When he walked out, Bodine snatched the coffee off the table, dumped it down the sink. “Male, dick-measuring, ball-swinging, chest-puffing bullshit.”
She swung around when Callen came in. “And I don’t want to hear any of it out of you.”
“All right.”
“The pair of you want to ram antlers and paw the goddamn ground? There’s a woman dead. A woman I hired. A woman I liked. A woman with family and friends, and…”
“There it is,” Callen soothed when Bodine covered her face, began to shake. He went to her, wrapped arms around her. She didn’t fight him this time, stayed stiff only for a moment. Then leaned in, let go.
“She was a friend of mine. She was a friend.”
“I’m sorry.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, stroked a hand down her back. “I wish there was more to say, but that’s all there is.”
“I need to do something. I’m better if I know what to do.”
“You need to take a minute. That’s doing something, too.”
“Crying’s just annoying. Crying doesn’t do anything.”
“Sure it does. You empty something out so you can fill it with something else.”
“Maybe, but—”
She turned her head just as he turned his. Their lips met.
Bumped, she’d think later. Really just bumped—unplanned, an accident in timing and direction. Maybe they lingered together a few seconds, but it wasn’t remotely an actual kiss.
Still, she jerked back. “That—that’s so disrespectful.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
Stuck between frustrated and embarrassed, she waved her hand in the air, swiped at her wet cheeks as she paced away. “Wasn’t you, wasn’t me. Just happened. It’s a horrible morning, horrible, and it just happened. I need to get to Bodine Town. My mother should be in by now. I need to tell her about this. We need to … God, we need to figure out how to tell everyone.”
She pressed her fingers to her eyes. “You need to get to the BAC. We’re shorthanded enough there.”
“Why don’t I call Chase, tell him what happened? Seems like he and your father should come over here. You’re going to want your whole family when you tell everybody.”
On a long expelled breath, she dropped her hands. “You’re right, you’re right, and I should’ve thought of that. We’ll have Mike take us in. Clintok said the police are blocking things off now.”
She closed her eyes a moment, drew her shoulders straight again. “Okay, I know what I have to do. Let’s get going.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The family gathered at Bodine House, spread out in the pretty living room with its dozens of framed photographs and its simmering fire. After insisting her mother sit, just sit, Maureen passed around the coffee.
If they’d been at the ranch, Bodine thought, a family meeting would take place at the big dining room table. With her mother fussing just as she was now.
Because fussing kept her calm. Bodine could relate, as doing something, most anything, did the same for her.
They’d chosen the meeting site because the family needed to stay close, and Bodine calculated she couldn’t spare more than a half hour away from her office.
She needed to tend to her people, deal with the fallout and grief already reverberating through the resort.
“What can we do for her family?” Miss Fancy sat, back erect, in her favorite chair. “I knew her—a hardworking, fun-loving girl. But, Bodine, you’d have known her best. What can we do for her family?”
“I’m not sure right now, Grammy. Her parents are divorced, have been, I think, a long time. She has a brother in the marines, and I don’t know where he’s stationed. I’ll find out. Her mother’s in Helena, as best I know. I’m just not sure about her father.”
“If her family comes here, we need to put them up somewhere as private as we can, take care of them.”
“No question of it,” Cora agreed. “Bodine, you’ll need to block off two cabins so we’ll have them if needed. And choose a driver for them.”
“I’ve blocked the cabins already.” She had an agenda, tried to organize what could and should be done. “For a driver—while they might rent cars, I think one of us should be available for driving them wherever they need to go. I think we should do that rather than one of the staff.”
“That’s a good thought,” Maureen told her. “We also have to tend to our resort family. Billy Jean…” Tears swam into her eyes so she took a moment to settle the ones that rose to her throat. “She was well liked. Such an outgoing girl. We need to address, and soon, the grief and the shock, and the fear, too. We don’t know what happened yet, but people are going to be speculating and worrying on top of mourning one of our own.”
“I think we should bring in a grief counselor.”
At Rory’s suggestion, Chase turned his head, stared.
“I don’t see people wanting to talk about all this with some stranger.”
“You wouldn’t,” Rory agreed. “And other stoics wouldn’t. But some would, more than you might think. We’re a company, and as a company, we should offer counseling to our employees.”
“I may be of Chase’s mind about talking things through with some counselor,” Sam began, “but I can see Rory’s point here. We should find somebody who has a good reputation for this, and provide it. People can decide for themselves on it.”
“I’ll look into it.” Doing so was already on Bodine’s list.
“No.” Cora shook her head at Bodine. “You’re going to have enough on your plate. I can find the right person for this.”
“I’m not being cold or callous.” Rory scowled into his coffee. “And I’m as pissed off as I am sad. I still can’t get my head around it, and I’m not sure I will even when we find out what the hell happened. But we’ve got to think about a press release, how we answer reporters, not to mention how we answer guests.”
“I’m working on it,” Bodine assured him. “Until we know what happened, it’s best we say the truth first. We’re all shocked and grieving over the loss of one of our own. And we’re cooperating fully with the investigation. There’s just not much else to say at this point.”
“I can talk to some of the staff. Nana’s right,” Rory continued, “about you having so much on your plate.”
He’d know what to say, Bodine thought. And he’d know when to just listen. Rory had such heart and the ability to read what a person needed often before that person knew themselves.
“That’d be helpful. As this goes along, Jessica and I will refine official statements, and work out what everyone—not just us, but everyone—should say to guests, to reporters. You could help with that, too, Rory.”
“Why her?” Chase asked. “Why Jessica? She’s events, isn’t she?”
“Because she’s smart and she understands perceptions. She stays calm and on message, but she knows how to adjust when circumstances change.”
Bodine sat cross-legged on the floor, looked up at him and his doubtful frown. “Have you got a better pick for it?”