Page 16 of Sundown Somewhere

I damn near spit out my beer, eyes going wide as I focus on Brenna cleaning a glass. Her expression matches mine, although she’s hiding it a little better since she can at least pretend to be distracted by doing the dishes. I cannot.

“I’m thirty-five, Mrs. Chamberlain. I’m not a spinster.”

“Oh, I’m not saying you are. You’re plenty young. There’s still plenty of time. Girls in your generation are getting married older and older these days.”

I simply nod, not having anything to say in response. Because how does one reply to that? You’re not a spinster, but damn close…

Brenna looks up from the glass she’s cleaning, biting down on her lip, not even bothering to hide that she’s horrified this conversation is unfolding before her. Mrs. Chamberlain doesn’t seem fazed though.

“I mean, the whole advanced maternal age thing is not near as much a concern. Science has done wonders with that. Women are having babies well into their forties now.”

Right…

If I wasn’t feeling shitty before, I am now. Mrs. Chamberlain is not doing a whole lot to make me feel any better about my life. Then again, I’m not entirely sure that’s her goal anyway.

“Oh, look, Tina Snider just walked in. She was having lunch with AnnaGrace Davis today. I should see how that went.”

She’s gone as quickly as she appeared, leaving me in a wake of backhanded compliments and judgment. My head is spinning, my feet hurt, and I want nothing more than to curl up in my own bed and forget that this is my life.

That me and my advanced maternal age are that much closer to spinsterhood.

“I’d offer you another beer, but I’m not sure that’s strong enough,” Brenna comments, her face still scrunched in horror.

Throwing back the last of the Blue Jeans I had, I shake my head. “Not even close.”

“Let me go get something from Brandt’s personal stash.”

“Don’t bother,” I tell her, pushing off the stool.

As good as I know whatever flavor moonshine is currently being stashed out back would be, that’s not going to do the trick either. Nope, what I need is to get out of here. I need to be alone.

“If Hux asks, I went home.”

Brenna nods, taking my glass, before turning to a group of people at the far end of the bar. The noise level kicks up a notch as I weave my way through the crowd, heading toward the door, fueling my desire to leave. I thought that facing the town at Reel Madness wouldn’t be too much trouble after slowly easing back into things via work. Guess I was wrong.

Meaning tomorrow is going to be a long day.

6

HUX

“It’s sundown somewhere, and she’s just waitin’ on me to find her.”

The vision is clear in my mind. Always has been. Beautiful girl, standing there, wrapped in the glow of the setting sun, her long hair blowing in the breeze, looking for the same thing I am. What it is about this vision, I don’t know. But it’s taken ahold of my insides, holding my heart hostage. I’ll know her when I see her.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Huxley,” Mrs. Chamberlain, my former math teacher and one of the town’s busybodies, chides. Standing in the middle of a crowd of people at Reel Madness, she doesn’t seem to care who is within earshot of her judgment. “Didn’t make sense when you were a teenager, makes even less sense now.”

I squint at her, not giving a single shit if it makes any sense to her. It makes sense to me. That’s what fucking matters.

“All I’m sayin’ is,” she continues, as if she doesn’t see my scowl. I know she does, same as I know she’s ignoring it. Has been for more than two decades. “Now that Dolly is single again, maybe you could consider retiring your tomcatting and become a one-woman kind of man. Finally see what the rest of this town has seen since y’all were little.”

I manage to hold back rolling my eyes. Although just barely.

“We’re friends. That’s all.”

End. Of. Story.

Mrs. Chamberlain should know; she played a major role in our pact.