Hey Sunshine (3 page)

He took me back to a time when my only worries were final exams and curfew, and for those fleeting moments it felt right, like nothing had changed. My version of feminism didn’t exclude the idea that I could have it all: the husband, the family, and the career. I might’ve gone about it in a less than ideal way, but it was still my dream.

TO: AVERY KENT

FROM: CHASE DEMPSEY

SUBJECT: COUNTDOWN

Just a couple more days, babe. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been way too long. Our second chance started with that first email, but it starts for real now.

“What are you smiling about?” my mother asked from across the desk.

We were sitting in the diner’s tiny office, my mother going through paperwork and ordering forms while I caught up on some studying.

“Nothing…” As hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep the smirk off my face.

“Let me guess… that ‘nothing’ wouldn’t happen to be a long-lost brave and handsome man, would it?” she teased. “Sending you emails of love and devotion?”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hold back laughter. “Stop!”

My parents made their opinion on my potential reconciliation with Chase very clear. A practical option, she said. A solid choice, he agreed. The best of the worst, according to Heather, who had never liked Chase very much to begin with but was determined to be supportive.

My mom rose and patted my hand as she exited the room. “I’m happy that you’re happy.”

TO: CHASE DEMPSEY

FROM: AVERY KENT

SUBJECT: RE: COUNTDOWN

I’m counting the minutes.

Chapter 3

Present Day

I heard stirring from the bedroom across the hall and tiptoed to peek in. A little face turned toward me, silky blond curls tousled and sleepy blue eyes blinking me into focus. Annabelle was sprawled in the corner of her toddler bed, one arm wrapped around her baby doll, the other hand up by her face with her thumb in her mouth. When she saw me, the thumb popped out and her face lit up.

“Mama!” she cried, dropping the doll and holding her arms out.

“Hi, baby girl,” I said, crossing the room and reaching down to pick her up. “Did you have a nice nap?”

She burrowed her head into my neck, resting her sweet cheek on my shoulder. “Yes, Mama. My sleepy time is all done.” Her baby lisp always made me smile. I kissed the top of her head and smoothed her curls away from her face.

Bending down, I picked up her doll before I carried her out into the hallway. At three years old, she could easily walk but I cherished the cuddle time because I knew it was fleeting. Already, her babyhood went by too fast.

“Do you want a snack?” I asked her. “Auntie Heather is coming back and then we’re going to The Kitchen, but dinner won’t be for a while.” Kent’s Kitchen, my parents’ diner and my place of employment, would be busy all afternoon. Tonight they were hosting Chase’s welcome home party and would keep Annabelle with them while Heather and I met the bus. That was best, I’d decided. I was determined to take this slowly, to protect my heart and Annabelle’s.

“Okay, a snack!” Annabelle nodded. “Some crackers, Mama? And cheese?”

“Sure, baby. Let’s sit here and wait for Auntie Heather while you eat.” I wanted to dig into the sample cookies that Heather had made last night from new recipes for her bakery business, but I resisted. Nervous eating definitely wouldn’t help me fit into any borrowed dresses. I got Annabelle settled at her little table in the living room and put a cartoon on the small TV in the bookshelf.

I tried to make our tiny cottage as cozy as possible despite its cramped rooms and weathered floors, and I felt like I succeeded with our mix of eclectic furniture, bright throw pillows, and textured rugs. My dad helped out with the more complex handyman chores, and I was proud of my home. It was mine – I’d paid for it, painted it, cared for it, and raised my baby in it. Of course, it lacked the grandeur of the Dempsey family ranch but the warmth was there.

I shuddered inwardly a bit at the idea of seeing Chase’s parents again. Living in close proximity to fewer than a thousand residents, not counting the widespread ranching contingent, we’d encountered each other from time to time, but since my email reconnection with Chase I’d gone all-out to avoid running into Janice and Ron or Chase’s sister Elise. They weren’t the type to frequent my parents’ diner, and I wasn’t sure how to interact with them without feeling inadequate.

