Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Blaise put her extra outfits away, then took Beau out for a quick walk. She stayed in her sundress because she planned on wearing it to dinner. Brick had texted to say come over around six thirty, so she had a little time to kill.
When she got back in the house, she sat down at her laptop and worked on the query email she planned to send to several publishers as soon as the website was ready. That would set things back a bit, but Maude was working quickly, so not more than a few days, Blaise imagined.
Plus, she still needed Cece to read the email and help her tweak it so it would be as good as it could be.
She was anxious to get it done. The sooner she could get something good happening, the better. Any day now, Evan would be calling again to see how things were going. She very much wanted to tell him she’d landed some kind of deal, be it a book or a speaking engagement or even a new modeling gig.
She’d take anything that paid.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Evan. Of course he’d call now right before her dinner with Brick. Her son must have some sixth sense that alerted him every time she thought about him.
Blaise inhaled, centered herself, put on a smile, and answered. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hey, Mom.” Evan always started like everything was fine. Chipper, bright, and that faint layer of condescension she doubted he even realized he used edging every word. “Just checking in. How’s the dream life by the beach?”
“It’s wonderful here,” she said, choosing warmth over defensiveness. She knew exactly what he thought of this dream life. “I’ve made some amazing friends. And I’m working on some new opportunities.”
“Mm-hmm,” Evan replied but it was that sound people made when they didn’t quite believe you. “You’re sure everything’s manageable? I mean, after what happened with—”
“Evan,” she cut in softly. “We don’t need to go over that again.”
He paused as if regrouping. “Right. I just don’t want you to be overwhelmed. I know it’s got to be hard being there all alone.”
“I’m not alone,” she assured him. “And I’m not overwhelmed. I’m building something new.”
He cleared his throat, the shift in tone predictable by now. “Well, Casey and I have been talking. If you ever feel like you can’t keep up, you know you’re always welcome to move in with us.”
There it was. Exactly the assumption she’d been working so hard to avoid.
“No,” Blaise said with a tone she hoped was kind but unmistakably firm. “That is not happening. I love you both, but I am not moving in with you. Not now. Not later.”
“But, Mom—”
“I am capable of taking care of myself,” she said. “Just because I made one very bad financial decision does not mean I’ve forgotten how to be an adult.”
Evan was silent. Then a small, frustrated sigh. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you again.”
“I know,” she said, her voice gentler. “And I appreciate your concern. Truly. Your dad would be proud of you. But I am rebuilding my independence. And I won’t live in a way that feels like giving up.”
Another pause. Longer this time. “Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll try to be less…overprotective.”
“That would be lovely.”
“So,” Evan continued in what seemed to be an attempt to smooth things over. “Are you doing anything fun tonight?”
Blaise rested her head back on the cushions and smiled, thinking about Brick. “I am, actually,” she said. “I’m having dinner with a friend.” She’d almost said date, but she could imagine the response that would get her.
“Really? What’s her name?”
“His name is Brick. That was his nickname in the Marines and he still goes by it.”
“You’re going out with a man?” Evan sounded startled. And maybe a little impressed.
“I don’t know if we’re going out,” Blaise said. “We might be staying in.” For all she knew, they were. Brick hadn’t said.
Evan cleared his throat. “Mom, are you dating someone?”
She didn’t want to lie to her son, but this wasn’t his business and in all honesty, she and Brick were really just friends. So far. “We’re friends, sweetheart. He’s a nice man that lives nearby and he’s a widower.”
“Well…have a nice time then,” he said.
“Thanks.” She couldn’t help but smile. That would give Evan something new to think about for a while. “Talk to you soon. I need to get going.”
After they hung up, Blaise closed her laptop, smoothed her dress, and went into the bathroom to check her makeup. She touched up a few shiny spots with powder, brushed her hair, which had gotten a little windblown on the beach, then reapplied her lip color.
Beau wagged his tail like he knew exactly what came next. But Brick hadn’t said to bring Beau. He also hadn’t said not to bring him. She shook her head. “I think you’re staying home tonight, little man. But if Brick says to come get you, I will.”
She grabbed her purse, locked the door behind her, and went through the backyard gate and up to Brick’s sliding glass door. It was her usual way, but it always made her think she ought to go around to the front.
She lifted her hand to knock but Brick was already headed toward her. He was still in jeans, but he’d swapped his T-shirt for a button-down.
He slid the door open. His gaze swept over her sundress, the earrings, the careful touch of lipstick. His gaze eyes softened and warmed all at once. “I’m glad you didn’t change. That dress looks like summer itself,” he said with a slow smile.
