Embittered Ruby (24 page)

No! Not Nate. Don’t go there. What else? Theresa
. She was someone safe to think about. Carmen should have given her more of a chance. She probably could have used a friend, and it was pretty obvious Theresa had conflict in her life. Wonder if she’d have been interested in a friendship with Carmen? What would it have been like to be raised by a pastor? The line inched forward as Carmen compared her life to the one she assumed Theresa had. She’d always seemed happy enough though.

“Ticket and photo ID please.” The TSA agent glared at Carmen.

Relax, lady
. Wonder what would happen if Carmen said
bomb
. Not shouted it, just whispered the word. Would they arrest her?

“Okay, you’re clear. Step over there.”

Carmen got in line behind the other sock-footed travelers and shuffled her belongings through the line. She’d never traveled alone before. Was she crazy for doing this? Was this too extreme? Maybe she was ready to face her past and deal with it on her own. She felt different…maybe different was enough. It was a lot to ask for a girl her age to leave everything she knew, get on a plane, and fly to the complete unknown in search of something she’d never experienced, with no real guarantees she’d find it. What was it that compelled her to get on that plane waiting at the gate even then? What propelled her to put one foot in front of the other and walk through the security checkpoint, submitting to the stares of strangers?

Blind faith…or pure stupidity?

W
here would the plane fly off to next? Carmen could just sit in her seat and soar to some island getaway. Maybe she’d luck out and find she’d booked herself on a plane destined for Aruba after it dropped its load in Denver. She’d just catch a ride to where the family had vacationed the summer before Carmen turned fifteen. Such a happy time. Had the trip really only been two and a half years ago? How did a lifetime’s worth of experiences fit into the space of two short years?

Following the lead of the other passengers, Carmen gathered her bag and iPhone and shuffled through the plane’s exit door. What did they call the corridor leading from the plane to the airport? The gangway? Felt more like a gangplank. Like the pilot was a pirate and the airplane was a ship. Carmen, forced to walk to the end of the plank and fall into the raging sea to face certain death, moved forward as if compelled by an unseen force.

Oh, come on, Carmen. Get a grip and quit with the extreme drama
. Going to Diamond Estates was her own choice because she’d messed up. No one had tied her up and stowed her on that plane, and no one would force her to stay there if she didn’t want to. And the people there weren’t out to get her. In fact, they wanted to help her.

Okay. Pep talk helped some.

Now, where to find her luggage? The overhead signs pointed to the escalator for baggage claim. She strode to the one closest to her and walked out onto the top step. Carmen searched the floor below, hoping for some sign of where she needed to go once she reached the bottom. Dad had always said to act confident and never let people see if she was confused or out of her league. First rule of sales, he said. Navigating an airport and meeting up with a stranger wasn’t exactly a sales meeting—but, then again, all of life required selling something, whether a tangible product or an intangible ideal to someone.

Was Ben over there leaning on the Dollar Rent A Car counter? Couldn’t be. That guy looked too relaxed and casual. A Broncos sweatshirt and jeans? Ben was more high strung than the dude over there—more glitzy. If it was him, he sure was a far cry from the shiny gray suit he’d worn to church when his group visited. The man checked his iPhone. Smiled. Typed something out on the display. Turned his face just a bit as the escalator completed its descent. Yep, it was Ben all right.

Carmen’s stomach flipped. Why so nervous now? Ben looked like a normal-enough guy. But maybe that was part of the problem. The whole situation began to feel a little too real for Carmen’s comfort. In just a moment, when she ran out of escalator floor beneath her feet, she’d have to communicate with Ben Bradley and would then be connected to him and to a place she’d once thought was crazy. Three more steps. Two. One. And, the end.

Act confident
. Carmen stepped onto the carpet, repositioned the straps of her bag on her shoulder, flipped her hair back, and plowed over to Ben. She put out her hand. “Ben Bradley?”

He startled but took her hand in the same moment. “Carmen?”

She nodded. “In the flesh.”

His smile broadened as he pumped her hand. “I’m so glad you’ve arrived. I’m sorry if I seem caught off guard. I thought your plane had a few more minutes before it landed. Welcome to Denver.”

Awkward. “Thanks.” Carmen looked beyond the people milling around them. “I’m, uh, going to go get my stuff.” She stepped in the direction of the baggage carousel.

“Will you be able to manage it on your own? I’m waiting for one other person and want to make sure I don’t miss her.”

“Oh, sure. I can handle it fine.” Wonder who he was waiting for? Another new girl or someone else? Hopefully it would be another new girl—sharing the arrival with someone else would take some of the focus off Carmen. Unless the girl was annoying. Come to think of it, what would it be like to share a house with twenty or more girls? If it was anything like living with her sisters…oh no. The bags sailed by on the conveyor belt. Carmen searched for the polka-dotted Kate Spade knockoffs. Couldn’t miss them.

The smaller of her two bags approached on the belt. Carmen yanked it to the floor beside her. There came the second one. What if she let it pass and make another round through the airport on the baggage system? It would buy her a few minutes before having to reunite with Ben for more awkwardness.

No real point. Might as well face the day.
Act confident
. Maybe if she kept telling herself that, the confidence would ooze through her pores. Carmen grabbed her suitcase handle and pulled it off the runner, knocking the smaller one to the floor. She righted it, turned them to face the same direction, grabbed on, and pulled them toward where Ben had stood just minutes before.

He was gone. Great. Now what? She scanned the area. Tons of Broncos sweatshirts. It was Denver during football season after all. But no familiar face. Where could he be?

A touch on her elbow sent shivers up her arm. Carmen whirled around.

