Different Circles

Is it maybe time to let some of this shit go? he wondered. There’s been a lot of water under the fuckin’ bridge now. Why am I still holding onto this grudge?

He did not know. And he did not want to think it about it right now. So, he did what he always did when doubt started to creep into his mind. He crunched up a couple lines of cocaine and made them disappear.

Chapter 12: Family Ties

Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho

December 2, 1996

Jake and Laura, both dressed head to toe in skiing gear, came tromping into the resort’s lodge just after four o’clock in the afternoon after spending their first full day out on the slopes without the assistance of their instructor. They were both tired and a little bit sore from the day’s adventure as well as from the previous three days of falling multiple times while learning the basics of allowing gravity to pull them down steep snow-covered slopes with a couple of slick boards strapped to their feet. In addition to the normal muscle soreness that came with overexertion, Jake had a moderate twinge in his left shoulder and a swollen right knee while Laura had a rather spectacular bruise on her right hip, pain in her tailbone whenever she sat down, and a minor sprain to her right wrist. Still, they were having a wonderful time on their first true vacation in more than a year and they were happy as they took off their jackets and found seats in front of the large picture window that looked out over the town of Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille far below.

Since it was a Monday afternoon early in the season the lodge was not terribly busy. There were only a dozen or so customers currently patronizing the establishment. None of them were paying attention to the famous couple in their midst—a minor miracle in and of itself. A fire was burning in the large fireplace, sending out radiating warmth and the nostalgic smell of woodsmoke. They sat close enough to feel the heat on their skin and faces, allowing it to drive away the late autumn chill in their bones. A waitress immediately approached and asked them if they would like to order drinks and/or appetizers.

“Are you done skiing for the day, hon?” Jake asked his wife.

“I am,” she confirmed. “I don’t think I’m quite up to trying night runs just yet.”

“Agreed,” Jake said with a nod. Since they would not be skiing anymore, it was time to start building up a little therapeutic alcohol level to help with the aches and pains. He turned back to the waitress. “I’ll have one of those hot buttered rums. A double if you please.”

“Of course,” she said. “Would you like that made with glacier water or the pressed Washington apple cider?”

“The cider,” Jake said. “Definitely the cider.”

“Very good, Mr. Kingsley,” she said. “And for you, Mrs. Kingsley?”

“I’ll have the same,” she said.

“I will have those right out for you,” she promised. She then headed over to the bar.

Laura leaned back in her chair and looked out the window. “It really is pretty today,” she remarked. “I see now why Steve went on and on about the view from this place.” Steve was Stephen Williams, a multimillionaire real estate developer and one of Greg’s primary investors in the Oregon golf links project. Jake had played golf at the oceanfront resort with him and Greg about a month before—right after Jake had finally been able to shed the wrist splint on his broken hand—while Jake had been in Coos Bay to help finalize the mixing and mastering of Brainwash’s latest CD. Steve was a likable enough guy (for a second-generation rich prick, anyway) and Jake had mentioned to him out on the links that he and Laura were thinking about taking up skiing as a new hobby. As chance would have it, Steve’s investment group was one of the primary owners of Schweitzer Ski Resort. He had offered to set Jake and Laura up with a complete vacation package including lessons, five-star lodging at the resort’s hotel in the ski village, any and all equipment needed, and all meals and drinks comped if Jake would just allow him to publicize the visit for advertising purposes. Jake had agreed and now, here they were, enjoying the hospitality during their break between finishing Brainwash II and starting the recording of Ben, Ted, Phil, and Lenny’s debut CD in early January.

“It is impressive,” Jake agreed. “Especially from the top of the run.”