Just as he finished talking, a few of the regulars from the bar came over.
“Are you okay, Scott? Do you need any help, my friend?” one of them asked.
“Nae, I’m guid thanks. Yer go and enjoy yer evening. This guy is just leaving.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I get her ring. You’ve got one minute to hand it over or I’m going to take it,” Keith said angrily, as he moved even closer to Scott.
The guys from the bar walked away a little, but didn’t go back inside. They didn’t really know much about Scott’s background, as he tended not to mention too much about his past to many people.
“Has Katie nae told yer anything aboot me? anything at all? Look, I dinnae want any trouble. This is just a misunderstanding. I have nae got her ring,” Scott said calmly.
“Last chance, give it to me.”
“Keith! Please, let’s go. We will work it out tomorrow,” screamed Katie.
“We will work it out, right now,” grunted Keith, as he lunged towards Scott throwing a wild right hook.
With lightning speed, Scott dodged the punch. He grabbed the big man’s arm and twisted it behind his back. Within a split second, he was face down on the ground. Scott knelt down, with his knee on the Keith’s back, as he kept the arm-hold firmly in place.
The bar regulars gasped. Keith cried out in pain for Scott to release him.
“I told yer I did nae want any trouble. I dinnae have her ring, and I dinnae want it back. If I let yer go, will yer get back in yer car and leave?”
“Yes. Just let me go,” he pleaded. He started out so angry and aggressive, but not anymore.
Scott released his grip and backed off. He walked towards the guys from the bar.
“I should sue you, you bastard,” Keith said, as he slowly stood up from the ground. Katie tried to help him, but he pushed her away, again.
“I have a lot witnesses here that will state yer attacked me, I did nae even strike yer. I just defended myself,” Scott replied.
“This isn’t over,” he said, as he spat in Scott’s direction.
Scott ignored him and talked with the guys from the bar. They were full of questions and would have asked many more, but Scott was tired. All he wanted was just to go home. He noticed Keith and Katie climbed back in the SUV and it sped away into the dark.
Scott realized this wasn’t to be the end of this. All he wanted was a quiet, peaceful life. But it seemed, whatever he did, some kind of trouble always found him. A few minutes after the SUV left, Scott started his walk home.
There was no more drama that evening. Scott arrived home safely and went directly to bed.
The following morning, he called Katie’s parent’s house to find out what was going on. He spoke with her Mom briefly. She explained that Katie told her that her ring was missing, but nothing else was taken. They never even realized that anyone had broken in and there was certainly no evidence of a burglary. Scott explained what had happened the previous evening. He told her that it appeared that Katie was on drugs. He encouraged her Mom to do anything she could to get Katie away from Keith. He had tried, but there was nothing else he could do. He thought about calling the police and telling them what occurred last night, but decided against it. He was aware that there was really little, if anything, they could do. He just hoped it was over.
Later in the day, after he mowed the lawn, he sat down in his living room with a cold glass of water to watch some baseball. He actually fell asleep for a few minutes, when the sound of his cell phone ringing woke him. He didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello.”
“Hi, is this Scott?”
“Aye, who’s this?”
“Hi Scott, this is Tiffany Robinson. I hope you don’t mind. I got your phone number from my Dad.”
“Hey Tiffany. I dinnae mind at all. It’s guid tae hear from yer. How are yer?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Nae too bad thanks. What can I do fer yer?”
“I just wondered if you were up for a trip to the mountains.”
“I’m nae sure what yer mean.”
“I’m going to Aspen next weekend with a few of my friends. We’re going to ski a little, if there’s any snow left and have some fun. I was talking to a couple of my girlfriends about you and they said I should ask you to come.”
Scott was a little shocked. But, also felt quite flattered that she was asking him.
“I’m nae really much of a skier, but it does sound like fun. Do yer stay at a hotel or something?”
“No, Mom and Dad have a house there. It’s really big, there are plenty of room so you don’t need a hotel. We can all stay there. All you need are your flights.”
“Are yer Mom and Dad going tae be there?”
“No, it will just be me and my friends.”
“Okay, I’m nae going tae break a leg or anything am I?”
“Don’t be silly, it’s easy. I’ve been skiing since I was about three. Surely you must have learned when you were a kid. Didn’t you go on any school ski trips or anything like that?”
Scott couldn’t help but smile. He liked her, but she really had no idea what the area he’d grown up in was like.
“I grew up in a working-class part of Glasgae. There were nae many kids in my class who took ski lessons. I’m afraid I come from a different world tae what yer used tae,” Scott replied teasingly.
“What about if I teach you?” she asked.
“That sounds guid tae me. So, what day are yer getting there?”
“We’ll be there Friday evening.”
“I work on Friday. But, I can try and get there early on Saturday. How long do yer stay?”
“We leave on Sunday evening.”
“So, let me check oot the flights and I’ll call yer back.”
“Sounds good Scott, just let me know when you can. Do you have my number?”
“The number yer calling me on now, is in my phone. Is that the best number tae reach yer?”
“Yes, that’s my cell.”
“Okay, will do. Thanks fer asking me Tiffany. I’ll talk tae yer soon. Take care.”
