Chapter 21
Melinda
The next morning I woke up to find Chris staring at my phone. I didn’t have anything to hide, but that wasn’t the point. He could have asked before using it. I yanked it away from him and wrapped the blanket around my breasts. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“You’ve been telling people you know in the city to put the resort on a billboard, there? I told you not to worry about that.”
“Chris, it would be great for business. Think about that.”
“No, I can do this myself. Tell him no. I can’t freaking believe you.”
“What’s the point of hiring a manager from NYC and not use the connections they have? Put your pride aside.”
“My pride? Mine? You’re the one who went behind my back, Melinda. Don’t put this on me. And by the way, I didn’t try to pry. It’s just the phone vibrated, and I saw the text,” he quickly dressed and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going? You can’t just leave! We need to talk about this.”
“We talked about it once, remember. It shows how much you listen. Nothing ever changes with you. You only want to do what you want, when you want.”
“Chris, it isn’t that big of a deal. We can talk about it. This isn’t the way to handle things.”
He stopped heading toward the door and hung his head. “I’m just not ready to accept help and you don’t seem to get that.”
I get up from the couch and walk over toward him, trying to forget the words he said a few minutes ago that basically calling me selfish. I wrapped my arms around me and sigh. “Don’t me mad. I don’t understand why you don’t want help. This is networking. This is how things get done. I’ll wait if you want, but I think waiting is a big mistake.”
“I need to clear my head,” he turned around and gave me a kiss on forehead and sighed. “I’ll see you later, okay?” but I can tell from the dejection in his voice, he thought I was wrong. He headed for the door again and this time I didn’t stop him. I let him go.
He was overreacting. I didn't understand what the big deal was. He had too much pride. It was okay to ask for help, and if he didn't, this place would never live up to its full potential. “Damn it,” I rubbed my temples and meandered to my room and got dressed, then headed to my cabin, fed the dog, and from there walked to the lodge to grab a cup of coffee, thinking about the conversation I was going to have with Chris.
“Yikes,” Mary said, pouring me a tall cup of coffee, pushing the cinnamon and honey toward me. Why she was still manning the bar, I didn’t know, but I was grateful for it. She was only supposed to train our staff. Maybe there’d been a change?
“Jeez, thanks, Mary.”
“Yep.”
Coming from New York, I should have gotten used to goths, punks, and the rest of the population that loved to dress to impress but had a heart of gold underneath. Still, I wasn’t. Maybe it was my preppy background? But I was always equally surprised when someone dressed in all black and wearing skull earrings or the likes and turned out to be sweeter than a daisy.
I took a seat by the window, sipped my coffee, and surfed the net until I saw Chris standing on the balcony, talking to a woman I had seen before. It was that friend of Bess’s. She was all curves with a tight waist, big tits, long tan legs, and a bigger ass. How was someone made like that? It couldn’t be natural. She squeezed his bicep, and he didn't lean into it, but he didn't lean away. I couldn’t watch it anymore.
“I’m going to Ben’s.”
Mary tilted her chin, drying off the glass as she stared at me. She wore black lipstick and heavy mascara with a leather vest. She was completely badass. I wished I had a sliver of her no−give−a−shit attitude. She must think me insane, though. Why go to Ben’s when I had a bar serving coffee where I was?
As I drove to Breckenridge, I thought about how Chris could be friends with someone like Bess and her little tribe of savages. Maybe it was because they were all body and no brains? He had a history of dating women with no standards or goals. He’d told me it was because he’d wanted to keep things uncomplicated, but seriously?
The drive went by quickly, and soon I pulled into Ben's bar. It wasn’t too busy since it was so early, and a loud engine roared through the air. When I stepped out of the car, the person on the Harley took off their helmet, and Mary shook her long black hair free.
“I thought you were at the resort?”
“Only to take inventory after the big night. I have a shift here.”
I nodded, sighed, and headed to the front door. Mary beat me to it, and when she opened it, I stepped inside to see Ben behind the bar. A friendly face. Perfect.
And then Ben mouthed for me to go. I didn’t understand why until Bess came around the corner. Ben watched us, wiping down the bar, but I just ignored Bess. I wasn’t in the mood for her high school antics.
“Can I have something a little stronger than coffee, Mary?” It was always midday, and it was New Year’s Day. I deserved it.
“Coming right up,” she said, giving Bess the evil eye.