“Hey, sorry to startle you. Are you ready? Leila’s already in the van outside. Her luggage came in on the other carousel.” Ben nodded his head toward the sliding doors.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Carmen turned to find her bags to pull, but Ben had already grabbed them and was striding toward the van with the magnetic D
iamond
E
states
sign on the side.

Carmen tried to peer into the smoky glass. Who would she find on the other side of it? She pulled open the door to find the only occupant sleeping—or pretending to sleep, smart girl—right behind the driver’s seat with her head on the window beside her. Interesting development. Well, at least it would give Carmen time to study up on the details while Ben drove.

Making her way past the first bench, Carmen was carful not to bump it. Let the girl sleep. She passed the second bench and settled into the back one. Hopefully Ben wouldn’t find her seating choice rude, but at this point, he couldn’t possibly have a stellar opinion of her anyway.

He settled into his seat, waved into the rearview mirror, and pulled away from the curb. He turned on some light music.

Even better. Carmen slipped in her earbuds. It felt like time for some Usher. She leaned back to watch the scenery float by. Even she had to admit it was pretty exciting to know she’d be up in the mountains very soon. So different to actually be living there than taking a week-long vacation like the ski trips the family took most years. Not anymore.

Would she get to ski while she was in Denver—the ski capital of America? Maybe Dad could send her stuff.

What was the deal with the girl up there? She seemed kind of plain. Cute maybe—in an isn’t-my-guinea-pig-cute? sort of way—chubby definitely. Her curly hair, parted in the middle, hung in frizzy ringlets past her shoulders. From the looks of the outgrowth, the highlights had to be six months old. So did she not care enough to get the highlights updated, or was she broke? But really, how much could a box of Clairol cost? And the glasses. Ugh. They sat crooked across the bridge of her freckled nose. Ah, maybe not. Looked like part freckles, part zits.

What could she have done to land her in Diamond Estates? She sure didn’t look like the kind of girl who got messed up with boys. Or rather, the kind of girl boys noticed. Maybe her issue was a drug thing.

It would sure be interesting to find out the stories of all the girls. Nellie was in for a real treat.

Carmen gripped the headrest in front of her to keep from toppling over as the van hung a sharp right.

Ben pulled up to a gas pump, turned the ignition, and pulled out the keys. “I’m going to get some gas. Why don’t you move up here and chat with me, Carmen?” He gestured to the passenger seat beside him. “We can let Leila sleep.” He climbed down from the van and approached the pump.

Oh great. Small talk with Ben Bradley. Just what she’d had in mind. There was probably no appropriate way to get out of it. Carmen sighed and stepped past the middle bench. She hesitated before moving past the one where Leila slept. If she tripped and fell into the seat back, Leila would wake up and have to share in the misery. But what if she was annoying, too? Carmen eased past and climbed between the captain’s chairs into the passenger’s seat.

Ben grinned and opened the door. “Good. I’ve got company for the ride up the mountain.”

Oh goody.

Better take charge before he started asking a bunch of questions. Carmen was sure that would come later. “So how did you get involved with Diamond Estates?” That should keep him talking.

“When I was a teenager, I could have used a place like this. So could my wife, Alicia.” Ben smiled. “We were high school sweethearts. So in love.”

Just like Carmen and Nate.

“But we made some bad choices our senior year, and Alicia got pregnant. We got married, had our son, Justin, and set off to find the truth.”

That simple, huh? “Wow. So why a place like this, and why did you choose to work with girls?”

“Diamond Estates was an idea the Lord birthed in our hearts when Alicia and I looked back over our struggle. We realized that staying in the midst of our situations while we were trying to change had made it much more difficult than it needed to be.” He glanced at Carmen. “The Lord showed me how sometimes teens need to be plucked out of their environment so they can focus on getting healthy.”

Actually made a little sense. “I can see what you mean. But why girls?”

“Ask God.” Ben shrugged. “It’s what Alicia and I both felt called to do.”

Carmen searched her brain for something else to ask Ben so he wouldn’t turn the questions to her. “You said you had a son, Justin. Any others?”

“Nope.” Ben’s eyes darkened for an instant. “Justin’s an only child.”

Hmm. There was a story there.

The van turned into a clearing and passed under some low branches that scraped the top.

Leila sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Guess some of the snoozing had been real. Probably not all though.

Ben glanced at Carmen and then back at Leila and said, “Welcome home, girls.”

Carmen stared out the window at a grand stone mansion. She could almost reach back in time and hear the monks chanting. Beyond the main house stood a barn with a wide pasture behind it that curved around the mountain. Horses nuzzled at the dusting of snow to uncover the still-green grass.

Curlicue reached her fingers beneath her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Was I asleep the whole ride?”

Ben laughed. “I guess that’s what thirteen hours of travel will do to you.” He looked at Carmen. “Leila and Carmen. You two will have lots of time to get acquainted as we go through the orientation procedures today.”

“Great!” Leila turned and flashed a silver smile at Carmen.

Leila looked like a needy puppy dog with those thick glasses and braces—the kind of girl who wanted you to be her
best friend forever and ever
. Carmen didn’t do the whole BFF thing—Leila would find out soon enough. Where was she from anyway? Thirteen hours of travel. Did he mean straight flying or with layovers? It was like a big mystery. Time to put on her CSI hat.

“This is a perfect time for me to give you a tour since the house is empty with everyone out skiing for the day.”

Carmen’s ears perked up. “Oh? They get to ski?”

“You bet. We have an agreement with Beaver Creek. We go up there once a month to clean the grounds, and they let us ski for free.”

Carmen nodded. Beaver Creek? Didn’t Dad have clients there? Maybe she could ask for some free passes and skip the cleaning.

They entered through the tallest door Carmen had ever seen. She waited for it to swing shut behind her and lock itself like in horror movies.

Ben pulled the door closed and left it unlocked.