“So, why did you tell Asher a year ago and not me?” I ask.
Dad shakes his head. “Your brother had just met Grace and was feeling a lot of what you are now, I suspect.”
He’s watching me, waiting for my reaction.
“Wait. You don’t think?” Is he saying what I think he’s saying?
Dad nods his head yes. “I do think. It’s in our blood, son. When you find ‘the one’, you can’t control it. Instead, you need to embrace it and hold on with everything you’ve got.”
“I just…I don’t even…” I stop and take a deep breath. “Beth.” I say. “You didn’t have this talk with me when I told you I was going to ask Beth to marry me.”
“Nope,” he says. “I didn’t. Do you know why?”
He doesn’t give me time to answer.
“She wasn’t the one. When you talk about Tatum, even though you’re fighting what you feel, your eyes light up. I bet your heart even races at just the thought of her, or even from just hearing her name. That didn’t happen with Beth.” He shrugs.
I’m stunned speechless. What do you say to that? My dad just schooled me, and even though I hate to admit it, he’s right. “I never felt half of that with Beth. I cared about her, but she never—”
“Life is all about choices, Blaise. You can choose to take the next step in a situation because it’s what you think is the right thing to do. You can also choose to follow your heart. Let it lead you.”
Finding my voice, I ask, “Is that what you did? Followed your heart?”
“Yep and look where it led me. I have the most amazing wife who blessed me with three amazing children. I wouldn’t change a single day.”
“I barely know her,” I try to reason.
“I’m not saying you have to marry the girl tonight. Just let your heart lead you. Spend some time with her. If the feelings remain the same—” laughter from the other side of the fire interrupts us.
We both look to see what’s going on. Ember, Tatum, Leah, and Grace are all dancing around the fire with S’mores in their hands. They all look so happy and carefree. I zero in on Tatum. Her green eyes shine with laughter in the firelight. The sight of her takes my breath. I can’t tear my eyes away.
It’s not until I feel Dad slap my shoulder and chuckle that I do, reluctantly.
“She just took your breath away, son. Do you need any more confirmation than that?”
Wait? What? “How did you—?” I ask his retreating form. I watch him as he walks over to Mom and wraps his arms around her, kissing her cheek.
My eyes drift back to Tatum. I still think she’s cast a spell on me.
Walking into work the next day, Nancy greets me with a warm smile. That same warm smile I’ve grown accustom to since I started here. “Good morning, Tatum,” she says brightly.
“Good morning, Nancy. Thanks again for inviting us to the party. We had a lot of fun,” I tell her. “I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning, but duty calls.”
“I’m so glad you made it. We can be a lively bunch,” she says with so much affection in her voice. “So, Ember tells me the two of you are going to be roomies.”
I shake my head in agreement. “I’m moving in this weekend. Brent is off all weekend, so he and Leah are helping me.”
“Oh, well I’m sure one or all three of the Richards men would be happy to help.” She holds up her finger while dialing the phone with the other. A brief pause and she starts talking into her headset. “Steve, honey, can you tell me what y’all’s schedule is for this weekend?” She smiles at me. “Well, Tatum is moving in with Ember and I was wondering if any of you had the weekend off to help her move.”
“Nancy, I—” She thrust her finger up again, telling me to wait a minute. I can’t help but smile.
“Okay, dear. Would you please? Great! I’ll see you at home later. Love you,” she says before hitting end on the switchboard.
“Blaise is off. He was in Steve’s office and said he would be happy to help you move,” she says, beaming.
“Oh, no, that’s not necessary. Brent and Leah—” She holds up her finger.
“Nonsense. Brent and Blaise can do all of the heavy lifting while you girls supervise.” She winks.
I don’t bother to argue any further. If I’ve learned anything these past few weeks, if Nancy sets her mind on something, there is no talking her out of it.
Instead, I say, “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
Nancy motions me away with her hands as she answers the next incoming call.
As I walk to my office, I can’t help but be a little excited to get to spend more time with Blaise. After the fireworks were over, I didn’t see much of him. He was there by the fire, but he spent most of the time talking to his dad. After that, he just sat around the fire, sipping his beer and taking it all in. I know because I watched him from afar. Several times our eyes met, and I had to dig deep to turn away from him.
Must. Resist. Temptation.
Easier said than done with those sexy silver eyes and a smile that causes butterflies deep in the pit of my stomach.
The day flies by. I’m staying busy getting up to speed and working on marketing programs for different areas of the city. I might have also been thinking about tattooed arms and silver eyes.
Shutting down my computer, I turn out the light and head toward the main lobby.
“Tatum, wait just a second. I have something for you.”
Nancy walks from around her desk carrying two cardboard boxes. “I cleaned out the storage closet and thought you might be able to use these.”
“Thank you, that’s perfect.”
My boss, the Mayor, or Harry as he insists I call him, is leaving as well. He studies Nancy and me; then looks at the boxes. “Going somewhere?” he asks, concern lacing his voice.
Surely, he doesn’t think I’m leaving Tennessee already? Nancy answers before I do.
“Tatum is going to be Ember’s new roommate.”
I can visibly see him relax. “Well, that’s great. Since tomorrow’s Friday, why don’t you take the day off to pack? It’ll give you an extra day to get settled. This has been an off week with the holiday anyway. We’ll hit the ground running on Monday.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” I tell him.
“I insist. Take the day. I’ll see you on Monday,” he says to me. Turning to Nancy he says, “You too. You work too hard and need an extra day. I’ll have Donna come in with me tomorrow and she can cover the phones.”
Donna is his wife. Nancy mentioned that sometimes she covers when Nancy needs the day off. I offered for her to train me and I would be happy to cover for her as well.
“That’s very thoughtful of you. Thank you,” Nancy says.
“Yes, thank you. Are you sure?” I ask.
“Positive, now be gone,” he laughs. “Enjoy your weekend. I’ll see y’all Monday.”
With that, he turns and walks out the door. I turn to Nancy. “Wow. That was nice.”
She smiles. “He’s great to work for. This is truly a family environment,” she says, placing her hand on my shoulder. She knows there is something in my past. She knows my parents are gone, but I didn’t tell her how. I can’t think about that day for a multitude of reasons. My nightmares are less frequent, but still there. I don’t try to decipher why I told Blaise, well not everything, but he knows about the accident. I haven’t told anyone the details. That’s a conversation I don’t think I could live through.