“Bye, Scott.”
Scott smiled, he knew the flights would cost him at least a few hundred dollars, but he had the money he just received from Jim and Linda. So, he was certain he could afford it. Plus, it would give him the chance to see Tiffany again, which he looked forward to.
Chapter 9
On Monday, Scott booked his plane tickets. He planned to arrive in Aspen, Saturday morning. He needed to change planes in Denver, but it seemed like a relatively straight-forward trip. Scott was surprised there was an airport in Aspen. He’d never been there before and expected to fly into Denver and then hire a car. He called Tiffany back and had gotten the address of her parent’s place so he could get a taxi from the airport when he arrived in the mountains. He also asked her about ski rentals and how much they would cost. Tiffany assured him that there were plenty of them at the house and he could borrow some of their equipment.
Scott looked forward to his weekend away. It was to be the second weekend in the last three weeks that he had gone on a trip. And after the previous weekend, he was thrilled to be getting far away from Ohio. He was even more excited at the thought of seeing Tiffany again. He found her extremely attractive and easy to talk to. He had wondered if he would ever see her again. His last memory was of her as she pulled away from her parent’s house in her yellow Porsche, her hair blowing in the breeze. He knew neither of them wanted to get involved in a relationship, but it would be good for him to get out and have some fun.
The week passed by really quickly. Soon, Scott departed the airport and was in the air again. This time, on his way to Colorado. As much as he enjoyed his previous trip in the First Class section, this time he paid for the ticket, so he flew Coach. After landing in Denver, he called Tiffany to tell her he had arrived. He quickly changed planes and was on the next leg of his journey. Both flights were quite smooth and u
neventful, which suited Scott just fine. As soon as he landed in Aspen, he was in a taxi and on his way to the Robinson’s house.
It seemed everywhere he looked; the mountains and scenery were amazing! Some of the homes the taxi cab passed on the short ride from the little airport were stunning. Scott expected the Robinson’s mountain retreat to be pretty special and he wasn’t disappointed. It was a two-story log home, and looked fantastic from the outside. Scott paid the taxi driver and walked towards the residence, he couldn’t wait to see the inside. He climbed the steps that led up to the front porch and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, Tiffany quickly opened the door. She was wearing jeans and t-shirt, as was he.
“Hi Scott, how are you?” she said, as she cheerfully extended her hand.
“Hey, I’m guid thanks. How are yer doing?” he replied, shaking her outstretched hand.
He stepped inside and set his backpack down on the floor.
“So, this is yer parent’s other house then,” he said, as he looked around and admired the place.
“Yeah, they’ve owned this place for about twenty years now. We love it and come up here a few times a year. Hmmm…first, I guess I’ll show you to your room. Then, I will give you the guided tour if you like.”
“Sounds guid tae me. Lead the way.”
Tiffany showed Scott to his room and he left his backpack there. He then proceeded to follow Tiffany, as she showed him around the home. It took about half an hour to see all of the rooms inside the house. Virtually every room had great mountain views. Then, she showed him the deck to the back of the house with the pool and hot tub.
“This is amazing,” he said, as he walked towards the pool.
“Yeah, it is really pretty up here. I love sitting in the hot tub with a glass of wine, just looking at the mountains. I actually enjoy that more than the skiing nowadays.”
“Nice, so where are all yer friends?” Scott asked, he hadn’t noticed anyone else around.
“We had a few people drop out, so there are only four of us here. Five total, including you. Brooke is still asleep in her room. She drank a lot last night so I haven’t tried to wake her yet. That was the room we didn’t go into, on your tour.”
“Okay, I thought there must have been a reason.”
“And Rachel and her husband Travis have already gone skiing. There’s not much snow here I’m afraid. It’s been very warm and only the very high, more difficult runs are open, so I don’t think you will be able to ski.”
“Och well. Never mind.”
“You don’t seem too disappointed,” she said, smiling.
“I’m nae too worried. It would have been fun tae see how guid a teacher yer were. But, I’ll get over it. I’m sure we can do it another time.”
“Definitely.”
“Could yer nae have gone with Rachel and her husband if yer wanted tae ski?”
“I could have, but it’s no big deal. I’m just as happy chilling here around the pool. It’s just nice to get away from home, sometimes.”
“So, if we’re nae skiing, what are the plans today then?”
“No plans really. We can just hang out around the pool. Later tonight, we can head out for food and drinks. Does that sound okay?”
“That’s fine with me. I’ve had quite a lot going on lately so ‘just’ relaxing sounds guid tae me.”
“Really, what happened?”
“It’s nae big deal. Nae anything tae worry aboot.” Scott replied, uncomfortably.
“Are you hungry, Scott?” she said, quickly changing the subject. She could tell it was not something he wanted to talk about.
“Aye, I could go fer some lunch,” he laughed, since he was always hungry.
“Okay, we’ll go get something to eat and then go to the pool after. Maybe Brooke will be up and about by then. Is pizza okay?”
“Aye, that sounds great.”
After lunch, Scott and Tiffany changed and sat out by the pool and talked. They chatted and got to know each other a little better for about an hour. Later, they were joined poolside, by a weary-looking Brooke.
