“Couple of forty years hands down the resort to one of their children to carry on the family tradition.”
That headline sounded good, and I knew that out of all the goals I had for myself, that one would be the hardest to achieve. Trusting someone that much seemed far-fetched to me, but a part of me was cynical and bitter about love after what I saw it do to my father.
It would take one hell of a woman to take that fear away. Women like that didn’t exist. It was also why I knew that some goals were too high ever to be achieved, and love was one of them. I had other things to do, smaller steps I needed to take, like finding a new marketing manager.
When I got to the top of the mountain, I unsnapped my boots from the board and jumped back onto my deck, right when the phone rang on my desk. Running inside, I shucked off my wet gloves and tossed them on the floor.
“Bates Resort,” I greeted.
“Hi, this is New York City General Hospital. Is Chris Bates available?”
My heart sank. “This is him.”
“We have a Charles Bates here. Mr. Bates, it isn’t looking well. Your brother came into the ER after having severe pains, and he is having some problems with one of his kidneys.”
“Is he stable?”
“For now. He may need surgery. One of his kidneys seems a little sluggish, but nothing too alarming We are hoping it can correct itself with time, but right now, you should probably be here. He is also detoxing from heavy drug misuse, and we don’t know how his body will handle it.”
“Right,” I sighed. “I’ll be there by nightfall. I’m in Colorado. If anything changes, please, keep me updated.”
“Of course, Mr. Bates. See you soon.”
Too soon. I felt like I was just there. Calm anger flowed through me as I sat in my chair and placed the phone in the receiver. I grabbed my cell and texted Ben, letting him know that he needed to hire a new marketing manager, and I couldn’t help because I had to go to New York City because of my brother. I hated that city. As a family, we moved out of town when I was still in high school so I could be closer to the slopes. Already back then, I'd been earning more money than my father, so he hadn't had much to say. I could have moved back, but nothing was there for me.
Charlie made my life more and more complicated and I knew I wouldn’t be able to protect my image forever with his habit.
The ultimate dream could wait another day.
Or years.
