“Charlie Bates,” I said when I got to the front desk. It was a flashy lobby. The center was really an old mansion and looked more like a hotel than a medical center. Not that it was a medical center per se, but there were a lot of doctors, therapists, psychologists, and so forth there. I’d done my research. Apparently, stars came here to “detox.” Why celebrities were so hellbent on killing themselves with drugs, I wasn’t sure.
“Room three−twelve, dear,” the old woman said.
Less than three minutes later, I tapped on his door, and he stood from the couch, rushed over, and embraced me in the tightest hug he had ever given me. “Hey,” I said with a hint of confusion. This was unlike him.
“Chris. It’s so good to see you.”
I placed his books down on the table and nodded. “Yeah, it is. You are cheery. This place treating you okay?”
“Man, this time is going to be different. I feel it. This is the place. I’ll be alright. You’ll see.”
“Glad to hear it.”
We sat down for a few hours, went for a walk in the cold gardens, and then had steaming hot coffee inside. I was surprised at the excellent quality of the coffee, but then again, the whole place screamed of luxury, and I was the one picking up the bill for the party.
Even though we spent hours together, I didn’t tell him about Melinda, not yet. I wanted to, but Charlie, with all his issues, was a hopeless romantic. He thought Melinda and I belonged together since we couldn’t stand each other so much, but it wasn’t like that.
Plus, I wanted the focus to be on him.
“Alright, this guy needs to go to his therapy appointment, isn’t that right, Charlie?” a large woman had suddenly appeared in the doorway. She had a bit of an attitude, cocking her hip as she stared at my brother.
“Leverne, come on. This is my brother.”
“Charlie, I don’t care if it is Jesus. You are going to get your butt to that appointment even if I have to drag you there. Don’t make me take off my earrings.”
I couldn’t help but smile at their banter. The woman didn’t take his shit. Good for her.
“Yes, ma’am,” he groaned. “Thanks for coming by, Chris. I’ll make you proud.”
This time, it was I that hugged him. "You make me proud by being here. I'll be back in a few days, okay?" I started to head out when Charlie’s voice stopped me.
“Thanks for getting me out of New York. I know I don’t make it easy but thank you.”
It was a side of him I hadn’t seen since we were kids—the grateful side. I didn’t know if I could trust it—addicts can be extremely manipulative—so I just smiled and nodded. “Love you, man. Take care and Leverne? Don’t take his crap.”
“Not on a bad day, baby,” she crossed her arms and pursed her lips, crooking her finger at Charlie. She was an older, take−no−shit kind of woman, and I could tell she didn’t like waiting around. So, I did what my instincts told me to.
I left before she grabbed my ear and made me get out.
It was time to get some work done. Braving the weather and the brief stinging sensation I loved so much, I made my way to my car and, then, the resort. On the road, I had a half-hour to think about the swift changes a week had brought into my life. My brother and Melinda—two different storms and both of which caused the same amount of havoc.
And damn it, if I didn’t feel uprooted by the power of them.
The thought of the two of them had my head spinning, and from there, my thoughts wandered to Melinda’s charity work and people like Charlie, who had no older brother; no financial backup; no support. That, in turn, made me think about mine and Charlie’s childhood and how I would never have made it as a snowboarder without scholarships. The entire way back to the resort, it was all I could think about. I needed to make sure the resort granted local kids access to the slopes. Kids who didn’t have the cash to buy access to use them or equipment to do so. Heck, they probably didn’t even have the money to get from Breckenridge to the slopes. Turning the resort into a social enterprise would put it on to the map along with a few other ideas that were in the works.
I had to talk to Ben.
I groaned when I realized that no, it wouldn’t be Ben I’d have to talk to, but Melinda. Because as much as I wanted to invest in this kind of angle straight away, I couldn’t do it until we were profitable. And I didn’t know when that’d be. So, we’d have to raise funds for the charitable side of things at first.
I pulled into my parking spot at the main lodge and slammed my door with a little more force than necessary. My boots crunched against the freshly packed snow, and with sloshy thuds, I made my way across the small bridge that led me to the front door.
I banged my shoes against the trim to get the snow off and headed inside, only to find Melinda and Ben sharing a cup of coffee, smiling at on another. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but he said something that made her toss her head back, causing her blonde hair to cascade down her back, showing that delicate curve of her neck against the light that came through the window behind them.
This was a place of business. They shouldn’t be flirting. It was unprofessional, and I shouldn’t care, but seeing her hold her hand to her chest, laughing so hard her cheeks turned a rosy red, it had my stomach in knots. Caden last night and now this? She flirted with everyone.
“Chris,” Ben said my name when he finally noticed me standing behind the bar to pour myself a cup of coffee. “Come and join us.”
“I’m fine." I slid my eyes to Melinda. "I have shit to do like you two do.”
