Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

He turned around and saw his younger brother, Adam, and said, "Jesus, dude. Where'd you come from?"

"I finished up early."

"Oh, okay. And as to the beautiful woman over there, no. No. It's not like that."

"What? You're not seriously thinking about asking her out, are you?"

"I don't know, man. She's different. She's..."

"Old?"

Heath shook his head then said, "No, she's not old. I mean, she's older than me, yeah, but she's really attractive. And I was going to say 'special' before you chimed in with the snide comment."

"Okay. For a woman that age, I'll admit she's got it goin' on. But come on. She's...that age."

Heath glanced back at Mandy who was busy paying for the rental boards then said to his brother, "I thought you couldn't get here until tomorrow."

"I wrapped up the meetings with the new investor today and got out of town."

"And?" Heath asked with some trepidation.

"We got it, bro. All of it!"

"Two million? Seriously?"

"I told you I could pull it off," his brother, who had just turned 18 said. "And I didn't have to have Dad sittin' there with me because I'm a minor this time."

"That is so awesome! That's a total game changer. We're seriously big-league now."

"You got that right. Oh, and I want a raise. And a bonus," his brother said.

Heath laughed then said, "We'll talk about that later, but you deserve both and a lot of credit. Everyone who knows the sport knows you, but no one knew you could negotiate like that, too."

"Well now you do!" Adam said. "So...what's the plan?"

"I was hoping to get a couple of runs in. You wanna come with?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me put my stuff away and I'll tag along."

"Oh, I gotta warn you. We're sharing a room. You only booked us half a chalet, and I'm takin' that out of your bonus," Heath teased.

"No shit? I did that?"

"You made the reservations, right?"

"Um...yeah. Wow. Sorry about that, man."

"Don't apologize. We're sharing it with her," Heath said referring to Mandy. "And she's got a really cute daughter who's maybe somewhere around fifteen or so."

When the Davis brothers walked into the chalet, Courtney was dancing and singing to the song playing through her earbuds on her iPod, and had no idea anyone was there. They both stood there quietly and watched knowing that when she finally saw them she'd be startled and most likely embarrassed.

A couple of seconds later, as she was moving with the music, she saw them out of the corner of her eye and shrieked.

"You scared me!" she yelled as she pulled her earbuds out.

"Sorry. We didn't know what to do so we stood still until we knew you were aware we were here," Heath said as he tried not to laugh.

Courtney was staring at Adam who was smiling back at her.

"Oh, that's my little brother, Adam. Well, since he's as tall as I am now, I should say 'younger' brother."

Adam said, "Hey there. What's your name?"

"Courtney," she said, clearly smitten with his good looks.

Adam was ten years younger than his brother, but other than the age difference, they looked a lot like twins rather than just brothers.

"Heath told me you were cute. He just didn't tell me you were this cute."

Courtney blushed and Heath said, "Dude? What are you doing?"

"Relax, bro. I'm just being nice. And she is cute."

"We're gonna get a couple of runs in, Courtney. Do you think you and your mom would like to go with us?" Heath asked.

"I...I don't have a board," she said, still heavily flushed.

"Actually you do. Your mom has it, and she should be back up here soon. Okay, well, maybe we'll run into you guys out there."

"Yeah. Maybe," Courtney said, still barely able to look up at them.

Just as the brothers were heading out a couple of minutes later, Mandy walked back in.

"Hey there! You want to join us?" Heath asked.

Courtney was nodding furiously behind their backs then put her hands together as though she was praying and mouthed, "PLEASE!!"

"Well, I...I guess so," Mandy said trying to figure out what just happened.

"Can you give me a couple of minutes?" she asked.

"Sure. Take your time," Heath said. He and Adam turned around just as Courtney was mouthing, 'THANK YOU!' to her mom.

The guys chuckled and Mandy stopped and asked, "What? What is going on here?"

"Nothing. Really," Heath told her.

"And who is this younger clone of yours? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Mandy? Meet my brother, Adam. Adam? Mandy Barrow, and you've already met her daughter."

Mandy understood immediately and said, "Oh. Okay. This makes sense. So...are you also staying here in 'our' chalet?"

"Um, yes ma'am," Adam said, his gregariousness fully in check.

"Hmmm," she began. "You do know my daughter is fourteen, right? As in...not eighteen?"

"Yes, ma'am," Adam said with due contrition.

