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Chapter One
Zoe Green stared at herself in the mirror at the beauty shop and felt the tears well up in her eyes. The haircut wasn’t bad. It was just…different.
But different was to be expected. A new life called for something as drastic as a new haircut. Gone were the waist-length white-blond locks that had been her signature style. Along with the hair went the weight of guilt, shame, and embarrassment from being divorced after less than a year of marriage. Everything was lying on the salon floor, waiting to be swept into the dustbin.
The last time she’d had hair this short she’d been four years old and taken a pair of kitchen shears, cutting her curly locks almost to the scalp. It had been her mother who’d shed tears then. The tears had been followed by a paddling Zoe still remembered. She’d never cut her hair again.
As an adult, Zoe realized if her mother had been paying more attention to her daughter than her personal trainer, then a four-year-old never would have been able to climb up on the counter and gotten a pair of sharp kitchen shears to begin with. But it wasn’t often Melody Green put anyone or anything else above herself.
“Wow, you look amazing,” said the woman in the chair next to hers. “If I hadn’t seen you come in I never would have recognized you. Not everyone can pull off a style that short. And it really makes your eyes and cheekbones pop. It’s stunning.”
Zoe blinked rapidly so the tears wouldn’t fall. She was a new woman, and the new Zoe didn’t cry. So she straightened her shoulders and stiffened her upper lip and said, “Thank you. It’s definitely going to take some getting used to.”
“All good things do,” she said kindly. “I’m Raven, by the way. I own the little boutique a couple of doors down.”
Raven was an attractive woman around Zoe’s age with dark wavy hair parted down the middle and a fringe of bangs that framed big blue eyes. Her hair looked almost exactly the same as it had when she’d come in, only a little shorter, and a few subtle highlights were now mixed in with the curls. She wore big hoop earrings and bright red lipstick. She reminded Zoe of a modern-day gypsy.
“I saw your shop when I got into town last week,” Zoe said. “I love the pantsuit in the window.”
“That metallic bronze would look amazing on you with the color of your hair and skin. Size four, right? I’ll make sure to hold one for you in the back room.”
Zoe smiled, deciding the woman wasn’t only an insightful salesperson, but she knew the ins and outs of her business well. She could respect and appreciate that.
“I’m Zoe.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Here on vacation?” Raven asked.
With as much confidence as she could muster Zoe said, “No. I live here now.”
“Wow,” Raven said, a sympathetic understanding in her eyes that made Zoe feel like she’d just told the woman all her family secrets. “A new town and a new haircut. That’s a lot of change in one week.”
“Tell me about it,” Zoe said. “Not to mention freshly signed divorce papers, a new book contract, and a new condo.” Zoe felt herself starting to hyperventilate and she took a calming breath. No big deal. People made major life-changing decisions every day—maybe not all in one day—but it did happen.
As an added boost to her confidence she said, “I’m going to get a dog too.”
“Good for you,” Raven said, laughing, and then her smile softened. “I’m sorry about the divorce, but it must be exciting to have something new and fresh on the horizon. I’m a big believer in new adventures. They’re good for the soul. And if you’re looking for a dog, the shelter is close by. Just walk right in front of The Lampstand and then take a right. The shelter is the cute little stone chalet at the end of the block. I’m sure they’ll have exactly what you’re looking for.”
That would be a nice change of pace, Zoe thought wryly—to know exactly what she was looking for. But all she knew was she had to start somewhere. She was alone, but that was nothing new. What mattered was she had her name, her career, and a great view from her condo. Everything else she’d figure out along the way.
Zoe handed her credit card over to the stylist and left her a generous tip, and then she grabbed her Louis Vuitton travel bag that carried her laptop—because she never left home without it—and put her earrings back on. Excitement was coursing through her veins. A new adventure. That’s exactly what she needed. Just like the heroines in her books.
There was a reason she wrote novels for a living. Writing had been a means of escape during a childhood with two very self-absorbed parents. She’d been the only eleven-year-old at St. Mary’s School for Girls who’d been thrilled at being sent off to boarding school in another state. And then from there she’d gone off to college.
She would have gone just about anywhere to keep from going back to her parents’ house where her mother brought one lover after another right under her father’s nose. And her father stayed away on business so he could travel with his mistress. Heaven forbid the two of them actually share the same space. That’s when the fireworks really started, especially if alcohol was involved.
Writing had saved her. Her first novel had been published before her senior year of college and she’d signed a huge contract to write three more books soon after, so she’d quit college and gone to work full-time writing. It had given her the financial independence she’d needed to live on her own. She’d been twenty-two years old, and she’d only spoken with her parents a handful of times since then. Neither of them seemed to remember they had a daughter, not even on Christmas or her birthday.
Zoe had spent the rest of her twenties making sure she’d never have to go back to that house again, working almost nonstop and accumulating a small fortune in the meantime. And then she’d met Todd by chance while he’d been on a run in Central Park. The sight of him had taken her breath away. He’d been handsome and fit and very charming. And he’d convinced her to marry him in a matter of weeks in a whirlwind romance. And in the span of that year she’d lost her independence and herself. Not to mention a good chunk of what she’d worked for.
Zoe blinked rapidly and shook herself out of the memories. “It was nice to meet you, Raven.” She smiled and hoped it reached her eyes.
“Come on down to the boutique when you get a chance,” Raven said. “A haircut like that needs a whole new wardrobe.”
Zoe laughed. “You can count on it.”
“Welcome to Laurel Valley.”
* * *
