I think we were in the parlor when Claudine introduced me to everyone. Long ago I learned to be good with names. A little tip Madonna shared backstage at the VMAs. She was right. It’s so helpful when you’re asking people to get you stuff. Rashida brought me some champagne; Dave gave my gift to Jules. Then there was Alice and Louisa and Natalie. I thought it was cool it was mostly women that worked at the office. Then John and Kevin and Jerry. Some silent nods from the Alpine brothers, Jack and Bobby, like the Kennedys. I could tell they didn’t know what to do with someone like me. They thought they had to be overly polite and use phrases like “Good evening” and “Wonderful to meet you,” which didn’t exactly roll off their tongues. I appreciated how respectful they were and loved the whole look: big and rugged. Then the Tigglemans. Or—excuse me—Captain and Mrs. Tiggleman. They looked exactly how you’d want them to look—like they just walked off a yacht. I asked him what he was a captain of and he said, “Nothing anymore. Spent forty years on the high seas. Stationed in Norfolk. I’ve seen it all: breaching blue whales, men going mad, and more than a few pirates.”

“When he retired, it was my turn to choose,” said Mrs. Tiggleman. “He wanted to stay on the coast, but I’ve always loved the mountains. In many ways Aspen’s like an island. So it was a compromise.”

At this point I’d met everyone except the man with the orange face who was inching closer to me by the second.

“This our dear old friend Steve,” Claudine finally said.

“I prefer ‘old colleague,’” he said. “Zara, I like your spirit. Not scared of house shopping in the middle of the gray wolf reintroduction happening in these parts. Just make sure you keep that little pooch indoors. Those wolves are fierce hunters.”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking and didn’t have time to find out, because Claudine and Henry whisked me away to see the house.

Claudine

The arrival of Steve threatened to throw everything off. Claudine knew sabotage when she saw it. She was determined that his showing up unannounced wasn’t going to change a thing and didn’t waste any time. Right now, he wasn’t the priority.

“Like much of the land around here, this used to be a cattle ranch,” she began, leading Zara out of the parlor. “Until they carved the surrounding land into tiny pieces and started building homes. One of the reasons Montague House is so exceptional is the lot size. It just doesn’t exist anymore. This much privacy and these sweeping views are unrivaled.”

“It’s magical,” said Zara.

“That’s exactly what we liked about the property,” added Henry. Well done, Henry.