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The jovial atmosphere fizzles all of a sudden. The girls’ eyes lift to above my head as if Sasquatch has just walked up behind me with bared teeth. I know who it is.
Not Sasquatch.
Jason.
I slowly turn around and glare at him. His grin inflames my anger. “What?”
“When willyoube singing?” He asks innocently. But there’s nothing innocent about his being here. He is determined to ruin everything good in my life now!
“What’s it to you?” I bark.
He shrugs as if he didn’t really care one way or the other. “Just asking.”
“Go home, Jason!” I snap. “To Denver! Get outta Deadwood! This is my new life and you’re not welcome in it.”
He puts on an incredibly talented display of hurt. A cougar who sat two tables over from us slinks up to him, runs a red lacquered talon down his arm, and purrs. “If she don’t want ya, sugar, I’ll take ya home.”
Jason tears his eyes off me, and turns to her. His mouth curls into an oily smile. He wraps an arm around the woman who melts into his side. “Why, thank you, Sweet Cakes.”
The two of them walk to her table and sit down, still entangled in each other like a serpent on a branch. Suddenly, I feel nauseous. Can’t he even come up with a different term of endearment? This hot-momma thinks she has won the prize?But I know better. Unfortunately. I turned back to my girls. “I-I need to go home.”
They stand as one and walk me outside. Mr. DJ’s amplified voice echoes behind us, “Hey! Wait! Are you gals not singing?”
We ignore him.
Kate rushes to her driver seat while Michelle, Cindy, Trisha, and Suzie ease me into the back as if I have a gun-shot-wound and am being transported to the hospital. “You want one of us to go with you?” Michelle asks.
I shake my head. “I just want to be alone.”
“Okay.” Michelle kisses my cheek and steps back. Trisha closes the Bronco’s door. I see them standing at the curb as Kate pulls away. I feel like a rung-out dish rag. All I want is to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.
Kate rolls into my drive way and jumps out to help me. I don’t know why I’m so weak. Could it be that Jason’s presence has sapped all my strength? We walk slowly toward my stairs. Looking up at the impossible distance to my front door, I wish there was an elevator.
“I don’t think I can do this.” I whisper to Kate.
“What’s wrong?” Blaze’s voice booms across the lot. Suddenly he is at my side.“Maribeth? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” I lie.
“No, you’re not.” He bends to scoop me up.
I feel his arms go around me, my legs swing up into the air. He is cradling me like a child and we are ascending the stairs. Kate trails behind us. Worry is etched into her crinkled brow.
Blaze reaches the deck and turns to Kate. “What happened to her?”
“It’s all my fault.” Kate sobs. “Her ex-fiancé was here and I didn’t know… I took him to her. Now he won’t go away.”
“He won’t leave you alone?” Blaze’s nose is inches from mine.
I nod. I don’t have the strength to explain.
He set my feet on the ground and takes my backpack purse from my shoulder. “You’re keys are in this side zipper, right?”
I nod.
He finds them and unlocks my door. The three of us shuffle inside. “Tomorrow, we change your locks and upgrade to some surveillance cameras.”
I nod.
