Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Brynlee
Darla downed three drinks in less than half an hour after learning she’s scared of heights. On the Ferris wheel. At the top. It took both men holding her down to stop us from nearly toppling over as she went into a full-blown panic, and she sways next to me.
“Hold the bags for a minute?” Rhett asks, and I take them from him. “Carter, let’s go.”
I glance at Darla, and she moves to lean against me. “They’re goin’ to try to win us prizes.”
“What?” I ask. “For real? Like in the movies?”
“They were on the baseball team in high school. Rhett was a pitcher, so he stands a better chance than Carter does.”
My first fair experience has been everything I ever imagined, and I swoon as Rhett squares himself up in front of the metal milk jugs stacked in a pyramid.
It gives me the perfect opportunity to study him, and I bite my lower lip as I watch his biceps strain against the plaid shirt he has to be too warm in.
“He’s going to win me a stuffed animal?”
“It costs less than they’ll play for it, but yeah. Rhett’s a good guy like that,” Darla says, puttin’ more weight on me. “He’s such a nice guy.”
“Yes, he is,” I say and clap as he knocks them all down. “Did he win?”
The man behind the counter hands him the pink teddy bear Rhett points at, and he waits until Carter lines himself up.
He doesn’t knock them all down with the first ball like Rhett did, but he has two more tries.
He’s successful with the second one, and he picks out a blue bear matching the one in Rhett’s hands.
“My favorite color,” Darla slurs.
They walk back over to us, but Rhett looks as worried as I feel as I struggle to keep Darla upright. “You okay, Dar?”
“I don’t feel so good,” she says, swallowing audibly.
“Bathrooms?” I ask, praying there’s another option other than the port-a-potties. That alone will make me vomit in this heat.
Carter points to the building behind us, and I hand everything to Rhett before nearly dragging Darla with me, praying we make it in time.
“Come on, just a little further,” I say and see a line. “Sorry, everyone, but we have to cut.”
“Do you have any idea how bad I have to pee?” an angry brunette growls at me.
“Oh, God,” Darla says, covers her mouth, and runs through everyone.
They move aside to let her by, and I give the woman an apologetic look. “Sorry, but she has to puke. Less control of that,” I say and hurry after her.
The women all point to an open stall, and I hurry to hold Darla’s hair back as she throws up the pizza she ate for dinner. I begin to dry heave, and I hate that I’ve always been a sympathetic puker.
“This is disgustin’,” Darla murmurs. “I shouldn’t have started drinkin’ at home.”
Helping her stand, she flushes, and I lift my eyebrows. “You drank at home?”
She stumbles to the sink and rinses her mouth. Pulling out a piece of gum from my crossbody purse, I hand it to her, and she smiles gratefully at me. “You heard Carter talkin’ to Rhett same as I did. That’s why you paid for the photos.”
“Not if you didn’t want me to hear.”
We move into the general area that separates the men and women’s restrooms, and she sits while I get us bottles of water.
I’m thankful the men are still outside because I think Darla needs to talk about what’s bothering her enough to pre-game at home.
Something she can’t do in front of Rhett. Maybe Carter, too.
“You’d think we’d have our life together after this long. I knew this date was a bad idea, but I wanted to pretend for an evenin’ that we were those fun and lovin’ people we used to be. Before life made everythin’ so damn hard,” Darla says and takes a drink while I sit across from her.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Shaking her head, she wipes her eyes before I realize she’s been crying.
“You let me forget for a while that things suck. God, Brynlee, I feel like I’ve lost myself.
I’m a mom and a wife and a hairdresser. My husband thinks my dreams are crazy, and I’ve put my dreams and goals off from the moment that stick showed two lines.
And they’ve been pushed to the back burner ever since because he always has an excuse why it’s not the right time. ”
“You’re not old, Darla,” I say with a smile. “You can still dream and chase them. You started earlier in life than most, but your best years aren’t behind you. They’re still ahead of you.”
“You heard Carter. We don’t have money. It’s not the right market to start a business. I just… I didn’t realize he didn’t believe I could do it until I heard him tell Rhett it was a crazy idea. I’m the best damn hairdresser in the county. The lack of hours isn’t because I don’t have clients.”
“I don’t know that he meant he doesn’t think you can do it when he said that.”
Sighing, she shrugs and looks away. “That’s exactly what he meant. The truth is, I don’t know that I really believe in myself, either, but it’s really humblin’ to hear your own husband confirm your doubts, you know?”
