Mina, Paul, and Ward

Her three fellow party guests converged on the couch. After another few tokes, she gave the joint over to Ward, who seemed to be expecting it. Instead, he handed it back to Paul, smiling wider than his friend. What a strange duo. “How do you guys know Mina?” she asked.

Paul smiled. “Oh, we're old friends of her dad's,” he said.

Izzy blinked. She shouldn't be surprised that these two were rich, but being old friends of Harold Trivett's was nothing to scoff at even by Trystalen standards. “Oh,” she said. That didn't feel like it explained what they were all doing here tonight, or why they had to do it at Engblom. They probably had rooms bigger than Mina's (no small feat) back at the main lodge.

“There was a bit of a mix up,” Paul explained. “My wife was supposed to be here this week, but it turns out one of her charities has a fundraiser. We already put in the down payment for this place, and I’d hate for it to go to waste. Plus, I heard Mina was around, so I thought we should make a night of it.”

It made, in strict terms, perfectly logical sense. Paul handed Izzy a beer with its top twisted off. She took a sip. The smoke was already hitting her, and it was just what she needed. Mina could be difficult, snooty, pretentious, and selfish, but she also knew far too often what was good for her friend. Luckily, she also had the means to make it happen. “Do you come here often?” she asked.

“Izzy’s a maid at Tystalten,” Mina said.

Izzy’s mouth dropped open. “Mina!” she said. She’d left out that she didn’t recognize either Paul or Ward specifically because she didn’t want them to know why she was at the resort. If Ivan or anyone else with any authority found out that she was here, she could lose her job. It went way beyond “resort protocol.”

Mina’s laugh twinkled. “Honey, this is going to sound like an insult, but I promise you it isn’t. They can tell you’re poor just by looking at you. There’s nothing wrong with it! It’s just, I don’t know. The way you carry yourself.”

Her friend fumed. It did sound like an insult. But if there was anything Tystalten demanded of its staff, it was the ability to weather insults without comment. The last thing she wanted to do was get on Mina’s bad side. “Alright,” she huffed.

Paul laughed and sat across from them in the pit. Not for the first time, Izzy noted how strange it was that Ward was just standing over them all, not smoking, just nursing a beer without a word. “Don’t listen to her,” he said. “You’re cute.”

Izzy went red. She carefully remembered what he said about his reason for being here. Wherever it was down the mountain that he came from, he had a wife. Plus, he’d been friends with Mina’s father for ages. It was just an innocuous comment. “Thanks,” she mumbled. He was still looking at her. Or Mina, more likely. Her friend twined their legs together. Izzy was proud of hers, well toned from hours upon hours working on her feet, but she wished they were as long as Mina’s. Some things were more than physical fitness.

“Ward’s divorced,” Mina said.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Izzy. It felt like the right thing to say. As usual, Ward’s face didn’t move. He grunted. Call that a ‘thank you,’ she thought.

“It was a couple years ago. He’s fun again,” Mina confided in her. He didn’t act fun. But Izzy had just met the guy. Mina had already moved on, looking back to Paul. “You didn’t come all this way just for a few beers and a toke, did you?” she asked. Her eyes were burning. This wasn’t the first time she dragged Izzy out for a night of relaxation, but this was the most high-tension she’d ever seen her friend. Something weird was going on here.