Page 55 of Fake-Off with Fate
I can’t seemto get Ashlyn’s parents out of my mind. The hurricane hit Barbados as a Class 5 storm and caused a historic amount of damage. Reports coming out of the island for the last week have been sporadic. As predicted, there has been no telephone service. The little news we’ve gotten has made it clear the damage is extensive enough that travel will not be possible for at least another week.
The upside, for me anyway, is that Ashlyn will be staying in Maple Falls. The downside, of course, is that she’s very worried about her parents.
My thoughts have been jumping all over the place today and briefly shift to hockey. Preseason practice has ended and we’re getting ready for our first game against the Great Lakes Vikings. The Ice Breakers are well on their way to being a finely honed team, and not just on the ice. We’re working hard to help the town raise the money needed to buy their land back.
Last week at the farmers’ market, I even got drawn into something called “Drenched for Defense.” They essentially sold buckets of water that people got to throw at some of my teammates. While I didn’t sign up for it, I still somehow got roped into it.
Ashlyn’s neighbor, Clara, has been working on building our social media presence, which we’re using to help promote the upcoming bachelor auction. Ashlyn and I continue to see a lot of each other. We mostly brainstorm ideas to help the town, but we still manage to find time to talk about ourselves. She’s mentioned on more than one occasion that she feels I should talk to Allegra in person. I’ve maintained that when someone cheats on you, they lose all rights to your time. She claims that three years should buy you a final meeting. We’ve agreed to disagree.
I’m currently sitting at Shirley May’s eating breakfast, thinking about the wild turn my life has taken in the last few months. I thought I had my whole future worked out. I was eventually going to marry Allegra, and then we would have had a family, and maybe a dog or some cats. We would buy a summer house in the Hamptons and the kids and I would travel with Allegra whenever she had a job. As much as I knew I would retire in a few years, I was just as certain that Allegra would not. Her identity largely revolves around her looks, and I assumed she would always need to be in the spotlight to be validated.
But now we’re no longer a couple, and I’ve left New York. Not only that, but I’m playing with a new team, and I have a new woman in my life. Even though Ashlyn and I are not romantically involved, she means more to me every day.
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t realize I have company until I hear someone demand, “What’s going on with you and Ashlyn Thompkins?”
I look up to find the mayor’s assistant looming over me. I don’t bother to let him know that I recognize him from the emergency town hall meeting. Instead, I ask, “Who are you?”
“I’m Phillip Bane. I work for Mayor Thompkins.”
“How is it any of your business what’s going on between me and Ashlyn?”
“The mayor is worried about his daughter. She’s going back to Los Angeles, you know.”
“If the mayor is worried, why isn’t the mayor the one talking to me?”
Phillip huffs loudly. “Mayor Thompkins is very busy trying to save Maple Falls. He’s asked me to talk to you.” Phillip sits down across the table from me.
“You’ve talked to the mayor, have you?” I ask. He’s obviously lying because Ashlyn hasn’t even been able to talk to her dad. I immediately feel the same loathing for this man that she does.
“I talk to himallthe time,” Phillip lies. “I’m his right hand.”
I wipe a small amount of pancake syrup off my mouth before asking, “And the mayor has asked you to speak with me?”
“Not in as many words,” Phillip says. “But I think you should know he isn’t happy about what’s happening between you and his daughter.”
“I see.” Stepping out of the booth, I stand up and tell him, “I suppose he should take that up with me directly then. I don’t talk to lackeys.”
“Lackeys?!” Phillip is offended, which was of course my intention. “I’ll have you know thatIam the next mayor of this town, and you should want to be on good terms with me.”
“I didn’t realize Mayor Thompkins was stepping down,” I tell him.
“I’m running for office when his term is up.” Phillip practically bounces to his feet like a fully wound jack-in-the-box. With his fists clenched at his sides, he appears to be contemplating getting physical.
“If I’m still in Maple Falls at that time,” I tell him, “I’ll be voting for your opponent.”
“You’d better watch yourself, Mr. Hayes.” As if this twerp could do anything to me.
Instead of continuing this ridiculous conversation, I simply drop a twenty on the table to cover my bill, and then I walk out of the restaurant. I’m about to fish my phone out of my pocket tofill Ashlyn in on what just took place when I run into the last person in the world I expected to see.
“Allegra, what are you doing here?” My chic ex is standing in front of me with a look of raw anticipation on her face.
“I told you that I wanted to talk to you, Jamie.”
“I told you there was no reason,” I respond.
“Yes, well, I’m here now.” Allegra is wearing boots with a three-inch heel, so she stands nearly eye-to-eye with me. “All I want is a few minutes of your time.”
“You flew across the country for a few minutes of my time?” I ask with astonishment. This is uncharacteristic behavior, as Allegra is the kind of person who lets the world come to her, not vice versa.
