Page 2 of Consumed By Fire
Today
It's nine pm and I can't find anything to distract me. I start checking the income and expense records for the month and my heart explodes with joy. Armstrong is indeed a small town and I never imagined so many tourists would stop by. After expenses, I'm over $5,000 in profit and I'm so proud of myself. I know it's not a huge profit but starting from scratch is like winning the lottery for me. My B&B Paradise is open all the time and on weekends or holidays, I'm all booked. That’s good, but I miss going to The Cannon. I used to spend my weekend evenings helping the girls and gossiping about the boys.
Now my evenings are made up of movies or books. I've always loved novels, as they make me dream. One day, maybe I'll have the courage to open my heart again, to live those loves that leave you breathless.
I've dated two guys after Logan, but the relationships didn’t last longer than two dates. They were more interested in something else and they were so boring, more taken by the cellphone than by our conversation. The last date still makes me smile. I got up from the table and had made it home before the jerk texted me to ask if I was still in the bathroom. It took him thirty minutes to become aware of my absence. Yep, that's my life…
It has been four years since I lost my baby and I still feel empty. I know that it wasn't my fault, that the first months are delicate, but I had already started imagining myself as a mother. Now I'm alone.
Dad stopped calling two weeks after I left since I never pick up his calls. I call him for Christmas, Easter, or his birthday, and he’s the only one to send me greetings for my birthday. We never talked about anything and it's better this way. They don't even know I've lost my baby. Nobody knows. It's my secret, my treasure.
The phone rings, surprising me. Who the hell is calling at this hour? I hope nothing serious has happened. I look and see Lacey’s name on the screen. We all need some crazy friends in our lives, and I was blessed with two of them: Lacey, my best friend and Kennedy. Kennedy is the sweetest badass I've ever met and she owns The Cannon, our local bar a.k.a., our gossip spot.
"Hi, sweets, what's up?"
"Hi, doll. I know it's late but I'm a bit messed up with Kennedy away. Could you come and help me?"
"Sure, give me five minutes and I'll be there,” I say.
I wear black jeans, Converse, a little make-up, and a large but light sweater. After braiding my hair, I put on a jacket, take my bag, and go to The Cannon.
The parking lot is half empty, which is normal for a Thursday night.
I park the car and walk toward the bar. Ricky, the bouncer, has a cocky grin as usual.
"Hey, Charlie. It's been a while."
"I know, Ricky. Busy life," I say, shrugging.
"Yeah, I know. Have fun and if you need me, I'm right here,” he says, opening the door.
"Thank you, Ricky."
Entering, I see that there are not as many people as I expected, and definitely not so many as to need help with.
"Charlie, here you are! You’re such a love!" Lacey says, smiling.
"What's going on? It doesn't seem so crowded that you can't handle the situation."
"True, but I missed you. I haven't seen you for two days!” she says, hugging me, making me laugh.
I give her my jacket and bag and help her out at the bar while chatting.
"So, what's the news?” she asks.
"Dad called yesterday. He wanted to know how I was," I told her, rolling my eyes.
"You'll have to face them, honey. You've been putting off this thing for a long time."
"I know, but I don't feel ready."
She smiles at me and nods toward the table of guys from the fire station.
"Stop mating me with someone. I'm not interested."
"Who said that? I was just enjoying the view."
"Sure, the view..,” I say, bursting out laughing. Lacey is one of the first people I met here, and we became friends quickly. She loves to find me dates, which is sweet of her, but not necessary and sometimes annoying.