“Why are your hours getting cut?”
“Doris wants to retire, but no one can buy it. She’s slowly takin’ more and more time off, but she doesn’t trust it to be open without her there.”
“Can you buy her out? Take over and make the changes you need?”
She snorts. “Only if I can come up with fifty grand. The rest is in a savings account Carter doesn’t know about. It’s where I’ve saved all of my tips and bonuses. No bank in town will loan me the money because of the current state of the business. Because Doris won’t let us work.”
“What about investors?”
Patting my cheek, Darla chuckles as she cries.
“We don’t live in a rich town. I’d need every person in town to invest, and that still might not be enough.
No, I have to figure this out on my own.
Maybe I should just find a new dream. One that doesn’t cost money or require any real effort because that’s all my husband thinks I’m capable of. ”
She bursts into tears, and she throws her arms around me when Carter and Rhett walk inside. Carter’s confusion turns to concern when he sees Darla sobbing into my shoulder.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asks, kneeling beside us.
Pulling away, she won’t look at him. “This was a bad idea. I’m sorry I made us come here and waste our money.”
“What—”
“Let’s let them get back to their date,” she says and stands. “Have fun, you two.”
They walk outside, and Rhett watches them with worry. “Is she okay?”
“I… I don’t know,” I answer honestly.
“What’s wrong?”
I’m torn. She’s my friend, one of the only I have here, and I give him a shrug. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say anything.”
He takes Darla’s empty seat and grabs my hand. “I don’t want to break any confidences, but I’ve never seen her like this. She’s one of the toughest people I know.”
“That might be part of the problem. The ones who are the toughest sometimes struggle the most.”
“Do you want to leave, too? Or walk around? I have enough tickets to go on the Ferris wheel again.”
My eyes brighten, and I beam. “Yes!”
“You’re an easy girl to please,” he says with a smirk as I stand with him.
He wraps an arm around my shoulders, and I wrap mine around his waist. “You have no idea.”
Groaning, he squeezes my shoulder. “You can’t say things like that.”
“Why?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
“Because I’m a guy, and you’re hot as hell.”
I laugh, liking how his nice guy image falters ever so slightly. It’s refreshing to see he’s still a typical guy in some ways. “Was that suggestive? My apologies.”
“I don’t think you’re really all that sorry,” he says as we stand in line.
“Guilty. I’m really not.”
“So… How’s this all playin’ out for you? Is it everythin’ you thought it would be? The fair, I mean.”
I look up into his eyes, and I see the anxiety behind them. “I love it. It’s more than I thought it would be, which is surprising. Usually, I build things up too much in my mind, and the actual experience can be a bit of a letdown.”
“I understand how that goes.”
“But now that the sun has gone down, and all the lights are on, it’s magical. I’ll never forget this night. It’s as close to perfect as it can get.”
We reach the head of the line, and Rhett hands the remaining tickets to the man. He rolls his eyes at having to count, but he stumbles when he looks at me. “Go on in,” he says and pockets them without counting them.
“I bet we could give him two tickets as long as you flashed him a smile,” he whispers into my ear as we sit on the same side of the cart.
It doesn’t tip as much as I expect it to, and I like that no one else was let on with us. I hold his hand and shake my head. “Maybe we should try it. Get a free right out of it.”
“If you’ve got it, might as well bank on it, huh?”
“Nah, it’s all smoke and mirrors.”
His free hand reaches up and touches my cheek, and I turn towards him.
His lips touch mine just as my eyes close, and his beard tickles my chin.
I love the scratchiness of his callouses against my skin.
A working man’s hand. A desire unlike any I’ve ever known before takes over, and I can’t get enough of him.
Our hands separate, and we cling to each other, our mouths warring as our tongues tangle in unbridled passion.
I’m so lost in him that I barely feel the movement of the ride.
All I sense is Rhett. Taste him. Smell him.
Feel him. Every little movement and shift of his face to tickle my chin or the skin beside my lips. Nothing has ever felt so magical.
The clearing of a throat pulls me from my trance, and we jump, finally separating to see the carnie at the bottom of the ride. Rhett smirks, and I take his hand as we exit the cart.
Carter surprises me by running over and stopping us. “Brynlee, can I talk to you?”
“Uh, sure,” I say, glancing up at Rhett.
