Chapter 3
Zayne
“Hand me that nail gun over there,” I requested over my shoulder.
Tatum placed the nail gun to my left as I continued to hold a two-by-four in place.
“Thanks, man,” I said before aligning the gun and pressing the handle.
We were building a gazebo for the Eschete’s down the bayou from the Lapeyrouse home.
I knew the place well. As children, ol’ Mrs. Eschete would invite Hailey and me over for some cool lemonade on those scorching hot days.
It wasn’t weird at all because everyone knew everyone in this town.
I won’t lie, because everyone was well-known, the jobs were mighty easy to get.
Word traveled fast, making me a busy man.
In high school, I joined a shop class and became familiar with woodworking.
I wasn’t great at it, but I practiced because I enjoyed it.
Most of the time, I played cards or video games.
It wasn’t until my senior year that my dad mentioned I needed to get my ducks in a row.
So, I became serious about it. He said I had to figure out what my path in life was going to be and take that step.
I had no clue what I wanted to be, and it scared me.
Every person I knew had plans to attend college or pursue a career in their chosen trade. I was clueless.
Even my best friend at the time, Hailey, knew she wanted to be an actress, though I never saw her act.
It didn’t mean she wasn’t good; it meant she hid that part of herself from the world, including me.
To me, that wasn’t a good thing considering you needed to be opened to act. That was my perspective on the matter.
I chose to work harder at the only trade I knew, woodworking.
Thankfully, I excelled at it and now own my own carpentry company called Down South Carpentry.
We have quite a few workers, and we were often requested in Louisiana’s southern region.
Who knew, maybe we’d spread the company to include another state if we had enough workers.
That was bigger business than I’m prepared for at the moment, but one could only wish.
I finished the final board on top of the Gazebo before Tatum asked, “Ya hear ‘bout that Lapeyrouse girl gettin’ married?”
My stomach tightened and cramped as my hands balled into a fist. For an instant, I felt ill because I didn’t want to hear anything about anyone getting married, especially Hailey.
It was saying a lot with a small-town group, because gossip was a huge deal.
I guess I wasn’t as attuned to the community as I thought I was.
“Nah. Nobody said nothin’ ‘bout no weddin’,” I replied, wiping the sweat from my brow,” What’d ya hear ‘cause the last I heard, Hailey still ain’t down.”
I waited with bated breath for Tatum’s reply.
No one mentioned a word about Hailey Lapeyrouse, which was crazy because everyone in town knew we were the best of friends, well, at least until prom night.
A night I tried numerous times to explain to Hailey was miscommunication and a total mistake, but she refused to speak to me.
Once we graduated, she disappeared, creating a void in my life that nothing could fill.
A few women tried to get my mind off Hailey, but I knew my heart was given a long time ago, no matter how sweet and southern they were.
When I closed my eyes, it was as if I could see her standing before me, clear as day.
She had a natural beauty with short, brown hair and hazel eyes.
She was a petite thing and someone who never thought highly of herself, though I worshiped the ground she walked on.
Hailey never realized how much I loved her, and my own stupidity caused her to flee.
I remembered that night like it was yesterday.
I was dressing into my white tux as a thought from out of nowhere entered my head.
I recalled yearning for Hailey and wishing she’d give me the time of day other than being her best friend.
So, I finished dressing, placing the final sock on my foot before sitting at the desk in my bedroom.
Then, gathering paper and a pen before spreading the ink on the page, I started putting my feelings into words.
It wasn’t like I could bear my heart to her face.
The thought of seeing any sign of horror set my blood to run cold.
This way, when she read the note, there wouldn’t be any witness to her look of disgust. She could choose to continue our friendship and ignore what was written or make the next move.
Either way, I’d be fine. At least, that’s what I chanted to myself as I spilled every emotion in black ink.
Once I completed the note, I sealed it inside of a white envelope. Little did I know that I’d lose the letter at the time. Not only did I lose it, but it ended up in the wrong hands, humiliating Hailey.
I shook myself from the memory of the past in time to hear Tatum’s reply. He chuckled as he gathered the tools and headed for the blue beat-up pickup truck.
“She done showed up last night,” Tatum revealed, “Her ma and pa mentioned that yesterday.”
Fuck. Was she getting married? How in the hell did I not know about that bit of information? I thought the Lapeyrouse’s were considered family. Was I wrong all these years?
“So, ya tellin’ me, Hailey’s gettin’ married?” I questioned.
My entire body felt tightly coiled, waiting for my co-worker and friend’s reply because if he agreed, I would probably leave the site and not return until it was possible to get out of bed again.
“Nah, man. Didn’t ya get an invite?” Tatum shook his head. “Her sis, Rose is gettin’ married. I would’ve thought you, of all people, were invited. Hailey’s just comin’ down for the weddin’. I ain’t seen her in years. I wonder what she’s been up to?”
I exhaled a sigh of relief at knowing the marriage wasn’t including Hailey. Though I wondered where my invitation was for Rose’s wedding considering we were really good friends.
I didn’t have the words to answer Tatum about Hailey, but I did say, “I don’t know where my invite is. More than likely still in the mail. I’m horrible at checking the damn thing.”
“Yeah. I expect so,” Tatum said as he continued placing wood in the correct spots.
I couldn’t believe my ears as Tatum rambled on about Hailey returning. She hadn’t been in these parts for years. I couldn’t help but think that it was about time she returned home… to me.