Chapter 1
Jake Hughes couldn’t stop the smile that overtook his lips as he jogged down the front steps of his parents’ two-story farmhouse. A vaguely familiar 1960s pop song—was it The Beatles, or The Monkees?—blasted from the 2002 hunter-green Jeep Wrangler crunching up the gravel driveway.
His best friend since kindergarten, Emily Carmichael, was at the wheel. And he couldn’t have been more relieved.
She’s finally here! Everything’s going to be all right.
The Jeep came to a stop just as Jake’s work boots hit the gravel, and Emily jumped out.
“Carmichael!” he called as he pulled her in for a quick hug, lifting her off her feet for a few seconds. “It’s about time you got here.”
When he set her back on the ground, she gave him a friendly shove. “Whatever,” she huffed. “I told you I’d be here by five.”
Jake lifted his phone from the back pocket of his worn jeans and gave it a dramatic glance. “And yet it’s almost six.” He shovedthe phone back into his pocket. “You’re never on time. You were even late for our high school graduation.”
“I was onlyfifteenminutes late to graduation, and you’d expect nothing less from me,” she said with a flourish before reaching into the back of the Jeep for her huge black suitcase. At five-foot-four, her slight frame barely reached the back seat.
“I’ll get it.” He gently moved her to the side. “I don’t know why you bought those big tires for this thing when you practically need a step stool to get in and out of it.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Uh, because it’s cool.”
He set the suitcase on the ground with a smirk as his gaze roved over her. Emily was nearly a foot shorter than he was, and she looked the same as he remembered. Her wavy, dark brown hair was styled in a thick ponytail that almost reached the middle of her back. Her well-loved blue jeans sported holes in each knee, and her signature pink Converse high-tops were splattered with a rainbow of dried paint. Her ivory skin was flawless and makeup free, and her eyes, a shade of brown so light they appeared golden, sparkled as she grinned up at him.
He could feel a snappy comment coming, and he relished it. He’d missed the barbs they’d always enjoyed throwing at each other since they were kids.
Standing on her tiptoes, Emily tapped the bill of his ball cap. “Why are you still wearing this ratty ol’ Mets cap? I sent you a brand-new one for Christmas. But here you are, sporting the one you’ve had since high school.”
“It’s broken in.” He adjusted the cap on his head.
“Broken in?” she exclaimed. “You’ve had it since we were sixteen. I think after almost fourteen years, it’s time to retire it.”
He shook his head. “Nah. Besides, I save yours for special occasions.”
“Sure you do,” she chirped with a laugh. “I knew I was wasting my money when I bought you a new one. But I just couldn’t help myself.” She inhaled a deep breath through her nose and spun around. “I love the smell of the orchard mixed with the lake. It never gets old.”
“Which is why you need to come back to Western North Carolina more often, Carmichael. In fact, my mom and dad were heartbroken you didn’t join us last year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Her ever-present smile wobbled. “Yeah. I know.” She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder. “I should’ve come here instead of spending it with Steve and his family.”
He lifted an eyebrow. This was news to him. He thought she and Steve were happy, that Steve might even pop the question. He was the first guy Jake could remember Emily gushing about in their texts and calls. “Trouble in paradise?”
“You could say that.”
“You broke up?”
She examined her short, nibbled nails. “Yup.”
He took a step closer to her. “When?”
“Um... it’s been a couple months.” She glanced up toward the clear blue sky, as if the answer was hidden there. “Maybe June? Yeah, it was definitely June.”
So that was why she hadn’t mentioned Steve when they’d texted and she’d dodged his questions about how things were going with him. “It’s August, Em. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There she is!” Mom hollered from the porch. “You made it!”
Emily raced up the steps, and Jake followed with her suitcase.
Mom engulfed Emily in a tight hug. “It’s been too long! We missed you at the holidays last year, sweetie. You must’ve been busy. I hope you’ll come this year. It’s not the same without you.”
