Fifteen Minutes of Fame

by Liz Isaacson

  His eyes transformed as she watched, from displaying his agony, to his anxiety, to his anger. “I don’t believe in the stupid legends.”

  “Your opinion on that has been made very clear.” Navy’s defenses flew into place now too. She worked to put them down so she could really listen to him.

  “I’m not interested in dating another woman who’s seen my grandmother.”

  “Were we dating?”

  His eyes stormed with aggravation, and he started walking again. “Seriously, Navy. I’m not interested.” But everything about his voice and his stature screamed that he was lying.

  “Yes, you are.” She hurried after him and put her hand on his arm to get him to stop. He did, and she slid her fingers down his forearm to his hand, where she linked hers with his. “I can tell that you are.”

  “So what?” he asked. “I’m not your match, which means you’ll leave town as soon as you figure that out. I’m not interested in chipping off another piece of my heart for another pretty woman.” He ground his teeth together. “I’m really not.”

  “How do you know I’m not your match?”

  “Experience.” He folded his arms.

  Navy wanted to reach up and erase the pain from his expression. “What did they do to you?” she whispered. He was so good, so gentle. How could anyone not see that?

  “Let’s see,” he said with a long sigh. “Debbie wanted to know if I could sing. So I sang for her. But see, I wasn’t the right height. The right height. So that ended pretty quick. And there was this one woman named Tabitha. Things were going great with her until Grandmother told her she needed someone born in nineteen-seventy-five. So that was me. Because you know, a couple’s entire compatibility depends on what year they were born.” Every letter dripped with sarcasm and scorn and sadness.

  He scoffed, the sound full of bitterness. “And the real kicker—the last woman I dated for two years left me standing at the altar by myself while she hopped on the bus and rode out of town.” He glared at her, and glared hard. “So you’ll excuse me if I’m not a fan of that blasted myth and everyone who believes in the fantasy of it.”

  Navy had no idea what to say. She’d wanted—craved—this part of Gavin’s story. She’d just had no idea it would be so tragic, or so opposite of how she felt about the legends of this town.

  He muttered something under his breath, but Navy couldn’t decipher it. Her mind spun with information, with emotion, with indecision. She’d been flirting with him for a solid ten days. But if she found out he wasn’t an Aquarius, would she abandon him?

  She really wanted to say No, of course not. But the truth was, her heart started a war with her brain.

  “So what do you need to know?” he asked.

  “I-I d-don’t know,” she stammered.

  “Sure you do.” He looked at her angrily. “My grandmother told you something. And it wasn’t that your match lived across the street from her.”

  Navy opened her mouth, determined to make something up. Instead, she said, “She said my best match would be an Aquarius. Because I’m a Libra.”

  Gavin’s fury came immediately, almost a scent on the air. “Great.” He stomped back toward his house. “I have no idea what that means.”

  “It has to do with your birthday,” she called.

  “February seventeenth,” he said, his long strides putting so much distance between them so fast.

  Numb, Navy sat in the grass and pulled out her phone. She looked up the dates for the Aquarius zodiac sign, and sucked in a breath. January 20 to February 18.

  She jumped to her feet and searched the horizon for Gavin.

  Gavin, who was an Aquarius.

  Later that night, Navy sat in the backyard with her laptop balanced on her lap. She’d searched for “cattle ranches for sale in Texas” and nearly closed the computer from the sheer volume of listings that came up. No wonder Gavin was overwhelmed and had stopped looking.

  She narrowed her search to the panhandle area, and the choices went down. The prices sure didn’t though.

  She clicked and frowned. Read listing after listing. Navigated to a new real estate website that included all commercial properties and performed the search.

  A bed and breakfast came up, and she straightened. The Old Main Hill B&B looked charming and like the heart of Texas. And it sat right across the street from Gavin’s house right here in Three Rivers—and certainly didn’t look like the pictures online.

  But it could be perfect for Gavin. Navy copied the website and sent it to herself so she could text it to Gavin. She hesitated, not wanting to be the first to make contact since their mini-argument that afternoon. It was one of her dating tactics—make the man initiate contact after a confrontation.

