“You’re worrying too much. She could hurt herself just as easily in the wheelchair. She nearly fell out of it yesterday when she was reaching for a glass on the kitchen counter.” Blaze stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “I don’t think you should spend all your vacation time here sitting with her. She truly eats like a rabbit, so I have all her lettuce and carrots on the bottom shelf of the fridge. She has drinks there too, and she can go to the bathroom by herself.”
“I worry because another accident could prolong the stay you agreed to without consulting me.”
“She showed up here broken and begging. What could I do, roll her into the street and say ‘good luck’? She’s in my house, and I didn’t ask you to get involved because you already have a lot of shit going on in your life.”
“When it comes to that woman, you and I have always been on the same page. I could count on you for that.” Ronnie stabbed a finger at Blaze. “You should’ve called me before you let her into our lives.”
“My life,” Blaze argued. “I didn’t plan on you taking care of her. I can handle this.”
“I don’t have any choice now!” Ronnie blew out a heavy breath and folded her arms. She softened her tone when she said, “I’ve been busy with work and the kids, and we rarely talk or see each other anymore. I’m sure you felt this was something you’d have to handle on your own, but you don’t. I’m not gonna let you deal with her by yourself. I just can’t understand what you were thinking when you let her in.”
Blaze couldn’t admit she’d actually felt sorry for their mother because she was still trying to work out why she had. “I’m curious. I want to know what that herbivore on my couch is all about,” she said nonchalantly. “I’m observing this alien creature to see what makes it tick. I don’t share any intimate details about my life with the subject. I don’t think she has the right to know me that way, and I don’t tell her anything about you. Exchanging of details is too intimate and could hamper my research. You can’t tell me you’re not curious too, because you wouldn’t be spending all your time here if you weren’t.”
“Stop trying to sound scientific, we both know science was one of your worst subjects in school.” Ronnie gave Blaze a playful nudge. “What’ve you learned so far?”
“She’s overly polite and eats a lot of lettuce. I don’t spend much time in the room with the subject because I haven’t adjusted to her being here yet. You spend more time with her than I do, what’ve you learned?”
“Not much. When I get here around ten in the morning, she’s in the kitchen eating a boiled egg and drinking coffee. She’s surprisingly strong and can get up on that one leg easily. Now that she has that scooter, she can maneuver a lot faster.” Ronnie narrowed her eyes as she thought. “She pretends she’s not listening when I talk on the phone, but later, she’ll bring up something I said. She’s watching us as closely as we’re watching her.”
Blaze nodded. “I know. I can feel her eyes on me all the time.”
“Clint doesn’t want the kids around her, and I kinda agree with him on that. They’ve never met her. How would I introduce them? ‘This is your grandma, don’t get attached, she won’t be here long.’” Ronnie folded her arms. “She doesn’t ask me about them. I don’t think she even knows I have three kids.”
“What do y’all talk about?”
“Simple stuff. Shows on TV, the news, the weather. Most of the time, we’re watching movies, or I’ll read a book while she thumbs through a magazine. It’s so awkward, but this is the most peace and quiet I’ve had since…I can’t remember. I’m really kinda enjoying that.” Ronnie started to fidget. “Did it suddenly get hotter out here?”
“No, it feels kinda nice. Let’s go inside and see what she’s doing.”
When Blaze and Ronnie walked into the kitchen, they found Chantal sitting at the table eating a salad and some sort of tofu concoction. She was wearing a pale pink collarless button-down shirt over a casual gray dress. Her light red, short hair was styled, and she had on makeup as she did every day. Chantal looked like an elderly fashion model about to take the runway, not someone recovering from an accident. Had Blaze not gotten a good look at Chantal’s ankle that had been screwed back together, she would’ve believed she’d been played for a fool.
“You’re home,” Chantal said brightly. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” Blaze said.
“I know what I have here doesn’t look very appetizing, but it’s quite tasty. I’ll be happy to share if you’d like to try it,” Chantal offered.
