Champagne Romance (Romance Novel) (6 page)

The husky bus driver finally climbed into the
front seat of the elderly bus, started the ignition, and began
collecting tickets. The soft seats were worn and a little stained
in some areas, but Swan who was first in line, didn’t seem to
notice as she found her seat at the front of the bus. For her, it
was the grandest carriage she had even seen. This was her initial
adventure into the unknown and she was thrilled about the days to
come for the first time in her life.

It was a beautiful sunshiny delightful day
without a cloud in the sky. Swan hoped that this was an indication
of good times ahead. She smiled, a rare moment in her lifetime, and
crossed her fingers for a new and happier future.

The Greyhound bumped over the Allegheny
Mountains, which twisted and turned in the state of Pennsylvania
from southwest to northeast. They were not the majestic mountains
of the Rockies, but beautiful nonetheless.

The wildlife dotted the Pennsylvania
countryside and seemed to be thriving in abundance as it was a very
mild winter. Female deer and an occasional stag were often seen
eating the grain among the farm animals of dairy cows and hogs.
Grouse and songbirds also blended into the green pastures with the
mountain laurel and denuded hemlock trees. It was a typical scene
that sprinkled the hills and valleys as each wild animal came out
for their daily dinner.

The bus accelerated through the city of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Swan with her face pressed against the
glass only got a small glimpse of the capital with the state flag
of royal dark blue that displayed the State Coat of Arms upon it.
It flew at the very top of the dome, attracting the attention of
visitors from many places around the country.

The coach and its passengers continued to
bump through Allentown. Strangers persistently got on and off the
bus throughout the journey. It did not become crowded until they
reached Philadelphia. It remained that way until they passed
through the Holland Tunnel and arrived at their final destination
in the NYC Port Authority. Then, everyone grabbed their bags or
purses, formed a line to empty the bus, and dispersed in different
directions.

No one paid much attention to the tall fuzzy
redheaded skinny woman in jeans, a light denim jacket, and a
backpack slung over her shoulder. That in itself was a wonderful
feeling as Swan looked up and viewed the magnificent New York
skyscrapers.

It was late morning and Swan with all
her belongings in the world started down
42
^nd
Street. She grabbed a
quick burger at the nearest Mickey D’s where she found a discarded
NY Times newspaper. In it, she found some information that gave her
a direction. Tucking the Times under her arm, she caught a city bus
to Greenwich Village in lower Manhattan. By darkness, she was
checked into a crowded comfortable YWCA. She was grateful to take a
warm shower down the hall and climb into a clean cozy bed where she
dreamed of new friends and a new beginning.

Swan awoke to the unfamiliar sound of busy
city traffic. New York horns were honking, breaks were screeching,
and obscenities were being shouted as “The Big Apple” began its
morning. Pedestrians were hailing cabs and scurrying in different
directions. Street vendors were setting up shop and merchants were
opening their doors. A few leftover derelicts from the night before
were hanging around the street corner. New York’s finest were
patrolling the streets. It was a typical city scene.

Swan pulled a V-neck black top over her head,
stepped into some basic black pants, and generic black flats. She
combed her unmanageable curly locks back from her face and put it
in a ponytail. It made her aqua eyes look huge, but they were soon
covered-up with the heavy rim of her glasses. Her final touch was a
little lip-gloss and some cheap pearl earrings that had been
purchased at Claire’s boutique. She grabbed her light jacket and
headed for her first interview in the city of New York.

Swan soon landed a job in another advertising
agency with duties that were similar to the one she had in high
school. It was a large agency and had many possibilities for
advancement. It was exciting, busy, and pleasant. Her happiness
began to show in her body language and personality. It wasn’t long
before she began to make friends for the first time in her
life.

After six months, Swan’s responsibilities
began to grow. She received her first raise and was being sent to
agencies throughout the city to delivery information or act as a
mini-embassy for her company. One Tuesday she walked into “World
Glamour Models”. It was on that fateful day that her life did a
one-eighty. It changed beyond her greatest hope or imagination.

