Page 1 of Sunrise & Serenity

CHAPTER 1

SAGE

Whose bright idea was this?

Oh, that’s right. Mine.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, my palms clammy as rain batters the windshield. The wipers work furiously, barely making a dent in the downpour. Overhead, the sky is almost pitch-black until lightning forks through the clouds like nature’s own strobe light, illuminating the wind-tossed fir trees lining the road.

Why didn’t I stop at that small town twenty miles back? I could have had dinner at the cute roadside diner I passed, or even just a coffee to keep my gritty eyes open. Maybe with apple pie. Apple pie seems like the right thing to order at a country diner.

But I didn’t stop. I checked the time on my dash, peered at the increasingly ominous horizon, and figured that if I kept going, I could make it to Mia’s place in Silverford before the bad weather hit.

I guess storms move a lot faster in Colorado than they do in New York.

Lightning splits the sky again, and I blink away the afterimage, slowing even more as I count the seconds in my head. I only make it to two before thunder crashes, rattling the car and vibrating through my chest.

By now, I’m moving at a crawl. I’d wait it out if there were a place to pull over, but on one side of the road is a ditch and a wall of trees, and on the other, a drop-off that seems to tumble down for miles.

The sudden, shrill ring of my phone makes me jump out of my skin. How is there even cell service up here? Without taking my eyes off the road, I jab the answer button on the dash. “Hello?”

A faint crackle, then, “—you there, Sage? Why is—so loud?—you driving?”

I wince at Mia’s static-laced horror. “I’m not not driving.”

“Why didn’t—stop—Aspen Falls—wait out—storm?”

Aspen Falls must be the town I blew through in my eagerness to reach Silverford.

The sky lights up again. This time, the teeth-rattling boom of thunder follows almost instantly.

I think I whimper a little.

“Can—pull over?”

Even with the call breaking up, the concern in Mia’s voice is unmistakable. Shit. As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate. She uprooted her life for her daughter, Ruby, moved halfway across the country, and is still finding her feet as a rural vet. The last thing she needs is me adding to her worries.

Infusing my voice with as much cheerful confidence as I can, I say, “I’m sure I’ll find somewhere soon. In the meantime, snails are moving faster than I am.”

“—Snails?”

I scrunch up my nose. Probably not the time for humor. “Sorry, the signal’s really bad. I’m driving carefully, I promise.”

The line crackles again, and when she speaks, her voice is fainter. “—far away are you?”

I dare a glance at my GPS. “About twenty-five miles. I’ll be there before you know it. Prepare yourself for hugs and some kind of alcohol.”

I think she laughs, but it’s hard to tell.

“Drive safely—get—soon.”

She may not hear my goodbye, but I press the End Call button anyway.

Darkness closes in again. Without Mia’s voice to distract me, I’m back to navigating the storm and this narrow mountain road all on my own. I let out a breath, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension.

It isn’t all from the weather.

This past month has been a disaster. Walking away from my four-year relationship with Graham after learning he was cheating hurt enough. But realizing how much control I’d let him have over my career—and what that means now that we’re broken up—hurts even more.