“Thinking about it. You don’t have to act like it’s the most absurd thing you’ve ever heard.” He rolled his eyes. “Not all of us can be a perpetual slacker like you, Chuck.”
Sheila dropped in at that moment, and I ordered a beer while Liling put in her order for a double bacon cheeseburger with extra fries. For such a willowy model, she ate like a trucker anytime she was home.
A voice called out across the room, and Sheila rolled her eyes at us. “Zane, I might need you to cut this guy off if he keeps up this crap. I don’t think he’s drunk, but he’s harassing all the waitresses. And if he touches my ass like he did Diana’s, he might lose function in his hand.”
While Zane scanned the restaurant for the culprit, I didn’t need to look around to know who owned the pretentious, stuck-up voice. Greg Simmons had somehow found his way to The Oak Barrel.
“I can go talk to him, if you want.” I cracked my knuckles and slid to the edge of the booth.
“You are not starting another fight in my bar. Too many Wright fights have been started here.” Zane pushed me out of the booth and flexed as he stood. “Besides, there isn’t a rich white boy alive who isn’t at least a little afraid of my guns.” His biceps bulged under his black t-shirt, showing off every inch of his ripped body. Hauling kegs worked Zane better than a gym ever could’ve.
He clapped Sheila on the shoulder and looked around the room. “Tell all the other servers to steer clear of that table. He wants a drink, he’ll get it from me.”
Before I sat down again, I looked around the room to see Greg and Mindi sitting at one of the small bar-top tables. Greg’s hand gripped Diana’s elbow, holding her at the table while he leaned in far too close. I had no doubt he was crossing at least two or three of the waitress’s boundaries. “You sure I can’t punch this guy out? I bet it’d only take one good swing.”
“Leave it to me, Chuck. Sit down.” Zane strode across the bar and we all watched as our brother gripped Greg’s wrist, twisting it slightly so he released Diana and his face contorted with pain. I would’ve loved to have heard what Zane said next.
“You know that guy or something?” Sheila drew my attention back to her, and I blinked a couple times, refocusing on her.
“Not really. Why?”
“You’ve never jumped to our rescue before. I figured either you got a thing for Diana, or you know the asshole hitting on her.” She shrugged. “Can I get you guys anything else on my way back?”
Neil ordered another soda and a plate of nachos, even as he stuffed a few more fries into his mouth, and Sheila left me alone with two of my younger siblings.
“You know, you could order a couple shots. We could pour them into our drinks, and no one would be the wiser.” Neil raised an eyebrow at me and tipped his glass in my direction. His hair was darker than mine, almost black, but he still held all that Wright charm Dad blessed us with.
“Yeah, and get the cops called for something other than fighting? You want a drink, you come by my house. I’ve told you before. At least if you’re in my place, Mom and Dad don’t get quite as pissed at me for letting my underage siblings drink.” I scowled at Greg, who had settled down some next to Mindi. “Though, I’m still not opposed to going over there and kicking that guy’s face in.”
“Who are you? Sheila’s right, I’ve never seen you defend any of the wait staff here like you are tonight.” Lil leaned over and pressed her palm to my forehead. “Are you feeling all right? You’re not a pod person, are you?”
“Will you all just get off my case? He’s being a dick. To a woman who’s worked with Zane long enough that she’s practically family. You don’t think I’d kick someone’s face in for harassing you? Or that I’m such a ski-bum slacker that I don’t know the difference between the right way to treat a woman, and what that asshole’s doing?” I slid out of the booth and shook my head. “I’m getting a drink from the bar. If Sheila brings my beer, and there’s even one sip missing, I’m telling Dad on both of you.”
Liling stuck her tongue out at me in a very not model-like pose, and Neil rolled his eyes. I picked up one of the last fries on the plate and threw it at him, but he caught it in his mouth and grinned at me.
