Page 51 of Fake-Off with Fate
I don’t try to console her. She did make a mess of things, and I’ve paid a huge price for that. I abandoned my town and my team just to get away from the disaster she left in her wake. “If that’s all …” I say.
“Jamie.” Allegra’s tone is pure begging now. “If you change your mind …”
“I won’t,” I tell her with finality.
“I still love you.”
“Have a good life, Allegra.” I disconnect the call. How dare she contact me and ask me to see her? She must think I’m a complete fool to put myself in a position where she could hurt me again.
Getting out of the car, I feel the cool evening breeze on my face. Taking a deep breath, I fancy I can smell the change in season. I’ve only been in Maple Falls a short time, and I’m still not sure I’m going to ever feel like it’s my home, but right now I’m so glad to be here and not in New York, I could cheer.
Walking into the diner, Peggy calls out, “Jamie!” I love how I’m already on a first-name basis with both her and Shirley May.
“Hi, Peggy,” I say. “I placed an order to go.”
“Having supper with Ashlyn?”
One of the weirdest things to get used to is that there is zero privacy in this small town. “Why would you think that?” I ask.
“You got her favorite food,” the waitress says. “Plus, I heard that you and Ashlyn are a number. Good for you. You couldn’t find yourself a nicer gal.”
“You’re right,” I tell her. An image of Allegra pops into my mind and I realize that Ashlyn is so much better for me. It’s too bad she’s going back to LA and won’t ever be more than a friend. Yet, now that the press has picked up on our fake relationship, I need to play the part.
“Her parents will be happy to have her back in town,” Peggy says.
“I’m not sure she’s moving home.”
Peggy gives me a slow wink. “Of course she’ll move home. Long distance relationships are tough, and Ash is too smart for that kind of nonsense.”
After paying for our food, Peggy hands a brown shopping bag across the counter. “I put in extra pie for my girl. It really is her favorite.”
“That’s very nice of you, Peggy. I’ll make sure to make it up to you once the season starts. Maybe some rink-side tickets?”
“Oh, honey, that’s sweet, but I don’t like hockey.” She thinks for a beat before saying, “But if you get any basketball tickets, you let me know.”
It’s strange for a professional athlete to have someone be so nice to them when they’re not looking for some kind of payback. Long ago, I learned it was par for the course that people sucked up in hopes of a better favor being returned.
And even though I’ve only been in town for a short time, that has not been my experience with people here. They are genuinely nice to you because that’s just who they are.
Getting back into the car, I drive three minutes to Ashlyn’s parents’ house. I glance around the neighborhood before turning into her driveway. That’s when I see an older lady in the house across the street staring out her window right at me. I think about waving in greeting, but as we make eye contact, she lets the curtain sheers close in front of her. The shadow of her remains so I know she’s still watching.
I grab our dinner before getting out of the car and walking up to the front door. Ashlyn answers it before I can knock. “Iwas watching out the window,” she tells me by way of greeting.
“You’re not the only one.” I take a step back and point across the street.
Ashlyn huffs, “That’s our neighbor, Mary-Ellen McCluskey. She’s the biggest gossip in town. Within an hour, she will have called everyone she knows and told them that you’re here.” Suddenly Ashlyn’s face morphs into a smile. Stepping out of the house, she waves her hands and calls out, “Hi, Mrs. McCluskey!” A face appears in the window. Ashlyn gestures toward me. “This is Jamie Hayes. He has a meeting with my dad!”
The drapes on the window across the street fall back into place before the front door opens. “What was that, dear? I couldn’t hear you.”
“I said this is Jamie Hayes. He’s the captain of the Ice Breakers. He’s meeting my dad.”
I lean in toward Ashlyn and whisper, “This is a weird way to introduce me.”
She quietly responds, “Trust me, it’s the best way of dealing with a gossip. She’s less interested in the way she’s meeting you than in the fact that she’s getting details for the story she’s about to spread around town.”
Mrs. McCluskey calls back, “I hear that you and this man are dating. Is that true?”
“We’re friends,” Ashlyn tells her, neither confirming nor denying.