"Mom!" Courtney called out. "Are you trying to embarrass me to death?"

"No, but you do look closer to sixteen than fourteen, and I just want to make sure everyone here, including Adam, understands you're two years away from even driving a car yet."

"Oh, my God!" Courtney said. "Can someone please just shoot me?"

"It's okay, Courtney," Adam said. "Your mom is just being a good mother."

He glanced at Mandy while addressing Courtney and said, "I think Heath was right about her."

"What?" Mandy said. "Right about what?"

"If you'll go ahead and get ready, I'll try and explain on the way up," Heath said hoping to stop the inquisition.

Mandy was dying to pee then needed to change clothes while Courtney also got dressed for the slopes.

They grabbed their rental boards, and Adam said, "Not bad," referring to them.

"Are these okay?" Mandy asked. "Your brother recommended them."

"Oh, sure. They're just fine. I mean, every once in a while, my much-older brother gets something right."

"Speaking of him getting things right," Mandy said as they walked downstairs, "I believe someone owes me an explanation."

"Ah, yes. I was hoping you might have forgotten," Heath said with a smile.

"No, we elephants never forget," Mandy said trying to sound serious.

"I was just telling Adam I thought you were really nice."

"Special. You said 'special', big brother," Adam said, making sure everyone heard.

"Well, she is...special," he said to his brother while looking at Mandy.

"And I believe you said she was beautiful," Adam added.

"I don't remember saying that to you, but okay, I'll take the blame for that, too," Heath said still looking at Mandy.

The guys were being playful, but for some reason, the very kind things Heath had said about her really touched her.

"My mom is beautiful," Courtney said.

"Gee, now who's embarrassed," Mandy said, although she was anything but embarrassed.

"There's no need to be," Heath told her. "Those things are true. All of them."

Mandy laughed and said, "At my age, you don't hear those things a lot. Well, not from guys your age, anyway."

"Mom's boss at work has it bad for her," Courtney blurted out. "He's even older than her."

"Oh, gee. Thanks for brining that up, honey!"

"Oops?" Courtney said with a shrug of the shoulders as they got ready to leave.

They were close to the lift for the mogul run, and the conversation finally turned to snowboarding.

Mandy and Heath shared a chair as did Adam and Courtney.

"Thanks for coming with us," Heath said quietly as the lift carried them up.

"Thank you for inviting us," Mandy said back.

They got off first followed by the younger 'couple' and before they could get to the start of the run, people were pointing and whispering.

"What's going on?" Mandy asked.

"I think Adam has just been 'made'," he said loudly enough for his brother to hear.

Adam was pulling on his ski cap and pulling down his goggles and trying to ignore the comments.

"Hey, that's Adam Davis!" someone about his age called out. "Hey, Adam!"

Other people started flocking around, and within seconds, they were asking for autographs and selfies with him.

"So...what's really going on here?" Mandy asked rephrasing her question.

"Adam won the silver medal in Sochi a few years ago."

"An Olympic silver medal?" Mandy asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes, indeed. Men's halfpipe."

"No one knows me outside of those who really follow the sport," Adam said modestly as he signed whatever people asked and dutifully posed for photos. "But up here, there are people who do, so..."

"Well, shame on me. I clearly had no idea," Mandy said.

Courtney was both starstruck and possibly a bit jealous at all the female attention 'her' guy was attracting. She knew he wasn't with her, but until this happened, she was enjoying at least pretending like they were 'together'.

Once the last fan walked away, Adam said, "Who's ready to rumble? Courtney, you wanna do the run together?"

That starstruck look returned as she said, "I won't be able to keep up with you."

"That's okay. We can take it at your speed," Adam said.

"Well...okay," she said happily.

"How about you? Did you compete in the Winter Games?" Mandy asked Heath as her daughter headed down with the snowboarding Olympian.

"Me? No. I'm not anywhere near being that good. I love the sport, but Adam's in a class with a very small number of other people—worldwide."

"So maybe I won't be totally embarrassed then," Mandy said with a smile as she pulled her goggles down.

"I'm not gonna take easy on you because you're a girl, though," Heath warned her playfully.

"Oh, I see. You think I couldn't keep up, huh?" she teased.

Before he could reply, she jumped out and headed down the slopes whooping and hollering.

Heath laughed, pulled his goggles down, then followed her.