  I want a different result, she thought. The breeze whispered to her that she needed to do something different.

  So she wrote up a text about the B&B and put the link at the end. She hit send before she could second-guess herself. Her second text said: Oh, and you are an Aquarius, in case you were wondering. Do you have time for lunch tomorrow?

  12

  Gavin ignored his phone the four times it chimed. His embarrassment wouldn’t fade, and he didn’t want to interact with anyone until he felt more human. His stomach growled with want of those bass he’d caught, but he didn’t want to face Grandmother without Navy at his side. She’d ask a zillion questions about where Navy had gone, and why hadn’t Navy stayed for dinner, and when was Gavin going to call Navy again.

  He sighed and stared at the flickering TV as darkness fell. He woke when his phone rang, and he fumbled along the top of the couch until his fingers touched the plastic case. He squinted at the bright light and hit as close to the green circle as he could estimate. Thankfully, the call picked up. “Hello?”

  “Gavin, it’s Granddad,” Grandmother said.

  He was instantly awake and throwing his legs over the side of the couch. “Granddad?” He reached for his boots. “Talk to me, Grandmother.”

  “He woke up, complaining of pain in his stomach.”

  “Maybe it was something he ate.”

  “He started coughing, and there’s blood.”

  Gavin stood. “I’m on my way over. Call the ambulance.” He hung up and pulled open the front door at the same time. He jogged across the street by the light of the moon. The front door banged against the wall, and Grandmother obviously hadn’t made it out of her bedroom to turn on any lights.

  He hit his leg against the chair and groaned. After making it to the kitchen, he flipped all the switches he could find and headed down the hall. Granddad sat up in bed, a washcloth in one hand and a miserable look on his face.

  “Did you call the ambulance?” he asked Grandmother, who stood near the bathroom with the phone hanging at her side.

  “They’re coming,” she whispered, her voice feeble and tired.

  “All right.” Gavin scooped Granddad into his arms. “I’ll wait with him in the front room. Get dressed, Grandmother. We’ll follow the ambulance.”

  “I want to ride with him,” she said stronger now.

  “You still need to get dressed.” Gavin gave her a quick smile and went down the hall. He didn’t like how little Granddad weighed in his arms. “How are you feeling?”

  “I feel like I need to throw up,” he said. “But I can’t.”

  “When did you start coughing?”

  “Oh, I’ve been coughing for weeks now.”

  Gavin didn’t like the sound of that, or the hint of pain in his granddad’s voice. He put him on the couch and sat beside him. “Any blood any of the other times?”

  “No.” Granddad looked at the washcloth like it could diagnose him. “I’m old, Gavin.”

  “We’ll get you fixed right up.” Gavin spoke with confidence he didn’t feel. He sat with his grandparents for the few minutes they waited for the ambulance to arrive. With both of them loaded in the back of the bus, Gavin headed across the street and climbed in his truck.

  H
e exhaled and ran his hand through his hair. It was two-thirty in the morning, but he felt wide awake, ready for anything.

  Well, maybe not anything, he thought as he swiped on his phone and saw that he’d received two text messages from Navy. Two from Steve as well. He opened those first, and found one about the fishing trip and one about next week’s fishing trip. The normalcy of the messages calmed Gavin further.

  He read Navy’s two messages, the last one burning his retinas. Oh, and you are an Aquarius, in case you were wondering. Do you have time for lunch tomorrow?

  He didn’t care about what astrological sign, or zodiac sign, or whatever an Aquarius was. But for some strange reason, he did want to have lunch with her tomorrow.

  He looked up and out the windshield at the stars hovering above him in the sky. He wasn’t sure what would be going on with Granddad tomorrow, so he couldn’t commit to Navy. Not to mention that he couldn’t make a ninety-minute round-trip from the ranch, where he now had a job.

  The job at Three Rivers.

  It was everything he’d wanted for months, but now, it seemed to complicate everything. He quickly swiped and tapped, hoping Squire slept with his phone on silent.

