Chapter 20
Chris
Today was the big day — the New Year's gala.
Clocking into the new year started at six and went all night. It was an event not just for guests, but for people from Breckenridge who wanted to attend. Melinda had worked hard on this. She had poured long−hours and sleepless nights into this project, and every dollar made would go to the charity I was founding for underprivileged kids to come to the slopes. What had meant to simply be the opening of the ice-skating rink had turned into so much more. What was great about this event was anyone could go if they donated to enter. It could be a dollar or five−hundred dollars, whatever it was, it would be worth it.
It was a black−tie event, so everyone had to dress up, and we were going to be later if Melinda didn't hurry. “Melinda!” I shouted for her from the front door of her chalet. I stared into the mirror, fixing my hair to make sure everything was in place. My bow tie, the same bowtie I had used to tie her wrists together last night, was around my neck, perfectly tied in a shape of a bow.
“I'm coming. Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she rushed out of her bedroom, and my heart fell to the ground, my lungs stopped working, and my vision might have blurred for a moment staring at her.
She wore a strapless silver dress with a plunged V neckline. There was tulle along the hem, following her breasts to camouflage the cleavage, and the rest of the gown hugged her bodice, showing every curvy inch of her. There was a small slit on the right side, stopping mid−thigh, and her shoes glittered in the light. Her hair was up in a neat French twist, and she wore heart earrings that dangled just above her shoulders.
Her makeup was minimal, but her lips matched her dress.
“What is it? It’s my hair, right? I knew it—”
“—No. You look … I’m speechless. You look perfect.”
“So do you,” she said. “I love that bow tie.”
“Don’t start. We have somewhere to be.”
“Fine,” she pouted, grabbing her sparkling blindfold.
I opened the door for her and patted her ass, watching it jiggle as she bounced down the steps. Rocket stared at us from the couch, and I waved, telling him we would be back later. We were only driving because of the cold, the snow, and the height of her heels, or we would have walked. When we got there, the line was long, and people were dressed to the nines.
“Wow,” Melinda said.
The ski−lift was even decorated with different sized globes, and as the ski−lift fell, so did the globes, signaling the ball dropping for the new year. It was clever. Every time someone came in the main lodge, the ski−lift would take them down, and then someone would drive them to the rink, giving them a sense of what the resort was like.
“You did great,” I said.
“We did,” she corrected. When we entered the main lodge, we made sure to enter without holding hands, no matter how much my fingers were twitching.
The main lodge was decked out in black, silver, white, and gold. Rose petals dipped in gold glitter lingered on the ground, and an ice sculpture with “2020” engraved in it sat in the middle of the room with red punch flowing down it. People could mingle here or go down to the rink, but the rink was where the main attraction was.
I looked around, and a sense of pride filled my chest. It was a hit. The grand opening of the ice-skating rink was a hit.
Then my eyes found Bess, and she was staring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead, and so would Melinda. Ben was behind the bar, wiping it down when he saw the silent interaction and raised his brows.
I wondered if it was at me entering the gala with Melinda or the looks Bess was giving us.
“You want to go down to the track?” I asked Melinda, too excited to wait much longer.
“Can I bring some of this punch?”
“I’ll grab us two,” I almost leaned in and kissed her forehead but stopped myself. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I forgot too. I’ll wait here.”
I shook a few hands and patted a few backs as I made my way toward the punch. I grabbed the spoon when I got to the ice sculpture and poured a few cups.
“Hey, Chris.”
My shoulders sagged. “Bess.”
“Did you come with Melinda?”