CHAPTER 14

Swan awoke from unconsciousness to a familiar
agitated voice. Slater was grilling the doctor. It might have been
rather humorous, if her head had not begun to ache.

“
It has been three days and by god it’s
time she woke up.”---As if on cue, a groan caught the attention of
both men giving the doctor a reprieve from a cross examination from
her Ace.

Slater immediately jumped to her side, took
her hand in his big one, and began to speak to her in soothing
tones. “Come to me, Babe.”

But, for Swan, as much as she wanted to obey
him, could not cope with the pain and fell back into darkness. It
was not until the next day that Swan began to cross the line back
to the living. She opened her eyes, but to her grave
disappointment, she saw nothing.

A nurse was checking on Swan as she was
beginning to wake up. She asked her how she felt.

“
I think better, but my head still
hurts.” Swan swallowed an emotional swallow and continued with a
shaky voice, “I still can’t see anything.”

The doctor was making his morning rounds and
soon entered Swan’s hospital room. Slater was right behind him with
a cup of steaming coffee that he had picked up at the local
Starbucks downstairs. He hovered over the doctor as he examined his
patient’s empty eyes. The pupils were no longer dilated, but vision
still remained elusive. A local specialist was called to the scene.
The doctor gave her very little encouragement. He only told Swan to
get plenty of rest and perhaps the trauma that had affected her
eyesight would heal as well. That was not the desired information,
but Slater held her hand and reassured her that there were plenty
of other avenues to explore at the center for the blind in Los
Angeles.

When Slater decided that Swan was being
nursed back to health to his satisfaction, he boarded a plane to
the John Wayne Airport to take care of some impending company
business in Newport Beach, CA. He planned to return to Swan in
Breckenridge two days later. In that time frame, Swan was dismissed
from the hospital and evaporated from his life forever; severing
any possibilities with the one woman that he might have had a
serious relationship.

Because Slater was not a relation, the
hospital would not release any information about Swan. Slater was
not adverse, however, to using his charm to get the information
that would give him a hint as to where she had gone. What he found
out made him furious! Swan had specifically instructed hospital
records that HE was to be given nothing to give him an indication
of her whereabouts! He could have pulled in some “markers” to get
that information, but he was angry, he was frustrated, and he
wasn’t going to do a damn dangle dance for anyone!

CHAPTER 15

Long before Breckenridge was a ski resort, it
was the summer hunting ground for the Ute Native Americans. The
Town itself was established in 1859 as the call of gold beckoned
many white settlers to cross the Continental Divide. Twenty years
later, it was a flourishing town with their fair share of saloons,
dance halls, churches, a school, bank, post office, and several
other establishments. It continued to grow as silver was discovered
and another wave of hopeful fortune hunters began to invade the
growing boomtown community. Much of the Breckenridge establishments
disappeared as it entered the twentieth century. In the late
1800’s, this little town tried to achieve the status of a ghost
town with a population of around 250---it failed.

In 1961 a lumber company from Wichita, Ks.
had the vision of an upscale ski resort, which brought a new era to
the sleepy community. Once again, Breckenridge became a hustling
quaint community of the Rockies. Today, people visit this Victorian
town from all over the world to enjoy the outdoor challenges of
golf, biking, hiking and of course to ski the snow covered
mountainside.

CHAPTER 16

Kat was on a plane to the Breckenridge
airport the day before she was to take Swan home. She had spoken
with Swan several times on the phone and understood the severity of
the situation. She was there to help her friend and to navigate her
journey to an eye specialist and clinic at UCLA. As the big bird
approached the runway, she looked down to watch the colorful trendy
skiers in the distance zipping across the slopes and mounting the
highest ski lift in North America.

