Luck Be a Lady (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by Gemma Halliday, T.Sue VerSteeg Page A

Shaken, not stirred. Within seconds, they were gently placed on our table.
    Tate lifted the drink to his lips, inhaling the aroma, a smile reaching his eyes as he took the first sip. His lashes fluttered as he set the glass reluctantly back in front of him. "The best drink ever made."
    I couldn't help but grin. Tate was a full-of-life breath of fresh air that I sorely needed today.
    "Speaking of drinks...Tate, did you know that my dad was drinking health shakes?"
    "Ugh. I'm drinking the nectar of the gods, and you bring up DynoDrink?" He shuddered, clasping both hands around the fragile stem of his glass. "Mr. King tried to get me to try it once. No dice. I'll die young enjoying these, thank you very much." He savored another sip of the bright green concoction.
    "What about Rafe?" I pried, not really sure what made me bring him up.
    "What about him?" Tate appeared puzzled for a second until the bartender slid a second round in front of us. I hadn't even touched mine, so I chalked it up to extreme butt kissing.
    "Britton said Rafe got my dad into them?"
    Tate nodded. "Rafe is a spokesperson for DynoDrink. He'd give your dad a fresh can every few days from his stash."
    I wondered if the fresh canister my dad had taken his dose from on the day he died had come from Rafe. A niggle of unease at that thought played at the back of my mind. "Was Rafe around on the weekend my dad died?"
    Tate frowned, cocking his head to the side in thought. "He was. Big snowboarding competition on the mountain that weekend. His publicist was in town, too. I'm pretty sure he was either tied up with the tournament, or tied up by her." He paused to take a sip. "Metaphorically and literally, if I were to guess. For a girl, she's kinda hot." He pointed to a huge poster at the end of the bar I couldn't believe I hadn't even noticed.
    Cardboard Rafe was nearly life-sized with a myriad of smaller pictures surrounding him. In most, a tiny blonde woman was draped on his arm, gorgeous, perfect teeth, not a hair out of place. She inspired instant hatred in me—by both Teen and Adult-me.
    "Why do you ask, sugar?" Tate asked.
    I shook my head. "It's nothing. I'm just...thinking about my dad, that's all," I said, not quite ready to share Britton's deadly shake theory yet.
    Tate clucked his tongue and did a head-tilted, lips-pursed, pity-face.
    Smiling, I assured him, "I'm okay. Promise."
    He stuck a little finger in my face, and I was forced by a long ago pact to lock mine with his. "Pinky swear," I added.
    "Your dad was an amazing man. I know you guys didn't really see eye to eye on, well, most things, but he loved you. I know that for sure."
    I let him take a few sips of his drink while pondering his words. "Really? How are you so sure?"
    "How many summers did we spend together? Ten, maybe? My mom absolutely adored working for your dad. The entire week before you came out for your summer visit, he practically had the staff on lockdown, cleaning and prepping twenty-four-seven. Everything had to be in tip-top shape before you got here. The pool was always his main focus since he knew how much time you spent there."
    Pleasant memories filtered past my stubborn pride. I allowed myself to feel the excitement of the summer when I was twelve. I had walked through the pool gate and seen the huge, twisting slide Dad had installed. When I turned fifteen he'd added a new wave pool. I'd tucked those memories so far back in my subconscious, they'd been lost behind all of the times when he'd forgotten to call on Christmas, or send a card when I'd gotten straight A's, or announced that he was marrying someone just a few years older than me. Seeing tears flowing down Tate's face made me realize he was mirroring my own.
    I swiped at my eyes. "Sorry."
    He reached for my hands. "Oh, honey, don't be. I was worried that you hadn't let them out already. You should be very proud of all that your dad accomplished. Not to mention how much he appreciated each and every person who worked