CHAPTER 12
Maddie
It seems so obvious now.
When he said it sounded like I’ve had the wrong kinds of relationships, it hit me like a brick right to the forehead. How could I not see it before? They have been wrong, every one of them, clear back to when I had a crush on Cole Dulaney.
I was thirteen and completely obsessed with the eighteen-year-old bad boy who rode a motorcycle. He lived across the street and would work on his bike with his shirt off. I remember how I would watch him, imagining what my first kiss would be like.
Then, one day, when he was in his driveway working on that old bike while I was working on not getting caught spying on him from my bedroom window, red and blue lights suddenly flooded our street.
I stood there in horror as officers pointed their guns, yelling at him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his head.
Later, it was all everyone talked about. Cole had been arrested for armed robbery. By the time he got to trial, the evidence was overwhelming. I was too young to understand the details at the time, but I believe he plead guilty in a deal that put him behind bars for six years.
After his arrest I never saw him again, and of course I was devastated. My Prince Charming, the most perfect guy in the whole world, at least in my adolescent mind, turned out to be a total loser.
Then there was John Shelby, the hottest guy in school.
He was a senior when I was a freshman, so I didn’t think he even knew I existed.
Turned out he did. I was standing at my locker talking to Rhonda about nothing in particular when he swaggered up and totally blindsided me by asking me to prom.
He had just broken up with his girlfriend, Trish Zollinger, so every girl was wondering who he was going to ask.
I’m pretty sure just about every girl who didn’t already have a date wanted to be the one he chose, so I couldn’t believe he was even talking to me.
I remember my heart beating so fast it left me with a queasy feeling in my stomach.
In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to ask Mom first, but I just blurted, “Yes!” like an idiot.
That was the first dress I ever made. It wasn’t great, but I thought it was. My first prom dress and I felt like a princess when I put it on. I probably tried it on a little too often, but I was so excited.
Too bad that dress never saw the light of the disco ball.
One week before prom, his ex, Trish, informed my dream date that she was pregnant.
John took her instead, and I cried, even though I knew it was for the best. She was a senior and was carrying his baby, so he had to take her.
They got married right after graduation, then two months later, he got another girl pregnant.
Trish divorced him before her baby was even born, and once again, the guy I had been crushing on turned out to be a total loser.
By the time my own high-school graduation came around, I still didn’t know what it was like to have a real boyfriend.
I liked boys, a lot of them, but I always managed to fall for the ones with dark secrets, like Tony Hayward, who was sleeping with his best friend’s mom, or Frank Pritchard, who was stealing things like computers, printer ink cartridges, and sports equipment from the school and selling them online.
He had over twenty thousand in cash on him when he was arrested our junior year.
I remember thinking that explained his new Dodge Charger.
There were other boys, but all with their own issues that took them off the eligible-boyfriend list. I had one boyfriend, but all he wanted to do was build model spaceships from the Star Wars movies.
He was so boring I wanted to die whenever we were together.
Another guy literally called his mother nine times on our first date.
He was twenty-five! I was twenty-two, and while I liked that he had a good relationship with his mother, it was clear that she would always come first. A second date was out of the question.
Then there was Jake, and look at how that turned out.
How did I not see it before? I’m drawn to men who don’t have their shit together.
Riggs, on the other hand, seems like the exception.
I could tell there was more to him than his good looks.
From the limited amount of time we’ve spent together, I can see he’s a considerate, thoughtful guy who just happens to be a billionaire.
I can’t lie, that’s a nice bonus, but what really tortured my poor ovaries was when he said he wanted kids.
Jake never mentioned wanting children, not once in all the time we were together.
Everything about Riggs seemed like prime boyfriend material, or it would have if it weren’t for a couple of things.
First, he’s never home. How does a guy like that have kids?
How does he even keep a girlfriend for that matter?
I don’t know any girl, billionaire or not, who could be in a relationship with a guy who was constantly on the road.
The other red flag is he’s too good to be true.
