Chapter Six
Ty found a spot to park on Main Street just down from The Mint. He’d rather be going in there to hang out for the evening but …
“Oh my gosh, Ty! Look how busy it is! Do you think all these cars belong to people who are going to the gallery? I bet it’s going to be really busy in there, come on, we should hurry!” Nessa jumped out of the truck, and Ty shook his head with a smile as he followed her.
“Slow down, would ya? It doesn’t even start for another ten minutes.”
“Maybe, but there’s no one lining up outside, so I bet they opened the doors early.” She tugged at his sleeve. “Come on !”
He allowed her to tow him toward Cassidy Remington’s Moonstone Art Gallery. “I hate to break it to you, Ness, but I don’t think there’s going to be much of a crowd here.”
Cassidy was a big-name artist, and he knew that some of the tourists who came through town visited the gallery, but Nessa seemed to think that the whole town would be here tonight. He didn’t see that happening.
“You just don’t get it, Ty. This exhibition is a big deal. It’s not just Cassidy’s art that’s on show, it’s Gina’s photography, and Jessanie Archer’s, too. Don’t you think that’s a beautiful name? Jessanie? I do. I love it. I ...”
Ty stopped walking and shoved his hands in his pockets while he waited for her to notice. He had to smile as she carried on for another few steps, still chattering away.
“Do you even know who Jessanie Archer is? She’s a big deal nature photographer, she’s a regular in National Geographic – I can’t believe that I get to be in the same room as her and …”
He had to laugh when she stopped and turned back to look for him.
“Ty! What are you doing? Let’s go!”
“I think you need to chill a bit, Ness. You won’t just be in the same room as her, I bet you’ll be able to have a chat with her. I seriously doubt there’s going to be many people here. Yeah, Cassidy, and Gina, and this Jessanie might all be big names to people who know about art and photography, and stuff, but you seem to think you’re in the big city and …”
“Why don’t we go inside and see? Just because you’re clueless, it doesn’t mean that everyone else in this town is. Please, Ty!”
He gave in and caught up with her again. “All right, but when we get in there, you’re on your own. Don’t try dragging me into conversations with you. I’ll be lurking, keeping an eye out for you, but that’s all I’m here for.”
“I know, and I appreciate it. You’re the best!”
They’d reached the door to the gallery, and he held it open for her. He wasn’t surprised to see that there were only a few people there. Most of them were standing around in little groups, looking at the paintings and photographs.
There were some amazing shots of the critters in the park – bison, grizzlies, elk, and wolves stared at him from the walls. But none of it did much for Ty. He’d rather be out in the backcountry and see them in the flesh. He’d rather feel the sun on his back and listen to the river while he watched the local wildlife than be cooped up inside with spotlights and the low hum of conversation.
He spotted Gina, who was standing with Cassidy and another woman. He touched Nessa’s arm. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to them, but then you’re on your own.”
Her eyes were huge. “That’s her, Ty!” She nodded toward the woman standing with Gina and Cassidy.
“Perfect, here’s your chance to talk to her then.”
After he left her talking to the girls and Jessanie, who insisted that they just call her Jess – much to Nessa’s disappointment – Ty wandered around looking at the pictures. He stopped in front of a photograph that looked as though it’d been taken from his own back porch.
He turned when a big hand came down on his shoulder, and grinned when he saw Shane Remington, Cassidy’s husband.
“What are you doing here?” Shane asked. “I mean, it’s great to see you, but I wouldn’t have thought this was your idea of a fun evening.” He chuckled. “If you were headed for The Mint, you missed by about a block and a half. But let me check with the Mrs., I reckon she might give me a pass and we can go get a beer.”
“I wish,” said Ty. “But don’t go getting either of us in trouble with Cassidy. I couldn’t go even if she was okay with it.”
“Why not?”
He jerked his chin toward Nessa, who was chatting animatedly with Cassidy, Gina, and Jess. “I brought Nessa.”
Shane gave him a puzzled look. “You brought her, as in … a date?”
He laughed out loud. “No! Jesus …” He shuddered. “I can’t even think about that. She’s more like an annoying little sister. And I guess that’s kind of why I’m here with her. Playing big brother, keeping an eye on her to make sure she’s okay. I imagine you heard what happened with her and her mom.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, of course. You still think there’s some kind of threat, then? I thought all that was behind them?”
“It is, but we like to keep an eye on her whenever she’s here. She’s a great kid, but she’s a bit clueless.”
Shane grinned. “And you’re looking out for her. I like it.” He looked around the gallery. “But this isn’t your idea of a fun night. You’re more like I used to be – hunting tourists for sport.”
“Not so much anymore.”
“No? Are you seeing someone? Nah, you can’t be. I would have heard about it if you were. You can’t get away with shit in the valley without everyone hearing about it.”
Ty pursed his lips.
“What? You are seeing someone, and you’ve managed to keep it quiet? Who? You know I’m not going to tell anyone.”
