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“But I love working here with you.”
“I know.” He ran a hand through his thinning gray-speckled hair. “I just know how happy you were when you were with them.”
Steven paused, and for a moment, she thought he was going to bring up Elena. Aside from the band members who had front-row seats to her life, Skylar could count on one hand the number of people who knew about her and Elena. Well, that was only those that Skylar had told. She assumed others knew; it wasn’t like it was hard to figure out after all. As for Skylar, she’d confided in her dad and her friends about her relationship with Elena.
She was thankful she had such an open relationship with her father. But it meant that at times like today, he was a little more pressing about her personal life.
“I just want you happy, that’s all.”
“I know, Dad. And thank you for that. But I am happy. I love my job here with you, and I love this town. And I just got my fishing boat motor replaced, so I’m all good.”
Steven nodded, seemingly not convinced by Skylar’s words. “Well, I still think you should at least call him.”
Shrugging, Steven picked up a stack of vinyl and took them across the room to the free bin. Thankfully, the rest of the day went by without any mention of Maine Event.
Since Skylar also sang weekly at the local bar and taught music lessons after hours at the store, she often left the store early to decompress. With the spring sun finally warming up, Skylar knew exactly where she wanted to be. She’d load up her fishing gear and dog in the back of her Subaru and head for the marina.
Lake Monroe was gorgeous this time of year. The trees and flowers were all starting to bloom, and the birds all seemed to be tweeting a happy little song. Skylar waved a few other people out on the dock as she made her way to her boat, which she had named Flow.
By her side, as always, was Atlas. He was a lanky dog with floppy ears and big paws he still couldn’t fully control at four years old. As a rescue, Skylar assumed he was part Great Dane due to his size and part German Shepherd due to his coat coloring. But the lighter gray his formerly black fur had changed into as he got older made her wonder if he had more breeds in him than she could decipher.
Atlas was well trained, which meant she didn’t bother with a leash as they walked down the dock to her small pontoon boat. He found his favorite spot at the stern of the boat as Skylar turned on the motor. As Skylar headed out to the middle of the lake to do some casual fishing, she made it a point to put her phone on Do Not Disturb. That way, the only person who could get through would be her dad, and she knew he wouldn’t call unless there was an emergency.
Skylar wasn’t sure when she fell in love with fishing. Her father had fished while growing up, and Skylar had loathed the quiet mornings on the lake as she impatiently waited for him to catch anything. But as she got older, she began to love and crave the quietness that being on the lake could offer. It was just her, Atlas, Flow, the fish, and the water. That’s all she needed. She didn’t even care if she caught anything. Skylar would return it to the lake anyway.
Although she’d rolled the sleeves up on her plaid shirt earlier in the day, the afternoon sun was proving to be hotter than Skylar had anticipated. She discarded the flannel, leaving her in a black tank top, jeans, and Chacos. Skylar wore the same attire all year round, except during winter when she swapped the sandals for a pair of Doc Martens. The sun’s rays felt good against her skin, and she soaked up the feeling of being alone on the lake.
After catching a few fish, Skylar checked her phone and saw she’d been out on the lake for over two hours. Atlas was snoozing a few feet away from her, soaking up the sun’s warm rays. There were several missed phone calls and voicemails waiting for her, but she ignored them all. She knew by the area code nine of them weren’t local, which meant she didn’t want to deal with any of them.
They were all probably Johnny Lundy, anyway. Or one of the boys in the band. Gordon had left her a message the week before, but Skylar hadn’t called him back. She didn’t know what to say if she did. Skylar knew Gordon had been touring with Elena for the last few years as she tried to make a new name for herself. Elena and the Cruzers were what they’d called themselves, and Skylar had to admit that she’d listened to their album that came out a couple of years ago.
But she’d never admit that she still kept up with Elena’s social media pages.
Skylar knew more about Elena than she’d like. She knew about the marriage and ultimate divorce. It wasn’t a surprise to Skylar, after all. She knew where Elena was on tour and that she’d recently adopted a cat named Leo and had sold her house in Brentwood. There were still questions Skylar had about her former friend and lover, but she assumed they would also understand.
Hell, Skylar didn’t think she’d ever see Elena again.
Except for the fact she was standing on the boat dock tapping her foot impatiently as her brown eyes bore holes into Skylar from behind designer sunglasses. Atlas must have noticed her, too, because he ran to the edge of the boat and barked.
Fuck.
Chapter 3
Elena
Elena couldn’t believe she’s flown across the country to convince Skylar to come back to the band. It was only temporary; that was going to be Elena’s selling point. They had twenty shows scheduled over three months. Most were on Friday and Saturday nights. That would mean Skylar could be home Sunday through Thursday.
At least, that was the agreement Johnny had landed on as a way to get Skylar back. If it were up to Elena, she’d have gone forward with the tour without Skylar. It was clear from Skylar repeatedly ignoring every attempt at contact that she wasn’t interested. But Johnny had been insistent they needed the whole band back together, so here Elena was.
In Moonflower Cove.
On a boat dock.
Watching Skylar fucking Ford pull a fishing boat into the dock.
She looked exactly like Elena remembered her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, while her black tank top showed off her strong, tanned arms. Elena forced herself not to pay attention to how damn hot Skylar still looked and instead focused on the giant dog that was happily wagging its tail.
As Skylar stepped off the boat, the dog ran toward Elena. She took a step back, not wanting to be jumped on by the large canine. Thankfully, Skylar called it back to her.