I’m sorry, but no guy has that much going for him.
Every guy I’ve ever been interested in was all sunshine and cinnamon rolls in the beginning.
Then you learn the truth, and the truth is everyone has their issues.
Riggs probably wanted to chain me up in his basement next to the other women he has tied up down there.
You never know. A giggle forms in my throat at that thought.
I’m sure the big guy is a perfect gentleman, but he has to have some issues, right?
All men do. But even if the worst thing about him was he left his socks on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper, something Jake always did and I hated it, but even if that was the worst thing about him, what difference would it make?
I’m going home, back to Oregon, and he’s going back to where he lives.
I couldn’t do a long-distance relationship. What’s the point in that?
I’ve reached the hotel lobby. I guess I’ve been walking without really paying attention to where I was going while lost in my own head. I’ll never see the man again so I should probably stop thinking about him and figure out where my best friend is.
Conveniently, there’s a plush lobby chair right in front of me. I take a seat, lean back and text Rhonda.
She doesn’t answer.
I try calling. It’s a little after seven, the sun is beginning to set, and I can see through the giant windows that the lights on the slopes have already come on. Rhonda can’t still be in bed, so I would think she could pick up.
After several rings, the call goes to voicemail. Where could she be?
I text her again.
Maddie: Where are you? I’m starting to worry. Please tell me you’re okay.
Knowing her, she may be handcuffed to a bed. There may even be a whip involved, but if there’s a red ball gag, I don’t want to know.
But in all seriousness, she better tell me she’s okay or I’m initiating a rescue mission. We don’t know anything about Ash. What if he’s dangerous?
I check my phone again and I can’t believe how late it is.
I went to lunch with Riggs at one. I had half a sandwich while he kept ordering things.
The amount of calories the man can eat is astonishing.
I nibbled on a few things, but not much so that’s probably why I’m hungry all of a sudden.
I wonder if I’ll be eating alone tonight.
Part of me wishes I could have dinner with Riggs.
I can’t believe we talked for six hours!
It seemed like maybe an hour at the most. I think I was enjoying myself so much, time was just flying by.
The man certainly was enjoyable. Easy to look at too. What a combination.
Determined to find Rhonda, I wander aimlessly looking for her. It seems like my only option until I spot a girl, around sixteen, with "Assistant Ski Instructor" emblazoned in bold white letters on her red jacket. Cool job. Wish I could have done something like that at her age.
I figure she might remember seeing Ash and Rhonda on the slopes if that’s where they are.
“Excuse me, I’m trying to find my friend. She might be with a guy, about six-two, not bad looking, he’s—”
“You mean Ash? He’s in the hot tub with Rhonda.”
I raise a brow in surprise. “How did you know that’s who I’m looking for?”
A slight blush paints her cheeks. “Everyone’s talking about him.”
I should have guessed as much. “Ah, he is kind of memorable, isn’t he?”
She gives a bashful nod with a cute smile.
I can tell she’s a little embarrassed, which is understandable.
Now that I know Rhonda is accounted for, I decide to inquire about lessons in case I want to give skiing a try, but her phone dings before I can ask.
She looks at the screen and begins typing like I’m not even here.
Guess this conversation is over. Oh well.
I find Ash and Rhonda in one of the lodge’s seven hot tubs. They must have come here after I checked this location. She’s wearing her bikini and looks happy. Hmm, maybe too happy.
Ash, chest-deep in the steamy water, has his arm around her as she’s nestled up to him, and there are two glasses of wine sitting on the wood deck beside them. As a couple, they’re a sight to see, but what really surprises me is to find the three boys sitting in the tub with them. What the hell?
Randy and Glen look like malnourished, pasty-white corpses compared to Ash’s tanned physique. Damon has a little muscle, but he can’t begin to compete with Ash’s broad shoulders.
And why hasn’t my girl been answering her phone? I don’t see it anywhere. I narrow my eyes at Mr. Beefcake. “It’s Ash, right?”