  My granddad is ill. I won’t be able to come out tomorrow. Hope that’s okay. He read over the text a second time and sent it flying across cyberspace.

  He didn’t want to text Navy right now. So he set a reminder for himself so he wouldn’t forget to let her know he couldn’t make lunch.

  Her first text required more thought, more time. A bed and breakfast? His eyes narrowed at the link. His thumb waited over it. He didn’t tap, didn’t want to think about taking on a bed and breakfast when his lifelong dream had been a cattle ranch.

  “How are those two things even close to the same?” he wondered to himself. His voice cut the silence around him, and he put the phone down on the seat. He drove toward downtown, catching the ambulance pretty easily, his mind churning over the thought of managing cabins full of bed and breakfast patrons instead of cabins full of cowboys.

  Hours later, he still didn’t know why Granddad had been coughing up blood. Grandmother slept in the recliner in his room, leaving Gavin to the uncomfortable waiting room chairs, the giant saltwater fish tank, and the low drone of The People’s Court on the television nearby.

  He’d texted Navy by eight o’clock, but she’d just answered with, Oh, no. I hope your granddad is okay. Keep me posted.

  And No worries about lunch. I’ll go with Jana.

  Jana who? he typed out and sent.

  Jana Cheeks. Do you know her?

  “I know everyone in Three Rivers,” he muttered. “Especially the women.” He didn’t put that in his text, though. He just said, Yeah, and let it go. People like Navy didn’t understand how small towns worked. She’d never lived in one, so he couldn’t expect her to, but still. She should know about the town gossips, the best place to get burgers in the middle of the afternoon, and how if you waited until Saturday night at the bakery, you’d get the cupcakes for half-price because they weren’t open on Sunday and couldn’t hold their stock.

  And Jana Cheeks was the town gossip. How she’d latched on to Navy was a mystery, though she did spend all day here in town while he went out to the ranch.

  But maybe he’d missed her going into the hair salon. He thought about his obsession with her blonde hair, and he didn’t think so. He yawned and decided to leave the Jana issue alone for now. Navy was a smart woman; she’d figure things out.

  She’s making friends, his mind whispered as he slouched down far enough for his head to rest on the back of the chair. That’s not what someone does when they’re just in town for a few months.

  The more irrational side of his brain wanted to argue back, but he was too tired. It seemed like only minutes later that Grandmother came out, pushing Granddad in a wheelchair. Gavin jumped to his feet and went to take over the manual labor from her.

  “What’s goin’ on?” he asked. “Why didn’t someone come get me?”

  “His chest x-ray was clear,” a doctor said. She had a warm smile and a baby duck attached to her collar. “He has a mild case of bronchitis, which we’ve treated with antibiotics here and your grandmother has a prescription for more. We believe he ate something bad last night, and he had some acid reflux at night, which caused the lining of his throat to be tender. So when he coughed from the bronchitis, there was some tearing and thus the bleeding.”

  Gavin could hardly absorb so many words at once. “So he’s okay?”

  The doctor smiled, and Gavin wondered if Navy looked as comfortable when she dealt with anxiety-ridden patients. “He’s okay, Gavin.” She put her hand on his bicep. “Go home and get some sleep.” She looked at Grandmother and Granddad. “All of you.”

  “Thanks.” Gavin nodded and pushed Granddad toward the exit with Grandmother shuffling along beside them. By the time Gavin got everyone taken care of: Granddad with his antibiotic and soda water, Grandmother with a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, and all three dogs with their food and water, Gavin wanted nothing more than to sleep.

  He set an alarm for midday so he could still go get something done at Navy’s, and collapsed into bed.

  Thank you for helping my grandparents, he thought just before drifting off to sleep.

  He dreamt of a place he didn’t recognize. A lot of tall buildings, and hundreds of cars, and many thousands of people. The city reminded him of Austin, but it wasn’t Austin. Or Dallas. But it was definitely Texas.

