“Talk to me,” Liz said.

“Colleen invited me for the weekend, and she took next week off. I’m scared out of my mind, Liz. I don’t know whether to take her to Claude or what. She says she wants to get to know the carnival business, but I want her to get to know me first,” Blaze said.

Liz gestured toward the other recliner. “Sit.”

He settled into the chair and sipped his coffee. “What do I do? And where is Raylen?”

“I helped exercise the mares all afternoon. I’d just come in, got a shower, and was waiting on Raylen to heat up leftovers. You hungry? There’s plenty in there for all of us. Jasmine sent them home with me.”

“I haven’t eaten. Don’t know if I could swallow, I’m so nervous. I’m a carnie, Liz. I can’t change that. You can, but I can’t,” Blaze said with a long sigh.

“Hello!” Raylen yelled at the door.

“In here. Blaze is here,” Liz said.

Raylen came through the back door in his Santa outfit, but he still wore his cowboy boots and hat.

“Hey, Santa Claus.” Blaze smiled. “Have I stolen your chair?”

Raylen kissed Liz and slumped down on the end of the sofa. “No, but what are you doing here? Colleen is over there jumping every time she hears a truck door slam. She’s got my old room all fixed for you.”

“I’m scared,” Blaze admitted.

“That’s understandable,” Raylen said. “I’d be scared of Colleen, too.”

Blaze set his coffee on the table. “We were talkin’ about what Colleen and I should do this next week. She’s taken a week off work, and Haskell told me we would help Poppa, so I should take her somewhere. She said she’d be happy in Claude in my trailer but…”

“Go on,” Raylen said.

“There’s this place off the coast of the state of Washington that I’ve been looking at. I’ve got plane tickets and the room on reserve, but I have to confirm by midnight. I wanted Liz’s opinion before I went to see her,” Blaze said.

“What’s your heart tell you?” Liz asked.

“It says I don’t want to share her,” Blaze answered. “It says that I want to spend a whole week in a place where neither of us knows another soul. But I don’t know if that’s what she wants.”

“Confirm your reservations and tell her it’s a surprise,” Liz said. “Is that the place we’ve looked at and wished we could go for a week, but never had the time?”

He nodded.

“Tell her to pack a warm coat. The ferry ride out to the island might be chilly,” Liz said.

“Thank you.” Blaze breathed a sigh of relief. He left half a mug of coffee on the end table and put his coat back on. “I knew talkin’ to you would help.”

“Don’t tell her that you talked to me, Blaze. If I was her, I’d rather think it was all your idea and didn’t need a second opinion.” Liz walked him to the door and hugged him good-bye. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow at Sunday dinner?”