2. Hazel
TWO
Hazel
The frigid, wet fabric of my shirt is sticky as I wait in line behind another customer. I can feel Easton’s eyes on my back, and I tap my foot on the tile floor.
Easton. It’s fucking Easton Hawke.
I knew there was a chance of running into him by coming back to Red Lodge. I knew he still lived here before I moved.
But I really didn’t think I’d run into him after only a week, and everything about this is so different from what I expected.
He’s caring for his niece now. His sister died. He’s running his own company. Easton has certainly been up to a lot.
It’s not that, Hazel. You know it’s not that.
Sighing to myself, I try to force the thoughts away, a chill working through me when the air overhead blows across my wet shirt.
It’s not working.
Easton just opened up about a lot. I could tell it all just erupted out of him, and even after everything that happened, my first instinct was to help.
But I can’t do that. I have my own life, and there’s no guarantee that Easton won’t up and leave again.
We weren’t even together that long. I have no reason to be this upset, and yet…
The woman in front of me steps off to the side, and I scoot up to the counter.
“Hi, how can I help you?”
I manage a smile as the employee behind the counter glances down at my shirt. “A chocolate ice cream cone and a medium vanilla latte. Hot. Please.”
It’s eighty-seven degrees outside, and I’m still ordering a hot latte, so the guy eyes me. Holding the smile in place, I wait for him to offer the total and then tap to pay with my phone.
Yeah, yeah. I know. It’s too hot for a hot drink.
But I work inside all day, and I prefer hot over cold.
After paying, I step to the side and wait for my order. My order that I’m buying for Jade, Easton’s niece.
I vaguely remember him mentioning her during our relationship.
We’d dated through my junior year of college and into the summer, but then he needed to go back to the military.
Easton said he’d come back as soon as he was able. That was seven years ago.
“Iced mocha frap with an extra shot.”
The woman next to me perks up and goes to retrieve her order from the barista at the side counter. I’m still waiting for mine, and I’ve noticed that Easton and Jade cleaned up the rest of the mess on the floor and stepped outside.
They haven’t left, though, and I give a little wave when he looks through the window.
Your heart is pounding like a damn freight train. Chill out, Hazel.
But he’s here. It’s Easton, and if possible, he’s even more gorgeous than he was in college. The years have been good to him, and that’s saying something, considering he’s several years older than me.
He was already in the military, having been on an extended leave since he’d injured his knee, so he was never small. But those muscles have only grown.
Hazel, stop. You can’t think like that.
It’s impossible to keep my head on straight, though. Easton is gorgeous, with his sparkling blue eyes and deep auburn hair. He’s still got those freckles that cover every inch of skin with a subtle smattering of color.
The tattoo collection seems to have increased, with both of his arms almost entirely covered in them now. Plus, he’s sporting a five o’clock shadow, something he was never allowed to do in the military.
What right does he have to pop into my life looking like that while I’ve been sitting on my ass in front of a computer day in and day out?
It’s extremely unfair.
I realize, as I’m standing there, that I hate him a little. But that’s nothing new, really. I’ve been so angry with him for so long, it’s a wonder he hasn’t felt it from a distance.
Hell, maybe he has.
I mean, the asshole just left, and sure, he needed to go back, but he was supposed to write and call. He was supposed to find me as soon as his tour was up, and he…didn’t.
Easton didn’t come back to Red Lodge right away after, and the longer I waited, the more I realized I couldn’t be here when he did come home.
So, LA it was.
That’s not Jade’s fault. She looks like a sweet kid.
“If a little clumsy,” I mutter to myself, and then my order is called out from the counter.
“Thank you!” I take the ice cream and coffee, carefully walking outside and using my back to push open the door now that my hands are full.
Easton and Jade perk up from a table outside where they’re sitting, and then Easton is running over to take the cone from me.
As we walk over to the table, he hands it to Jade, and I give her a smile when she lights up.
“What do we say, Jade?”
“Thank you!” she squeals, grinning from ear to ear before licking up a huge mouthful of the chocolate ice cream.
I giggle, seeing the stuff smear all over her face. “You’re welcome. I know you didn’t mean to crash into me. And hey, I clearly wasn’t looking either.”
Jade smiles, and when I look back at Easton, he seems pulled in several directions. I can tell he’s feeling guilty about my shirt—and probably a lot of other things—but he’s also relieved, his shoulders visibly relaxing.
I kneel down in front of Jade, taking a sip of my coffee before I ask, “So, are you being good for your uncle?”
She gets sheepish. “Umm, mostly. I think so anyway.”
Laughing, I nod at her. “I know it’s a lot to be living with a new person. I grew up in foster care, so I used to get bounced around a lot.”