“I ate already and I’m allergic to tofu, but thanks,” Blaze said.
“Ronnie says the same thing. The two of you must’ve inherited food allergies from your father.” Chantal smiled as though she knew they were lying.
“I am a healthy eater,” Ronnie blurted out. “Unlike Blaze, the waffle addict.”
Blaze gawked at Ronnie. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having a waffle every now and then.”
“You eat them all the time, and you never gain a pound,” Ronnie retorted. “Your whole diet is shit. The stash of cookies you have in the pantry rivals the cookie aisle in the grocery store. Shitty eating catches up. It does, and one morning you’re gonna wake up, and that trim body of yours isn’t gonna look the same. God, why is it so hot in here? I have to go. Good night.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Blaze said and followed Ronnie out the back door. “What was that?”
“I’m just trying to take care of you,” Ronnie said as she marched down the porch steps.
Blaze followed and grabbed Ronnie by the arm as she rounded the side of the house. Her jaw sagged when she noticed tears in Ronnie’s eyes because her big sister rarely cried. “What’s going on? Did she say something to you about your weight? You’re still skinny like always.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Ronnie wiped at her eyes angrily and wouldn’t meet Blaze’s gaze. “I haven’t been myself lately.”
“Is it because of her?”
“Not just that. I’m gaining weight no matter how little I eat—I’m not skinny. I’m not myself, either. Things with Clint are worse, and I think it’s just the stress from that. I need to start running again. I haven’t been doing it lately, and that’s probably causing my weight issues.” Ronnie wiped at her sweaty brow with the back of her hand. “I just get so hot, and I feel like I’m going to explode.” She tried to smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry. See you tomorrow.”
Blaze didn’t release her hold on Ronnie. “I can take care of Chantal. You don’t need this added stress in your life.”
“You came home the other night wearing Carey’s shorts and horse balm on your chafed ass because, you had to take a bike ride to deal with your stress. No, you can’t do this alone.” Ronnie forced a smile and pried Blaze’s grip from her arm. “We’ll deal with this together. Stop worrying about me.”
“I’ll try,” Blaze said, bewildered as she watched Ronnie walk out to her car. She and Ronnie hadn’t spent much time together that summer. Busy with their own lives, they didn’t talk as much as they used to, either. Blaze wondered what was really going on with her sister as she walked back inside.
“Is Ronnie upset with you?”
The question caught Blaze off guard, and it took her a moment to come up with an answer. “She feels like she still needs to take care of her baby sister, and she worries about what I eat. She fusses at me every now and then. I’m about to go take a shower. Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, I’m fine, thank you.”
Blaze looked at the droplets of dried coffee on the floor where Chantal had spilled it while trying to maneuver her wheelchair and carry a cup at the same time. Blaze figured the mess would be far worse with Chantal trying to operate her knee scooter. “Just leave your dishes on the table when you’re done. I’ll pick them up later when I come down.”
“With the scooter, I should be able to—”
“I’ve got it,” Blaze said and walk
ed out of the room feeling Chantal’s gaze on her. She hurried upstairs to her sanctuary. She’d given Chantal the guestroom on the ground floor, but Blaze couldn’t stay in her own room downstairs knowing only a wall separated her from her estranged mother. She needed more distance than that.
Not only had Blaze allowed Chantal into her home, she’d stocked her refrigerator with the food Chantal liked to eat. She’d also put Chantal’s bathing stool in the shower of the master bath. Chantal had been there four days, and already Blaze was missing soaking in her giant tub with a glass of wine. Now she bathed in a tiny shower off what used to be a playroom for the children of the former owner of her house. She slept on a daybed surrounded by cartoon character appliques on the walls. She’d given up her whole way of life for a woman who’d abandoned her and her sister.
Blaze figured everyone questioned her sanity and didn’t blame them because she did too. She couldn’t understand what had happened to her when she saw the once regal Chantal Champlain sitting in the backseat of a beat-up limo, looking frail and vulnerable. Blaze knew she should’ve been appalled when Chantal came to her. She felt she would’ve been justified saying, “You walked out on me when I was four years old. You never called me on my birthday or sent me a card, so fuck off.” Instead, she said, “You can stay here until you’re well.”