Kat was a happy wealthy divorcee. She did not
grow up with money and luxury, but it did not take her long to
adjust to her affluent status. She was raised by her grandmother
after she was dumped on her doorstep at age four by her
irresponsible mother. It was a difficult time for both the
grandmother and the granddaughter. Grams was getting old and in ill
health. She was so concerned with herself that she was pretty
oblivious to Kat’s need to be loved and wanted. Money was always
scarce.

As Kat began to approach her teen years, she
began to enjoyed life to its fullest once she understood how to get
what she wanted. As her body began to change around thirteen, she
soon became known as K.A.T. = (K-cute/Ass/Tits), which stood for
more vulgar terms as her reputation grew. She enjoyed that
questionable status. By the time she was fourteen, she began to use
her lush figure to her advantage if she wanted a certain boy or
anything else that she could manipulate from them.

When Kat was a senior in high school, she
decided she wanted to be the homecoming queen. She told the captain
of the football team that she would screw the entire squad if he
could make that happen. He did and she did. For Kat, it was not a
hardship.

After high school, Kat was lured to the
glamorous city of Las Vegas. She was content in the knowledge that
she would be able to charm herself into the arms of the richest man
in the city. She would not miss her mark by far. She soon landed a
job as a Las Vegas showgirl at the Mirage. She had a beautiful face
and figure, which immediately attracted the attention of the owner
and bachelor of a chain of LV hotels, Joe Dollard. Most people
called him Joe Dollar for his ability to make money.

Kat and Joe were married at a nearby chapel
long before her six-month contract was up at the Mirage. After
seven months of marriage, and the excitement of a newlywed began to
wear off, Kat began to call her new husband, Joe Dull-y. She
started eyeballing other men who were only too happy to please,
admirer, and oblige her in any way that she choose to be
entertained. Kat and Joe got a divorce before the end of the year.
Joe walked away with lighter pockets and Kat walked away a wealthy
woman.

Kat would be married three more times before
she met Swan at the age of thirty-one. They teamed up at The Balboa
Bay Club in Newport becoming tennis partners. It wasn’t long before
the two became very close and formed a lasting bond of devoted
friendship.

CHAPTER 17

Kat left the baggage claim at the airport and
immediately parted through the outside doors to hail the next taxi
in line. After getting settled in the back seat, the taxi departed
for the Breckenridge Medical Center. Swan was very relieved when
Kat walked into her room. She was like the family she never had. It
wasn’t long before Kat had filled out the necessary paperwork and
made arrangements for tomorrow’s departure.

After making sure that Swan was settled in
for the night, Kat checked in to the Timberland Hotel. Her room
faced the steep mountainside of activity and skiers. The
accommodations had a rustic elegance that gave the ambiance of
being in an inviting log cabin, but had all the amenities of a
luxury home. Unpacking her bag and refreshing her makeup, she got
ready to go on the prowl. She pulled a red-scooped neck cashmere
clingy sweater over her head to compliment the black stretch pants,
black pointed high heel shoes, and gold loop earrings that she had
worn on the plane. Adding a little lip-gloss, she headed downstairs
to the martini bar, Red Square.

The bar was full of singles and
affluent jet setters all mingling together. It was just the kind of
diversion, which Kat was looking. She
perched herself on the stool of the thirty foot long ice bar.
It wasn’t long before she was surrounded by young admiring males
hoping to “score” for the evening.

After a couple of martinis, Kat found
herself in a chinchilla coat and hat entering the $250 vodka a
glass freezer room. In this icy atmosphere, the affluent enjoyed
specialty vodka from all over the world. The exquisite vodka was
smooth, but not nearly as smooth as the gentleman in a man’s
Russian sable that had joined her. The evening ended as would have
been predicted--- Kat scratching and clawing in the bed of the hunk
from the martini bar downstairs.

By 10:00 the next morning Kat rolled out of
bed with a smile, dressed, grabbed a cup of coffee, and hailed a
taxi to the medical center. By noon she had her friend, Swan,
checked out of the Breckenridge Medical Facility and on a plane to
her home in Newport Beach. They were in Swan’s luxury condo by late
afternoon.