Jade sits straighter, her eyes flashing brightly with the feeling of being seen. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I let out a sigh, rolling my lips between my teeth in a tight smile. “It’s…a lot, right? You’re not in a familiar room, and everything smells different. All the little routines you were used to are gone.”
“It smells so weird in my room!” Jade rolls her eyes, smiling again. “And…and it’s weird going to bed.”
“It’s weird?” Easton asks, sitting down at the table with his concerned stare pinned to Jade. “Why is it weird?”
“You, umm…” She doesn’t continue, and I know it’s hard to open up to someone you’re not close to.
“It’s okay, Jade. I’m sure whatever you need, Uncle Easton will make it happen.”
I eye him, raising my brows so he knows this is the part when he agrees—emphatically.
“Oh! Yes, of course. Whatever you need to feel comfortable, Jade. I just want to help.”
“Well, Mom used to read to me. And there was this song thing that she’d play on the tablet, so it wasn’t so quiet.”
“Oh, umm, sure. I can…I can make that happen.”
Easton looks stressed by the prospect, but Jade is obviously happier. She slurps up her ice cream, which is all over her chin and mouth at this point.
“Awesome.” I put a hand on Jade’s shoulder as I stand up. “You know there’s a playground right across the street. Feel like getting your play on?”
She looks to Easton, her face all scrunched up with worry. “Is that okay?”
“I…”
He probably had stuff to do, but to hell with that. He needs to pay attention to his niece, and yes, I’m very much enjoying the prospect of messing with his day. A bit vengeful of me, true.
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
We walk over to the park, and Jade starts playing as I sit on the bench with Easton. He’s watching her with this nervous expression on his face as if he’s ready to jump up any second and run to her because she tripped.
Oh, buddy. I…dammit.
“So, how’s it been with Jade? You said it’s hard, but is everything okay? You know, manageable?”
I know he’s said a bit about how he feels, but I’m giving Easton the chance to really open up. It’s also an excellent way to keep him from asking about me or how I’ve been.
I’m not ready to open that can of worms.
“I mean, I guess so. It was better when I had a babysitter to come and watch Jade while I worked. I can’t always be there, especially when there’s a client who needs me. It’s a physical job. I can work from home sometimes, but at others, I need to be on the front lines.”
“What happened to your babysitter?” I sip my coffee, putting my arm across the back of the bench as I turn toward him.
“She quit after only a week. And before you say anything, no, it wasn’t my fault. She decided to go backpacking in Europe with her friends for two months. Brittany said she’d pick up the job again when she got back, but that’s still two months without help.”
My chest pinches. I can see how stressed out Easton is. He keeps running his hand through his hair, the short locks at the top of his head standing up more and more after each pass.
It’s a classic move of his, at least from what I remember.
He did it when he first asked me out…and again when he told me about going back to the military.
“I’m just swamped, and I can’t say no to someone who needs my help.
A lot of the people in town and those nearby need protection from violent exes.
If I’m not there to help them, they could get hurt.
I have staff that handles things in other states and shit.
We’re a small company, though. I’m still required for jobs and behind-the-scenes shit. It’s…it’s fucking exhausting .”
“I’m sorry, Easton. That sounds like a lot to deal with.”
He nods, sighing as he leans back against the bench and puts his hands behind his head. His muscles bulge in his t-shirt, and when Jade calls out to him, he looks up with a smile.
I can see how hard he’s trying, and the grin that spreads across Easton’s face as he watches Jade do the monkey bars is stunning.
Despite everything, he does care for that girl. You can see it whenever you look at him.
He needs help. The guy is clearly overworked.
As I stare at him and Jade, watching how he watches her, my chest squeezes again. I don’t want to look at him the way I am, like he’s this charming single “dad” who’s still so damn hot it should be illegal.
After all, he broke my heart.
Easton didn’t come back to me after his tour. He didn’t write when it was ending, and we haven’t spoken in years. How do I know this isn’t just some ploy, a con to get me to help him because he knows I’m an easy mark?
What if that’s all I ever was?
But when he glances over at me, and I meet his eyes, eyes that are so familiar and alluring, I know I can’t leave him like that.
There’s still something here between us, and as much as that scares me, it also compels me to act.
“You know, if you ever need a babysitter, I’d be happy to help. I work for myself, after all, and I can hang with Jade and work on my novel when I can.”
“Are you serious?” Easton’s brows shoot to his hairline as he gapes at me.
“Just being nice.” I smile, glancing over at Jade as she hurries over from the playground. “Would that be okay with you? If I help to watch you sometimes?”
The little girl’s face, with ice cream still smeared around her mouth, lights up, grinning from ear to ear.
“Yes! Totally!”
Easton exhales, this profound look of relief on his face, and nods. When he looks at me again, there’s a layer of desperation behind his eyes that pulls at my heartstrings all the more.
With an apologetic smile, Easton tilts his head at me. “Can you start on Monday?”