Blaze dug some of her clothes from the piles she had stacked on the floor along a wall and stepped into the bathroom. When she stared at her face in the mirror, she could see Chantal’s light complexion, her high cheekbones, and blue eyes. Ronnie even had Chantal’s light red hair until she dyed it brown in high school. Blaze had tried to purge Chantal from her mind after her yearly visits, but it was hard to do when she saw Chantal every time she noticed her reflection.
Not only did Blaze and Ronnie share physical traits with their mother, they also had a lot of Chantal’s facial expressions, and Blaze realized as she regarded herself in the mirror why she’d allowed Chantal into her home. When Ronnie wanted to say something but was struggling with how to express it, her eyes would widen and she’d chew her bottom lip while fidgeting. Chantal did the same thing on every visit, and since her arrival, she seemed to wear that expression most of the time. Blaze knew Chantal had something to say, and she felt she might’ve been at the point where she wanted to hear it.
Chapter 3
The next day, the living room furniture Caleigh had ordered a week before she left Omaha had arrived, and she perched on her new sofa with her laptop. She’d wanted to see the videos of Blaze fighting while wearing a bunny suit since her grandparents had told her about them but had been busy trying to get her new place in order. On a search line, she typed: Woman fights while dressed as Easter Bunny. Caleigh’s right eyebrow arched when the web page filled with results. She clicked on a news site and played the video on that page.
The video appeared to be caught by a spectator who was a few feet behind Blaze. She didn’t look very steady on her furry feet. A woman charged at her, and Blaze slugged her in the jaw. Caleigh recognized Blaze’s voice when she heard, “I told you to back off.” The woman looked as though she was going to do that at first, then lunged at Blaze again but fell to her knees before she could throw a punch. She wrapped her arms around Blaze’s legs, and Blaze released a guttural yell and really did look as though she was humping the woman’s face before she began striking the woman backhanded.
Caleigh clicked on another video titled Bitch Slap Bunny. It was taken when the police had arrived. She maximized the video on her laptop. Two officers flanked Blaze and held her arms as they led her to their car. She was dressed in the bunny suit from the neck down, blood dripped from her nose and onto the white fur of her costume. Her long dark red hair was a mess, and some of it was matted to the blood and sweat on her face. Whoever was shooting the video dared to get close, and Blaze showed her teeth like a dog that was about to bite before she said, “Get the fuck away from me.”
“You’re a bad bunny,” Caleigh said as she clicked on the next video that appeared to have come from a security camera. Blaze was strolling across the parking lot in full costume swinging an Easter basket. Caleigh chuckled at the sight of the big bunny head bobbing along. A car backed out of a parking spot just ahead of Blaze and slammed into a passing truck. The driver of the car got out immediately, and instead of checking on the person in the vehicle she’d just hit, she went directly to Blaze. Caleigh watched as the woman waved her hands wildly as she yelled. This went on for a moment, then Blaze started to walk away. The woman blocked her, and Blaze turned to go the other direction until the woman grabbed her by the arm. Blaze’s bunny head flew off as they struggled and the eggs spilled out of her basket when she dropped it.
Caleigh inhaled sharply when the other woman who’d been in the car walked over and punched Blaze in the mouth. For a moment, Blaze stumbled around and even looked as though she was going to try to pick up her head. That’s when the first woman who had confronted Blaze punched her. Blaze stumbled again, and when both women looked as though they were going to hit her again, she slugged the driver in the face so hard one of her furry mittens stuck to the woman’s face as she bounced off a car and landed on the pavement. The second woman managed to land a blow on the side of Blaze’s face. Blaze countered with a punch so hard the woman dropped to her knees. Caleigh’s eyes flew open wide as she watched the woman throw her arms around Blaze’s legs and bite into one of her thighs. Blaze tried to pry the biting woman off of her leg while she bounced, then she began backhanding the woman across her head. “Okay, Blaze really was attacked, so she’s not bad, just badass…in fur,” Caleigh said and clicked on the next video.
