Page 1 of Broken Boundaries

CHAPTER 1

Aspen

“Are you sure you want me to go to this? I feel like I’m intruding.”

In truth, I don’t want to go. I’ve been hoping my boyfriend would change his mind about me attending lunch with him and his dad ever since he asked me to go. I even gave him an out yesterday and reassured him that it would most certainly not hurt my feelings if he would rather it be just him and his dad. Some quality father-son time. He shot that down immediately.

“Yes, babe,” Zach shouts from the bathroom. “Now that we live here, you’ll be seeing a lot of my family. You’ll have to get used to it.”

It’s not that I don’t want to see his family… It’s just I’ve never really been good at families. Probably because I never really had a traditional one growing up. My grandma watched over me, but I’ve always been a bit of a wanderer, never really fitting in anywhere or with anyone. It’s even harder with Zach and his family because I want them to like me so badly that I end up making every interaction awkward.

I sigh and look around our new bedroom. We moved into this apartment four days ago, the first day of June, and we still have boxes to unpack.

“I know. It’s just that we have so much to do. I have to find a job, and⁠—”

“And you’re not going to find a job in the one hour it takes to have lunch with my dad. Plus, it’s a free meal, which we need since neither of us has money coming in at the moment.” Zach walks out of the bathroom with a big smile on his face, knowing that he’s got me. A free meal would be nice. We’ve been eating grilled cheeses and ramen noodles for the last few days while we moved.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

He extends his hand to me. “Come on. You know I don’t want to go alone. Especially not with him.”

Zach has never had a great relationship with his dad, which is another reason why I’m surprised he agreed to lunch on our first week here in Blue Haven.

I grab Zach’s hand and let him lead me out of our small one-bedroom apartment. Instead of heading to one of our cars, we take the sidewalk because in Blue Haven, Georgia, most places are close enough to walk. Our apartment is very centrally located—just a few steps off Main Street.

It’s going to take me a while to get used to living in a small town like this. I grew up in Florida and then moved to Savannah right after high school. I spent two years there before I moved to Atlanta and have been there ever since. After growing up in a not-so-great part of Florida, I thought I would feel more alive in a big city. But then I met Zach two years ago, fell in love, and he somehow got me to agree to move back to his hometown with him after he graduated from Georgia State University.

I hate to admit that I didn’t have much else going on at the time. In Atlanta, I was working at a hotel. My plan was to get into management, but I hadn’t made much progress on that front. When Zach told me he was moving home and asked me to come with him, I agreed. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try small-town life for a little while. He always made Blue Haven sound so magical. Truthfully, however sad it might sound, there wasn’t really a reason for me to stay in the city without him.

Blue Haven is cute. It looks like your typical small town. Main Street is like every small-town TV movie I’ve ever seen, with a few restaurants, a general store, a grocery store, a coffee shop, a bakery, a library, and city hall. It’s a busy little area, or as busy as it can be with such a small population. Unfortunately for me, none of these cute little places is hiring. It seems people hire those they know, and then those people never leave. I probably should’ve looked into the job market before I completely upended my life, but I’ve always been more on the spontaneous side.

Zach opens the door to Melvin’s Tavern and ushers me inside. Contrary to the name, it’s actually one of the nicer restaurants in town and not what I would consider a diner. Every table has a white tablecloth on it with a candle and a flower centerpiece. There’s not a sticky menu in sight.

The hostess leads us to the table by the window that Zach’s dad reserved.

Zach and I sit on one side of the table, leaving the other side open for his dad.

“So, what is this lunch for?” I ask as I peruse the menu while we wait.

“I don’t know. I think he just wants to check in. Probably so he can say he did the dad thing or whatever.”

“Hmm.” Zach and his dad… tolerate each other. Their relationship has always been a little rocky, from what I can tell. His parents separated when Zach was really young, and he spent most of his time with his mom, so he didn’t get to develop a close father-son relationship with his dad.

It got even worse when Zach decided to go to college instead of working at the Calloway family business: Moonlight Ranch, the shining star of Blue Haven, Georgia. I can’t blame him. I don’t think that I’d like to be stuck on a ranch for the rest of my life either.

But at least his dad makes some sort of effort, like scheduling this lunch. I don’t even know if my dad is dead or alive. That’s a thought for another day, though.

The front door opens, and a man walks in. I’ve met Zach’s dad maybe twice over the last two years, and there’s no denying the man has a presence. It’s especially noticeable in this small restaurant on a random Thursday when he smiles at the hostess, and she practically melts.

Brooks Calloway looks like an older version of Zach: dark hair, dark eyes, muscular build, and a perfect smile. The difference lies in Brooks’s sun-kissed skin from working outside all day, the black cowboy hat that he’s worn every time I’ve seen him, and the giant buckle on the belt around his waist. I don’t think Zach even owns a belt… or a cowboy hat. Brooks Calloway looks like a real-life cowboy, and unfortunately for him, his only son wants nothing to do with that life.

“Hey, kid. Sorry, I’m late,” Brooks says as he stops in front of our table.

Zach stands and gives his dad an awkward side hug. I stand because I feel rude staying seated, which is dumb. It’s not like I expect a hug from the man.

“All good, Dad. We just got here.”

Brooks tips his head in my direction. “Aspen. Good to see you again.”