Page 63 of Fake-Off with Fate
ASHLYN
Jamie Hayes should comewith a warning. Something along the lines of,This man may cause your knees to buckle, your heart to beat in overdrive, and your imagination to take wild flights of fancy.
Sitting on his sofa drinking champagne with him last night made me feel secure and reckless at the same time. But mostly reckless. So much so that I made a lame excuse to leave after only one glass. Had I stayed any longer, I might have thrown myself at him and begged him to love me.
I’m proud I didn’t do that. At thirty-two years of age, I’ve learned not to take stupid risks regarding members of the opposite sex. Those risks include getting involved with men who’ve had a sketchy work history—I’m no one’s sugar mama; falling for a guy who’s recently broken up with a long-term girlfriend—I’ve been the rebound girl and will not do it again; and finally, I will not date geographically undesirables. The longest distance relationship I ever tried was with a guy who lived in San Diego and believe me when I tell you, there’s nothing romantic about sitting in traffic hoping to get to your destination before midnight.
So far, Jamie is two out of three on my “Don’t” list. He mightsay he’s over Allegra, but the woman came to Maple Falls on a quest to win him back. That says how determined she is, and quite frankly, I don’t know him well enough to go to war for him. Which brings me to the fact that he lives in Washington, which is like ten times farther away than San Diego.
I know I said I’d go to the Ice Breakers inaugural bash with Jamie tonight, but I’m currently trying to devise a believable enough excuse to get out of it.
Trying to take my mind off my worries, I scroll through my dad’s messages and return as many of them as I have the answers for. I don’t respond to the twelve from Phillip. I’ve tried everything, including a fake snake infestation, to get that guy off my back, but he’s apparently the most determined mayoral assistant on the planet. He’s like the superhero of nerds with no risk of Marvel ever reenacting his life on film because his only power is that he’s massively annoying.
Next, I check my texts. The first one is from my landlord, and it sends shivers of dread up my spine.
Habib Brock
Hey Ashlyn, I’m not sure if you’ve been watching the news but the Hollyway fire is heading in your direction. There’s no threat of evacuation yet, but you might want to pack a bag just in case.
The Hollyway fire? What in the world? After a quick Google search, I discover while I’ve been trying to save Maple Falls, three different fires have started in Los Angeles. That may sound like a lot, but October is fire season in LA. As such, it’s likely that a dozen fires will start and most will be put out before becoming a danger to anyone.
I’ve personally been evacuated from two different rentals in the last ten years, and my possessions have remained untouched by disaster. Even so, I figure, I’d better talk to someone on the ground and see how things are going.
I hit the button with my friend Amber’s face on it and wait for her to answer. She doesn’t, so I try my friend Callie.
Callie picks up after one ring. “I’ve been thinking about you since I got up, but we just got the word that we’re the next block to be evacuated.” Callie only lives two miles from me.
“Cal, I’m in Washington. I’m not even home.” I’m starting to sense that my life is turning into Dante’s third ring of hell. First with the Maple Falls disaster—which is how I view Alexander MacDonald—then my parents getting hit with a hurricane, and now my house is in a potential fire path. I must have been an evil dictator in a past life.
“Dillion, get the cat in the crate!” Callie shouts. “I’ve got his food packed, but you need to get him before he crawls under the bed, and we can’t get him out.” Then she tells me, “I need to go. There are a million things to do, and I don’t want to leave behind anything important.”
“Is it that bad?” Angelinos are notoriously unruffled in the face of disaster. We handle earthquakes like they’re a fun ride, fires like a BBQ opportunity, and riots like another Friday night. As such, her obvious anxiety has me on edge.
“Honey,” Callie says, “it’s not good.”
“Should I come home?”
“If the Santa Anas shift in your direction, you’ll never make it in time. If they don’t, you’ll be fine.”
“Do you want to go to my house?” I ask her. “My landlord says there’s no word of evacuation yet.”
Callie is quiet for a minute before she says, “You know what? Yes. We were going to go to Dillion’s parents’ in Pasadena, but Sammy hates their dog. Is your key still under the planter?”
“Yup,” I tell her. Not only am I happy to help a friend, but I’m relieved to know someone will be watching out for my stuff. “Keep me posted on any new developments,” I tell her.
“Will do. Gotta go.” She hangs up abruptly.
All thoughts of trying to get out of going to the ball tonightleave my head. Jamie is comforting in a crisis and right now I could use some of that.
Getting into the shower, I give myself permission to have a wonderful time tonight without caring that Jamie can never be the one for me. Heck, I’ll be too busy worrying about the fires in LA to add him to the list.
After standing under the rain dial for long minutes, I dry off and do my hair before putting on my makeup. I was only planning to be here for a week, so I didn’t bring any nice dresses. Checking out my mom’s closet, I find two possibilities. A silky red number with a plunging neckline and a high slit, and a black cocktail dress with a scooped back. I’m in awe my mom has kept her figure in such good shape and can only hope that I’m still wearing dresses like this when I’m her age.
I decide to go with the red dress because it’s more of a standout, and even though Jamie and I aren’t dating for real, I want to make him proud. After finding a matching pair of shoes, I dig through my mom’s jewelry box and accessorize with her gold and ruby earrings. My life in LA is way more casual than this so I feel like I’m playing dress-up like I did when I was a kid.
Looking at the clock, I realize I have a half-hour before Jamie picks me up. I consider popping over to see Clara, but thirty minutes is no time to catch up with an old friend. Also, I might see her at the event tonight.
I’m about to sit out front on the porch swing to wait when my phone rings. “Hello?”
