“You’re going, too?” Lenny frowned.
Carl laughed quietly, “Well, yeah. I get a day off too every once in a while, you know.”
Lenny conceded to that point but it still surprised her that Carl could so easily cross those lines of real friendship and professionalism so quickly when he’d been on target the whole tour.
“Where you meeting the lawyer?” Blake spoke up from his lounged position in the chair.
“Um, there’s a fancy restaurant just up the street,” Lenny's stomach started to dive to the floor.
“Can we all just eat together and then go out after you’re finished talking to your rep?”
Lenny shifted uncomfortably. She didn’t really want the guys around when her attorney brought down the hammer. The stuff with Ashton was simple, Lenny just had to sign some papers, but she knew there was going to be a more serious conversation after that. Her mind raced as she tried to think of an excuse to not have them there without having to tell them the whole story anyway. And she really didn't want to relive that nightmare.
She resigned herself to Blake’s suggestion, “Yeah, that’ll work. But it’s gonna take me a little while to get ready.”
“That’s fine, we’ll chill here.” So much for my relaxing bath, Lenny thought.
“Carl, how come Lenny has a bigger room than us?” Harrison asked.
“'Cause she’s better than us, dummy.” Blake answered, Harrison nodded like he agreed.
Lenny shook her head and closed herself in her room to finish getting ready. As she was applying her mascara she heard Mike and Luke show up and Blake fill them in on the plan.
Lenny shimmied into the little black dress she had purchased at the boutique across the street from the hotel. She hadn’t packed anything to wear to a formal restaurant and needed something fast. The dress was modest in the front, it was snug but the hem reached her knee and the neckline draped gracefully across her collarbone. It was sleeveless with a beaded embellishment at the shoulders.
She finished blow drying her hair and slipped into a pair of black platform stilettos. She applied a light coat of champagne colored lip gloss and took a deep breath. She hadn’t been part of this world in a while and she wasn’t sure how the guys would react, or if they would even recognize her.
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand, time to find out.
She opened the door and stepped into the living area, moving quickly to the door and pulling a knee-length black coat out of the closet. She turned around to face the guys as she slipped her arms in the sleeves. The reaction was what she had dreaded. They gaped at her with open mouths and she felt heat move up her neck.
“C’mon, we have to go,” she motioned for them to get up, not caring if she sounded impatient.
“Damn!” Blake finally said something, “You look…” he trailed off.
“Let’s not make a thing out of this, okay?” Lenny was cross, she clenched her jaw and led them out of the hotel room.
Sway whistled, “We are severely under dressed.”
“You guys will be fine,” Lenny sighed in exasperation, refusing to have eye contact with any of them on the elevator or their quick trip through the lobby. She couldn't handle seeing herself through their expressions. She had always hated this part of her life and she had tried her best to keep them out of it. As unrealistic as that might be.
“It’s just a block north of here,” Lenny was already walking down the sidewalk, as Luke tried to hail a cab, “We can just walk.”
“In those shoes?” Mike exclaimed. But she was already striding purposefully forward. The guys followed, she wasn't giving them the choice.
Fueled by her frustration and irritation in the impending events, she barely noticed the disdainful looks given by the wait staff when they entered the restaurant.
“Miss Evans, we've been expecting you.” The host greeted her, eying her group suspiciously.
“They’re with me, Louise,” she knew she sounded bitchy. She hated herself for it. He nodded reluctantly and motioned to a girl standing nearby. The girl proceeded to lead them to a table in a private room towards the back of the crowded restaurant.
The room was empty except for a flurry of waiters rearranging the table and settings to accommodate the group they hadn’t expected. The girl who had seated them took their drink orders and disappeared.
The guys began to relax somewhat and the table buzzed with hushed conversation. Lenny sipped her water and sat perfectly still, staring at the center of the table in deep thought. This was never part of the plan.
She hadn’t just come from a family of athletes like she had told Luke. Both her father and mother were Olympic gold medalists, so was her brother Nathan. They were also incredibly wealthy, owning several high-end restaurants and resorts all around the world. Including the one they were in. Brushing shoulders with the upper class of America had been part of her upbringing. It’s one of the reasons snowboarding had appealed to her, it was the opposite of everything that surrounded her. But she could do it. She could put on the clothes and walk in the shoes and say all the words, but it literally felt like every cell in her body was screaming to run away.
She focused on her breathing while she stared at the flickering candle in front of her. She felt eyes on her but didn't look up to see who they belonged to. Probably Luke. She could sense his concern from across the table. She hated that he was worried. She hated that it had to do with her. She had wanted to do this meeting privately but it wasn't feasible. Hopefully it would be over soon.
As three men approached the table wearing very expensive suits, Lenny sighed. She should have known that Patrick would call her father.
She stood up as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“Lenna,” he addressed with a smile.
“Dad,” Lenny acknowledged wearily, “I didn’t know you would be here.”
“Who are your friends?” Lenny’s father asked politely.
The guys stood up to shake the man’s hand as Lenny introduced them all by name.
“This is my father, Bruce Evans.” She saw the realization dawn in each of their eyes as they greeted him and knew another piece of her anonymity was slipping away.
