Last time she’d been here, Kendra had just filed for divorce and was living somewhere else.
Lexi nodded. “He’s drinking again, but, yeah, it looks that way.”
Eric chuckled. “Are you kidding? They’re crazy about each other.”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.
Vic had to wait for Lexi to exit first. When it was her turn, she all but ran, following Lexi across the hall to her room.
“The Matchless is our best suite. I hope you’ll be comfortable.” Lexi pulled a key card from the pocket of her shorts. “It’s named after the Matchless Mine, where Horace Tabor made his fortune in silver.”
“And where his wife Baby Doe froze to death, alone and penniless, many years later,” Eric said.
Lexi glared at him. “Nice.”
He shrugged. “Hey, just finishing the story.”
Lexi opened the door and stepped back to let Vic enter.
“It’s …beautiful.” Vic had stayed in plenty of five-star hotels in her life. Her father was a wealthy man, and she had traveled the world with him before she’d left home. But nothing could surpass this little suite for comfort or charm.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I thought we could all get dressed here the morning of the wedding,” Lexi said.
“Of course I don’t mind. It will be perfect for that.”
A living area with antique wood furniture led to a bedroom with a fireplace and a king-sized brass bed and, beyond that, a bathroom with modern fixtures, including a tub big enough for two. A large, standing antique mirror stood off to one side, an ornate wooden frame holding silver glass. Everywhere there were beautiful touches that made Vic feel welcome—a bouquet of pink cabbage roses on the coffee table, a coffee mug with a bow on it that said “Keep Scarlet Weird,” and a box of …
“Estes Park taffy! You really do love me.” Vic had tried it during a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park last time she was here. Handmade the old-fashioned way, there was nothing else like it. She unwrapped a pink one, popped it into her mouth, and chewed. “Mmm. Cherry.”
Eric left her bags near the bed. “Why doesn’t the best man get digs like these?”
Lexi looked over at him, straight-faced. “Eric, you live here.”
“Oh. Right.” He took his cell phone out of his pocket, glanced at his text messages. “I need to get going. We’re hitching Moretti’s boat trailer to my truck. I’ll see the two of you at the reservoir in a couple of hours.”
That’s right. Today was Reservoir Day. Tomorrow they were going up to Rocky Mountain National Park, then on Monday they were going horseback riding at the Cimarron Ranch. That would be fun. Tuesday was set aside for a whitewater rafting trip, which Vic was not looking forward to one bit. The idea of getting tossed around on rough water was scary, not fun. Wednesday they were renting the rock gym for a climbing party. Vic didn’t climb, but she would watch. Then on Thursday, it was Casino Night. She had a surprise planned for Lexi and Austin that night and couldn’t wait. Friday was Spa Day and the wedding rehearsal. The wedding was Saturday morning.
“Terrific,” Lexi said. “See you there.”
Eric turned to go.
It took Vic a moment to pry her jaw open, her teeth stuck together by taffy. “Hey, Eric. Thank you.”
He gave her a nod. “Anytime.”
The door shut behind him, leaving Vic and Lexi alone.
“This is amazing, Lexi. Thanks so much.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. How are you? I’ve been so worried about you.”
“I’m okay.” Vic left it at that. There was no way to talk about it without crying, and she didn’t want to open up that emotional Pandora’s box this afternoon.
Lexi’s gaze hardened. “It’s a good thing he’s in prison, or I’d hunt him down.”
Vic didn’t want to think about this. “Let’s just pretend for now that it never happened, okay?”
Lexi reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “We’ll have lunch as soon as you get settled in. Then we’ll go and have some fun at the res. How does that sound?”