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 toJake’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 schoolacquaintances. “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?
