by Kris Jett
Wynn smiled at his name.
Beer. What’s with the goofy questions? she typed back.
Not being goofy, planning our date. Land or sea?
Wynn giggled. What kind of date was he planning? She wrote,
Just surprise me. So, when are we going?
Saturday two p.m. Can you make it? he asked.
Wynn mentally reviewed her work schedule. She was supposed to do the lunch shift but she’d get one of her sisters to cover.
Sounds good.
And Wynn, dress warm. We’ll have a little outdoor fun.
Hmm, outdoors. She wondered what he was planning. She replied,
Will do. So, what are you doing now?
Bryce wrote,
Thinking about you.
What kind of thoughts? Wynn asked.
PG-13.
Wynn clicked off the television and burrowed down into her blanket.
Want to up that rating?
Chapter Twenty-One
Bryce knocked tentatively on the window pane of Wynn’s front door. Her home was a wide cabin with a charming wrap-around porch and chairs set about here and there. He’d guessed they liked to sit outside often and enjoy nature. It was nestled in a heavily wooded area and Bryce took a long winding driveway to reach it. Wynn had mentioned that she lived with her mother but she didn’t say if more family lived with them. He could swear he heard a little girl’s laughter from inside.
Bryce worked hard on planning this date with Wynn. He’d never worked this hard on a date with a woman before. He hunted for a local, fun activity and purchased tickets for a local outdoor ale fest. It said there would be over two hundred unique beers from breweries all over the country. There would also be live music and food trucks parked all around so it sounded like a fun atmosphere for a unique first date. Bryce also discovered a nearby ice skating rink so when they were done with the fest they could walk over and skate until they were sure they could drive again.
The front door swung open and there stood Wynn, all bundled up in a long puffer jacket, hat, scarf, and mittens. Her long hair spilled out front under her hat and onto her jacket and she looked adorable.
“You said dress warm, right?”
Bryce grinned so hard at her he’d wondered if he looked silly himself. “I did. You look perfect,” he told her. Bryce took Wynn’s arm and helped her down the icy walk and into the passenger side of his jeep.
Once inside, Bryce looked at Wynn and smiled.
She blushed. “What?”
“You’re so beautiful,” he said. “I just wanted to tell you that.”
Wynn pulled her hair behind her so it fell down her back. “Thanks.” She looked the tiniest bit nervous which surprised Bryce. Wynn always seemed to ooze confidence. He thought for sure he’d be the one full of nerves on the date.
“So, where are we headed?” Wynn asked.
“A local ale fest, two towns over,” he said. “I got us tickets. I’ve never been to one, have you? It looked like fun.”
“No,” she replied, “but I’m excited to go. I haven’t been to one either.”
“Good, so we can experience it for the first time together.” Bryce pulled out of Wynn’s driveway and headed out.
There were people everywhere at the ale fest and the atmosphere was light and joyous. People were milling around with small signature beer mugs in their hands and walking up to various vendors to try out the different beers. A band was on stage playing upbeat music and there was a giant bonfire in the center of the large field the fest was held in. Warming stations were set up here and there so it wasn’t actually as cold as Bryce thought it might have been. Bryce and Wynn collected their mugs and stepped up to one of the vendors to try a pale ale.
Wynn looked around, surveying the area. “Okay,” she said to Bryce. “This is pretty cool. I should bring my sisters back some time. We might find a new beer that we want to carry at the pub.” She brought the mug of beer to her lips and took a sip. “Mmm, it’s good.”
Bryce did the same. The cups were so small that they only held a few ounces so they joined another line for a darker, dry stout. By the third mug, Bryce was feeling good and loosened up and talking more freely with Wynn. They people watched and laughed at some of the newly turned twenty-one year olds at the fest who were quickly getting wasted. They moved closer to the large bonfire with their beers and warmed up. Wynn looked even more beautiful by the glow and Bryce felt his face flush, and not just from the heat of the blaze.
“I can’t believe I hadn’t asked you this yet, but what made you decide to go back to school now?”
“Change,” Wynn said. “Sometimes we all just need a little change.”
Bryce exhaled loudly. “True. I guess you can say that’s why I started teaching. I was looking for something new.”
Wynn took a deep breath and stared into the fire. She looked like she was contemplating saying something. She suddenly turned quickly from the fire and looked right into Bryce’s eyes. “I also wanted a better life. For me,” she paused, “and my daughter.”
She had a daughter. Wynn was someone’s mom. Suddenly it all made sense. That feeling he had gotten when he first met Wynn at the bar while listening to Ed’s band. There was something that he saw in Wynn that made him feel like she’d been through things. That she had lived more than her age. He’d felt a sort of kinship to her from the moment he’d met her and maybe it was because both of them had been through the ringer. Both of them had had their hearts broken. He didn’t know Wynn’s story yet, but if she was raising a child alone surely there was a man somewhere that had done her wrong.
Bryce could tell Wynn was studying his reaction. Did she think he’d run in the other direction? Was that what happened when she told men in the past? Bryce smiled at her and grabbed her hand. He tugged her toward one of the fallen logs near the fire and they sat down. “Tell me about her.”
