Learn to Fly (29 page)

“
Frickin'
hipsters,” Blake snorted. “Fine, I’ll label it for
you. Perfect for each other, there! Was that so frickin' hard?”

Lenny didn’t
know what to say after that. Luke smiled at his friends. Leave it
to them to take something to a whole new level. He squeezed Lenny’s
leg and chuckled low in his chest.

“
How
long have you guys known?” Lenny asked them.

“
Since
Denver.” Blake answered, surprising both Luke and Lenny.

“
How?”
Lenny was perplexed; she thought they had been careful.

“
Well,
it was kind of obvious. I mean, Lenny had needed a good kiss for a
while. Why do you think I was always asking to make out?” Sway
joked.

“
Yeah,
you were both suddenly
very
happy.” Blake winked at Lenny.

Lenny shook her head
and smiled. She was afraid they wouldn’t approve but that
wasn’t the case at all. Carl might be a different story.

“
So,
you guys gonna see each other before Aspen?” Sway asked again.
“The reason I’m asking is because it is gonna be weird
not having you around for like, two weeks.”

Lenny shrugged, “I
guess we hadn’t really talked about it.” She looked at
Luke who was beaming at her. “I talked to Scott the other day
and I decided to stay at the Lodge with duke and see if I can talk
him into joining us for dinner on Christmas Day.”

“
Have
you even talked to him yet?” Mike asked.

Lenny clenched her
jaw slightly. “No. I was gonna surprise him.” She tried
to clear the emotion from her throat.

“
What’s
the deal with you guys anyway?” Harrison asked. “I
mean, I get he’s like your Miyagi and all but why the
avoidance?”

It was a legitimate
question. One that Lenny didn’t really have a legitimate answer
for. Duke had been more than just a mentor. He was the only one who
had truly supported her in …everything. They had a similar
spirit and drive, hating the social norm and rebelling against the
standard. She never had to explain things to him, he already knew.
Even when she decided to be more ‘conventional’ and
pursued qualification in the Olympics, he supported her. But she
knew he didn’t agree. He thought her best lines were made in
the back country, amidst the unpredictable elements.

She felt like she
had let him down more than anyone. She became too cocky, ignored her
instincts and that’s what really caused her to lose control out
of the chute. How was she supposed to talk to him now? What could
she say?

“
I
guess I just wouldn’t know what to say.” Lenny’s
words sounded lame even to her. She looked at her hands in her lap
and picked at a stray thread on her jeans.

“
You
want me to come with you?” Luke’s voice was so sincere
and full of concern that it made Lenny feel even worse about her
actions.

“
No,
I think it would better if I see Duke alone at first. Besides, if
he’s mad, I don’t really want to get yelled at in front
of you guys.” She smiled, indicating she was half joking.

“
You
think he’ll yell at you?” Blake questioned.

“
Trust
me, I deserve it.” Lenny rolled her eyes, “So much you
don’t know.” An idea came to her then, “Hey, you
guys wanna come out for New Year’s? We can chill at the Lodge
for a couple days and then all fly to Aspen together.”

***

They all exchanged
glances, thinking similar thoughts. Lenny was so elusive about her
past; she would never really talk about herself openly. Now
suddenly, she’s inviting them to her home in the backwoods of
Wyoming for a major holiday. This was such a big step that they
agreed without much thought.

Lenny relaxed
against Luke’s side then, leaning her head onto his shoulder.
Luke squeezed her leg again and smiled faintly. The guys resumed
their video game session and Luke let his thoughts wander. He was
concerned about Lenny but couldn’t explain it. He knew there
were issues she still wasn’t dealing with and he wasn’t
sure if she trusted him enough to let him help her through it. Being
on the road had its advantages of keeping them separated from ‘real
life’ and he knew how jarring a return to the norm could be.
Especially for someone who was running away from their reality. He
tried not to let his concern cloud his mind, but a fear was lurking
he couldn’t seem to shake completely.

***

Cody:
she's coming to Aspen

Shane:
are you sure?

Cody:
yes,
don't be a baby about it

Shane:
don't be a jealous bitch, Cody

Cody:
you're such a dick

Shane:
at least I'm not fake

Snow had started to
fall as Lenny approached the Lodge. She was always amazed by its
massive beauty, no matter how many times she had seen it. It was
enormous, with a wooden and stone structure, perfectly nestled into
the mountainside with an expansive view of the range from the back.

She hadn't planned
on coming up until tomorrow, but after dinner with her parents and a
disconcerting conversation with her father about Duke's whereabouts,
she had felt a rush to check on him sooner rather than later. She
knew she was worrying unreasonably. He was a grown man and had no
trouble taking care of himself. But, then again, most of their
relationship had been fairly irrational.

