Rocky Mountain Mayhem (6 page)

After sharing a slice of Italian cream cake,
the girls left the restaurant for the sports bar.

As they walked down the street, Vivian’s
phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number but answered in case it
had something to do with the kids.

“Hello.”

“Hey Viv, how’s your trip going?”

She stopped in the doorway of a bakery,
covered up the mouthpiece and whispered, “Holy crap! It’s Craig.”
She composed herself. “Uh, hi. Fine.”

“Glad to hear.”

Silence.

“Listen, I wanted to apologize for what I
did. You were right, I should have trusted you. I don’t know why I
didn’t. I messed up. And now I’ve messed us up.”

She leaned against a window displaying a
delicious looking carrot cake. “Uh, yeah.” She let sarcasm drip off
the “yeah.”

Another silence.

“I’d like to see you again, Vivian. I know we
can make things work. I want to see you when you’re back from
Colorado.”

Vivian stomped her foot. “It’s over Craig.
There’s nothing left to say. In fact, I don’t ever want to talk to
you again.”

His voice flashed with anger. “Dammit Vivian,
if you would just freaking listen—”

“No, Craig. It’s over.”

She hung up the phone, hands shaking and
could feel the blood rushing to her face. “I’ve got to call Agent
Tucker and tell him that I’ve just heard from Craig. I can’t
believe he called.”

“I can,” Wendy said, peering in the window at
an éclair. “He wants to jack with you and screw up your
vacation.”

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Kate
said, elbowing Lucy who was staring at the cupcakes. “No way,
Jose.”

“Yeah!” Lucy managed.

Vivian scrolled through her contacts and
found Tucker’s number.

After two rings, he answered. “Agent
Tucker.”

She paced in the bakery’s alcove. “Hey, this
is Vivian Taylor from Fort Worth. You came to my house when Craig
Pearson’s fingerprints came up a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yes, I remember. What can I do for you, Ms.
Taylor?”

“He just called me, but it wasn’t from his
regular number. It was one I didn’t recognize.”

“What did he say?”

“That he wanted to see me when I got back
from my trip, and that he was sorry.”

“Anything else?”

“Not really, just that he knew he messed up.
He got a little mad though, when I told him it was over.”

“Can you provide me the number he called
from?”

She stopped pacing long enough to look at her
phone and give him the number.

“Did he give any indication to his
whereabouts?”

“No, sorry.”

“Did he threaten you?”

“No, but he sounded mad.”

“Could you hear any background noises,
anything that would clue you in to where he was calling from?”

“No. I’m on a sidewalk in Aspen and couldn’t
hear anything but him, sorry.”

“Okay, I’ll run the number and see what I
come up with. I appreciate your call.”

“Sure. Bye.”

He disconnected and Vivian dropped her phone
into her purse. “It’s been weeks since I’ve heard from him.”

“I think Wendy’s right,” Lucy said. “He knew
about this trip. He called to screw with you.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

They had a short walk to Bronco’s.

“Let’s just go inside and forget all about
that jerk-wad,” Wendy said and opened the door.

Vivian entered and took in the neon beer
signs and what seemed like two thousand TVs. They were the only
women in the place. A few men threw darts and a couple of others
were playing a round of pool, but that was it. Nobody else was
there. They had a seat at a table, close to the Rock-Ola jukebox,
and ordered a bucket of beer and glass of water for Kate.

“Pierre says that every time he sees a bucket
of beer he thinks of me, uh, I mean us,” Lucy said and coughed.

“Playa del Carmen Pierre?” Vivian teased.

“You still talk to him?” Wendy asked.

“We keep in touch some,” Lucy said. “It’s no
big deal. I’m married, we live a zillion miles apart, but he’s a
nice guy. Plus I feel bad for him, you know, since Jon died and I
just like to check on him from time to time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kate said. “Whatever. You liked
him then and you like him now.”

Lucy ignored that and looked at Wendy. “Jon
left him a substantial amount in his will, so he opened his own
gym. Something he’d been wanting to do for several years.”

“That’s cool,” Kate said. “You two have any
plans to see each other?”

The bartender sat down the bucket and glass
of water and Lucy passed them out. “No. I’m committed to making
things work with Steve.”

“And we support you in that,” Vivian said,
then held up her beer, offering a toast. “To Jon.”