“The Bruce Evans?” Harrison asked excitedly. “Three gold medals and world record holder for the Men’s 200m backstroke?”
“That’s right,” Bruce humbly smiled.
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” Harrison continued to gush, “I had no idea you were Lenny’s father.”
“Well, she looks more like her mother,” Bruce's eyes crinkled on the sides as he smiled warmly at his daughter. Lenny's heart was stabbed with guilt at how wonderful he was treating her friends.
Lenny introduced the second man, who was easily a younger version of the first, “This is my brother, Scott.”
Scott Evans stood a great deal taller than most of the men around the table. His athletic build fit nicely into his tailored suit. His dark brown hair was a contrast from Lenny’s blonde, which he kept shaved nearly bald. He shook hands with everyone at the table and seated himself at the end. Lenny’s lawyer, Patrick, sat on the corner next to Scott with Lenny to his left.
The rest of them took their seats with Lenny’s father sitting at the head, so he could best converse with all present. Lenny avoided speaking with her father and her brother. Instead, she focused on the papers her lawyer had already presented to her. Bruce entertained her friends by regaling them with tales from his youth. They were completely star struck. Food and drink flowed easily and Lenny was surprised at how effortlessly they got along with her father. They didn’t exactly move in the same circles.
“Wait a second!” Harrison looked at Lenny, shocked, “You’re Lenny ‘Freebird’ Evans?”
At Harrison's words, Lenny's mouth went dry. She took a drink of water and slowly put the glass back on the table, not really acknowledging Harrison's question.
“No way,” Sway looked at Lenny as if just meeting her for the first time.
“I remember you!” Blake couldn’t hide the awe in his voice, “You could really fly.”
“I don’t do that stuff anymore.” It was all she could think to say, her ears turning red with heat. Her father allowed a lengthy pause before speaking again.
“So, you are the group of ruffians my one and only daughter decided to run off with?” Bruce’s tone was serious but his eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Maybe you can convince her to come home,” Scott spoke up from his end of the table.
“We’re in the middle of a tour, Scott. I have responsibilities,” Lenny spoke to him sharply.
“Yes, you do,” he leveled at her. She grimaced; she had walked right into that one. “Speaking of,” he gestured to Patrick, her lawyer, sitting next to her.
The well-dressed attorney picked up on his cue and explained to Lenny flatly, “You’re in breach of contract with your sponsors. They are threatening to begin litigation.”
Lenny’s shoulders stiffened, “Can’t you just settle and give them some money?”
“If they proceed, they’ll try to clean you out.”
“I don’t care about the money,” Lenny stated forcefully.
“Honey,” her father addressed, and Lenny turned to him for the first time since they'd sat down. His face was filled with compassion for her and her heart stalled in her chest, “They‘ll take the Lodge.”
“They can’t do that!” She was combative. “That’s my home!” Her voice cracked slightly. “That’s Duke’s home...”
Her hands started to shake and she gripped her napkin under the table. She looked to Scott for an explanation.
Scott softened his expression, “Why do you think I’ve been trying to get a hold of you?”
Lenny stared hard into Scott's eyes, looking for some sign that this wasn't as bad as her gut was telling her it was. Honesty looked back. Her attempts to avoid having to deal with her mistakes had created a much bigger problem than she had anticipated.
She let her shoulders drop, defeated. That was her one weak spot. The Lodge wasn’t just her home. It was Duke’s home too. She could always move on and buy a new house, but Duke had nowhere to go.
Always the renegade, Duke refused to live in the public eye. Rumors swirled of him being too mentally deficient to understand what it meant to be paid for snowboarding. He denied sponsorship and remained relatively untamed, a mountain boy to the core. As such, he couldn’t make a decent enough living to buy his own place and continue doing what he loved most. Big mountain riding.
Lenny had purchased the Lodge years ago when the money had started rolling in. It was a massive estate-like cabin in the mountains of Wyoming with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, multiple living areas and lounges. She had bought it with the intent of her and her friends being able to live there and snowboard the mountains right out the back door. Duke had been such an influential mentor to her, so she made a deal with him. He could live there for free, forever, as long as he maintained the property. If she lost the Lodge, Duke would be homeless. And it would be her fault. She couldn’t do that, Duke had done too much for her. He meant too much to her.
“What do I have to do?” She asked quietly submissive.
“Just make a few appearances until your contract runs out. You know, smile, wave and take pictures.” Patrick explained it at all so simply. He had no idea how hard those things were actually going to be for her. “The Winter X games is the next one, it’s in January. Can I confirm to your sponsors that you’ll be there?”
“That’s during break, Lenny, it’s completely fine,” Carl tried to comfort her, misunderstanding the duress on face.
“Yes, I’ll be there,” she said, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. She was humiliated that this had to happen so publicly for her. But this is how she had set herself up so she really shouldn't be surprised.
“We’ll all be there,” Luke interjected earnestly.
Lenny's head jerked up at his words. She tried to read his expression but was too distracted by her own messy thoughts to make sense of anything.