Lenny parked her old
Bronco in the drive, not bothering with the garage door. She grabbed
her duffel and started up the walkway. When she opened the front
door, all the interior lights were off.

“
Hello?”
She called into the darkness. She reached for the switch on the
wall by the door, flicking it on.

“
Hello?”
She called again, stomping the snow off her shoes and slipping them
off before leaving the foyer.

“
Duke?”
She called into the living room, but received no answer. She
traveled through the empty area and into a smaller den off to the
side. She flicked the light switch, but the room was empty. She
backtracked and went through an adjacent door leading to the kitchen.
The floor to ceiling windows faced the west, and the sun was
beginning to set, giving the illusion that the stainless steel
appliances were made of pure gold. But it also was void of human
presence.

Lenny
touched his cell phone on the counter and picked up her pace across
the granite floor and sprinted up the stairs leading to the bedroom
area. She saw a light on in Duke’s room at the end of the hall
and she breathed a sigh of relief.
He's
here
.
She slowed to a walk, her socked feet silent on the wood floors as
she came to the open doorway.

Duke was sitting
with his back against the headboard, reading a book. His thick, dark
hair matched his full beard, making him look older than he really
was. Lenny smiled at his red flannel pajamas, a mountain man to a
fault. He was wearing reading glasses and his lips moved just
noticeably with the words as he read. Lenny leaned her body against
the door frame, watching quietly.

A million different
emotions began to toy with her heart and she felt its pace quicken
the longer the silence continued. She hadn't been fair to him. Of
all the people she had been trying to escape, Duke should have never
been on that list.

“
It’s
kinda early to get ready for bed, isn’t it?” She finally
asked into the stillness.

Duke didn’t
even look up. “Nope.” He continued reading.

Lenny swallowed; she
knew she deserved the cold shoulder. She slowly slid down the door
frame and pressed her back against it, bringing her knees up to rest
her arms on them.

“
I’m
sorry I didn’t call, Duke.” She said trying to keep the
tremble out of her voice.

Duke turned the page
in his book and kept reading. Lenny sighed and leaned her head back.

“
I
made up your bed for you.” Duke broke the silence but still
didn’t look up.

Lenny felt a smile
start at the corners of her mouth. And her heart started to make the
long climb from the floor back to its proper place in her chest.

“
How
did you know I would be here?”

“
The
wind told me.”

Lenny
chuckled softly. “Scott told you I was coming, didn’t
he?” She shook her head as realization swept over her. “You
weren’t
missing
,
you guys planned this.”

“
I
have no idea what you are talking about.” Duke kept his tone
even and conversational.

“
I
was really worried about you, you know.” Lenny tried to make
him feel bad even though she knew he wouldn’t. She didn't have
a right to that anyway.

Duke finally closed
the book and put it down on the nightstand, giving Lenny his full
attention. She shifted uncomfortably from her seat on the floor.
Maybe this is where she’d finally get lectured, she had it
coming and she knew it.

***

“
Did
your mom send any of her chili with you?”

Lenny frowned,
confused. “What? How did…no, what?”

Duke stood up and
shuffled past her and down the hall. He turned to see if she was
coming. She pushed herself to her feet and followed him down the
stairs and into the kitchen. Duke opened the fridge and started to
pull out ingredients for a sandwich.

“
Here,
let me do that.” Lenny took the packages of lunch meat out of
his hands and gently shoved him out of the way. Duke made a
satisfied grunting noise and meandered over to one of the stools
against the counter facing Lenny.

As she sliced cheese
and tomatoes he watched her movements closely. Her hands were
steady, they’d lost the tremble she had the last time he had
seen her. She moved deftly around the kitchen, like she hadn’t
been away at all, remembering where each and every thing was kept.
Her hair was loose and more than halfway down her back, very
different from the tight braid she had insisted on after the wreck.
Her cheeks were a healthy pink and she had put on some muscle,
filling out the sunken places the accident had left her with two
years ago.

Duke rested his
elbow on the counter and put his bearded chin in his palm, rubbing
his whiskers above his lips. Six months, that’s how long it had
been since he had last spoken with Lenny. Six months ago she ran off
with rock stars and scared him nearly half to death. And now she was
suddenly back, making him a sandwich in the kitchen in the home they
had shared for five odd years.

“
How
long you staying this time?” He asked gruffly. He noticed she
winced just a bit but she looked up at him and met his eyes.

“
Through
the New Year…then I have to go to Aspen…then on to
Europe for the end of the tour.” She placed the perfectly
structured sandwich in front of him.

“
What
happens after Europe?” Duke sunk his teeth into the thick
wheat bread. It was perfection. He hadn’t had a sandwich this
good in a long time.

“
I’m
not really sure…” She came around the counter and sat on
the stool next to him. He swiveled slightly so he was angled toward
her.