“To Jon,” the girls repeated and joined her
in remembering the best kissing (in Vivian’s expert opinion), salsa
dancing Canadian soap star who ever lived.

“Speaking of people from our Mexico
vacation,” Vivian said. “I stay in touch with Adrienne.”

“She and Al were a hoot,” Kate said.

“They sure disappeared from Shorty’s party
after the cops busted in,” Wendy said. “Has she ever said anything
about it?”

“Nope, and I haven’t asked.”

“It’s got to be drugs and the mob,” Lucy
said, still stuck on her gangster fantasy of Al.

“Regardless, they were good to us and seem
like nice people,” Vivian said.

“Oh, I agree,” Wendy said. “They were
great.”

Vivian’s attention was broken by the striking
man at the jukebox. His black, wavy hair brought out his ice-blue
eyes. His eyelashes were so long they looked like he had taken a
curler to them. He glanced over at the girls as he was making his
selection.

“Any requests?” He smiled at them.

Lucy got up and went over to Rock-Ola.
“Hmm…how about ‘Green Eyes,’ Coldplay?” She batted her green eyes
at him.

After a few minutes of picking out songs,
Vivian noticed that Lucy’s chest was red and the color had crept up
to her cheeks.
Somebody’s flustered
!

A guy who had been hanging around a pool
table came over to the table carrying two beers. His shirt read
“I’m not Santa, but you can sit on my lap anyway.” Not Santa handed
a beer to the Rock-Ola guy, pulled up a chair and eased into it
smoothly, draping his arm around Kate. “Who are the hotties?”

Vivian rolled her eyes and grabbed the last
beer from the bucket.

Kate picked up his arm and dropped it into
his lap. “I’m Kate and I’m married.”

Undeterred, he said, “You ladies look like
you’re nice and naughty. Let’s do a shot.”

“Buttery Nipples?” Vivian joked.

“How about a Santa’s South Pole?” Not Santa
suggested, putting his arm around Vivian this time.

Ex-bartender Wendy looked skeptical. “Never
heard of it.”

“It’s my specialty,” he said and walked to
the bar with Rock-Ola. They came back a few minutes later with six
white shots topped with red drizzle.

“Festive,” Vivian said.

Kate pushed hers away. “None for me,
thanks.”

They clinked and slammed, then Rock-Ola
asked, “So what’s on tap while you’re here?”

“Spa-ing, hiking, relaxing,” Lucy said,
fidgeting with her naked ring finger. “No set agenda. Just
fun.”

Not Santa took a swig of his beer, then
Kate’s shot. “I think you girls should come back to the cabin with
us. Get naked in the hot tub. What’s more relaxing than bubbles
floating around your—”

“I think we’ll have to pass on that,” Kate
interrupted.

“You sure? We could play reindeer games.” He
took another swig.

Vivian finished off her beer. “I hate to
burst your bubble, but as intriguing as that sounds, not tonight. I
do thank you for the visit to the South Pole, though.”

Not Santa made a sad face. “You’re missing
out on the power of the Pole.”

Kate coughed, stood and picked up her purse.
“I’ll go take care of the tab.”

“Already taken care of.” Rock-Ola stood and
helped Lucy scoot her chair back. “You have a nice visit. Maybe
I’ll see you again while you’re here.”

“Maybe. ’Night,” she said.

Once outside, Wendy pointed to something in
the distance. “What the hell is that?” She started across the
street to investigate.

The girls followed her and Vivian laughed and
rubbed the golden head of a male statue. He was bent over tying his
shoelace and dressed in slacks, blue Oxford shirt and beige cable
knit sweater.* (See appendix).

“Look, he’s at just the right level!”

“You have such a one-track mind,” Kate said,
laughing.

Wendy got her camera out of her purse and
snapped a candid. One for the scrapbook.

Vivian saw movement down the street and
blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes because of the flash. The
cool May wind blew and she shivered.

“I told you to layer up,” Lucy chided.

She started to make a smartass remark but
then saw the shadow move again. “Did y’all see that?”

“What?” Kate asked.

“I didn’t see anything,” Wendy said.

A couple rounded the corner in front of them,
huddled together and laughing.

“Oh, nothing,” Vivian said.

They walked by the windows to the Tree Bark
Bar before entering the hotel. Eric was counting the cash
drawer.