Wynn told him all about her one-and-a-half-year-old little girl. She talked about how smart she was, the funny way she ate her cheerios, and how much she loved her two aunts even though she’d only met them a short time ago. She told him how her Mom was helping them out by letting them live with her, and how her goal was to be able to take care of Melody on her own someday soon.
“Tell me if I’m prying, really it’s okay,” Bryce prefaced, “but can I ask where Melody’s father is?”
Wynn’s face crumpled.
“It’s okay, really,” Bryce said quickly. “You don’t have to tell me. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No, no, it’s fine. Things are just…strange at the moment.”
Bryce waited for Wynn to continue.
Wynn took a deep breath. “My ex-husband and I,” she begun, “we divorced over a year ago. It wasn’t good. He wasn’t the greatest husband. Melody was just an infant. He wanted nothing to do with her; and I did my best for a while, working and supporting her. But it was hard so we moved back home to Snowy Ridge. My family is all here.”
Bryce nodded. “So, your ex isn’t in the picture?”
“Wasn’t.”
Bryce gave Wynn a confused look.
“He just re-emerged recently. Suddenly he wants a relationship with his daughter. It’s all been very stressful and confusing. Things are just really messy right now.” Wynn shook her head like she wanted to just forget and smiled at Bryce. “What about you? Any kids?”
“No,” he answered quickly and then thought maybe he said that too quickly. “But, I mean, I like kids. They’re cool,” he added.
Wynn smiled. “You’ve still got plenty of time. No rush.”
Bryce nodded. “I do have an ex also, though. We’ve been divorced for about a year as well.”
“So, we’re two divorcees, huh?”
“Looks like it.”
“They must be some really stupid people to give up on awesome people like us,” Wynn said.
“I couldn’t agree more.” Bryce stood up and pulled Wynn off the log. “Let’s hit one of those food t
rucks and get something to eat.”
“And then another beer?”
“Definitely.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Wynn headed through the entrance of South Lake Community College, on her way to her Computer Information Systems class. She was in such a good mood. Her date with Bryce the night before had been so much fun. She’d already known she was physically attracted to him but after texting with him and then spending so much time with him on their date, her other hunch was confirmed. She really liked him in general. He was obviously super smart, being her teacher after all. And he was so funny. She eagerly listened to all his stories about growing up in a small town. They had had a lot of similar experiences in that area. And he was quite the prankster in college. He had story after story of torturous ways he’d trick his roommates.
And he was so, so kind. Wynn hadn’t been with anyone so considerate since, well, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever been with someone like him. Eric certainly had never thought much past himself and his needs. On the other hand, Bryce jumped at the chance to get doors for her, steered her around ice patches, and even laced up her skates. She couldn’t believe that he’d even taken her skating. Could he have known it was one of her very favorite winter activities? Wynn wasn’t used to anyone being so attentive to her needs. She was used to being the caregiver.
Most important of all, she’d told him about Melody, and her ex-husband, and he didn’t bolt. He had his own past too and hers didn’t seem to rattle him one bit. He seemed interested in her life and asked thoughtful questions. And he genuinely cared about the answers.
Bryce seemed like the kind of man she could spend the rest of her life with. Which both thrilled her and terrified her since her track record with relationships was positively awful. But maybe she was growing up and finally could have it all. Maybe she could balance being a mom with work and school and have a boyfriend on top of all that. Other people seem to make their worlds balance. Why shouldn’t Wynn be able to?
Wynn nodded to a classmate from her Web Design class as she strolled down the hall. She was about to walk into class when her phone rang. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the display. Her heart sunk. It was Eric calling. It seemed he wasn’t going to just fade back out of her and Melody’s life after all. Wynn backed up down the hallway and rounded the corner to take the call in private.
“Hello?” she said, her voice just above a whisper.
“Wynn, hi, it’s Eric.”
Yeah, no kidding, she thought. “Hi Eric. I’m just about to walk into class right now. What’s up?”
“Oh, sorry, okay, I’ll make it quick then,” he said. “I just wanted to see if Melody could come stay with Brittany and me for the weekend, maybe next month or in April? Brittany thought it would be fun if we took her to Great America for a day.”
Wynn pulled the phone away from her and looked at it. Was he insane?
“Hello? Wynn?” he called out.
“You’re kidding, right? This is some sort of joke, right?” Wynn’s voice was getting louder and people passing in the hallway darted glances at her.
Eric cleared his throat. “Um, no. Brittany just thought Great America would be fun.”
“Of course, Brittany thought Great America would be fun!” she exploded. “She’s a teenager. All teens love Great America. Your daughter, however, is not. She’s a toddler Eric. She can’t go on roller coasters!”
“Oh…right,” he said, sounding deflated.
Wynn wanted to scream. This man was completely inept to take care of her one-and-a-half-year-old and he wanted her for a weekend? Never. Over her dead body.
“Well,” Eric continued, “I’m sure we can come up with something else to do with her. Maybe an arcade or something. So, what do you say, can she come for a weekend?”
If Eric was in front of Wynn right then, she swore she would throttle him. How could he be so completely and utterly clueless?
