Page 13 of Stuck with the Hero Next Door

I didn’t look away.

Neither did he.

Just a heartbeat. Maybe two.

Then he offered the barest smile and slid into his truck, headlights flaring as he pulled away.

I let the curtain fall.

When I slipped on my nightgown and climbed into bed, I lay still, staring at the ceiling like it held answers. Everwood wasn’t in the plan. A handsome man named Levi, who may or may not actually own a goat, definitely wasn’t. But tonight made me wonder if sticking to the plan was overrated. If maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to run so hard toward something that felt less and less right.

Outside, the night deepened, crickets humming their secrets.

Inside, I whispered to the ceiling, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

But the smile tugging at my lips said otherwise.

Chapter 4

Diner Talk and Destiny

Levi

The diner smelled like syrup, sizzling bacon, and generational meddling. I barely had one boot over the threshold before the bell jingled, and four silver-haired heads turned toward me. If I didn’t know any better, they’d been lying in wait. Might as well have been.

My mom and her quilting group met for breakfast every Friday. Saturdays were the book club’s turn. I forget when the knitters and crocheters showed up, but they were in the rotation somewhere.

Mom gave me a smile that said, “You’re late to your own ambush.

“Morning,” I muttered, tipping an imaginary hat. My gaze drifted to the counter, and there she was—Cassie, red curls loose and eyes buried in a book. Scarf tucked around her neck. Pancakes already half gone.

“Hey,” I said, sliding onto the stool next to her. “You survived Janet’s cookies.”

She didn’t look up. “Barely. I’m still debating a sugar coma or second breakfast.”

When Doris set my coffee down, the clatter suggested she’d been eavesdropping since sunrise. “Same as usual, Levi?”

I nodded, then looked at Cassie. “Word of warning—if she offers the cinnamon buns, say no. It’s a trap.”

Cassie smirked. “What kind of trap?”

“Flaky, sticky, and liable to convince you to buy real estate.”

The smile she gave me tugged at something I didn’t want to name. I took a sip of coffee instead.

Then Mom appeared, like a hawk pouncing on its prey.

“Cassie, this is my mother, Kathy,” I said. “She also happens to run the high school.”

Cassie stood to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Oh, the pleasure’s mine,” Mom said, eyes already measuring Cassie for a metaphorical apron. “You’re just visiting, or are we lucky enough to keep you for a while?”

Cassie’s lips twitched. “Guess that depends on your truck parts pipeline.”

Mom turned on the charm like a high beam. “Well, Everwood has a mind of its own. And deliveries can go astray.”

I groaned softly. “Here we go.”