Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
SEVEN MILES.
Blair
It may have taken me a whole week, but my house is done and sparkling clean. One would think that being such a small home it would be a quick project.
Wrong.
I found my strength when I felt like I had to prove to not only myself but to my grumpy next-door neighbor, that I could handle this. I saw the look on his face when he noticed me struggling. I stayed awake all night playing it on repeat in my head.
Along with the muscles flexing in his forearm that were staring me in the face.
Guilt consumed me as those thoughts flooded my brain. Thinking of another man the way I thought about Griffin only churned in my gut. Theodore was all I’ve known for so long, and while we’re divorced with no chance of us ever getting back together, it’s still hard to process that my brain is thinking about how hot another man’s forearms are.
All of this only sent me down a spiral of crying myself to sleep.
Not from missing Theodore.
But because of feeling more alone than ever .
I miss my sister back in San Francisco. And I miss…there’s no one else. It’s just Kodi. Because I have no one else. I was alone then, and I’m alone now.
I can do this, though.
When all is said and done, there’s a peace I’ve found here in Bluestone Lakes. A sense of belonging even if it’s only been a short time. A feeling that tells me this is where I’m meant to be and to learn who I was all along.
When I finally got a handle on the power washer, I flew through the rest of the house. I’m thankful I didn’t strip any of the blue from the siding. I say that because I accidentally stripped the stain from the deck. Whoops .
The deck project is not something I am ready to tackle anytime soon, so I’m just embracing the natural wood while I figure out a plan.
Someday I hope to extend it, creating enough space for an outdoor seating area. I picture one of those comfortable outdoor sofas, and next to it, on each side, a glider. I picture making more friends here and someday hosting them at my home, enjoying drinks and good company on my porch.
Those thoughts helped ease the tears I shed as I looked to the bright side of the future.
There was plenty of time for me to sit around and envision my porch the following days because my body was sore from head to toe. It’s a shame because I really wanted to go for a run the other day.
It worked out though, because the next day my clothes finally came from my sister, and everything fit me perfectly. They don’t scream country, and some of them are way too risqué for my liking. But the outfits work for someone who works in a bakery. Which is all I asked for.
Kodi knows me well enough to know I need to get out and run too. Her throwing in a pair of biker shorts was like winning the lottery when I opened the box.
Today’s the day I finally set out in town on a run. I’m definitely nervous, but I’ve missed this part of me. Even if I’m working on a new and improved Blair, this part of me can never leave. It’s my peace. It’s my calm. It’s my time to shut the world out around me.
My only hesitation is that I don't know the town completely, and I’m intimidated by all the mountains surrounding me. Which also makes me afraid that the altitude will take me out before the incline of the hills do.
But I’m doing it anyway.
Early evenings have become my favorite part of the day here, so why not incorporate my two favorites at the same time?
Once my feet hit the dirt road, I do my normal stretching routine before I take off. My phone blasts some playlist I made last week when I was mentally preparing to get back to running.
It’s not as bad as I thought.
I keep an easy pace, and once I leave Barlow Drive, I decide to explore a little deeper. Focusing on where I just came from so I can get myself back home. I find myself in a new area of town I’ve never seen. There are very few houses and definitely no businesses. I run past a ton of construction sites, which must mean the town is still growing.
My guess is that I ran around the heart of town.
Continuing down the road, I find myself coming to a stop when I realize it’s a dead end. I take a moment to lean forward with my hands on my thighs to catch my breath before surveying my surroundings.
“Where the hell am I?”
I don’t think I ended up on any real road this entire run. I got a little caught up in the music for a while to pay attention.
Am I lost?
Great. Just what I need.
I dial Lily’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Lily. ”
“Why does it sound like you’re in the middle of running a marathon?” She laughs.
“Not a marathon,” I choke out. “But definitely running. Barely.”
“What? Where the heck are you? Who’s chasing you?”
“No one is chasing me that I know of. But you know…you ask a fantastic question,” I get out through my ragged breaths. “There are no signs or houses anywhere. But if I have to guess, I’m on the opposite side of town. Actually, I may not even be in Bluestone Lakes anymore. Maybe I’m in another state.”
She laughs. “How far did you run?”
“I don’t know. I kind of got lost in my playlist. And I don’t track my distance with those fancy apps or anything. Made a few lefts, and a few rights, and now I’m on a dead-end road.”
“Shit. You’re probably on the east side of town. You said there are no houses?”
“No houses, but I passed some new construction about fifteen minutes ago.”
“I’m going to have Griffin come get?—”
“No!” I cut her off. “Please, no. I’m good. I’m great actually. I was really just calling to see how things were going. And to maybe give me a general direction I should go to get home. You know… East. West. Up. Down? Anything will work.”
“If you give me…” Her voice trails off and I hear the sound of wind through the speakers as if she just stepped outside. Quickly followed by the front door to the bar chiming in the background. “Griffin. Are you off yet?”
No. No. No.
Please don’t tell me this is happening.
“Can you pick up Blair on the east side? I think she’s on Redwood,” she says to him.
“No, Lily! He doesn’t need to—” I attempt to stop her, but they continue having a whole conversation in my ear.
“Griffin is on his way,” she tells me. “Stay where you are.”
And then she hangs up .
I groan. So loud that I think I heard it echo in the mountains.
Realization dawns on me and I feel my heart rate reach running speed again.
What if a bear found me out here? Or even worse…a moose.
Do they have those in Wyoming?
I should have looked that up.
