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“Well, that’s nice to know,” I said. “But enough of this subject.”
Ash smiled, stood up, and stretched. “Agreed. We need to give these men a run for their money.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I stood and smiled.
It was nice to know I wasn’t the only woman who’d accidentally fallen in love with some rich guy from an entirely different world. These women were special, and I was excited to see how the rest of the trip played out.
Chapter Thirty-Six
John
Being up at the ass crack of dawn, thinking about the ass crack of the most gorgeous woman I had ever known, yielded me one of the most thrilling days on the mountain.
After Jim and I discussed the inappropriateness of my overly controlling mother and her staff of spies, I felt a sense of freedom about my situation. Before this trip, I’d hardly known the former playboy doctors of Saint John’s, Jake and Collin, and I’d only had minimal conversation with Jim. But after two daring rides down the double black diamond slopes on the Aspen Highlands mountain range, we’d formed a bond that made me wonder why I’d never gone out with these guys before when they invited me for drinks.
That’s what sucked about working at a huge hospital and being isolated from other practices at Saint John’s. I’d never really been around them, except for trading stories in the lounge or possibly a staff meeting. Other than that, we all worked together, but it felt like we were never in the same building.
I think the main reason I’d avoided mingling with the Mitchell brothers and their friends was because of the way I grew up. The people in my parents’ social circles were just different, and since I was no longer living in New York, I didn’t need to subject myself to that lifestyle. I guess I’d just figured these guys, who had earned the nickname The Billionaires’ Club years before I’d moved out here, were the West Coast version of the people I grew up around. So, I’d imagined hanging out with them after hours would put me back into the lifestyle I’d escaped, but I was wrong.
Regardless, I was thankful Mickie and I had come along on Ashley’s Live Your Life While You Still Have a Life to Live vacation and that I didn’t dodge the invitation like I usually would. If I had, I’d never known that they were all ordinary people, and just like me, they didn’t let their money or status define them as people.
We’d taken turns flying down the slopes all day, trying to decide who could do the most dangerous maneuver without breaking any bones or killing themselves, and it felt great just to cut loose and act like a bunch of jackasses without worrying what people might say.
“Oh my God, this pho is fantastic,” Collin announced over his steamy, oversized bowl of soup. “And I’m not just appreciating it more because the wizard here kicked my ass on that jump, either,” he said, pointing at me before pulling up a string of noodles from his bowl with his chopsticks and shoving them in his mouth.
I’d just taken an enormous bite of my massive burger, which couldn’t have been placed in front of my growling stomach fast enough, so I had to finish inhaling my first bite before responding.
“What’s with the nickname?” I asked, reaching for my craft beer and taking a couple of large gulps.
“You’re over here whizzing down these slopes as if you’ve got your magic skis on,” Collin laughed.
“He’s jealous,” Jim said with a smirk. He’d ordered the same soup that Collin had but wasn’t nearly making as big of a deal about it. “Ignore him.”
“Jealous?” I chuckled. “You were tough competition. I’d?—”
“This is where I’m going to have to stop you,” Jake interrupted, his club sandwich and fries now a pile of uneaten crumbs on his plate. “You don’t want to play that shit with Collin.”
“What shit?” I questioned.
“Boosting his self-esteem. Collin’s the biggest dipfucker on this mountain; you know it, Jimmy knows it, I know, and most of all, Collin knows it.” He laughed while Collin smirked at his best friend.
“You know,” he said, eyeing Jake and then me, “whenever we start to spend time with a new, poor unfortunate soul such as yourself, we play shit out a little longer. Jakey is letting you off a little too easy.”
“Who says John wants anything to do with either of you?” Jim answered.
The group dynamic was amusing. Jim played the older brother to his actual brother and Collin as if he were the one who kept the two in line.
Jake threw his hands up, his SPY sunglasses, sharing the reflection of the stunning landscape surrounding us from where we sat on top of Buttermilk Mountain, where the girls should’ve met us half an hour ago for lunch.
“Listen,” Jake announced as if we were in a treehouse and getting ready to add a new member to the group, “I like you, dude,” he said, smirking, “but you’re gonna have to cut ties with that weird-ass butler.”
“Jesus,” I said, embarrassed by the domineering mother situation. “I am sorry that?—”
“If there’s one thing you should know about me and these knuckleheads,” Collin added, mid-conversation, “don’t ever apologize to us for anything. We get it, man.”
“I don’t think you do,” I said. For the first time, I felt comfortable confiding in these guys and letting them in on my trust fund brat situation. “My parents roll completely differently than most people, your families included, I would imagine.”
“Well, without you knowing each of our family’s histories,” Jake took a sip of beer, “I’ll quote Avery on this: The rich are weird,” he chuckled.