It didn't take long to catch her, and once he did, he continued at her speed. She was actually doing quite well for someone without a lot of experience, and Heath was duly impressed.

Adam and Courtney were waiting for them, and Courtney was chattering away about how awesome and amazing the run was. Oh, and Adam, too.

"I know!" her mom said. "That was so much fun! How about another run?"

"We've still got plenty of daylight," Heath said. "Let's go for it!"

Three runs later it was nearly dark, and the four of them had to call it off for the night. They were all getting hungry, too, so it was the perfect time to head back, change, and get something to eat.

At the chalet, Heath asked Mandy, "So I hope you've reconsidered. About dinner. We'd love to have you join us."

"Oh, we don't want to butt in or anything," she said.

She saw Courtney's 'pleading eyes' again, and rolled hers.

"You're not. I promise," Heath told her. "In fact, I've really enjoyed spending time with you today."

"Yeah. Me, too," Mandy replied rather quietly. "Okay. I suppose we could do that."

Courtney did an unashamed 'YES!' with a fist pump causing Heath and Adam to laugh. They agreed on when to meet downstairs, and the guys got down there first. They'd been waiting for a few minutes when Adam tapped his brother.

"Check it out," Adam said nodding toward Mandy who was coming down the stairs.

"Um...wow!" Heath said when he saw Mandy.

She was wearing a white, rib-knit turtleneck sweater with a pair of black stretch pants, and Heath's suspicions that her body was very tight were confirmed. And her beautiful hair and gorgeous face reconfirmed what he'd already seen and knew to be true.

"You really are beautiful," he told her.

Mandy was used to compliments and flattery, but as she'd said earlier, not from men Heath's age or men who looked like him.

"And while I am stipulating upfront that this is not a date, may I say you also look very pretty," Adam told Courtney who was wearing a pink sweater with white stretch pants, and was every bit as pretty as her mother, off limits or not.

"Thank you, and you look very handsome," she told Adam honestly.

"Ladies? Shall we?" Heath suggested as he offered his elbow to Mandy.

She saw Adam do the same then pull back and look at her.

Mandy smiled and told him, "That's okay. As long as it's just your arm, Adam."

Courtney gave her a look, but when her mom smiled back at her, she smiled, too, then slipped her arm inside Adam's.

They had a very nice restaurant at the Lodge, and Mandy had forgotten just how rustic and pleasant it was.

"I've always loved this place," she said as they walked in.

"It brings back a lot of memories," Heath said. "We practically lived up here anytime there was snow on the ground."

"You seemed pretty strong out there. Did you ever have any Olympic aspirations?"

"I did, but I just wasn't good enough to make the team. As you can imagine, when you get to that level, the tiniest fraction of a second or any amount of extra height or 'panache' on a move can mean the difference between a gold medal and last place. Adam is the guy with the extra half second. I'm not. But I'm just happy for my brother. We're a very close-knit family, and we all share in one another's accomplishments."

"You and Adam so seem very close," Mandy said as they were shown to their table.

"We are. He's ten years younger and accordingly, I affectionately call him 'the mistake' but yes, we've grown very close. We even work together now."

"Oh, I'd like to hear about that," she said.

"It's not very interesting," he told her. "It's mostly just snowboard sales. I'd much rather hear about you."

Adam held Courtney's chair as did Heath for her mother and helped them get seated. The young girl was clearly enjoying the attention, and Mandy was thinking that all the years of training were paying off as she acted very appropriately and ladylike.

Courtney heard what Heath said and gave her mom a 'please don't say anything about me' kind of look.

Her mom sent back an 'of course I won't' look, then said to Heath, "What's to tell? I went back to working at a bank after my husband left, and that's about it."

"No, something tells me there's a lot more to it than that," Heath said.

He meant that he thought she was far too interesting and sophisticated while Mandy couldn't help but wonder if he somehow knew what she'd done where the money was concerned. Evidently, paranoia knew no bounds.

"No, that's pretty much it," she insisted with a polite smile.

"Okay. I'll accept that for now," Heath said. "Would you like a glass of wine with dinner?"

"Um, yes. That sounds wonderful," Mandy said. "Thank you very much."

"Me, too?" Courtney said knowing there was no hope.

Her mom lowered her head, stared at her, and that was enough.

"Okay, okay," she said.

"Hey, I can't even drink yet, so maybe we can split a Coke or something," Adam said with a pleasant smile.

