Free Perfection #3 by Claire Adams Page A

lights you told me about. Do you mind if I play some
music?”
    “I don’t mind at all. That’ll be nice. No classical
though.”
    “Rats. How did you know?” I smiled up at him
pretending to be happy. There was no sense in arguing with him or trying to
explain what I meant. I had bruised his ego, now he needed time to repair it. Hmm… I guess I knew more about men than I thought. “So, no classical. How about classic
rock?” I flipped through the channels searching for a classic rock
station.
    “That would be great although you might have better
luck if you put it on satellite. These local stations play nothing but country. I like the occasional country ballad, but not for more than a
few minutes.” I tuned in to Kansas playing “Dust in the Wind.” It was a
beautiful tune and I loved the soaring violin solo in the middle. This passage
plucked at my soul. I closed my eyes, just like the song said, and listened to
the music. When the song ended, I turn the volume down a
little and tried my best to start a conversation with Bullet.
    “So I think you told me you didn’t come to town
much? Is there a reason why? Are the good people of Blue Lake unfriendly?” That
was as good of a conversation opener as I could think of.
    “I have been into town probably six times, mostly to
get supplies for the cabin, a few times just to socialize. They have a
convenient pub, which serves great chicken wings. I’ve been there a couple of
times but as far as really getting to know anyone, I haven’t done that. Not
like community leaders or shop owners or anything like that, anyway.”
    I could totally interpret what he was saying. He did
not go to town very much but when he did, it was to a local bar where he did
meet a few people that he did not want to tell me about .
I laughed to myself.
    “Did I say something funny?” His bruised ego was
still bouncing up and down on his brain. I quickly offered up a little white
lie to avoid telling him what I was really thinking. So much
for the honesty pledge. I figured we had both already broken that. “With
just two stop lights, I guess there aren’t many people to get to know in the
first place.” That was weak but that was all I had.
    Bullet agreed with me. “Yeah, compared to Des Moines
and Kansas City, Blue Lake is just a dot on the map. It is kind of wholesome
though. I think you’ll like it.”
    “So you think I’m wholesome?”
    “Yes! Except after two beers or
three Cosmos.” I loved seeing his smile even if it was a rueful one.
    He was right, Blue Lake was very small compared to
the locales we lived in; however, it had its nice points. The shops Bullet had
mentioned were open, and each had a quaint wooden sign hanging above the
walkway of the storefronts. They were open for business and I wanted to go
check them out. I loved shopping but I was frugal. I told him so and he said,
“Let’s drive through town first and park and then we can walk through. It’ll be
good exercise and you’ll get to see everything. Have you ever been to
Gatlinburg, in Tennessee?”
    “No, I can’t say that I have.”
    “Blue Lake is a lot like Gatlinburg—they both have a
lot of craftsmen and a lot of great food. Here’s a good place to park. Bring
your ID just in case we decide to stop by the pub. They have wonderful food; it
might make a great place to stop for lunch.”
    “That sounds great!” I dug in my purse and retrieved
my ID and some cash. The idea of getting something to eat sounded great — my
stomach was rumbling and we had skipped breakfast. I knew that by the time
lunch came around I would be starving. “Wait!” I took Bullet by the hands. “No
thinking about anything. Let’s just enjoy this little bit of time we have
together. Okay? Right now, this minute, it is just Bullet and Lilly. Two friends having some fun.” I stood on my tiptoes and
kissed him. With a distant smile, he agreed and took my hand.
    One of the first places we passed was the pub that