Starting Over in Maple Bay by Brittney Joy
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Hazel stayed up late baking double the amount of pastries she had the day before. Despite her lack of sleep, she had another wonderful day at the rodeo. Hazel spent the morning in the Perkup Coffee trailer, helping Myra. She genuinely enjoyed Myra’s company, as well as chatting with all the customers. When they sold out of pastries and coffee by noon, Myra decided to close shop early and prep her horse, Charm, for another barrel race that afternoon. During her ride, Hazel cheered her on from the stands, along with Jesse, the girls, and all of Jesse’s family. Grace and Charlie screamed the loudest when Myra won first-place and galloped a victory lap. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering the mercantile. The shops were full of beautiful handmade art, jewelry, and furniture. Hazel even bought a few things—an old black and white photo of two horse-drawn carriages parked along main street in Maple Bay, as well as an antique silver serving tray. She thought both would fit perfectly in the carriage house. Even if she couldn’t be the one to see the carriage house through to a bed-and-breakfast, she figured the art and serving tray would be nice decorative touches for when she staged the building and put it on the market.
Now, as she stood in Frankie’s bedroom, curling her hair for tonight’s barn dance, Hazel’s heart sank as she thought of selling the carriage house. Hazel had put so much of herself into the renovations. And she’d created memories that would last a lifetime—with Grace, with Frankie . . . with Jesse. Hazel could see her and Grace staying there, making the carriage house their home. Hazel would love to run a bed-and-breakfast—to rent out the four rooms, to wake up early every morning and make a glorious breakfast for her guests. Furthermore, she would have her very own home that overlooked a beautiful lake, was surrounded by a sweet town, and could be filled with even sweeter family and friends. And, if she stayed, Hazel could have a real shot at a relationship with Jesse.
“Are you okay?” Frankie asked, breaking into Hazel’s thoughts. She was rummaging around in her walk-in closet. The kids were in the front yard, playing kick-the-can. Hazel could see them out the bedroom window and faintly hear their laughs.
“Yeah,” Hazel replied, setting the curling iron down on the dresser and brushing away her conflicted thoughts.
“You sure? You look like you’re trying to solve a Rubik’s cube in your head.” Frankie stepped out of her walk-in closet wearing a flowy sundress and cowboy boots that sparkled with crystals and studs.
“I’m fine.” Hazel gave her a soft grin. She didn’t want to upset Frankie. They were growing close, and Hazel didn’t want to remind her that she’d be selling the carriage house come fall. “By the way, you look gorgeous.” Frankie was a natural beauty. She was stunning in her everyday barn-wear, but today she looked like a country music star ready for the stage.
“Thanks,” Frankie smiled. “You do too. That green dress is absolute fire on you. Your eyes match your dress almost exactly. I don’t think you even need any jewelry other than some simple earrings.”
Hazel’s mom had packed a few things that Hazel didn’t think she’d have any use for during her time in Maple Bay. She was wrong and silently thanked her mom for having the insight to pack a knee-length emerald green dress she’d worn one time at a friend’s wedding. The top fell off her shoulders. The skirt swished at her knees. Her hair fell in curls down her back and she’d used lipstick for the first time since she left the city.
“It’s nice to get dressed up every now and then.” Hazel smiled.
“This is about the only time of the year Garrett sees me in a dress,” Frankie laughed. “And I don’t know what to do with my hair. I kind of forgot how long it is since I throw it in a ponytail every day.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked at herself in the dresser mirror.
“I could braid it if you like.” Hazel had become a braiding expert over the years, doing Grace’s hair any time she let her.
Frankie’s face brightened. “Sure.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and Hazel grabbed a brush from the dresser. She brushed Frankie’s strawberry-blonde hair which fell to the middle of her back. It was maybe a few inches longer than her own. Then she started weaving it into a fishtail braid.
“Do you want me to read another one of Mom’s letters while you braid?” Frankie asked.
“Not today.” The box of letters sat on the dresser. Hazel had brought the box over from the carriage house, and they’d read two of the letters together before getting dressed. In the past few weeks, Hazel and Frankie had read fifteen of Rose’s birthday letters. Sharing the experience had brought them close, threaded them together like a quilt. She looked up and met Frankie’s eyes in the mirror. They looked so much alike. The red tone of their hair. Their freckles. They had the same green eyes. Only now, their insides were starting to match their outsides. Frankie was starting to feel like a real sister.