I shook my head at them and headed to the bar, not so much for a drink but because I wanted a better look at Greg and Mindi. The man was in a tailored suit that looked far too stiff, and wingtips that would probably give him worse than a sprained ankle if he fell. Mindi had two empty daquiri glasses in front of her and a third that was nearly gone too. She was turned toward Greg, and every minute or so, she reached out and touched him in some little way—adjusting a piece of hair that had fallen out of his overly gelled style, wiping a bit of hot sauce from his cheek, picking lint off his shoulder. I half-wondered if the woman who should’ve been marrying Greg in the first place was Mindi. She clearly didn’t mind that he was flirting with half the restaurant.
“Don’t even think about it, Chuck. He’s not your concern.”
I sighed and looked at Zane. “There’s a woman staying in my chalet right now. She was supposed to be here this week with him. As his wife. Still think he’s not any of my concern?”
“Man, you can’t fix everyone’s problems, and if she’s just renting your property, what do you care if she’s got some asshole ex?” He reached up, grabbed a bottle of the scotch I usually drank and poured a couple fingers for me. “Unless you’ve got more interest in the woman than just her rental fee.”
I sighed. “I don’t know, man. She’s smart and funny, and I could talk to her for hours. She’s beautiful, and when she smiles… But she’s heading home in a few days. She’s going back to New York, back to a life where the men she dates looks like that. Not like this. I’m not going to pretend that our conversations together are anything more than that.”
“You like her. And judging by the look in your eyes, I’m not sure it’s not even more than that. But you’re still not starting a fight with him in my bar. You want to have a caveman battle over a woman, you take it somewhere else.”
I picked up the scotch and leaned on the bar, sipping the amber liquid slowly. Was Zane right? Aubrey was an incredible fuck, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had as much fun with a woman as I did today, even with the interruption from Greg and Mindi. Hell, I bought her jewelry. The only woman I’d ever bought jewelry for was my mother. But that didn’t mean I had feelings for her. Did it?
I sighed and headed back to the table where Liling and Neil were deep in conversation, clutching the highball glass tight in my fist to keep from veering off course and going to let Greg Simmons know just what I thought of him.
As the night drew on, I got lost in conversation with my siblings, letting our time together drown out anything else in the bar.
Still, I kept an eye on the table where Mindi and Greg were sitting. When he picked up his coat and followed a woman who looked barely legal to drink out of The Oak Barrel, leaving Mindi behind, I almost jumped right out of the booth again.
“Can you believe that guy? What a skeez. Did he seriously just leave the woman he was with to take someone else home with him?” Neil shook his head. “Maybe we should’ve let you go punch him.”
Mindi looked almost despondent, drinking her frozen cocktail way too fast. As Zane walked by to check on her, she slipped right off the stool. If he hadn’t been there, she probably would’ve cracked her jaw on the edge of the table.
I stood and sighed. “I’m going to make sure she gets back to her hotel safely.”
“Chuck, it’s not your job to take care of her just because she knows Aubrey. Walk away from this one.” Liling’s brow eyes gave me a sad look, almost like she was pitying me.
I stood up. “That woman was Aubrey’s friend. And she’s too big of a fool to realize the guy she’s in love with is someone who doesn’t love her back. I’m going to make sure she’s okay.” I leaned over and kissed Liling’s cheek. “Neil, can you make sure this little hooligan gets back to Mom and Dad’s safe
?”
“Of course.” He smiled and picked up the last bit of my beer. “If I can have this.”
“If I don’t see it, I know nothing.” I turned and walked away, knowing without a doubt that he would drink the last swallow of beer and feel like he got away with something.
“Zane, I’ll take her.” I wrapped my arm around Mindi’s waist and shifted her weight from Zane’s shoulder to my own. “Mindi, I’m Chuck. Remember, we met earlier in Glenwood. I’m going to take you back to your hotel, okay?”
Zane frowned, looking at the two of us. “You’re sure you’ve got this? You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”
“You mean like hunt down the asshat who left her here? No, I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’m going to get her to her room, and make sure she’s got a trash can to puke in when all those fruity drinks come back up, and then I’ll probably never see her again.” I picked up her purse and her coat. “If any of this tab’s not paid for, let me know and I’ll cover it. No reason you should be out just because Greg Simmons is a stupid fucker.”
Zane’s eyebrow rose. “Who?”
“Ask Liling and Neil. I’m too tired to explain it again.”
