Page 24 of Maid in Heaven

…Almost as strong as the desire to burn his disheveled coat. Mud, watery runoff, unknown dog crap, and wet pug. He would never fully get the smell of today out of it.

8

As she walked acrossthe crowded street, Ava wondered why she agreed to the dateand why, on God’s green earth, she let Madison, of all people,dressher.

Not having gone on a datewith someone other than Danin nearly eleven years, she wasbeyond rusty.The dating scene seemed foreign to her. There were apps for everything now with swiping involved, painful amounts of topical chit-chat, and loads of lingo she was sure she’d never get the hang of. Like ‘hooking up’? Was thatkissing? Was itbanging? She was always too embarrassed to ask when Madison used the term.

Should she mention her divorce?

Was this just going to be a fling?

Of all of the eligiblewomen in Jackson Hole, most of them wealthy beyond measure, how wasshethe one heading toa date with Will Jessup?He was a man with an ass that looked like it had been sculpted out of marble and a jawline sharp enough to cut a steak with. How was he possibly single and interested if he’s not a psycho?

Oh my God, is he a psycho?

She passed by the front window ofThe Million Dollar CowboyBarand stared up at the bulb lights curving along the fun font of the marquee. Above it, a large metal ‘buckin’ bronco’ hovered. It was the infamous symbol plastered on damn-near everything around the state of Wyoming. Behind the signage stood a large, snow-dusted hill eclipsing the nearly-set sun.

The place was packed, as it often seemed to be, even for a weekday. Ava stood on the sidewalk, debating whether to turn and run or brave the popular hangout spot.

She slowly exhaled a gust of hot fog, straightened her posture, and waltzed inside with a faux confidence that would impress even the harshest acting coach.

The laughter, shifting glasses,twangy country music, and loud conversations instantly assaulted her with a barrage of noise.The smell of yeasty craft beer, cocktails, and sweat filled the air. Amplifiers from a live honky-tonk band carried vibrations through the wood up through the short carpeted runners. There were lively people everywhere, chatting, howling, and enjoying life. As Ava took her first few steps inside and removed her coat, her eyes enlarged as she took in the place as a whole, like some chaotic, country version ofWhere’s Waldo.

Having stayed hidden away for the last few months, suddenly being plunged into a fishbowl of so many people felt suffocating.

Off-white wallswere adorned with garnet inlays. The corners were trimmed with dark wood, whittled into lumpy oak bears every so often. A room to the side housedseveral billiard tables with well-worn edges,pool sticks lining the walls.

In the main room, sandwiched in between two large glass display cases with taxidermied black bears and mountain goats, sat a long bar crammed with people. Worn saddles were mounted on pipes and bolted into the floor as clever stools, complete with stirrups. Various liquors and taps lined the mirrored back wall.

Aha, there you are, Waldo…

Ava finallyspotted Will beside asavedseat, well-dressed in a powder blue button-down shirt and black slacks. She bit her lip. Something about a man in a button-down shirt made her instinctively want to rip it off.Will was no exception.

She stood for a moment, watching him sip his beer. Every move he made was suave. Controlled.Intentional.

The warm lights cast a bronze hue on him that would make a statue jealous. Everything on him was neatly in place and clean, fromtheflawless honey-blondehair to the shine onhis dress shoes.

His calm, easy manner was the total antithesis of how Ava felt inside:Messy. Out of control.Aimless.

Two attractive brunettessitting on saddle seats at the bargawkedat him, whispering to one another and laughingflirtatiously. They looked like they were trying to get him to buy them a drink, even though it was abundantly clear they’d already knocked back quite a few.

As Ava made her way through the throng of people, ayoung blonde in skin-tight jeans and an Americanflag crop top showcasing hertrim stomach strutted over to Will from one of the billiard tables. She leaned against the bar topbeside him, pointed down to his jacket in the empty seat,and offered aslysmile.

The sight of it all evokedstrong feelings of jealousy in Ava’s gut.

She wanted to turn on her heels and walk out, but something about being all dolled up and already there glued her heels to the strip of burgundy carpet beneath her.

What the hell are you doing, Ava? Have you seen that body?He can have any woman he wants!

Despite still feeling the burning sting of all of the cheating, she had to remind herself thatWill Jessup was not her ex-husband. It wasn’t right to assume that Dan’s failure as a husband equated to Will not being a stand-up guy. Hurricane Ava had thoroughly ravaged her own life with resoundingwaves of emotional mass destruction. She’d found herself unemployed and divorced in the wake of the shit-storm of accidentally un-ended Zoom calls and botched job interviews.She wasn’t about to let herself implode all of this, too. She wasn’t ready to add another casualty to the list.

Ava stepped forward, feeling the intense desire to reclaim all that she wanted from life.

Will said something, and the blonde’ssmile faded. A moment later, she slunk back toher gaggle of awaiting girlfriends.

Maybe… just maybe… heisone of the good ones.

A smirk spread across Ava’s facejust as Will’s startlingly blue eyes settled on her across the crowd. He waved her over with a smile.

---