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“No hot date tonight?” Annika asked.
“Afraid not,” he said.
“Careful,” Isabelle said. “Josiah found someone. Maybe you’ll be next.”
He chuckled. “Not likely. Anyway, I’ll stop interrupting. Just figured I’d say hi. Have a good night, ladies.”
“Night, Luke,” we all said in a chorus.
“Why is he still single?” Isabelle asked, tilting her head as she watched him walk away. “He’s a nice guy. Good looking. Owns a successful business. It seems weird that no one’s snatched him up yet.”
“My theory is his radar’s broken,” Annika said. “He’s always attracted to the wrong women.”
“Or maybe he goes for the wrong ones on purpose,” Isabelle said.
“Some guys do that, if they’re trying to avoid commitment,” Audrey said.
I wondered. Garrett was the only Haven brother to have been married, but his marriage had ended several years ago—which was a good thing. His wife had been… interesting. And by interesting, I mean awful.
Was it just a Haven thing to wait to settle down? They came from a blended family. Three of the boys were Paul Haven’s sons, and three were from Marlene Haven’s first marriage. Annika was the one child they had together. The boys had all been quite young when Paul and Marlene had gotten together, but maybe those early experiences of divorce and brokenness had left their mark on the Haven brothers.
It was hard to say. But I hoped Luke would find his person someday. He deserved it.
As for me, I had to admit, I was stuck in a rut. I loved my career, but my business was struggling. And my personal life wasn’t exactly exciting. My friends were all living their dream lives, complete with weddings and husbands and babies. They were building families. I loved that for them. I adored their kids and loved being the favorite auntie.
I just couldn’t help but wonder if my turn would ever come.
Just a Ride
BRIELLE
The walk wouldn’t have been so bad if Brielle’s hoodie hadn’t been soaked. But it had started raining right after she'd left the apartment, and getting a ride was proving to be harder than she’d thought.
It was midday, but the sky was dark, the sun hidden behind black storm clouds. Those hadn’t been there when she’d left. It had been gray, but no sign of a storm brewing.
Great. She better get a ride because the rain was about to go from annoying to torrential.
She adjusted the straps of her backpack and kept walking. The highway didn’t have much of a shoulder along this stretch. The last guy who’d passed had been hugging the turn and almost hit her. She’d flipped him off but she doubted he’d even looked. Probably hadn’t even seen her.
Headlights flashed in front of her, but the car was going in the wrong direction—toward Tilikum. She needed to get away from town, regardless of the weather. Even if that meant walking all the way to Pinecrest.
Could she make it on foot before dark? Probably not. She just hoped someone would stop and give her a ride sooner rather than later. Especially because of the rain.
Once she got to Pinecrest, she could take a bus to Vegas. There was a bus station in Tilikum, but she wanted to disappear, and the stupid nosy townspeople would make that impossible.
It was their fault she was out in the rain.
That, and her stupid ex-boyfriend. She’d thought moving in with him would solve her problems. Living with her parents was a total nightmare. She was nineteen, they couldn’t tell her what to do anymore. He had his own apartment, and everything had been great.
Until she’d caught him with her supposed best friend.
Where did that leave her? She couldn’t stay with him. Couldn’t go back to her parents’ house. And she didn’t have any friends she could trust.
It was time to bail. Get out of Tilikum. Away from her parents who treated her like garbage. And away from the jerks who’d betrayed her.
When she made it to Vegas, she’d disappear. Find a new job, start a new life. She was never going back.
A gust of wind made her blond hair swirl around her face. She put her hood up and hunkered down in her hoodie, wishing she had a decent coat. It was only October, why was it so freaking cold?