One snide glance from Janice Dempsey was enough to remind me that I was from her idea of the wrong side of an impossibly small town, not fit to date her son, and quite possibly the reason that he had bolted to the Pacific Northwest in the first place. And then there was the part where they’d never told Chase about my staying in Brancher. I was sure I’d proven every one of Janice’s theories right when I got pregnant with Annabelle and changed my future.

My parents were kind enough to host an all-town welcome home party for Chase at The Kitchen, but the Dempseys weren’t attending. Chase told me that they’d invited some of their business contacts and society friends to a small dinner party at the ranch, and that we were expected to make an appearance there as soon as we were able. I was dreading it, of course, but I knew that interacting with the Dempseys went along with my second chance with Chase.

When Heather returned, I was tidying up my kitchen after making Annabelle’s snack, more to keep my hands busy than because it needed cleaning.

“Here.” Heather dumped a pile of dresses on the counter. “One of these has to work. Go try them on, hurry up!”

“I really appreciate this. You know that, right? All of it,” I said, alluding to the fact I knew she wasn’t fully on board the Chase/Avery train.

Heather snorted again, smoothing her already perfect hair. “I know, silly. Now go get dressed.”

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Heather and I were standing nervously in a crowd outside the Greyhound station, straining for a glimpse of Chase’s bus. At least, I was nervous and fidgety. Heather looked bored and a little apprehensive but she smiled when she caught me actually wringing my hands.

“Avery, relax! It’s not like you’ve never met the guy,” she laughed.

I looked down at my twisted fingers. “I know. It’s just… everything is different now.” My gaze met Heather’s, and the knowing look in her pretty brown eyes brought tears to my own.

Sliding up next to me, Heather slung an arm around my waist. “Look, you and Annabelle, y’all deserve way better than him, okay? The way he left, he’s lucky you’re even giving him the time of day. You don’t need him to want you, Avery. Make him work for it. You’re a great mama and a smart cookie. Never forget that.”

I returned Heather’s squeeze, straightening my spine and pulling my shoulders back. She was right. If this had any chance of working, Chase and I needed to start on equal ground. Chase’s money, his family's influence, and his near-legendary status in Brancher didn’t matter to me anymore.

Shy, naive, high school Avery was gone; she'd disappeared the day of that positive pregnancy test. In her place was the new Avery: strong and maybe a little jaded but still doing it all. I’d proven to myself over the last three years that I could do anything, even when I was bone tired, sick, or beyond discouraged. I could certainly meet this bus and whatever came along with it.

* * *

I’d been anticipating this exact moment for a long time. The bus idled in front of us, exhaust billowing in the thick Texas air, rumbling engine all but drowning out the excited twitters from the anxious crowd.

Somewhere on that bus, between traveling ranch hands, returning vacationers, and those just passing through, somewhere in there was a man I used to know. If I believed everything Chase said, he might even be the one for me and that puppy love could turn into something real. I was willing to take that chance on might, willing to believe his earnestly spoken words and promises until he gave me reason not to. We owed nostalgia that much.

The old Greyhound’s creaky door eased open and passengers began to disembark. At five foot seven, I wasn’t the tallest person in the crowd but I could see farther than Heather, much to her irritation.

“Do you see him? Do you see anything?”

“Not yet. Wait, is that him? No.” I rose up onto my tiptoes, my boot heels sticking slightly to the hot asphalt for just a second before allowing the bend.

I should’ve known the crowd would alert me to Chase’s presence before my eyes did. A huge cheer erupted when he appeared, framed in the bus’s doorway, and his usual smirk wavered for a second but then cemented itself firmly in place. We’d Skyped a few times, but with my horrible internet connection it was more frozen pixellation than actual video, so I still felt unprepared.

When we were high school kids, I’d get giddy every time I caught a glimpse of him in the halls, surrounded by the rest of the football team and constantly garnering admiring glances from all the girls. He’d seek me out, wave and wink, and I’d nearly swoon.

When his brown eyes found mine and our gazes locked, I felt my face grow warm and I smiled. Not quite the swoon from high school, but Chase’s happy grin was beautiful and contagious, and I was so glad to finally see him in the flesh.

