Page 11 of Discerning Blake

Usually, hiking is a great way to clear my head. But today I feel like it’s getting more and more stuffed, and it’s difficult to parse my emotions.

I’m pissed at Ethan. Two months ago, when I found out about his affair and begged him to tell Amelia as soon as possible, he swore to me that Chase was his number one priority. That he didn’t want his son to feel abandoned. That he didn’t want Chase to lose his home.

But it seems that Ethan doesn’t care anymore who he knocks down in his rampaging mid-life crisis. Well, I’m not helping him anymore. I kept his secret back then because I wanted to give him a chance to do the right thing, to fix his marriage if that’s what he wanted, or end it amicably if he still wanted out. But I’m not going to stick by his side as he hurts everyone around him.

I’ll be his friend because friends don’t abandon each other in their time of need. But at this point, I think the best favor I can do him is calling out his bullshit.

Seeing Amelia so defeated this morning was hard. She looked like an empty shell of her former self. The old Amelia was a ray of sunshine. She was positive and chatty and made everyone around her feel better just by being there. And she’s always been careful with her appearance. Seeing her come to work in leggings, no makeup, her hair pulled back in a messy bun… It’s just not who she is. But the worst was the look in her eyes. Seeing those soft brown eyes devoid of joy nearly broke my heart.

I’m realizing just how bad of a friend I’ve been by staying away. I didn’t want to impose. I thought she might not want to see me. But if all her friends feel that way—because really, all of her friends are Ethan’s friends—then she’s been going through this alone.

Her soft laugh carries in the wind. She’s walking and chatting with Claudia and looking more and more like her old self. I want to hit myself. It’s Amelia, of course she’s not going to feel better on her own. She needs people around her that love and support her. And she has those people, they’ve just been avoiding her.

Well, I for one am done with that.

Her cheeks are flushed, and I wonder if Claudia’s been passing her the flask too.

The tourists and Amelia get back in their vans, and we make plans to meet at the Den. I rush out of there, pushing my truck to the limit of what it can handle on those small dirt roads. I need to get there before them.

I run from the parking lot to the pub.

It’s a quiet Wednesday morning inside with only a few regulars, mostly drinking coffee. Bryce is behind the bar, talking to Luke, who’s sitting on my favorite bar stool raising his beer to clink with Bryce.

He nods when he sees me. “Hey Blake, come cheer his last birthday before the big four-oh.”

I slap Luke on the back. Luke, Ethan, Wyatt, Garrett, and I have been best friends since kindergarten. We were all in the same class together. It’s rare in such a small town for so many kids to be the same age, and especially all boys. It bonded us for life. And when we were teenagers, Bryce, who’s three years younger, joined the group.

“I will.” I go behind the bar. “The tourists are coming here. I said I’d pay the first round. Where’s Charlotte?”

“In the back,” Bryce says, the humor gone from his face. “I sent her to do inventory. She can stay there. I can handle a group.”

“Good, because I’m sending her on an errand. Amelia’s coming.”

Bryce’s face lights up, and an uneasy feeling travels through my gut.

I go into the storage room.

Charlotte smiles brightly at me as I come in. “Hey Blake.”

She’s been sucking up ever since I found her and Ethan making out in the alley and discovered their secret.

“Hey. I need you to go pick up a couple crates of beer from the Pinecrest Brewery.”

I take out my wallet and hand her a couple of bills.

“Now?”

“Yeah, it’s urgent. And take the back exit.”

She shrugs but does as I ask.

By the time I walk back into the bar, the tourist group has taken over the five tables at the back of the pub.

Bryce and Amelia stand in the middle of the room, hugging as though they haven’t seen each other in years.

Again, I get that funny feeling in my stomach. It’s dumb. It’s just that… she didn’t hug me when she saw me.

But it’s Bryce. He has that effect on women. He has this friendly charm that makes them all want to be his friend. It’s a gift and a curse, because he has a hell of a time convincing the ones he likes to be more.