He clapped me on the back. “Don’t worry about anything here. Just get her somewhere safe.”
I draped Mindi’s coat around her shoulders and half-walked, half-carried her out to my Jeep. She slumped over as I got her buckled in, and before I got in the driver’s seat, I grabbed a bucket from the back that she could throw up in. The last thing I needed was my interior splattered with strawberry-colored puke.
“Chuck? You’re the guy Aubrey was with, right? Where is Aubrey? Man, I fucked up so bad.” She slurred heavily, and I bit my lip, wondering if a hospital would be a better bet than her hotel.
“Where are you staying, Mindi? Which hotel?”
“Um, the tall one. No, the one that looks like a cabin.” She giggled and leaned into me so I was practically holding her up. “I don’t know. Greg has my key. Just take me to him.”
I sighed and put the Jeep into reverse. She clearly couldn’t remember where she was staying, and I couldn’t just leave her alone, not with as drunk as she was. I headed home, keeping a close eye on Mindi to make sure she didn’t pass out or hit her head on the window or the dashboard.
“This is a nice hotel. You come here often?” She laughed and swayed as I helped her through my cabin to the couch. I was a gentleman, but I wasn’t a saint. The woman wasn’t getting my bed. She was likely to hurl—it was just a matter of when.
I draped her on a chair while I grabbed linens from the closet. I quickly made up a place for her to sleep and grabbed a trash can, setting it by the couch. I lifted her from the chair and sat her on the sofa. She teetered backward and I helped her find the pillow.
Maybe Liling was right. This wasn’t my problem. Why was I taking care of this woman?
I managed to wrestle her out of her shoes—a pair of black stiletto boots that looked more appropriate for a hooker in a movie than a ski trip to Aspen—and then tossed a blanket over her. “Try and get some sleep, Mindi. We’ll find Greg in the morning, okay?”
She nodded, her eyes already drooping closed.
Once I was behind my closed bedroom door, I fell back onto my bed. My fingers lingered on the one blanket Rachel knit for me. Was Aubrey wrapped in the sister afghan at the chalet? My night would’ve been so much better off if I’d just stayed with her.
I curled up and turned off the lights, hoping that when I woke up in the morning, Mindi would be sober enough to get out of my hair for good.
At first, I thought it was a dream. I could feel someone’s lips moving sloppily over my face, not quite hitting my mouth. But it was the hand on my crotch that made my eyes fly open. My hands went instantly to her shoulders, trying to avoid her tits she was thrusting at me. I shoved her backward, off of me. “Mindi! What the hell?”
She sat on the edge of the bed, batting her eyes at me blearily, her lipstick smeared and puke in her hair. “You’re so hot. And so big. Don’t you want me to come to bed with you? I could make you feel so good. You’d forget all about Aubrey.” She leaned forward, her breasts falling out of her bra. She’d somehow shucked off her dress between my bedroom and the couch, because she was wearing nothing but her undergarments and tights.
“Mindi, go back to the couch. You clearly don’t know what you’re doing. And if you do know what you’re doing, you should really get a grip.” I stood up and tried to push her out of my room.
Instead, she lunged at me. She managed to knock me back onto my bed and straddled my lap, pressing her boobs in my face. “Come on, Greg, no one needs to know.”
Of course. She was still drunk enough she thought I was Greg.
I gripped her hips and extricated her from my lap, setting her on the bed next to me before I stood up. I grabbed her elbow and lifted her from her seat. “You should’ve been on Aubrey’s side, Mindi. Not Greg’s. You would’ve been lot happier.”
She reached behind her, trying to unhook her bra. Thankfully, the undergarment was a front clasp. “You wouldn’t be saying that if I could just get this thing off.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”
Mindi got up and stumbled her way back to the living room.
“Sleep it off.”
She crawled onto the sofa and looked over her shoulder at me in what I’m sure she thought was a sexy pose, and then she flopped down into the puke staining the pillow.
I didn’t bother hiding my eye roll. “Go to sleep, Mindi.” I pulled the door closed and locked it, so I didn’t have any more surprises.
