Neptune Love Affairs

Chapter One

          Grace

Grace appreciated getting out of the little city of Twin Falls where she was born and raised. Home to nearly 50,000 people, it was surrounded by agricultural fields and flat terrain with a few dusty hills to the South.

She was blessed to live under Idaho's wide, sunny skies, near the spectacular canyon, home to the Snake River. It slithered across Southern Idaho from Wyoming's Rocky Mountains, into Oregon. As you come into the north end of town, you cross the beautifully crafted steel bridge standing 486 feet above the river.

While crossing, one would see dark lava rock walls covered in sagebrush, wild grasses, and narrow waterfalls scattered along the cliffs. Entrenched between the canyon walls along the river is a golf course to the west. A few miles upstream from this famous base jumping locale sits a stunning tourist attraction, the broad Shoshone Falls. This is where the lovely desert shows off her mecca of freshwater runoff from the winter snowmelt.

Near the bridge on the north entrance of Twin Falls, was where Bo Tippy, her boss of two years would meet her. In the Barnes and Noble parking lot. It was off the main street, which continued through town as a fast-food lane. Grace wasn't fond of that, but it was home. She didn't mind waiting there since Barnes and Noble was a place she visited often.

She watched for Tippy's blue truck and horse trailer pull in to meet her then head north. She admired the change in scenery as the flat desert transformed into a narrow valley squeezed snugly between the mountains. The sagebrush and dry grasses turned into pine trees and aspens.

She always enjoyed the ride north with Bo, she was eager to hop out as they approached Ketchum's Main Street, vastly different from Twin's. She waved to fellow market vendors and got to work.

The market was held in the center of luxurious Sun Valley establishments, high-end restaurants, and quaint shops. While growing up, she knew it as a Hollywood hometown for the dude from Die Hard, Demi Moore, and their kids. The Terminator once resided there and it's the same town where Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street honed her skills. On a more somber note it's also the location Ernest Hemingway took his life in the early '60s.

It was known to attract many wealthy and elite families; Grace noticed her first year of market how physically active, educated, and outdoorsy the crowd was. There's an array of eccentric and down-to-earth individuals, from a handful of spiritually enlightened and artsy to the health-conscious and athletic.

Grace looked forward to the chance to spend every Tuesday and Thursday during warmer months working the market. She vibed with customers who shared an appreciation for local, organic foods and art. The live music brought together like-minded individuals living and traveling through Ketchum and Hailey.

Grace was a happy, fun-loving, 25-year-old who was viewed as "natural" and kind. She walked around the market with unshaven legs and essential oils rolled in her armpits in place of deodorant. She was a twig, yet her toned yoga arms could flex good guns. Her smile showed slightly gapped teeth that highly shamed her in grade school. Over the years, she learned to embrace them. Besides, they never took from her grin.

She featured a tall forehead and hazel-green eyes, showing gentleness deep down. Those who knew her said, "I haven't seen Grace without a smile on her face."