a newspaper vending machine on a nearby corner and darted over to buy one. Colette’s lips went tight, but she’d decided not to say anything until he looked at her, forehead crinkled. “What is it?”
    “We’re on holiday, Aleks. Can’t we go even a couple of days without the outside world intruding?”
    “It’s just a newspaper.”
    “My point exactly.”
    “Fine, then.” Now his lips tightened, but he marched back to leave the paper on top of the vending machine. “Shall we go?”
    They arrived back at the chalet a few minutes later, with Colette shivering from a distinct new chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. She headed upstairs by herself to wash her face and put on her nightgown and robe, but when she fished in her purse for her hairbrush, everything in it spilled onto the floor. Wallet. Makeup bag. Cell phone…
    Which