Vivian perked up. “Let’s go in!” Before
anyone could stop her, she was through the door.

Eric looked up. “Did you make it to
Donatelli’s?”

“We did. Excellent recommendation. You
closing up for the night?”

“I am, but I’d be willing to make another
round. On the house, my choice.”

“They’ve already had a Santa’s South Pole, so
that’s out,” Kate said and giggled. “And I’m still out.”

As he made his concoction, he said to Vivian,
“A guy asked about you today, after you left for dinner.”

“What?”

“I think he’s a guest. He asked how long
you’d be here.”

“Who is this guy? Did he act like he knows
me?”

“He didn’t say your name, and I didn’t tell
him anything.”

She pulled up a picture of Craig on her
phone. “Was it this guy?”

Eric took a close look. “Nope, definitely not
him.” He poured four shots and topped them off with big swirls of
whipped cream, then poured himself a shot of tequila.

“Here you go, ladies.”

Vivian put her phone away, relieved.

Wendy picked up her shot.

“Oh no no no. No hands allowed.”

“I haven’t done one of these since I was in
college!” Vivian said and laughed.

“What is it?” Kate asked.

Lucy, Vivian and Wendy all said in unison, “A
blowjob!”

Kate made a face. “I’m not drinking, but I’m
giving the toast.”

They all lined up with their shots in front
of them on the bar and Kate got out her camera.

“Here’s to no more strange guys wanting to
get us naked in a hot tub.”

The girls woo-hooed, leaned over and
skillfully shot their blowjobs as Kate clicked away.

“I completely disagree,” Eric said, then
slammed his tequila.

Day 2

VIVIAN and the girls awoke early, ready to
start their first full day of vacation. Over coffee and juice
around the table in their room, Lucy pitched attending a primitive
wilderness school being taught just outside Aspen.

“Wilderness school?” Vivian asked.

“Primitive?” Wendy asked.

Lucy handed Vivian the brochure. “The morning
class covers the basics of wilderness survival and land navigation,
and the afternoon covers scouting and tracking.”

“You’re not taking us on some overnight
hiking excursion, are you?” Wendy said. “I like the comforts of a
hotel.”

“Not tonight, but maybe one day we should go
camping. It would be a fun girl’s trip.”

Vivian choked on her juice. “I don’t see ever
putting myself in a situation where I would need to scout or track
something. I’m not much of an outdoor girl.”

Kate took the brochure from Vivian and looked
it over. “This sounds like fun, and after our last vacation, I
wouldn’t mind knowing some survivor skills.”

Wendy put her feet up on the bed. “It’s not
like we needed to start a fire with our bare hands so we could boil
water in Playa del Carmen.”

“No, but we were trying to track down someone
difficult to find,” Lucy said in defense. “And it’d help me out
living up here. My boss’ sister and her husband are experienced
hikers, and they recently got lost on a trail and had to be rescued
by helicopter. They had some survival training, and they say it
helped save their lives.”

“Those poor people.” Kate shook her head. “I
think we should do it.”

“Do they feed us lunch?” Wendy asked.

Lucy jumped up and down and grabbed Vivian’s
hand. “I bet it’s a rockin’ Rocky Mountain lunch. Come on, what do
you say?”

Vivian thought about Lucy stuck in the
mountains needing help. “If the instructor is cute, I’m in.”

Kate picked up her iPhone. “Let’s look him
up!” She worked her phone for a minute, then showed the screen to
the girls.

He looked to be in his late 30s and wore
camouflage cargo pants and a tight black T-shirt, which looked
pretty damned good on him.

“He is cute,” Wendy said. “Okay, I’m in.”

“Perhaps he’ll need a volunteer to help
demonstrate staying warm in the winter?” Vivian clapped her hands
and then rubbed them together. “Oh, or CPR!”

“One track mind,” Lucy said, shaking her
head. “If we have time afterwards, I’d love to get my game on. The
hotel has racquetball courts in their fitness center.”

Wendy and Kate weren’t interested but Vivian
agreed, so Lucy called to reserve a court. After a quick breakfast
at the closest thing Aspen had to a Denny’s, the girls got the car
out of valet and headed west of town.

The drive didn’t take long, but Kate bristled
when Lucy turned onto Cemetery Road.