“Hi,” she said, as she approached. She was a tall blonde, and was wearing shorts and a tank top.
“Hi Brooke, how are you feeling?” Tiffany asked, spritely.
“Ugghh, not so good, what was I drinking last night?”
“I think, what weren’t you drinking, would be much easier to list!”
Scott smiled. He had never met her, but Brooke didn’t look well.
“I don’t remember much about last night,” she mumbled, quietly.
“I’m not surprised. Anyway you’re up now. Brooke, this is Scott.”
Scott stood up and offered her his hand, which she shook and tried to force a smile.
“Hey Brooke, it’s nice tae meet yer.”
“Hello,” she replied, as she sat down on the lounger next to Tiffany.
It wasn’t long before Brooke decided she needed to go back to bed. After she left, Tiffany and Scott resumed their conversation and afternoon together. They talked, swam and had fun spending some time in the hot tub. Later that afternoon, Rachel and Travis returned and Tiffany introduced them to Scott. He soon learned they were Tiffany’s neighbors and her good friends.
Brooke re-appeared again, from her room. She felt a little better and was re-introduced to Scott. They all got along quite well. While the others visited, Tiffany arranged for all of them to go to dinner and then out for the evening.
It was a pleasant evening, so they all walked to the restaurant. Tiffany said she knew of a bar where there was a karaoke event. They all agreed that they would go there, after their meal. Scott learned a lot about all of her friends over dinner, and there were plenty of questions for him, too. He learned that Travis and Rachel just celebrated their ten-year wedding anniversary, and they lived eight of those years next door to Tiffany. They were both Real Estate agents. Brooke was divorced and lived alone. She also lived near Tiffany. She owned a Salon. Scott was having fun getting to know new friends. He also noticed that everyone at the restaurant seemed to know Tiffany. He finally asked her if it was owned by her parents, she grinned and said that it was. Scott smiled and looked around, it was another really nice place, ‘Jim and Linda have great taste,’ he thought.
A couple of hours later the group moved a few doors down the street to the bar that Tiffany mentioned to them earlier. The place was very busy, and a little rowdy. They found a table near the bar and sat down.
“So do yer parents own this place too?” Scott asked, as he pulled the seat out for Tiffany, as they sat down.
“No, I’ve never been here before. But, I saw it was karaoke night and I like to sing.”
“Och that’s cool. I look forward tae listening tae yer. What are yer going tae sing?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ll see what I feel like later.”
“She’s very good, Scott. We’ve all heard her sing many times,” added Brooke.
“Cool. So I guess yer nae drinking tonight Brooke, after this morning!”
“Well, I may have one or two.”
Scott laughed. They all chatted, had fun and listened to the music. When the karaoke started, Tiffany signed up to sing. About half an hour later, after they listened to a few other people sing, it was her turn. She made her way to the stage. She wore tight fitted jeans and a grey top with lots of sparkly sequins on it. She looked great on the stage. When the music began, she started to dance. She chose Katy Perry’s, California Gurls, and she sounded really good. When she finished, she received the biggest round of applause, so far. She smiled, as she made her way back to the table.
“So, what did you think?” she asked, as she looked directly at Scott.
“It was okay, yer were a wee bit pitchy in places. But overall, nae too bad.”
Tiffany stood there for a second with her mouth wide open.
“Who are you? The Scottish Simon Cowell or something?”
Scott laughed, as did the others at the table. He
had already told them he was going to tease her when she came back.
“I’m only teasing, I thought yer were great,” he said, as he stood up and hugged her.
“You’re so bad,” she said, smiling.
The fun continued for the remainder of the evening. They all ordered drinks, but nothing excessive. Brooke especially, was being careful. She wanted no part of suffering from another hangover in the morning. They talked about whether they would walk or take a taxi back to the house. Brooke stood up, excused herself and ventured to the ladies room, while the other continued the discussion. Scott really didn’t mind either way, he walked all the time and was quite happy to if that was everyone wanted to do. Rachel was adamant that they needed a taxi. Her legs ached from the full day’s skiing, so she stated vehemently; she didn’t want to walk anywhere. So that wrapped up the discussion.
Suddenly, Scott jumped up from the table, and made his way over to the other side of the room. He witnessed Brooke being harassed by a small group of guys who were standing by the bar. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but as she tried to make her way back from the ladies room, he saw one of the men put his arm across in front of her, which prevented her from moving past. He got there quickly and moved up behind the guy who tried to stop her from walking by. Scott towered over him. He wasn’t very old, maybe early twenties, with a slight build. His two friends looked to be about the same age, neither of them were much bigger.
“Is everything okay, Brooke?” he asked, as he stood there with his arms folded. He was wearing a white t-shirt which was quite tight around his arms and showed off his muscular biceps. The guys quickly backed right off.
“I’m good, thanks Scott. These guys were just having some fun.”
“Okay, nae problem.”
She walked through and Scott followed directly behind her. They arrived back at the table.
“Where did you go?” Tiffany asked Scott, as she had seen him walk back to the table with a different demeanor about him.
KILTED DESIRE 2 - Russian Roulette Page 8
