Life After Perfect Read online

  A wide grin spread across Katy’s face. She looked him right in the eye. “That’s you? How fun.” She clapped along with the crowd, then asked, “What’s turnout gear?”

  Patrick shouted, “Y’all cheer Derek on. Let’s get him to come up here for a minute. Y’all need to meet this guy while he’s still champion. Because that title just might be going to someone new here shortly.” Patrick encouraged the crowd to cheer, and they did. “Get over here, Hansen.”

  Derek felt a blush rush his cheeks.

  Katy’s smile made him grin. How could he say no to that? “Will you wait here?”

  “Sure.”

  Her energy pushed him. “I’ll be right back.” He rushed off, then took one quick look back, praying she’d still be standing there. She was, and for a moment he didn’t feel like the lonely guy that started out here this morning. He could get used to that.

  Katy watched Derek make his way to the roped-off area in front of the tent. She worked her way closer, watching as Derek carried over a bundle of equipment. One of two that had been prepared especially for the Turnout Gear Challenge.

  His muscles flexed as he reached the guy with the microphone and placed the equipment down. That conjured up a few wolf whistles from the ladies in the crowd.

  Even Katy was a little tempted to whistle.

  “Yeah, so this huge bundle is what each of us has either at the station or in our personal vehicles, or both, so we are prepared to gear up and go to your rescue.” Patrick winked at a young blonde in the front row and took her hand. “Come see how heavy it is.”

  He played to the crowd, and did his share of flirting with the girl, who could barely lift the heavy bundle.

  “You’re going to have to be able to lift that if you want to be a firefighter, girl,” Derek said, leaning into Patrick’s mic. “You can do it. We have a couple of great gals on the roster.”

  “Tell them about what we have here,” Patrick said, handing off the microphone to Derek and abandoning him as he walked the girl back to where he’d found her.

  Katy wondered if Derek would flounder at the impromptu handoff, but he didn’t. He was a great speaker. “The fiberglass helmet, Nomex hood, bunker coat and pants, gloves, spanner belt, ax and boots . . . the whole getup. Every piece of this equipment serves a role in protecting the firefighter. It’s fun here today, but every second we can save in preparing to take action could be the difference between life and death.”

  Patrick jogged back over and grabbed the microphone from Derek. “How much do y’all think this gear weighs?” Patrick walked through the crowd, sticking the microphone in front of people’s faces for guesses. They ranged from as low as three pounds to three hundred pounds.

  “Derek here is the reigning champion. No one can get in or out of gear as fast as this fireman.”

  The girls screamed their approval, one shouting her undying affection for him. Derek blushed at the attention.

  Patrick waved his hand in the air to get them to quiet down for a minute. “Derek, tell them how much this stuff weighs.”

  “This gear weighs over twenty-five pounds, but we didn’t mention one of the most critical items. The SCBA. That’s our self-contained breathing apparatus, and it adds about another twenty pounds and gives us over thirty minutes of breathing time. So, altogether we’re talking fifty-ish pounds.”

  Someone from the crowd yelled, “We love you, Derek.”

  “Is your mom out there?” Patrick teased.

  “Apparently,” Derek said. He glanced her way and smiled.

  She waved to him; it seemed like all those squealing women were now looking her way with a little jealousy. The smile on her face wasn’t hiding how that made her feel, and when she tried to stifle it, she felt the dimple in her left cheek give her away.

  Patrick played up to the crowd. “Who will be back for the Turnout Gear Challenge?”

  The crowd cheered.

  “Good. Derek will try to protect his title, and he’s going to need some help, because did I mention who his competition is?” He looked at Derek.

  “No, don’t think you did, except for the million times you’ve bragged about it to me already,” Derek said.

  “That’s right, it’s me!”

  Katy laughed at how obviously uncomfortable Derek was with the antics of the other guy. If that guy jumped in the air for one of those belly-bumps, Katy knew she’d probably fall out from laughter. But she wouldn’t be surprised. Poor Derek.

  Patrick waved an arm in the air and shouted, “See y’all right here at one o’clock sharp!”

  Derek walked back over to Katy, his face still a little red, which she found cute.

  “A turnout gear race? So, basically you can get undressed and dressed faster than anyone else?”

  “Impressed?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said, and was he flirting with her?

  “It’s fun here, but it really is a critical skill.”

  “So, you’re a fireman.”

  He nodded.

  “Now I’m impressed.”

  “Don’t be. I can’t carve a bear with a chain saw.”

  “Have you ever tried?”

  “Yeah. It wasn’t pretty. Came out looking like a termite-ridden beehive.”

  “I’ve always been real fond of bees.” Okay, that just sounded stupid, but he was smiling. It was probably about time to move on.

  “Will you stick around?”

  “I don’t know. I—” I what? I’m married. My husband just cheated on me and I just need some attention to remind me that I’ve still got it? I’m flirting with you and you’re really hot, but this is not going to happen?

  “I’ve got to get over there and get ready. It won’t take long.” The guys yelled over for him, and he looked like he didn’t want to leave. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?” He flashed her a smile, as he started backing up. “I’ll show you how we dance in the streets around here later. It’ll be fun.”