She could hear the videographer say, “She’s the one who backed into that truck. She can’t blame the Easter Bunny for that.”
“Yeah, that’s on her,” someone else said. “Keep your camera on them, this shit is about to get real.”
Blaze yelled something, but it was drowned out by the videographer’s and her companion’s commentary. Caleigh grimaced when the other woman who had been in the car walked over and punched Blaze, who staggered around until the driver struck her too. Blaze’s counterpunch was immediate and powerful. Caleigh paused the video as the woman fell back with Blaze’s furry mitt stuck to her face and stared at Blaze frozen in the frame with her fist still extended.
Caleigh had joined coworkers for drinks at a sports bar one time, and that was her first introduction to mixed martial arts fighting. The fighters didn’t wear boxing gloves, they were bare fisted, and brutally pummeled one another with punches and kicks. It was so barbaric Caleigh couldn’t watch until the women stepped into the ring, then she couldn’t look away. She was amazed by their skill and that they dared to do something she would never dream of trying. She was torn between being appalled by the violence and impressed with the skill of the fighters, but stunned that she was slightly turned on by the muscle and agility displayed by them.
As she stared at Blaze, she was disturbed to find she was a tad turned on, yet again. This time, she couldn’t blame it on muscle because Blaze’s body was hidden beneath a white furry suit that sported a pink fuzzy ball of a tail. Caleigh hoped it was Blaze’s ability to defend herself, and not because she was a hot bunny.
“Bunnies aren’t sexy, even the fake ones” Caleigh said with a laugh. “It’s Blaze’s strength combined with the kindness she showed me when I had the flat tire. It’s not like I have some sick fantasy she’ll put the fur on again and let me pet her while she’s lifting weights.” She groaned. “Oh shut up, Caleigh. You just took this to a whole new level of twisted and bizarre, and you’re talking to yourself. It’s the fumes from the new furniture, that’s what it is. I’m on a fume induced high. Stop talking to yourself! Oh God, I need to get out of here.”
*******
Caleigh dropped her car off at an automotive shop near the center of town to have her tire repaired. She strolled along the sidewalk gazing into the windows of old buildings that housed shops and v
arious businesses with a destination in mind. In the distance, she could see The Old Store, the centerpiece of the town square. She remembered her grandfather telling her it was the third-oldest building in Falcon. Caleigh didn’t know if that was true because Dean had also told her it was filled with the ghosts of former cats employed to keep out rodents.
She quickened her pace, eager to revisit The Old Store, and when she stepped inside, she felt a slight twinge of disappointment. There weren’t buckets of apples sitting on the floor between buckets of nuts and bolts anymore or grocery items mingling on the shelves with plumbing supplies and gardening tools. The old wooden floor wasn’t dusty. Some things she’d always found fascinating remained the same, though. There wasn’t a row of checkout counters like in most stores; there was one long counter that took up the length of a wall. Behind it were still the wooden cubes that went all the way to the ceiling where special order items were stored for customers. Caleigh had always wanted to climb the tall ladder attached to a track that slid along the cubbies as she’d called them. The ladder was still there but had been pushed into the corner and didn’t look as though it was used anymore. The store still smelled the same as Caleigh walked the aisles, and she figured once the scent of fertilizer had settled into a space, there was no getting rid of it. As she thought about it, she recalled how the bread Dean had bought from there kind of tasted like that smell and so did the candy.
Caleigh kept an eye out for Blaze as she wandered and ended up in an aisle with shelves lined with small home appliances. She perused the coffeemakers and decided to get one. When she headed to the sales counter, a cashier smiled at her and asked, “Did you find everything you needed?”
“I did.” Caleigh set the box holding the coffeemaker on the counter. She looked around again for Blaze and contemplated asking for her while the clerk scanned her box.
Blissfully Blindsided Page 3
