Chapter Three
Blayze hung her clothes up in the closet then sat down on the comfy, king-size bed.
Her mom wasn’t happy that she’d chosen to stay at a nearby hotel on this trip home, but with her aunt and uncle coming into town for her father’s retirement ceremony, it made more sense that they stay with her parents.
Aunt Jane had had knee surgery a few months ago and she was still shuffling around, despite being fully cleared from her doctor, and Uncle Huey liked nothing more than sharing a good cup of coffee with her dad first thing in the morning.
Sure, Blayze would’ve enjoyed sleeping in her old room, filled with so many childhood memories, but then again, the reminders of long ago weren’t always some of the greatest. She’d disposed of a lot of stuff when she first moved out, but her mom refused to part with anything she deemed sentimental.
“You’ll wish you’d hung onto it,” she recalled her mom saying numerous times.
Louise Jenson was probably right, she might feel that way one day.
For now, her old classroom pictures and tarnished Science Club medals were better off tucked away in the plastic storage totes in the bottom of the closet.
Alongside her second-hand turnout gear that should’ve been tossed out years ago.
After three hours of being on the road, she was glad to be settled into her room.
Thanks to a late-night call for a brush fire on the side of the interstate, it was well into the morning before she’d been able to close her eyes.
Her crew had responded quickly, containing the fire in no time, but she wished people were more considerate when it came to tossing cigarette butts out of their car windows.
Which seemed to be the case ninety-nine percent of the time.
She set the alarm on the nightstand and peeled the covers back. Thank goodness the hotel had allowed an early check-in, at no additional cost either. If she could sneak in a nap, she was hopeful she wouldn’t feel so exhausted before meeting her parents for dinner.
The sheets felt cool and crisp against her skin while she maneuvered in the bed trying to get comfortable.
No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t fall asleep.
From the sliver of light peeking through the curtain, reflecting onto the ceiling, to the hum of the air conditioner struggling to maintain a decent temperature inside the room, she fitfully tossed and turned to the point she became miserable.
All she needed was an hour nap. One hour. That was it.
Unfortunately, her body didn’t feel the same way.
After thirty minutes of battling insomnia, she crawled out of bed and grabbed her swimsuit from the top drawer of the dresser. Thank goodness she’d tossed it into her bag at the last minute.
Down at the pool, she enjoyed being the only one there. She swam a couple of laps then found a lounger to relax in on the south end of the pool.
The mid-day sun felt warm and relaxing. She closed her eyes and before long, she drifted off to sleep.
She jumped at the sound of a car horn and quickly sat up in her chair. Though the sun was still shining brightly for a late September afternoon, it didn’t take long to realize she’d slept way longer than she’d planned.
Sure enough, one glance at her phone and she knew she was screwed. With less than thirty minutes to shower and get ready, she knew her parents wouldn’t be happy with her late arrival at dinner tonight.
She grabbed her key card from the inside of her shoe and hurried back to her room.
After a quick shower, she decided to spend more time on her hair rather than her make-up.
Not that she wore much anyways, but the sun had left a rosy glow to her cheeks.
With some tinted lip-gloss and a touch of mascara, she surprised herself with how good she looked.
She ran her straightener through her hair, then pinned a few locks back with a beaded barrette on one side. The royal blue cotton maxi dress she’d chosen to wear tonight looked radiant against her skin tone and for once she felt pretty.
With time of the essence, she grabbed he purse and keys and darted out the door.
When she arrived at Jake’s on the Hill, her dad’s favorite restaurant, she caught the glances of many patrons while waiting at the hostess’s stand.
Hopefully it was due to the way she looked and not because she was running late.
As she made her way to the table in the back, she forced herself to look straight ahead rather than at the floor.
Nope. Not tonight. No one is going to make me feel less than stellar.
Louise immediately jumped from her seat and tightly wrapped her arms around her daughter. “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart.”
Her daddy’s eyes beamed with pride as soon as they locked gazes.
She loved him so much and she immediately looked away while she struggled to contain her emotions.
He’d done so much for the community throughout the years, sacrificing his own family so that others didn’t have to go without. He was quite literally…her hero.
Wayne Jenson reached for his daughter’s hands, cherishing the moment. Aunt Jane and Uncle Huey were already seated on the other side of the table and acknowledged her arrival.
“Sorry, I’m a few minutes late,” she apologized and slid into the seat next to her father. “I went down to the pool and lost track of time.”
Mom and dad immediately jumped in asking all sorts of questions, totally forgetting that the night was all about her father and not her.
It was obvious that she was missed, but her father’s once-in-a-lifetime moment deserved to be the focus of their attention.
Seeing as to how much they missed her, she realized she needed to come home and visit them more often. Phone calls simply weren’t enough.
They both knew she was bitter when she moved away from Keebler Hills and that she’d lost a lot of respect for many of the people she’d once considered friends and acquaintances.
Sure, that was years ago, and the past was all behind her, but there was still a lot of deep resentment, whether she talked about it or not.
The evening was nice as several people stopped by the table to congratulate Wayne. Not to mention, the food was absolutely delicious. She understood completely why her dad had wanted to come to Jake’s.
