Page 108 of Blue Jean Summer

“Inside sources say that the investigation was, quote, a long time coming. The disgraced Virginia governor has yet to make a statement regarding the allegations of taking payouts, as well as the signed affidavits from the fifteen brave women who banded together to expose the behavior of a man many have slated as a presidential or vice presidential contender. Governor Grant’s office has called for a press conference this evening at six o’clock. Correspondents from WDBK-7 will be reporting live from the Governor’s Mansion.”

I peered around the corner as Hallie and Hayes stood in front of the TV, watching yet another report on the bombshell that had hit every major news outlet simultaneously. It wasn’t a trickle-down story that started locally and made its way to the national news.

It was everywhere, instantly.

The reports were chock-full of images of my father and the women he had taken advantage of, using money and power to eke out threadbare consent. I wasn’t surprised there were more women like my mom. Hell, there were probably more women and men like me—collateral damage to one man’s lack of self-control. But maybe that was the upside to the story coming out when it did. My mom was already resting in peace. She didn’t have to be subjected to mass scrutiny.

The floorboard beneath my foot creaked, and Hayes glanced over his shoulder. “Cath.”

Hallie grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

“Am I interrupting something?” I asked with an edge of irritation as I crossed my arms.

Hayes had been acting dodgy and avoiding me. I wanted answers, but it was hard to look intimidating when I was in shorts covered in paint, an old T-shirt I had stolen from Hayes, and ratty sneakers. My hair was in a knot on the top of my head, and I was fairly certain there was hay in it.

I had been working up at the cottage for the better part of the day, painting the trim and working on the landscaping now that the interior was refurbished and the ramp had been installed outside. Mason had worked his ass off to help me get it move-in ready. Thanks to some hired help, Levi’s extra set of hands, and Hayes pitching in, it happened faster than I anticipated.

“Not at all,” Hayes said as he abandoned Hallie. As soon as he took in my appearance, he pursed his lips to hide a smile. “You look like you worked hard today.”

The knot that had cinched in my chest when I walked in on yet another report of my father’s dalliances began to unfurl. I released a breath and rolled my shoulders, easing the ache. “Thank you for that very kind way of saying I look like shit.”

Hayes chuckled. “You don’t look like shit.” His nose twitched. “The smell, however…” He grimaced. “You smell like Dorothy.”

“Dorothy and I both take offense to that. But yes. We snuggled. Sue me.”

Hayes chuckled. “And here I was thinking that I was the only one you liked to snuggle with.”

“Shush!” I said as Hallie waltzed by, wearing a knowing smile. “Don’t you have work to do or something?”

“Clocked out,” he said. “You weren’t the only early bird today.”

Hayes’s discipline was one of the many things I loved about him. It was so easy to slip into the habit of working nonstop hours to try to level up. He wasn’t just regimented during his working hours. He was disciplined when it came to stepping away from his computer when it was time. I thought back to my days of nonprofit paper pushing. I’d be the first in the office and the last to leave. And where did that get me?

Shoveling cow shit out of Dorothy’s stall every morning.

But it also got me Hayes. It got me one more blue jean summer with months of firefly magic, cherry kisses, warm air, and mountain majesty.

But with every breeze that whispered down into the Shenandoah Valley, it felt like I was inching closer to my last breath. This thing between us had an end date, and it felt more foreboding not knowing when it was.

At some point, we would annul the marriage. I would pack up and move out of the estate house, and Hayes and I would become strangers again.

Even though the Learning Cottage was mine and I loved being hands-on with it, the goal was to make it self-sustaining, then repeat the concept across the state. Maybe even across the country.

Staying was never in the plan. The job interview I had in an hour was a stark reminder of that.

It should have been an exciting thought. I should have been thrilled. Hayes had given me a launching pad in exchange for a few months of serenity.

So why did the idea of expanding suddenly seem so lackluster? Why did the impending interview make me nauseous?

Before I could respond to Hayes, there was a knock at the kitchen door.

Hallie hustled to open it while Hayes and I peered around the corner. Warren Grey stood on the other side of the door. He politely lifted his cowboy hat. “Ma’am.”

“Hey, there,” Hallie said. “What can I do for you? I believe you’ve already written me a check this month.”

“Yes, ma’am. Is Mrs. Wilder around?”

It took me a minute to realize he was talking about me. I looked down at my paint-smeared shorts. I didn’t exactly look the part of “Mrs. Wilder” at the moment, but I didn’t think Mildred’s ghost would mind. She’d probably get a kick out of it.