“Tomorrow then?” Frankie asked.
Hazel continued weaving Frankie’s silky hair. “Yes, I think we should end the weekend with a campfire and s’mores. We can read a few more letters while the kids play a game.”
“Maybe a glass of vino?”
“Of course.” Hazel wrapped a hair tie around the end of Frankie’s braid. “I’ve still got that bottle of pinot at my place.”
“At where?” Frankie shot back.
Hazel looked up, meeting a lively look from Frankie in the mirror. “At my place,” she repeated, and instantly realized what she said. “At the carriage house, I mean.” She couldn’t believe how easily the words had rolled off her tongue, like she’d been living there for years.
“No, you had it right the first time. At your place.” Frankie genuinely smiled and held Hazel’s stare in the mirror.
“We should get going.” Hazel looked away, guilt riddling her, and moved across the room to grab the kitten heels she brought to wear tonight. “Jesse will be here any minute.”
Hazel sat on the bed, next to Frankie, to slide the black heels onto her feet. Frankie didn’t stay put. Instead, she disappeared into her closet again.
When she reappeared, Frankie was holding a pair of cowboy boots.
“It’s time you got your own boots,” Frankie said. “You and Mom were the same size. I think these need to be yours.” The boots were chocolate brown. Beautiful floral embroidery filled the tall shafts. Burnt orange and ivory flowers were delicately stitched into the leather, surrounded by emerald green leaves which matched Hazel’s dress. The boots were a piece of art.
“What?” Hazel choked out. “No.” She was taken aback by the offer.
“Yes.”
“I can’t.”
“You can,” Frankie insisted and brought them over to her. “Mom would want you to have them. I want you to have them.”
Hazel couldn’t find words.
“Put them on.” Frankie set the boots on the carpet, next to Hazel’s feet. Then she opened a dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of tall socks. She handed the socks to Hazel. “Here. You’ll need these if you’re going to be dancing in those boots.”
Hazel took the socks and picked up one of the boots. They were well taken care of. The leather was oiled and clean, but there were slight creases where the toe had been bent over the years—as Rose had walked, or danced, or rode a horse. Hazel ran her fingers over the creases and embroidery and thought of what Rose had said in her letters. Rose was born in Minneapolis, a true city girl until her finger landed on the map dot of Maple Bay. She moved to Maple Bay, by herself, looking to start her life anew. It was in Maple Bay that she found family and eventually found herself. Hazel and Rose were more alike than Hazel would’ve ever guessed. Knowing that, Hazel put the boot back on the ground.
Then she put the boots on. After the socks, of course.
They fit her perfectly.
“Now you’re officially a country girl,” Frankie said, and pulled Hazel into a hug.
Hazel hugged her sister back, tears welling in her eyes. She’d been walking in Rose’s shoes as she read her letters, but now, Hazel literally stood in her boots.
The dance was at an old barn on the edge of the fairgrounds. The barn’s weather-whipped wood and peaked roof were backdropped by swaying corn fields and the setting sun. Hazel wanted to take a picture, to remember the beauty and perfection of the evening. But more than that, she wanted to hold Jesse’s hand as they walked toward the dance. Her fingers itched to grab it, but she wasn’t ready to announce their budding romance to the whole town, especially because Grace was walking just a few steps in front of them, with Frankie and Garrett.
“You girls all look so pretty,” Jesse said as Charlie skipped a circle around them. She was toting hot pink leggings, a rainbow tutu, and cowboy boots. Hazel adored the fact that Jesse let his daughter wear whatever she fancied. “Stunning, actually.”
He caught Hazel’s eye and his stare forced her to face to warm. Jesse had nearly driven into the ditch a few times on the way over as he stole glances at Hazel. She felt like a queen. Maybe even a rodeo queen. Jesse had a way of making her feel like the center of his world.
“You’re looking pretty handsome yourself.” Hazel thought Jesse seemed even more tall, dark, and handsome tonight. His dark jeans and crisp black dress shirt showed off how lean and fit his work kept him. Her mind flitted to the other day when she’d seen him stacking haybales in the barn with Frankie. She caught herself gawking at his strong arms, and only looked away when he caught her stare and gave her a wide grin.
Charlie skipped between them. Noah chased her, giggling in his tiny Wranglers and boots. They wound around them again and made a circle around Grace, taunting her to chase them as well.
“I think you two need to get on the dance floor.” Hazel chuckled as the kids made another loop and they all entered the barn.