Before leaving, she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. She was just finishing up drying her hands when one of her former classmates walked in.
“Blayze? Blayze Jenson? Is that really you?” she asked. “Oh, my God. You look gorgeous.”
“Hi, Krissy,” she greeted her with a smile. “It’s so nice to see you again. You look great as well.”
Not wanting to keep her parents waiting, she tried to walk out of the door but not before Krissy placed her hand on her arm. “Girl, we need to get together. Have you moved back home?”
“My father is retiring from the fire department. They’re having a ceremony for him tomorrow.” She tried to be nice to Krissy even though they’d never been more than just high school acquaintances. “I live in Gorman Valley now, so I’ll be going home afterwards.”
“Wow, that’s such an honor. I’m sure you’re super proud of him.” Krissy’s enthusiasm truly sounded genuine.
“It’s all he’s ever known,” Blayze added. “He and my mom are excited about the future. I think they’ve got some travel plans up their sleeves.”
“Are you about to head out?” Krissy asked. “I’d love to have a drink up at the bar if you’ve got time.”
“I…,” she quickly tried to come up with an excuse, but she couldn’t get over how sincere Krissy sounded. Like she honestly wanted to spend time together. “I guess I could stay for a bit. Just let me tell my parents and I’ll meet you there.”
“Perfect. Let me grab a chair for you.” Krissy beamed and disappeared around the corner.
When she came back inside the restaurant, sure enough Krissy had a seat saved right next to her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered us a couple drinks. You do like margaritas, don’t you?”
“Sure.” Blayze didn’t want to admit that I wasn’t much of a drinker.
With her job and crazy schedule, not knowing when she might get dispatched for an emergency call on her days off, she seldom drank anything with alcohol.
An occasional beer when she hung out with the guys on game day or a glass of wine when she’d had a grueling shift, but that was mostly it.
One drink, though, shouldn’t do any harm.
When the bartender placed their drinks on napkins in front of them, she had to admit they looked pretty tasty. He’d even gone so far as to add colored salt to the rim. She took a sip and was surprised how good it tasted.
“This is delicious,” she told Krissy, savoring the lime and tequila concoction. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a margarita.” Couple years, maybe?
“Shawn is a really good bartender,” Krissy admitted. “Sometimes he’s a little generous on the alcohol, but you’re right, these do taste really good tonight.”
Blayze had never been on a first name basis with any bartender which made her wonder how often Krissy stopped by. Not that is was any of her business, but she was still curious.
They took turns sharing what they’d both been up to the last couple of years. Recently divorced, Krissy worked full-time for a local CPA and did a little bit of real estate sales on the side. She’d never had any kids of her own, but she admitted she loved doing things with her nieces and nephews.
Blayze was very attentive and when it was her turn to share her own accomplishments with the fire department, she couldn’t believe how interested Krissy was.
“You have done amazing for yourself,” her former classmate confessed, bringing her hand to Blayze’s arm. “I’m so happy for you. You should be proud of yourself.”
Blayze really enjoyed talking with her and felt bad that they’d never gotten to know one another on a personal level when she still lived in Keebler Hills. Perhaps she’d misjudged a few people, including Krissy.
She glanced at her watch and was shocked that they’d been talking for over an hour.
She was just about to suggest calling it a night since she’d had hardly any sleep, but Krissy insisted they have another drink.
She was sure her eyes grew big at the mention of one more margarita, but how could she tell her no.
While Shawn prepared their next round, she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room again.
Not that she really needed to go, but she wanted to touch up her hair and reapply her lip gloss.
One drink had calmed her nerves tremendously and had given her all the confidence to have a great time with Krissy.
As she walked out of the bathroom, she noticed someone standing next to Krissy immersed in a conversation.
From what she could tell, he was somewhat attractive, dressed in fitted jeans and a polo.
If she had to guess, he was probably about their same age.
When she was within a few steps of them, he turned to look at her, stopping Blayze dead in her tracks.
Her relaxed, cheerful mood immediately turned sour.
Krissy turned in her chair, her toothy grin spread across her face. “Blayze, look who I found. You remember Colton, don’t you?”
Blayze failed miserably at hiding the smirk on her face Her body suddenly felt flush and for a moment she legitimately thought she was going to pass out. Of all the people to run into…
Surprisingly, Colton’s eyes lit up as though he was excited to see her. There had to be some mistake—huge mistake for that matter—because there’d never been a kind word or gesture exchanged between the two of them.
“Wow!” Colton exclaimed. “Blayze, you…you look stunning.”
Blayze stood there looking dumbfounded. Wait. What? Had Colton just admitted she looked good?
“Blayze?” Krissy reached for her hand. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Um,” she stuttered, trying to regain her composure. “Sure, I’m just fine.”
She picked up her freshly made drink from the counter and gulped a few swallows.
She knew it was rude not to acknowledge Colton’s compliment, but if she were being honest, she didn’t know what to say.
So she smiled and took another swig. Seemed the only confidence she was going to find was at the bottom of her margarita glass.