  He walked down the street and met Aunt Ally at the end of the block. She spoke, but the words were silent in the dream. She handed Gavin a key, smiled, and turned to leave. She got in the car with Grandmother and Granddad, and Gavin realized that she was taking them home with her.

  He woke to his alarm, the remnants of his dream still wafting around inside his mind. He picked up his phone and silenced it, then called his aunt.

  “Gavin, dear, how is Granddad?”

  “He’s okay,” Gavin said. “Sorry, I forgot to call. They said he has a bit of bronchitis. So they’re treating that with antibiotics. And they said he probably ate something bad, had acid reflux, so his throat was tender, and when he coughed, there was blood.”

  “So nothing serious.”

  “Nothing serious.” Gavin rested his elbows on his knees. “Aunt Ally, have you thought any more about moving home to take care of them?”

  He closed his eyes, a prayer beginning in his heart. He loved his grandparents. He did. But he’d been looking after them for a decade, and he was ready to start his own life.

  “I met with my boss this past Friday,” Aunt Ally said. “I’m putting in my retirement papers, and I’ll be home by Halloween.”

  Home by Halloween sounded like music to Gavin’s ears. “Great,” he said, the word heavy with relief. “Thanks, Aunt Ally.”

  “Have you been looking for a ranch?” she asked.

  Gavin thought of the B&B Navy had linked him to. He hadn’t had the inclination to look at it yet. “Sort of,” he said.

  “You deserve a big ol’ ranch with tons of cows,” Aunt Ally said. “I know you’ll get it.”

  “Maybe,” Gavin said. He made small talk for a few more minutes before hanging up. Before showering and getting properly dressed. Before heading over to Navy’s cottage.

  His stomach rioted like he’d swallowed fire ants as he approached the front door. He knocked, but she didn’t answer. He entered her unlocked house and found it empty. Her purse was gone, and he remembered she was going to lunch with Jana today.

  That suited him just fine, and he pulled out the roll of plastic and began taping it to the floors and covering the furniture. Working felt good, pulled his muscles, made him focus on more than just himself. At the same time, he had a distinct feeling that God wanted him to focus on himself for just a few minutes.

  Where should I be? Gavin prayed as he worked. Here? Three Rivers Ranch? Somewhere else? Help me find the ranch where I should be.

/>   He didn’t mention the B&B to the Lord, because Gavin didn’t want to run a hotel that served pancakes and coffee. He couldn’t even make pancakes, for crying out loud. But he could repair walls and tape baseboards and slather a new color inside a house, so he lost himself to the rhythmic tasks of painting.

  13

  Navy sat across the diner table from Jana, a fellow blonde. “Thanks for meeting me,” she said as the waitress handed her a menu. Navy flashed the woman a grin before realizing the plastic was a bit sticky. She made a face but hid it quickly.

  “What can I get y’all to drink?” Lola-the-waitress asked.

  “Sweet tea,” Navy said, and Jana ordered the same.

  Lola had barely walked away when Jana leaned into the table and said, “So what’s going on with you and Gavin Redd?”

  Navy hadn’t even opened her mouth to answer before Jana continued. “All the girls at the salon are in a twitter. I guess a couple of them have been circling Gavin for a while, and he’s so aloof. Does he act like that with you? I bet he doesn’t. You’re so pretty, and I bet he just talks your ear off.” She giggled while Navy blinked, trying to process everything Jana had said.

  “Anyway, Amy was saying she went out with him once a few years ago, and he was just so sad, you know?” Jana flipped her hair over her shoulder like she knew the inner workings of Gavin’s soul. “I guess his girlfriend had just broken up with him. And before that, one of his girlfriends left town with another man. Darrel or Derek or somebody with a D-name.”

  Lola returned with their drinks, and Navy practically lunged for hers. Perhaps this lunch with Jana had been a bad idea. She’d gone into the salon last week to see if they carried any purple shampoo, as she enhanced her blonde hair with a brightening toner. Jana had helped her, and talked to her, and though Navy had friends back in Dallas, she didn’t have any here.