The old barn was open at both ends, a sweet summer breeze floating through. White lights hung from the rafters, casting a warm glow over a bustling, happy crowd. On one side of the barn, a flatbed trailer was decorated with streamers and balloons, serving as a stage for the band that was strumming guitars and filling the space with a fast-paced melody.
“And how about you, Miss Hazel?” Jesse asked as Frankie gathered the scampering kiddos and directed them toward the dance floor. A new song started, and the crowd was forming lines and synchronizing dance moves. “Do you know how to line dance?”
“This might surprise you, but Grace and I are pretty much experts at the Electric Slide and the Macarena.” Hazel had taught Grace and a few of her daughter’s friends both dances during a slumber party last year, and they’d danced the night away.
Grace laughed. “Mom, that’s not the same.”
“We just have to follow what the crowd is doing. It’s kind of the same.” Hazel squeezed her daughter’s shoulders. “Let’s try it.”
“If you guys can do the Electric Slide, you’ll have no problem line dancing.” There was a gleam in Jesse’s eyes. “Come on. Both of you.”
He took Hazel’s hand like it was the most natural reaction. Hazel’s heart jumped and for a second, she stiffened. Then Grace took Hazel’s other hand, and the worry eased right out of her. Jesse led them both to the dance floor, making a human rope that weaved through the crowd.
He pulled them right into the mix, and Hazel was happy to see the friendly faces she was coming to love. Frankie waved at her excitedly but didn’t miss a beat as she kicked up her heels next to her husband. All three of Frankie’s boys were lined up next to her, doing their own versions of what they thought they should be doing. Tommy was following along with the steps. Wyatt and Noah were jumping and wiggling their butts. A laugh bubbled out of Hazel at their cuteness.
Creed was behind them, dancing with a Hollywood smile. His thumbs were in his belt loops, framing the buckle he’d won at the rodeo. There were three women practically fighting to get the spot closest to him. He was eating up the attention. Evan was next to Creed, belly laughing at something he’d just said to his friend. At the front of the pack, Myra looked to be leading the whole crowd with some fancy moves and a couple of hoots. Even Joyce and Gene were kicking up their boot heels. Charlie was dancing between her grandparents, shaking her little tutu.
“You’re here!” Joyce sashayed over and gave Jesse, Hazel, and Grace each a grandma-sized hug. Her short silver hair was curled tight, and her red lipstick accented her checkered shirt. She left a mark on Grace’s cheek where she kissed her.
“Just in time for my favorite song!” Joyce took Grace’s hand and pulled her right into the mix of family. Hazel almost cried at the sight of it.
Hazel had learned a lot about Joyce through Rose’s letters—what a kind, caring, and accepting friend she’d been. She’d taken Rose under her wing and shown her the love Rose had never received from her own family. Hazel had learned that Joyce and Rose were like sisters, even though they hadn’t grown up together. One day Hazel wanted to share Rose’s letters with Joyce so she could see her friend’s words for herself.
But now? Now she would dance.
Jesse fell right in line next to Garrett, and he obviously knew the dance moves. He jumped right into the steps, but then slowed and broke down the pattern for Hazel.
“Kick and kick and kick and kick.” Jesse tapped his boot heels out, alternating legs. “Then crossover, rock back, and face the next wall.” He did the pattern again and Hazel loved seeing this side of him—footloose and fancy free. Not to mention, sexy. Hazel had no idea how good line dancing could look on Jesse, but he was a sight to behold—all bright smile and confident dance moves.
Hazel followed Jesse and by the next round, she had it. She fell into step with Jesse and all of Maple Bay. They kicked and stomped to the beat of the music, letting all their cares float away. After the last note, Hazel cheered and clapped for the band, along with rest of the crowd.
The lead singer tipped his cowboy hat and put a hand on the microphone. “All right, ladies and gents. It’s time to slow it down for a few songs, so grab that special someone.”
Hazel’s hands were at her chest, clasped together in post-clapping mode. They felt glued there as the slow song started and everyone paired off. Gene sashayed Joyce into a slow two-step. Frankie wrapped her hands around Garrett’s neck. Creed picked up Charlie and put her on his hip. She giggled as he carried her into a dance. Evan twirled Grace.
“May I have this dance?” Jesse asked.
Hazel wasn’t sure she could mask her growing feelings for Jesse if she was wrapped in his arms, but she nodded. He took her hand and led them into the beat.
