He glanced toward the kitchen, then back at her. “What has she said?”

“Well, mainly she said I wasn’t supposed to say anything to you about it. Because, you know, it’s Christmas and all and we can’t have any drama at Christmas. Other than, you know, the me and Holly situation.”

He smiled at that. “It’s been less stressful than last year, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, it has. So what’s going on with you?”

“You’ll have to be more specific.”

“Oh, come on, Dad. Don’t make me ask.”

He sipped from his drink but said nothing.

“Fine. I’ll ask. Are you having an affair?”

He nearly spit out his drink. “What? Is that what she thinks?”

“You’re gone a lot. At odd hours. You get phone calls. You claim to be working at the resort. A lot. But she followed you one morning. You met some woman at a coffee shop. Sat on the outdoor patio. And she called the resort. You weren’t scheduled to be at work that day.”

His reaction wasn’t what she’d been expecting. A smile and a laugh?

“I guess I should have told her. But I’d promised and I hated to break my promise.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In Dallas, when we quit, I told her I’d never go back into real estate. It had nearly ruined our marriage. I love your mother. I didn’t want to lose her.”

She frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that for the last couple of years I’ve been working toward getting my license here. I took the broker exam in November of last year.” He grinned. “Passed with flying colors, of course.”

“I would hope so.”

“Anyway, for the last year, I’ve been working.”

“For a firm?”

“I thought that was too risky. I didn’t want Sandra to find out. So no, I’ve been on my own. But it’s really taken off and I’m swamped now. I already had connections in Dallas, and you’d be surprised at how many second homes up here exchange hands. Not just that, but I’ve become friends with one of the builders in Taos. He builds vacation homes that the owners then use as short-term rentals. What he’s found is that people will keep the house for two or three years, then sell to someone else who’s looking for investment property. That alone has kept me plenty busy.”

“So instead of telling her, you sneak around and pretend to be working at the resort?”

“Not pretend. I do work there a couple of days a week, but not as a manager as she thinks.”

“How do you find the time?” She held her hand up. “I know. You can do three things at once. Like when you used to come to my soccer games. You always had the phone to your ear.”