He shrugged. “I’m not exactly seeing her, not yet anyway. I’ve been talking to this girl online and …”
Shane raised his eyebrows.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just … I wouldn’t have had you down as the online dating kind. You can find yourself a woman easily enough at Chico, any time you like.”
“Yeah, but …”
“Ah, you’re looking to settle down? There’s no one local who does it for you and the tourists aren’t looking for anything more than a night with a cowboy?”
Ty blew out a sigh. “You know the deal, you’ve been there.”
“Yep.” Shane shook his head. “I just can’t see you setting up a profile on one of those dating sites and …”
“I didn’t! It was all Nessa’s idea; I thought it was dumb but then … Actually, you know April, don’t you?”
“April Preston?”
“Yep. She sent me a message from Shayna’s account and … well, there’s a bit of a story there, but the short version is that I’ve been talking with Shay for a few …” He caught himself, he’d been about to say for a few weeks, it felt that way, but they’d only been talking for a few days.
Shane didn’t notice that he’d stopped short. Cassidy was waving him over, and he gave Ty a rueful smile. “Sorry, bud, I have to go see what she needs.”
“Not a problem.”
When Shane had gone, Ty went and got himself an orange juice from the bar and took it to the back corner of the gallery. He leaned against the wall and took his phone out. Shayna had said that she might text him, but she hadn’t yet. He wanted to text her but felt like he should wait. Since she hadn’t sent anything, it probably meant that she was busy and didn’t have the time.
Maybe he should send her an email while he waited – that felt less … pushy. If they were still sticking with email, it was his turn. He pulled up his email. He wasn’t great at typing on his phone, but he had nothing else to do so …
From: Tyler MacFarland:Ty@ MacFarlandRanch.com
To: Shayna Rose:ShayMRose1@ gmail.com
Hey Shay
Don’t want to interrupt you since you’re probably doing schoolwork right now. Just thinking about you and I wanted to say hi.
He stared at the words. Was that too much? He didn’t know. It was true, though, and he hadn’t been lying when he told her that honesty to the point of bluntness could be counted as one of his flaws – even if he didn’t see it as one.
He stared at his phone when it buzzed in his hand – with an incoming text. He recognized the number immediately.
760-555-0104: Hi Ty. It’s Shayna. Don’t want to interrupt your evening. Not expecting an answer, but I said I’d send you a quick text, and this is the first chance I’ve had. And I was thinking about you. Want to delete that bit, but I’m not going to! Hope you’re having fun with your friend. Tbh I’m being a coward – breaking the ice on texting when I know you won’t be able to answer, so I won’t have to wait and wonder if you’re going to reply!
Ty grinned as he read it. Then he saved her number before tapping out a reply.
Ty: Are you crazy, girl? What makes you think I wouldn’t reply? If you want to know the truth I was thinking about you as well. So much so that I’d just started typing an email. When you know me better, you’ll understand that me typing an email on my phone means I was thinking about you A LOT. I want you to know that I’m answering your text straightaway, but with my fat fingers, it takes a while. I want to send you more, but aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework?
He hit send and then frowned when he reread what he’d written. He needed to send another.
Ty: Shit! Fat fingers means that I’m not good at typing – not that I’m chubby. Not saying there’s anything wrong with chubby, but I’m not. And saying you should be doing your homework makes me sound like an old perv! Promise you I’m not.
He hit send again, wondering if the second text hadn’t made things worse instead of better. He watched the screen impatiently and blew out a sigh of relief when her reply came in.
Shay: Hahaha!! OMG, you’re funny. I know what fat fingers means, and it never occurred to me that you might be chubby. I don’t have as much schoolwork as I thought. I need to get on it, but I wanted to message you first. And should you be texting? Don’t make your friend mad at you – have to tell you, I hate it when people ignore me while they tap away at their phones. I don’t want to be the reason you do that to Nessa. I can wait till you finish that email you started – and you can wait till you get home and type on your computer.
Ty: Okay. I’ll let you get on with your work. But I’ll keep working on the email. Nessa’s doing her thing – talking to people and looking at pictures. I brought her to a gallery that some of our friends own. She wanted to see their new exhibition. Lol, and don’t let that give you the idea that I’m the artsy-fartsy type – I’m so not. But Nessa wanted to see it, so I’ll be here, standing in the corner, keeping an eye on her while I slowly type out an email to this girl in California – this girl who I can’t wait to talk to.
He hit send and waited for a minute, then added…
Ty: This girl who I could call when I get home if she wants – since she doesn’t have as much schoolwork as she expected.
Shay: Yes!!! What I mean is, I think that girl in California would love for you to call her. Whatever time you get home. She’ll be done with her schoolwork by then.
Ty: I reckon it’ll be about eleven my time, so ten yours – that work?
Shay: It does, but don’t worry – just whenever. It’ll work.