Frankie laughed and Hazel looked at her sister, grateful for the distraction. Garrett was leaning down, close to Frankie’s ear, and had said something that sent them both into wide smiles. They were tangled up around each other.
“They really are in love, aren’t they?” Hazel asked, but knew the answer.
“Have been since the eighth grade.”
“Really?” She looked back at Jesse.
“Really.”
“I wasn’t sure because he hasn’t been around much. They spend a lot of time apart.”
“They’re both hard workers. And the past few years Garrett’s been putting in a ton of hours. They’re saving up to buy the excavating business from his uncle.”
Hazel gave a soft smile, longing for the type of relationship Frankie and Garrett had. Someone to navigate life with—through the good times and the bad. Someone that wouldn’t run when things got tough. Was it possible that Jesse could be that man? He was proving to be someone that held the qualities she longed for in a partner, but could they make a relationship work after Hazel moved back to the city? Hazel looked around, at Jesse’s family, at the life he had here in Maple Bay. She couldn’t ask him to give this up. That wasn’t even a question. And she needed to be where her daughter was—in Haven Hills and close to her father. The only way they could make a relationship work would be to do it long-distance.
“What’s on your mind?” Jesse whispered, and she ran her fingers over his strong shoulder.
Grace was ten years old. For the next eight years, Hazel would be tied to Haven Hills. She’d gladly make that sacrifice for her daughter, but she couldn’t ask Jesse to wait eight years to have a real relationship. Honestly, she couldn’t ask that of herself. She wanted a husband to share her life with—not just someone to spend a weekend with here or there. She wanted more kids. She wanted a family.
Hazel swallowed and shook her head. This wasn’t the place to say any of that, and when Charlie ran across the dance floor and attached herself to her dad’s leg, Hazel wasn’t sure her heart could take another whack. But she kept on dancing. The three of them swayed together, and as the song ended, Charlie looked up at Jesse with her innocent blue eyes and curly pigtails.
Then, with a big smile, Charlie yelled, “Daddy, kiss her again! Like you did in the truck!” Her little voice bellowed out just as the band stopped playing. Her words echoed through the crowd.
Hazel glanced up to find plenty of eyes looking her way. The most important were Grace’s. Grace’s brow furrowed in confusion, and when she turned and walked off the dance floor, Hazel let go of Jesse.
She cursed herself for getting lost in a fantasy. “I need to go talk to her.”
Jesse didn’t protest, but his glimmering smile had faded.
“What wrong?” Charlie asked. Hazel bent down to her, making sure Charlie didn’t get upset as well.
“Nothing, sweetie.” Hazel gave Charlie’s arm a little squeeze. “I’m just going to go talk to Grace for a few minutes, okay? You stay here with your daddy.”
Charlie nodded, but when Hazel left the dance floor, Charlie scooted after her. Hazel saw her out the corner of her eye and stopped, intending to gather Charlie and send her back to Jesse. Just then, a hand reached out of the crowd and landed on Hazel’s arm.
“I can take her to Jesse,” a pretty brunette woman offered. Before Hazel could reply, the woman scooped Charlie up and set her on her hip.
Charlie smiled at the woman, obviously knowing her. “Hi, Emily,” Charlie said, and hugged the woman’s neck.
Emily. The name resonated with Hazel, because Myra had mentioned an Emily in the coffee trailer yesterday. She’d said that Emily was the last person Jesse had brought to Sunday family dinner. Was this that Emily?
Emily reached out her hand. “I’m Emily. A friend of Jesse’s.”
Hazel’s stomach clenched, but she shook her hand. “Hazel.”
Emily cocked her head and wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t know Jesse was dating someone. At least, he didn’t mention that when I was at his place for dinner the other night.”
“The other night?” Hazel asked, dumbfounded. Jesse had dinner with this woman? At his home?
“A couple of nights ago.” There was a gleam in Emily’s eye that felt like a dagger. “And then we painted your nails. Didn’t we, Charlie?” She scrunched her face at Charlie. The little girl giggled and nodded.
Hazel was certain something had pierced her heart.
She managed a one-word response, “Oh.” Looking back toward the dance floor, Hazel got confirmation of her suspicions. Jesse was a stone’s throw away, standing still as a fence post. He looked like both feet were stuck in a sink hole.
Hazel looked back at Emily, feeling like the ground was swallowing her up as well. “Excuse me.” Then she went to find her daughter.