Page 70 of Smokeshow


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A crooked grin touched his face, and he flashed one of his dimples. “A couple,” he replied. “How’s Fort Blaise?” he asked me.

I frowned but realized he was referring to the fact that Blaise did live down a long dirt road and had an iron privacy fence around his house. I smiled at the thought of them calling it Fort Blaise.

“Good,” I replied, not wanting to talk about Blaise with him. It felt like I was doing something wrong now. “I’m going to the club with Melanie,” I told him.

“Ah, yes. She’s got you for a few days. She’ll want to make the most of it,” he said. “I’ll let you get ready. But tonight, if you’re back in time, a group of us are going to the movies. You’re welcome to join. Better than sitting here, alone.”

The movies. I hadn’t been to the movies since my last date with Hank. The more things I did, the quicker time would pass. Staying in this room alone would make three days feel like an eternity.

“I’d like that,” I told him.

He gave me a full grin then. “Cool. You can ride with me,” he said. “Trev has a date and needs to go pick her up first. Declan is bringing some friends, so we will meet them there.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight then,” I replied before closing the door and going to change into the outfit Melanie wanted me in.

Twenty-Nine

When Melanie introduced me to friends of hers at the club, she didn’t mention Blaise, but several times, one of them would say something like, “You’re the beauty who has won Blaise Hughes’s attention.” Or, “Garrett has mentioned you. He is so pleased you’re dating Blaise.”

Melanie always controlled the conversations, so I never had to say much. This wasn’t a world I saw Blaise in. Not after seeing the people he had over to his house. His group of friends didn’t look as if they’d walked out of a country club. Even at the gala, Blaise had had an air about him that was edgy, wild, untamed. Nothing like the people his father surrounded himself with. I did enjoy getting to see this side of his life though.

Garrett wasn’t someone we ever discussed. It was interesting to me that his father cared who Blaise dated. He had known my mother. Melanie had known my mother. Yet I still knew very little. I’d tried bringing it up more than once with Melanie, and she always changed the subject or skirted over it. Never giving me the details I wanted to know.

While we were shopping, Melanie insisted on buying me two different dresses, which I tried to decline, and a pair of heels she swore I would need if I was going to be accompanying Blaise to events. Again, something I hadn’t thought about. He never talked about this world, but then again, we were new. This was all new.

It was after five when we arrived back at Moses Mile. Saxon had texted me that we were leaving at six to go get dinner before the movie. I wanted to change into something else, but I wasn’t sure if I had time. Melanie went directly to the kitchen to speak with Mrs. Jolene while I hurried to the bedroom with my new clothes. I found a pair of navy-and-white checked shorts and a top to match, then slipped on a pair of sandals before taking my hair down.

I almost walked out of the bedroom without my phone, but remembering Blaise’s insistence that I take it, I slipped it into my pocket and headed for the door. Saxon was coming down the hall from his room, and I waited on him to catch up to me.

“Enjoy your day?” he asked with a smirk, knowing it wasn’t my thing.

I shrugged. “Who doesn’t love mimosas, rich-people gossip, and spending five hundred dollars on a pair of heels?”

He laughed then. “Sounds like my mom.”

“I just hate her spending the money on me,” I admitted.

He didn’t look at me when he said, “I wouldn’t worry about that.”

We walked out to the garage entrance, and once inside, Saxon grabbed a key fob from a box hanging on the wall and pressed it. A black sports car’s lights flashed, and he grinned at me. “Dad is letting me take the Porsche.”

The inside was red leather, and it was tiny. Good thing no one else was riding with us. I didn’t think they’d fit. Saxon turned on some music from the Spotify app that appeared on the screen, then pulled out of the garage and headed for the main road.

“Trev was glad to hear you were coming. He’s been worried about you,” he said, cutting his eyes to me. “You know how he feels about Blaise.”

I nodded. “Yeah, they aren’t real close, but there is more to Blaise.” I knew I sounded defensive, but I felt like they didn’t really know him.

“You mean, he’s not always a controlling asshole?” Saxon asked me, but the humor in his tone made it clear he was teasing me.

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed. “No, he’s not. Surprised me too, trust me,” I replied.

“I’ve seen him with Angel,” Saxon said. “I know he’s not.”

I was surprised he’d mentioned Angel. “You know Angel?” I asked him.

He nodded. “Yeah, of course. She moved in at the Hughes Farm when I was seven. I knew her before the accident too. She and Blaise were always together.” He paused then and cleared his throat. “Anyway, yeah …”

When he didn’t say more, I was disappointed. Blaise had told me about everything. I just wanted to hear more from someone else’s point of view.

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