  She smiled his way, but as soon as that little contest was over, she’d get lost in the crowd and disappear. It was the right thing to do.

  Maneuvering through the crowd, she jockeyed for a spot with a decent view of the competition.

  Derek was on the left and the other guy on the right, both at the ready, dressed in their everyday clothes. Only Derek was wearing cowboy boots, which had to be a disadvantage.

  At the siren, the Turnout Gear Challenge began and it happened so fast that it had barely been worth the time she’d spent to get to the front of the roped-off area.

  Derek was the clear winner, by a long shot, at an amazing thirty-six seconds. Both guys went from everyday clothes to ready-to-go firefighter, including the SCBA tank, in less than a minute.

  A different siren blared, and red emergency lights bounced from all corners across the crowd, while the song “Fire” by the Ohio Players came through speakers so loudly it probably filled the air for three city blocks.

  Derek pumped his fists in the air.

  Fifty-plus pounds of gear? It was a wonder anyone ever got rescued!

  While Derek changed out of his gear, the loser, Patrick, played up to the crowd like a stripper, carrying a boot to collect money for their fundraiser.

  Katy’s phone vibrated in her pocket. She slipped back in the crowd and jogged over to the side, hoping it was Shaleigh calling her, but when she looked at the screen, Ron’s face stared back at her.

  All the happiness and fun she was just having slammed to a stop in her throat, making it hard to swallow or breathe. That lighthearted feeling of being Katy, rather than Katherine, flagged.

  She silenced the ringer and made her way through the crowd over to the curb so she could sit down before her legs gave out on her. At least if she hyperventilated right there, across from the fire department display, there’d be someone to rescue her.

&nbs
p; Her phone made a buh-doop. He’d left a voice mail.

  Katherine covered the phone with both hands, hating that churning feeling in her gut. She stared at her hands, unsure she even wanted to hear what he had to say, but then it couldn’t be any worse than the go-round at her mom’s last night.

  She wanted to hate him for what he’d done. Wanted to so badly.

  Then a text came across.

  RON: You went without me? Sorry I was so late last night. Hope you’re having fun in HH. I’m stealing an afternoon to golf with Bart. <3 TTYL.

  He didn’t even know that she knew. Son of a gun.

  Her teeth clenched. Really? Here she was dealing with all of this emotion and he was still just gallivanting about?

  Golf? Was everything he ever said a lie? Hadn’t he already stolen an afternoon just yesterday? How many holes would he play today? Probably the same one as yesterday.

  She dropped her head back, staring at the beautiful blue sky, but feeling like a heavy gray cloud was about ready to rain on her like no tomorrow.

  She pushed herself up from the curb and headed for her car. If she had her bearings right, it should just be a block over.

  The crowd was thinning at the firemen’s tent so she slipped behind a huge big rig serving ribs and race-walked, distancing herself from the crowd.

  By the time she reached her car, her hand was so sweaty that her phone was slipping in her hand. Her heart raced, but probably not from the walk. She was in good shape. No, it was the adrenaline, fight or flight, and doggone if she wouldn’t like to fight him in a battle to the death right about now. Her throat was so dry that she couldn’t even swallow.

  She revved the engine on her car and headed back in the direction she’d come from. There was a McDonald’s on the first corner. She needed something to drink.

  Snagging a parking space in front, she went inside and headed straight to the ladies’ room. She pulled a handful of paper towels from the dispenser and cooled them under the water. She held them to her face, praying her heart would slow down.

  She needed to lie down.

  Her phone rang. She fished the phone out of her purse to see who was calling.

  “Shaleigh? Thank you for getting back to me.” Katherine stepped out of the ladies’ room and sat at a back table.

  “What is going on?”

  Katherine ran her fingers under her eyes, then spilled every last detail to Shaleigh. And when she finally took a breath, Shaleigh said, “Oh. My. God. I’m just not even believing this. Of all the married couples I know, I just always thought yours would be one that would last.”

  “Believe it. I have the pictures to prove it.”

  A decisive harrumph came from across the line, then Shaleigh said, “Good. Send me those right now before you say another word. I’ll wait.”

  “Hang on.” Katherine pushed the button for the camera roll on her iPhone and selected the pictures. “Okay, I just set it up to send as soon as we hang up.” Katherine hated to ask. Wasn’t even sure she really wanted to know the answer, but she had to. “Did you know?”

  “What do you mean?” Shaleigh’s voice held a distant hesitation.

  Would she even admit it? “I mean like Tucker. Everyone knew about Tucker except for Peggy. Did you know about Ron?”

  “Oh, Katherine. No, I wouldn’t have kept a secret like that from you. Tucker’s behavior was so blatant that it was clear Peggy didn’t want to know, regardless of what she’s saying now. But if I’d suspected Ron was up to no good, I promise I would have told you. We’ve always been upfront with each other. You know that. Now, are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

  “I’m positive.”

  “What did he say about it?”

  “I didn’t bother to ask. He’s just going to make an excuse, right?”

  “True. Most of them do, or come clean because they want to leave. So you just left, without a word?”