19
Aubrey
I tossed and turned all night. Even though Chuck wasn’t wrong to give me time to think, I didn’t want to be thinking. I wanted to forget. And I wanted to get lost in the hot snowboarder-slash-rental mogul who had awakened something in me that Greg Simmons could never touch.
Looking at my phone, I scrolled through and found his number, along with a ridiculous picture he’d insisted I take to go along with it. But calling didn’t seem like enough. I wanted to see him. And if he’d had such an easy time walking away last night, I didn’t want him to have the chance today.
I found the guide Luke had left and looked up breakfast places in Aspen. When I saw one circled with a red pen and starred, I assumed either Luke or Chuck thought it was the best place. Smiling, I set a course to get breakfast to go so I could surprise Chuck.
After I had breakfast in hand, I bit my lip, trying to remember landmarks that would help me find my way to Chuck’s place. Why hadn’t I paid more attention?
After a few circles of Aspen and a couple of wrong turns, I backtracked to the chalet, and then I managed to find his cabin. It looked just like I remembered, and the Jeep out front was a dead giveaway. Grinning, I parked on the street and picked up the drink carrier loaded with two coffees and two orange juices, and then grabbed the bag full of takeout boxes.
A fluttering sensation filled my belly as I walked up the path to his front door, and I couldn’t tell if it was nerves or excitement, or a bit of both. With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and knocked on his door.
The solid wood portal swung open, but instead of Chuck’s warm, bright, blue eyes and mischievous smile meeting me, I felt a sudden wave of horrifying déjà vu. Mindi answered, wearing a men’s white button-up shirt, and from the looks of things, not a stitch more.
Mindi’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “Aubrey! What are you doing here?”
The drink carrier slipped from my hand, coffee and orange juice exploding at my feet as I turned on my heel and ran back to my car. Chuck fucked Mindi. Why else would she be answering his door in nothing but his shirt?
“Aubrey, wait! Come back.” Chuck’s voice chased after me.
I tried to get my keys to unlock my car, but I fumbled and dropped them.
Chuck caught my elbow. “Aubrey, please. This isn’t w
hat it looks like. Please come in.”
I shoved him away and picked up my keys. “It’s not what it looks like? That wasn’t the woman who fucked my fiancé standing in your doorway? In what I can only assume is your shirt?” I shook my head. “You know what? It’s fine, Chuck. Really. Clearly, Mindi has a magic vagina or something, because how else could she fucking steal not one, but two men, in the space of a week? While I’m still with them. Go back inside, Chuck. Go back to your slut.”
Chuck leaned against the car door, blocking me from getting inside. “Aubrey, please. Nothing happened, I swear to you. I was at The Oak Barrel last night. Greg and Mindi were there, and he left her there. She was so drunk, she couldn’t even tell me where she was staying. I didn’t know where else to take her, so I brought her home to make sure she was safe. That’s it. She threw up all over her clothes and my couch. That’s the only reason she’s in my shirt. I couldn’t take her back to her hotel this morning covered in puke. Please, Aubrey. I swear, I didn’t touch her.” There was a desperate look in his blue eyes, but there was a hint of frustration too. Was he actually mad at me?
I had no reason not to trust Chuck was telling me the truth, but I barely knew him. I had known Greg for years, and I never would’ve thought he was capable of sleeping with my friend, lying to me, treating me like I didn’t deserve the best from him. And yet he had. How could I believe a man I just met? And why did I even care so much? Chuck was a fling, a man to help me get over my ex. That was all. Right?
I took a deep breath and held up the bag of food in my hand. “I brought breakfast. I was hoping we could spend the day together.” I glanced back at the front porch. “I guess I ruined the drinks though.” As crazy as it seemed, I wanted to give him the chance to explain.
His expression had eased some of the desperation, leaving frustration. “Aubrey, I understand you’ve been through a lot the last few days. And I understand your reactions. But I don’t deserve this anymore. I’m not Greg. I’m not going to be with another woman while I’m with you. And if you can’t give me the benefit of the doubt, then maybe we should stop this now.”
Seducing the Runaway Bride (The Wrights Book 1) Page 12