“What’s wrong?” Rhett asks.
“I just… I need to talk to her for a minute,” he says and pulls me away from my date. “What did Darla say?”
His eyes look frantic, almost like a wild animal being hunted by some sort of large predator. “I don’t—”
“Look, I know she told you we’re tight on money, okay? That’s why you paid for the pictures. Which I could have paid for, by the way.”
“She didn’t tell me,” I say.
“Then how’d you know?”
Swallowing, I feel anxious. I’ve never liked confrontation. Not like this. “We heard you telling Rhett.”
He closes his eyes and tilts his head back. “I don’t need your charity!”
“I know,” I say, hoping to pacify him. “I forced you to do it. You dressed up in a costume. Seriously, it’s all good. Not charity.”
His hand wipes over his face, and he looks at me as though he’s lost. “She’s cryin’ again.
She’s not drunk anymore, and she’s cryin’.
Brynlee, please. My wife is upset, and we’ve been fightin’.
She won’t talk to me. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.
Please… I’ll beg on my hands and knees if I have to. ”
A war plays in my head. He looks so terrified and upset, but she’s my friend. Is telling him betraying her? In the end, though, isn’t doing everything I can to help her feel better the best option?
“She heard you call her dream crazy, and she doesn’t think you believe in her.”
“What?” Carter’s mouth drops open. “I didn’t… That’s not what I meant.”
My stomach flips with nerves. I hate how much it feels like I’ve made the wrong choice, but I’ve opened Pandora’s box already.
I can’t put it back now. “She feels like she’s lost herself, and that her dreams don’t matter, basically.
She doubts herself, and she thinks you doubt her abilities, too. What you said hurt her.”
“She thinks… How did she… That’s not true!”
“I told her I didn’t think that’s how you meant it. She has dreams she never got to chase, and I think she feels like she has limited time to achieve them. That’s what I gathered from what she said, so maybe I’m wrong.”
“We don’t have the money to build a business from the ground up. If we didn’t have the kids, or if she was gettin’ more hours, maybe…”
I reach out to touch his bicep. “She needs to know you believe she can do it. She seemed so… broken.”
“I don’t know how to fix this.”
“Can you figure out a plan to make it work? Not necessarily to have everything ready tomorrow, but maybe work together to add to a nest egg for it each week. Something to show her that you’re willing to work with her because you believe in her.
I think she needs to know her aspirations are just as important to you, and it’ll go a long way. ”
Biting his lip, he nods. “Yeah, I can figure somethin’ out. Thanks, Brynlee.”
He walks away, and Rhett’s beside me in seconds. “What was that?”
“I don’t know if I helped or just made things worse,” I say and place my hand on my stomach. “I hate this feeling in my gut that I just betrayed her.”
“Did she tell you not to say anythin’?”
“No, but she told me, not him. I want her to be happy, and Carter made a good argument. He can’t fix a problem if he doesn’t know what it is.”
His flannel shirt appears on my shoulders, and I realize the breeze and lack of sun has caused goosebumps to spread along my arms. “At least with Darla, she’ll tell you if she’s pissed at you. But I don’t think she will be.”
“I hope so. I hate confrontation. That was so uncomfortable,” I say with a laugh.
“Did it ruin the night?” he asks and takes my hand.
Our fingers interlock, and I smile. “I’m not sure even a meteor striking earth right now could ruin this night. It was amazing. I think I’m going to like it in Georgia.”
“Yeah? What do you like so far?”
We walk towards the exit, and I’m sad to leave. With the exception of the situation with Carter and Darla, I couldn’t have scripted a better night.
“Well, I like the bearded man who offered me his shirt because it’s chilly. After he kissed me senseless on the Ferris wheel like a movie. And I like my new friends. It’s been a long time since I could say that.”
“I never appreciated the fair until tonight,” he says as we walk to his pickup.
Rhett opens the door for me, sets the bag and teddy bear on the seat, and he lifts me onto the seat to avoid the puddle. “Such a gentleman.”
“Not always, but I try.”
His voice sounds more like a growl, and I’m suddenly very, very hot.
Needing to feel his lips again, I grab him by the back of his head and gently guide his face to mine.
He steps right into the puddle, not caring whether he gets his feet or pants wet, and presses his body flush with mine.
My legs rest on either side of his torso as we kiss, and I want him. I want all of him.
Man, am I in trouble.