“Eric,” Wynn begun, trying to calm herself down, “we’d already discussed and agreed that it wasn’t a good idea for Melody to go anywhere without me. She’s just too young.”
“So…you want to come for the weekend too?” Eric asked, sounding confused.
“No, Eric, I don’t want to come see you and your girlfriend…”
“Fiancé,” he corrected.
“Your whatever,” she huffed, “for the weekend. Melody and I are staying put here.”
“That doesn’t seem very fair,” he said.
Now he was worried about fairness. What was he, five years old? Wynn checked the time on her phone. She was already five minute late for class. “Listen, I can’t stay on the phone or I’ll completely miss my class.”
“Fine,” he said. “We can talk about this later. But, Wynn?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“This isn’t over. Melody is my child too. I told you if you’re not going to play fair, then I’m going to bring my lawyer into this and we’ll let a judge decide what’s fair for us. Is that what you want?”
Wynn rubbed her face with the palm of her hand. She couldn’t believe this was happening. “Of course, that’s not what I want.”
“All right then. Well talk about it again later,” he said and then ended the phone call.
Wynn pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at it. What an awful mess. What was she going to do? There was no way she’d ever just send her baby to St. Louis.
Wynn slid the phone back into her pocket and slowly walked back down the corridor and into her computer class. She quietly slipped into one of the desks and slumped into her seat. What was that nonsense she had just been thinking fifteen minutes ago, about being able to have it all? What a fool.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bryce was falling for Wynn. He knew it. He hadn’t felt like this about another woman since, well, since he’d first started dating Julia. He’d dated a few women since his divorce but none of them ever made him feel the way that Wynn had. And he couldn’t put his undeniable attraction to her in words. On paper, one would think Tiffany was his soulmate. They had so much in common. But something kept drawing him back toward Wynn. She was the person who filled his mind throughout the day. He’d wake up wondering what she was doing and how she was feeling. He wanted to call or text her all day, but he refrained himself because he knew that would make him look crazy and theirs was a new relationship. Still, he couldn’t help the pull he felt to be with her all the time.
Bryce knew he had been feeling lonely over the past year, ever since he moved out of the home he’d shared with Julia. Since he worked from home, he rarely left his apartment. And Ed was his only real friend in South Lake. The job at the community college was at least getting him out in the world a bit and he found that he was actually enjoying it. He hadn’t realized that all the stuff he did on the daily for work was so valuable to other people. It was fun seeing the students learn from him.
But, if Bryce was truthful with himself, his loneliness likely started long before Julia threw him out of the house. Even though they were together, he ultimately felt alone. He wondered what Julia would think if she could see him now. She would never believe that he was teaching at a college. Or that he was dating. In Julia’s eyes, Bryce could only do wrong. She would never believe that anyone else could fine him loveable. Bryce was sure that Julia figured she was the only one allowed to have a life and that Bryce was holed up like a hermit. Which, sadly, he had let himself become for a while. But, no more. He’d really enjoyed himself with Wynn at the beer festival the other day. The crowd didn’t even aggravate him like crowds tended to do. Getting out of his apartment was good for him. Wynn was good for him.
There was something about the way Wynn looked at him. Her eyes were warm and kind. She truly listened and was interested in what he had to say. And maybe it was partly due to the whole teacher thing, but she looked at him with respect and that felt so good after so many years of Julia’s scorn.
Julia never respected Bryce. Sh
e talked down to him and scolded him like he was a child. He rarely could do anything right, according to her. He’d hated when she belittled him in public. There was this one particular dinner party that the two had attended shortly after they were married. Bryce remembered how he and Julia had stood at the counter in this tiny apartment, crowded with young couples, talking to Julia’s friend Wendy and her husband Tom. Tom had been talking about wanting to take Wendy on a weekend getaway and Bryce was telling him about this tiny bed and breakfast in northern Indiana. He had begun to tell Tom what roads to take to get there when Julia laughed this awful sarcastic laugh that Bryce would soon become way too familiar with. “Like you have any clue where you’re driving, ever. You’d drive in circles if it weren’t for me,” she’d said to him. Bryce stared at her, flabbergasted. Wendy let out a weird little chuckle, clearly uncomfortable, and Tom cleared his throat. Bryce stood there, feeling his cheeks go red with humiliation as he wondered what had happened to his wife and why she’d spoken to him that way. He soon found out that this was only the first of many scenes like this.
Bryce thought Julia felt some sort of power each time she’d put him down. And the bigger the audience the better. One time Julia and Bryce had attended her company picnic. Julia worked in marketing at a software company. The picnic was for employees and their families. The day had started out great. The picnic was at a nearby park so Bryce and Julia walked and on the way stopped for a coffee. They sat in the small shop, chatting and laughing as they sipped on their small lattes. Julia was in a great mood and Bryce had high hopes for a beautiful day. They’d walked hand-in-hand to the picnic. Julia cheerily greeted her co-workers and introduced Bryce to everyone. When Bryce had met her boss, he’d joked about them having a soccer team of babies one day. Julia laughed and said for sure, she wanted at least half a dozen kids. Which was news to Bryce since they hadn’t really talked about kids at that point but he nodded and played along.