Ty: Talk to you later then.
Shay: Eek! Can’t wait.
He chuckled to himself as he reread the whole exchange.
Ty: Me neither!
~ ~ ~
Shayna checked the clock for what had to the be the tenth time in the last twenty minutes. She’d managed to make a start on her assignment, but she hadn’t been able to concentrate. It was a good thing that it wasn’t going to be as much work as the last assignment had been. She’d be able to get it done before the deadline even if she didn’t work on it anymore tonight. With that thought, she saved her files and closed her laptop. She’d come back to it.
She didn’t get up from her desk, instead she stared out at the lake. She loved that her apartment had this little built-in desk with a view. It might be in the walk-in closet in her bedroom, but it was perfect. At her old house she hadn’t even had a desk – and the only view she’d had was of the neighbor’s fence.
The moon was high in the sky, it must have been up for a while before it went dark. She loved the way the moonbeams sparkled on the lake. After a few moments, she pushed to her feet. There was no point in getting lost in her thoughts – remembering the times her dad used to take her and her mom down to the beach at night to see the moon, or just to enjoy the stars. It was a nice memory, but for the first time in a long time, she felt as though she had something that she could enjoy right here and now – today. She usually lived in the past, remembering her parents and the good times they’d had together, or in the future, imagining what life would be like when she was done with school and finally able to embark on the career she wanted. Her present was usually filled with work – working toward her dream, not enjoying the day for what it was in its own right.
Tonight, in just a little while, she was going to talk to Tyler. She went to the bathroom and then got herself a drink. She fetched her laptop and took it to the sofa. It was ten till ten. He’d said that he’d call at ten, but he might be late. She wasn’t going to get worried if he was a little late.
She grabbed her phone and scrolled through the messages they’d exchanged. He was funny. What he’d said about fat fingers made her laugh. It made her like him a bit more too – she liked that he’d said that there was nothing wrong with chubby. A lot of guys didn’t think that way. And as a SEAL – she shivered; he was a freaking SEAL! – she imagined that physical fitness was kind of important to him.
She’d felt a bit wary when he talked about going to a gallery that his friends owned. She didn’t know the first thing about art. She wouldn’t be able to talk about it and sound like she had a clue – but then he’d said that he wasn’t the artsy-fartsy type, and that made her feel better.
She turned to her laptop and pulled up the photos of where he lived. It was absolutely beautiful. She looked out the window again. Summer Lake was beautiful, too. It wasn’t as though she lived in the big city. There was something about those mountains that tugged at her heart, though.
She chewed on her bottom lip. He sounded a little too good to be true. And even if he was as awesome as he seemed, what would he think of her? She wasn’t down on herself – she knew that she was a good person. She knew that she was okay looking. She’d been one of the pretty girls in high school. But she hadn’t exactly lived an exciting life. She hadn’t traveled much. She’d never been out of the country. She really was a small-town girl. And his twin brother was married to Calypso freaking Rayne!
She blew out a big sigh. It was up to him. By the sound of it, if he wanted to find himself some glamorous chick, he totally could. But he was still talking to her – and he was enjoying it, he kept telling her so. She wasn’t going to go putting herself down. She might not be a superstar, or a wealthy heiress, or a cowgirl, but she was a good person. She smiled when her dad’s voice echoed in her mind. She’d been scared to stand up in front of her class and make a presentation in elementary school. Some of the kids who’d already had their turn had gone overboard, and obviously spent a lot of money on building models, and printing handouts for the class. One girl had even bought candy for the whole class. Money had always been tight, and Shayna had gotten all worked up about it; all she had were some drawings that she’d done. Her dad had come in and sat on her bed the night before.
“You’re going to do great, Shay. You don’t have to worry about a thing. All you have to do is be yourself. You’re Shayna Marley Rose – and you can do anything. Those other kids need to buy props and candy to give out. You don’t need that, your ideas are enough – you are enough, and don’t you ever forget it, okay? They might have more money than you, they might live in big fancy houses, but none of them have a heart as big as yours or a brain that thinks like yours.”
She swiped her thumbs under her eyes to catch the tears that had started to fall. She still missed him, and he’d died when she was nine. He’d killed himself – and set the course for the rest of her life. He was the reason that she was so set on becoming a therapist. Not only did she want to help vets who were struggling, she wanted to help their families, and maybe spare them from going through what she and her mom had.
Her dad had left her with the gift of believing in herself and he’d given it in an honest way. She knew she wasn’t the most academically gifted, but her dad had made her feel smart anyway. The way he would say things like no one has a brain that thinks like yours made her feel special even when she was struggling with schoolwork. She checked the time again. She was special – just like the eight billion or so other people on Earth were all special in their own way.
She watched the numbers on her phone change from 9:59pm to 10:00pm and held her breath. She hoped Tyler would call on time, and she made a wish that he’d turn out to be the kind of special that was made for her.