He hopped down from the bus steps and made his way toward me, the crowd parting for him like he was a celebrity. His dark hair was shorter than I’d ever seen it, and his former adolescent leanness had given way to a strong, sturdy build. When he reached me, he pulled me into his arms, lifted me, and swung me around before planting a huge kiss on my mouth. The crowd cheered and I struggled to relax and catch my breath in his embrace.

I was happy to see him but this was too much with the crowd, the applause. I should have known that any public reunion was a bad idea. That was the part of dating Chase I never got used to – the spectacle. The prince of Brancher always had to put on a show to entertain the masses.

“Hey babe,” he chuckled into my ear. “Long time no see.”

“Hi,” I said, pulling away slightly. I'd pictured a much more intimate reunion in my head, but it wasn’t Chase’s fault that the whole town wanted to see him come home. The emails were romantic and private – this was not.

Give him a minute, Avery
, I thought. The boy just got off the damn bus.

Chase drew in a deep breath of West Texas air. “Happy to be home.” He kissed me again, on the cheek this time. “Missed ya.” Slinging one arm over my shoulder, he waved to everyone before gesturing to a man who came up next to him. In the fanfare surrounding Chase’s arrival, I hadn’t noticed that he’d apparently been traveling with someone. The stranger moved easily through the thick crowd, taller than most, with a purposeful presence that was subtle yet arresting. I watched as people moved out of his way without even realizing they were doing so.

“This is Beckett Fox – firefighter, medic, search and rescue, you name it. We worked together up in Washington,” he elaborated. “Fox, this is my girl, Avery Kent.”

I automatically offered my hand to him. “So nice to meet you, Mr. Fox.”

He looked at me at the same time his hand met mine. The touch of his fingers sent a jolt all the way up my arm and startled me almost as much as the intensity of his deep green eyes. Thankfully Chase remained oblivious, waving over my head at some of the other people assembled behind us.

After a second or two, I remembered my manners. I was still holding his hand and I dropped it quickly, my palm burning. I blinked twice quickly to clear my vision.

“Um, I– welcome to Brancher, Texas!”

The minute it came out of my mouth, I hated the way it sounded. Eager, and at the same time too sincere. What was wrong with me? One glance from this guy and I was practically genuflecting all over the place? But honestly, the fact that I could even form words when he looked at me that way was a miracle. Let’s be real – the way he looked was a miracle, period.

Easily six foot two or three, with dark blond hair, those green eyes, and a muscular swimmer’s build, Beckett Fox was beautiful in an almost dangerous way. My eyes raked over him quickly, admiring the way his big shoulders filled out his worn T-shirt, his jeans hanging perfectly off a lean waist and long legs. I took in his broad chest, the muscles visible even under the loose material of his shirt, strong biceps giving way to tan, corded forearms and hands that looked like they were used to hard work.

I wasn’t sure if it was the scratchy five o’clock shadow darkening his jawline, the heat from when his callused hand clasped mine, or the way his thick hair fell across his cheek before he pushed it out of his face, but I couldn’t look away. My heart rate picked up when he registered my expression and his pupils widened just a fraction. It wasn’t just me. He was affected too. My traitor heart skipped again.

He nodded his head once, averting his eyes at first but bringing them right back to mine, almost involuntarily. “Ma’am.” He had a rough, deep voice, a bit rusty, like he rarely spoke. His stance was confident and alert, with an edge that seemed wary.

I felt exposed, practically naked, as we continued to hold each other’s gaze. His green eyes searched mine like they were looking for an answer to an unspoken question. I had plenty of questions of my own but zero answers.
Was this for real? Where did this man come from? Was I dramatically imagining the desire that palpably radiated between us? And how was I supposed to function like a human being after this?

Before I could think or say anything else, we were surrounded by the entire football team and cheerleading squad, all clamoring to get close to Chase. The last glimpse I had of Beckett Fox confirmed that his eyes were still on me even as we were pulled farther apart by the crowd.

Chapter 4

The Kitchen was packed by the time we arrived. Ron and Janice Dempsey went on to their party without the guest of honor, leaving Chase his welcome home present – a humungous brand-new SUV that dwarfed my ancient little sedan out in the parking lot. After Chase finished drooling over all the optional features and heavy chrome, we were almost late, and I hated thinking of all the people waiting anxiously for us across town.