  “Well, no. I left a word. On his desk blotter. The word LIAR about two feet tall in lipstick.”

  Shaleigh laughed out loud. “You did not.”

  “I did. In ‘Through the Grapevine’ magenta. Tell me that wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Poetic.”

  “Yeah. Big ol’ kiss over top of the i . . . as in kiss my—”

  “I gotcha. You’re mad.”

  “Yeah, but here’s the kicker: I just got a text from him. He hasn’t even seen the message. Not only did he duck out with another woman, but he never even went back to the office. He thinks I just went to Hilton Head on my own since he and I didn’t nail down the trip together. He’s clueless that I left.”

  “Good. He’s playing wild and loose. Better for you. He’ll make mistakes.”

  “Mistakes? Yeah. He’s already made a few doozies, if that’s what you want to call them.”

  “Where are you, Katherine?”

  “A small town in North Carolina. Boot Creek. It’s off I-85. Somewhere.” She tried to place where on the big map she was. “North of Charlotte. Not even sure where I’m headed.”

  “You sound exhausted, honey.”

  “I am.”

  “I don’t guess you’d want to go back home and face him.”

  “No way. I’d like to just crawl into a cave somewhere and hibernate.”

  “So do it. Go get yourself a little room in one of those cute small-town inns and just sleep. Lick your wounds. Console yourself. Honey, you deserve it. You don’t have to put on a brave face. He’s the one that did you wrong.”

  Brave wasn’t how she felt. Mostly she felt like she was swinging from huddled mess to dangerously pissed off. Neither of which were particularly appealing.

  “It’s still hard for me to believe he would do this. We had plans. Big plans. I mean he had stuff planned out down to the month for things we’d buy, places we’d go, things we’d do.”

  “These things rarely make sense. I’ve got your back. He’ll be pleading for mercy before this is all over.”

  “Thanks, Shaleigh.”

  “I’m serious. Go get a room. Call me when you get checked in. You shouldn’t be driving around. I’ll handle everything from here, and I’ll let you know when we’re ready for some signatures.”

  “I don’t want to get into anything ugly with him. I just want out.”

  “That’s fine, but let’s not go giving everything away until you’d have had some time to think things through and we hear what he has to say. You’re hurt right now. There isn’t any hurry.”

  “That’s why I called you. I trust you.” Shaleigh was going to handle things, and that was a comfort.

  As soon as she hung up, the phone reminded her that those awful photos were on their way.

  She walked up to the counter and ordered a medium drink. After handing the gray-haired woman at the counter her money, she asked, “Are there any nice places to stay around here?”

  The woman’s eyes glistened in bright excitement. “Yes, there are. My sister owns a wonderful inn not all that far from here.” The woman leaned forward. “She’ll fix you the best country breakfast every morning. Part of the deal. You may not ever want to leave.”

  “That sounds perfect. Can you give me directions?”

  “I sure can. Heck, I’ll do you one better than that.” The woman pulled out a paper sack and drew a map on it. “Straight back out down this road. Then take these turns and you’re there. Her place is right on the creek. Lovely. And if you get lost,” she said as she scribbled a phone number below the drawing, “here’s my number. Tell her Nell sent you. Her name is Naomi. We’re identical twins.” The woman laughed and Katherine could picture that spry woman having a hundred memories of using her and her sister’s identical looks to trick people. She had that mischievous look.

  “Thank you so much.” Katy turned to leave, knowing this was just the first
step in leaving Katherine behind.

  Chapter Eight

  Just past the festival, the streets became nearly ghostly quiet.

  A gas station that looked like it had probably been there a hundred years or better hailed the cheapest prices off the interstate, and a large redbrick warehouse filled the whole next block. A roundabout with a huge statue in the middle seemed to only slow things down. Apparently, Boot Creek was home of the Grand Ole Opry Hall of Famer Dillon Laumann. A bronze statue of him in his younger days, complete with a fringed western getup, rose from a fountain with a small walkway around it. Katy circled the roundabout, then exited and went straight for the next three blocks, just like the woman had drawn on her map. Tiny stores nestled right next to each other with matching signs gave the street a movie set vibe.

  Each building was painted one of three colors, and every building had the same black chalkboard-looking sign above its door. Vivid colors popped, like in those drawings you did as a kid where you used every crayon in the box to fill up a piece of paper, creating a psychedelic place mat, then carefully covered it in black paint. Once it dried, you created a picture by scraping off lines in the paint, exposing a surprising rainbow of colors. Even a stick figure looked cute in that medium, and it was no different for the signs here. Cute, playful, and crisply uniform.

  The route on the little map on the hamburger bag sure didn’t appear as long as the drive was. Katy was beginning to think it might be easier to turn around, get back on the interstate, and drive to the next big town to find a Marriott. She had enough reward points to probably stay a month for free.

  Finally she crossed the bridge Nell had drawn on her map.

  Lush greenery hung over the side of the bridge from below.

  She slowed for the turn. The trees bent over Blackwater Draw Road like a tunnel. The digital display for the outside temperature dropped three, four, five degrees in just a matter of seconds as she made her way toward the shaded hillside.