She felt heat touch her cheeks. “Thank you. I know I’m probably overdressed but I already had this on so… Um, are we staying in or going out?”
Brick shook his head like a decision had just been made. “With you looking like that, we’re going out.”
Blaise blinked. “All right then.”
He nodded and gestured behind him. “Come on through.”
She followed him in and right back out the front door to the driveway. His old Ford pickup, polished and gleaming like it had rolled right out of a country music video, waited in the slanted sunlight. He opened the door for her, then went around to the other side.
“You don’t mind going out, do you?” he asked with a hint of caution.
Blaise’s smile got a little bigger. “No, not at all.” This actually felt like a date now. Not that she’d be telling Evan about it.
Brick started the engine and backed out. Soon they were headed inland, windows cracked to let the breeze in, warm air tinged with the scent of salt and marsh. The sun was moving lower, streaks of gold gilding the waterway they followed.
She’d never been out this way. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Almost there,” Brick said, turning onto a narrow dirt road flanked by scrub palms and grass.
They pulled up to a rustic fishing camp that looked like it had been built a century ago.
The wood on the building and porch was weathered gray and spotted with lichen.
Strings of Edison bulbs draped from the eaves gave the place a homey glow.
Laughter and the smell of something delicious drifted on the breeze.
He came around to get her door and then went inside, the front porch planks creaking underfoot.
Near the entrance, the menu was handwritten on a chalkboard. They had fried fish, gator, frog legs, chicken, shrimp. Just about every protein you could want. If you wanted it fried.
A server passed by carrying a tray holding red plastic baskets lined with checkerboard waxed paper. A bluegrass band played on a tiny stage in the corner. One man played a mandolin, another a banjo, and a woman worked a fiddle like she’d been born to it.
Blaise scanned the surprisingly busy dining room. There were families talking and laughing, young couples leaning close, retirees tapping their toes to the music. It felt like exactly what she hadn’t known she needed.
Brick leaned in. “Not your kind of place, is it?”
She shook her head and looked up at him. “No, but maybe it should be. I love it.”
He grinned and they headed to a booth. The server brought them tall plastic cups of ice water and they gave her their order. Crispy shrimp for her, gator bites for him, corn fritters to share.
Those came first and they were sprinkled with powdered sugar. Brick watched her take a bite like it was a test he wasn’t sure she’d pass.
“Well?” he asked.
“Heaven,” she declared. “Greasy, delicious heaven.”
His chuckle was pure satisfaction.
The music shifted into something bright and cheery with a tempo that made her want to move. Brick, too, apparently. He wiped his hands and stood, holding his hand out to her.
“Know how to dance?”
“I do but…” Blaise hesitated, glancing at the tiny sliver of floor cleared between tables. “Here?”
“Here,” he confirmed. “Unless you’re scared of being the center of attention again.” His grin was cheeky and lit up his face in such a way that it made her forget he could even be grumpy.
Blaise laughed, the sound surprising her, and placed her hand in his.
He led her onto the floor, his grip steady, his movements sure despite the uneven boards. They twirled under the string lights, Blaise’s sundress swishing, Brick’s smile wide, the instruments filling the air with a rhythm that was impossible not to move to.
The tempo increased, and Blaise’s worries scattered like leaves in the wind. Her past mistakes and future fears were forgotten. She was in the moment, whirling, happy, enjoying the company of the man leading her.
The song ended to applause and whoops from strangers. Blaise was breathless and glowing. Brick brushed a stray curl from her cheek. She smiled at him. “That was fun.”
“Glad I changed the plan,” he murmured.
She nodded, “Me, too.”
They got back to the table just as the server arrived with their baskets. The dancing had given Blaise’s appetite a boost and she didn’t care that she was about to eat a basket of fried shrimp and sweet potato fries. All she knew was she was hungry.
Brick seemed to be thinking the same way. He picked up a gator bite and held it out to her. “Ever had gator?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’ve heard it tastes like chicken.”
He snorted. “Maybe. It’s good. Try it.”
She ate it, the flavor surprising her. Yes, it was like chicken but at the same time, it wasn’t. It was wilder. And the seasoning was spot on. Her eyes widened. “I actually like it.”
Brick grinned, obviously delighted. “Told you.”
She smiled as she reached for her drink. Gator bites, bluegrass music, dancing in a tiny fishing camp with a man who looked at her like she was still full of possibility…
Was that what turning the page looked like? Maybe the next chapter of her life was going to be more interesting than she’d dreamed. Maybe even more wonderful.
Brick reached across the table, brushing his fingers against hers, just a light touch, but a significant move for him.
Yeah, she could get used to this.