I know moose aren’t known to be mean like bears, but those are some scary looking creatures with those big antler-looking things. I’m picturing one of them bull rushing me and impaling me right in the chest. I do not want to die at the head of one of those things.
I contemplate figuring out how to get back myself before he can find me. One, I don’t want to wait around and see if there are really bears or moose around here, and two, I don’t want to see Griffin.
I already feel weak after the way he saw me with the power washer.
He thinks I can’t handle myself.
I can’t stand that feeling.
Turning around in the direction I came from; I send a silent prayer up that something will spark my memory.
Just three minutes later, a truck barrels down the dirt road at a high speed, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. Griffin comes to a halt right in front of me. The beat-up Chevy must have some power behind it, which surprises me because it looks like it’s about to fall apart right in front of my eyes.
He turns off the engine and in no time, he’s already on the other side of the truck, standing right in front of me.
“Okay, Batman. That was quick. But you really didn’t need to come.”
“I wasn’t leaving you out here by yourself with the sun going down soon.”
I feel my eyes wanting to widen in shock as he pretends to care, but I make a conscious effort to keep my gaze level and steady on him. At the same time controlling my breathing in an effort to bring my heart rate down to normal.
“I would have found my way back.”
“Or you would have found yourself in a ditch,” he replies a little too quickly.
I look around us. “I don’t see a ditch anywhere.”
“You also don’t even know where you are,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Touché. But you didn’t have to save me. Because this is two times now.” I hold up two fingers to emphasize my words. “Granted, I turned down your heroic measures with the power washer thing. I got that done, by the way,” I add with a wink and a finger gun in his direction.
I feel myself rambling and wanting to continue, but he cuts me off.
“Can you just get in the truck?”
“Oh, yes. I can do that. Even if I feel guilty that you had to go out of your way.”
“It’s fine.”
For the first time, he doesn’t sound annoyed at all. His body language tells me he’s probably irritated from either my rambling or having to come out here to get me, but the way he talks doesn’t reflect that. It’s hard to figure him out though, because he never smiles.
I hustle to the passenger side, but he beats me to it. Opening it before I can put my hand on it.
Did he just…
“Thank you, kind gentleman.”
Oh my god, Blair. Stop it.
I think the altitude is getting to me.
I jump in the truck and watch as he rounds the hood. Looking at the dirt road with each step he takes. My stomach does a somersault with nerves that I’m putting him out for coming to get me.
Once he gets in the truck, the tension grows thicker just being in such a small space with the man. The truck is small, and on the inside, it’s well kept, like he cares for it often. The smell takes over my senses and forces me to turn and look at his side profile. I can’t pinpoint exactly what the smell is, but it’s a mix of spice and earth. Whatever the hell the earth smells like, it’s right here in this Chevy.
I stare at him longer, wanting to know more about it, but also not wanting to pry into his life when he’s clearly a private person. His facial features are flat while he focuses on the road ahead of us. One hand on the wheel and the other hanging out the window. Wearing his signature look of a flannel rolled up at the sleeves.
I’ll never stop wanting to see that.
Okay, but I have to stop.
He clearly has a girlfriend. I saw her with my own two eyes at the store.
“Thanks again. I’m sorry about all this,” I tell him honestly.
“Do you run a lot?” he asks, gaze still locked on the road.
“I used to. Back in the city.” The way his jaw hardens when I say the word city makes the hairs on my arm stand tall.
What is that all about?
“This was the first time I've been running since I got here,” I continue. “I don’t normally run with a GPS tracker. Which is why I got lost. I don’t even know how far I ran. It feels like a lot. Maybe my longest run in years.”
He nods but doesn’t respond.
Now I feel like I’m rambling again. My hands feel sweaty on my lap and my chest feels tight. There’s something about him that just sends a nervous frenzy through my blood. Maybe it’s how rude he is. Maybe it’s that I’m afraid he’s going to go off on me in a fit of rage.
I’m nervous, but I’m not scared.
Griffin Barlow doesn’t scare me.
He sort of intrigues me. I think under that grumpy exterior is a man who’s hurting from something…but what ?
“So, you work every day?” I ask; in an attempt to make this drive less awkward.
He nods again.
“Can’t you hire some help?”
“I enjoy working the lunch shift,” he says. Finally, some words . “It’s always regulars and it’s a shorter shift. I’m better off not dealing with the evening crowd. They are a bit too rowdy for my liking. Basically, I avoid being there if I’m not scheduled to be. If I can help it, at least.”
I think that was the most consecutive words I’ve heard him say at once before.
Impressive.
Hot.
His voice is smooth and sexy.
Stop it, Blair .
“What made you name it Seven Stools?”
“Next time you come in, count how many stools you find at the bar,” he answers with a straight face.
“Did you just crack a joke, Angry Cowboy?”
He still doesn’t laugh.
Tough crowd .
“I, for one, thought that was funny and will be visiting your establishment very soon to confirm this.”
I really believed my sense of humor would make him laugh or, hell, crack a smile. But no success there.
Next thing I know, we’re pulling up to my house.
By pulling up, I mean he stops in the middle of the road to let me out. I’m not mad about it because not only did he pick me up, but he actually had some kind of conversation with me. It’s all a good start.
“Thanks again for the ride,” I say with a smile just before slamming the door, turning on my heel, and walking across the driveway.
Just as my foot hits the first step of my deck, he beeps the horn. Whipping my head around, he leans over the center console to shout out the passenger window.
“Seven miles.”
“Huh?”
“You ran seven miles today.”
A grin spreads across my face as he drives away.
Leaving my heart beating faster than it was on my run. Because Griffin Barlow does have a heart.