"Could be diet?" Courtney asked sweetly.

"Hmmm. 'Yuck' is the first word that comes to mind, but...okay," he agreed with a pleasant smile.

For the next hour, the four of them talked snowboarding, the Olympic Games, and got better acquainted by asking the kinds of basic questions people tend to ask one another the first time they talk.

Everyone had long finished eating, and the two adults who could drink ordered a second glass of wine. To avoid holding the table any longer, Heath asked if Mandy might want to move into the large area with the huge fireplace.

She glanced at Courtney who immediately indicated she wanted to, and Adam was enjoying himself as much as the other three, so the foursome left the dining room and sat down on some very comfortable sofas. As it turned out, they weren't able to sit together so Adam and Courtney sat a few feet away while Heath and Mandy sat by themselves where Mandy could see her daughter.

She already trusted both of the Davis brothers, but she was still very much in the 'trust but verify' mom-mode where any males were concerned, especially one that much older than her daughter.

"Dinner was very nice, Heath. Thank you for that. Are you sure we can't pick up the tab for our meals?" Mandy asked.

"No way. Not a chance," he replied. "I enjoyed your company very much, and I'm very happy to take care of the check. So while I appreciate you offering, there's no way I'd let any lady, let alone one as charming and beautiful as you, pay for anything."

"Well, thank you—again. For paying and for the compliment. I'm concerned you may be under the influence, though, so perhaps you should put the wine down."

Heath laughed and said, "No, I'm quite sober. I can assure you of that. And I'm just as certain about you being both charming and beautiful."

"I'll take your word for it, but I still think you're just being kind."

"Not at all," Heath said. "I can't stand liars, cheats, or thieves. I don't do any of those things, and don't associate with people who do."

Mandy's smile faded, and that sick feeling came over her again with a vengeance. It wasn't as though she and this handsome, younger man were ever going to have a relationship of any kind, it was more than he was actually living by the principles she claimed to value whereas she had violated them in a huge way.

Heath noticed and said, "Did I just say something offensive? If so, I didn't mean to and ask your forgiveness."

"Oh, no. It's...nothing," she said. "I've just had so much financial stress since my husband walked out that...I don't know. Anyway, that's not your problem, and now I'm the one who needs to apologize for even mentioning it."

Heath turned toward her a bit more then quietly said, "Mandy? I meet a lot of people. And well, I also meet quite a few women, and honestly? Many of them are very attractive. But I can't ever remember meeting anyone who's...well...captivated me the way that you have."

Mandy briefly forgot about being a thief, and a different kind of feeling washed over her. She could tell just from his facial expression and his eyes that he was being honest, and unless he was an accomplished liar of the highest order, his words supported his body language and vice versa.

"I'm not sure how to respond to that, Heath," Mandy said. "I'm not even sure what you mean by 'captivating'. I'm not exactly young and..."

"Youth is overrated, Mandy. Many other things are far more important than what my dad calls 'time on planet'."

He smiled when he used the phrase she'd never heard before, and when she did, he smiled, too.

"You see. That's what I'm talking about. That smile of yours is...captivating. You...are captivating."

"But we're just sharing a chalet for a weekend, and that's by pure chance. It's not like you and I are going to...what? See each other?"

"Why not?" Heath asked seriously but gently. "Unless you're seeing someone else, of course."

Mandy looked away and Heath asked, "Are you?"

"Me? No. I'm not seeing anyone."

"Then would you possibly consider...seeing me? After this weekend?"

Mandy didn't reply because she didn't know what to say.

Heath smiled then tried something a little less grandiose.

"May I at least spend some more time with you this weekend so you can decide if you'd care to see me again afterward?"

"As you said, we are sharing a chalet, so we'll definitely be seeing each other."

Mandy saw him smile again because she knew that wasn't what he meant.

"But if you'd like to snowboard together, I think that would be very nice."

"I would," he told her. "And I also think that would be very nice."

Mandy had been so absorbed in her own thoughts she'd completely forgotten about her daughter. She didn't panic, but she did quickly look over and see what was going on. When the answer was 'nothing' she breathed a sigh of relief.

Courtney and Adam had a good two feet of space between themselves, and her daughter was smiling and laughing, and clearly having a good time. It made Mandy feel really good to see her daughter happy, and that's when she remembered how they'd gotten here in order to have a nice time. She sighed deeply then realized Heath was talking to her.