“Yeah, we'll be your assistants for a change,” Mike said with a sly smile, backing up Luke like always.
“Just let me know how many will be in your party and I’ll get rooms reserved at The Inn,” Patrick said, diligently on duty.
Lenny realized everyone was staring at her and she needed to snap out of her funk or there would be more questions. Questions she didn't have answers for yet. She couldn't start thinking about Aspen and who else would be there. She would have to deal with that later. Alone.
She forced a smile and set about trying to make the meal more pleasant. She discussed business with Scott, told some stories of what life had been like so far on the road and reminisced with her father. As the evening progressed, more of Lenny’s life came into detail and was suddenly up for discussion.
“So, let me get this straight,” Carl was really having a hard time believing that the Lenny, who had worked for him ardently for the past couple of months, had ditched on her own manager and brother, Scott. “You just left town? You were supposed to be in a meeting and you just...got on a plane?”
“Pretty much,” Lenny laughed a little at Carl’s incredulous look.
“What’s the big deal, Carl? So she got on a plane,” Harrison was attempting to defend Lenny by making it seem like her actions were insignificant, “It’s not like she took the talent bungee jumping or something.”
Carl blinked and did a double take at Harrison, “Why…why would you say that?”
Harrison shrugged, “I’ve had a lot of wine.”
Carl started to ask Harrison more but Blake interrupted, “I think what Harrison is saying is that, Lenny’s still a responsible person. She just needed a change of scenery.” Blake looked to Lenny for approval, “And it worked out great for us; we ended up with the best assistant in the world.”
“You guys went bungee jumping without me?” Luke was catching on quicker than Carl but not as fast as he should have.
Lenny covered her mouth with her hand to block her smile. She wondered how many secrets were going to all spill out tonight. Subtly wasn't really in the rock star repertoire.
***
As they all stood on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant saying good-night, Lenny’s father held her in a tight embrace.
He kissed her forehead and looked at her lovingly,“You have always made me proud.”
Lenny fought the lump rising in her throat at his affectionate display. Bruce Evans had never had a problem showing his daughter how much he cared about her, not even in public.
“Be good and call your mother,” he hugged her a final time before getting into his waiting town car.
Scott wrapped his strong arms around his sister and gave her a tight hug, “You need to give Duke a call, too. He worries.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Lenny scoffed.
“Yes, he does…and try to come home for Christmas. We miss you, too,” Scott hugged her again before getting in the car with their father.
Mike put his arm around Lenny and pulled her towards the hotel, “Feel better, darlin'?”
Lenny only nodded. She really did. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to bringing them to the X-Games, she still had a lot of thoughts and issues to work through before they got there. But as she looked at her unconventional surrogate family she felt better knowing she wasn’t going alone.
Hopefully she'd find the strength to face her demons before then.
Chapter 9
Beautiful Disaster
Luke stood outside Lenny's room, his hand poised to knock. He just wanted to see her. She had looked great at dinner. Beautiful, but...sad. He felt the pull to her from the lobby and didn't resist it. He knew she would be alone. He knew she needed him.
He knew this could all blow up in his face.
He looked down at the guitar case in his hand and blew all the air out of his lungs as he knocked on the door. They finally had a break from the lon
g, dragging hours on the bus and all he wanted was to be in the same room with her. Since Ashton had shown up, he'd felt like he hardly seen Lenny. He missed her.
“Hey,” Luke didn't have more than that for a greeting. Lenny leaned against the door frame before smiling and standing aside to signal his entrance. She had changed out of her dress and her face was washed clean of makeup. Hair piled loosely on top of her head, she was in sweatpants and a white tank with a band hoodie half-zipped over the top. She was breathtaking.
“Didn't you go with the guys?” She asked as she closed the door behind him and then crossed the room and folded herself into an overstuffed navy chair.
“No, I wanted to see you.” He sat opposite her on the couch and tried to look as relaxed as possible, placing the guitar case down on the floor next to him.
Lenny was more subdued that usual. She sat quietly, not responding to his statement. Her pensive gaze was fixed on the sleeves of her jacket and her vulnerability was conspicuous.
“Big night.” Luke hated how his voice sounded harsh in the quiet of the suite.
“Yeah,” Lenny gave him a small smile and he saw that her attention had left her shirt sleeves and she was now watching him quietly. Her countenance hinting at the softness he knew lay inside her, buried deep for safekeeping.
“So, what happens with Ashton now?” He asked, not wanting to talk about his ex but needing somewhere to start.
“She'll have to pay me some money and she'll probably stay away for a while.” Lenny answered with a half-smile on her face. Luke adored her half-smile.
“What about this thing with your sponsors? How you feeling about that?” Luke didn't miss the flicker of fear flash across her face; it was very uncharacteristic of her.
“Um,” she looked back to her lap, “it'll be weird, but I can't lose the Lodge. So...” Her voice trailed off and Luke didn't miss the fact that she wouldn't look at him when she answered.
“Your brother is a beast.” Luke tried to bring the conversation somewhere lighter. He needed her to be comfortable if he was going to go through with his original intention of seeing her.
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