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Chapter 1
Why do all dogs go to heaven but not all people? Because people are jerks. Plain and simple.
As I look around the garden at the entire town of Winter Falls celebrating the love my sister, Ellery, has found, it’s all I can do to not roll my eyes. Love. Ha! I thought I found it, but I was a naïve fool.
I can only hope the love my sister and her brand-spanking-new fiancé, Cole, share will last longer than my attempts at a happily ever after.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Oh goodie. A reminder of why love sucks. Because I needed a reminder.
You’d think Mr. ‘Can’t buy a hint if it slaps him in the face’ would have figured it out by now. We are over. Although, we never actually began. It’s hard to have a relationship when half of the couple bolts the morning after sex. And leaving me alone in bed isn’t the worst part. Not by a long shot.
“Here.” Another one of my sisters – Aspen this time – presses a glass into my hand.
I sniff the drink and nearly rear back at the strong scent of alcohol. “What is this?”
“A martini.”
A martini doesn’t burn my nose hairs. “This is not a martini.”
“Yes, it is. Gin and vodka equals martini.” My book-obsessed sister always did suck at math.
I shiver. “What about the vermouth?”
“Trust me. You’re going to need the fortification.”
I pause with my lips on the glass. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s your turn.”
“My turn?”
My two other sisters, Lilac and Ashlyn, join us. Yep. There are five of us in total. I’d feel sorry for my poor father, but Dad loves his girls more than anything on earth.
“I believe she means she’s going to meddle in your love life next,” Lilac says.
Uh oh. My sisters have been falling for men like flies over the past year. First, Aspen returned to Winter Falls after her bookstore in Dallas burned down and rekindled her romance with her first love, Lyric. Afterwards, Ashlyn went balls to the wall to convince her forever crush, Rowan, to give her a chance. They’re married now.
And, last but not least, Ellery got pregnant during a one-night stand with Cole. My stubborn sister gave the man a run for his money, but she accepted his marriage proposal today, so I’m thinking the running’s over.
But my sisters being all loved up doesn’t mean I want to be. I tried doing the whole love and romance thing. It was a disaster. Complete and utter disaster.
I retreat a step. “What about you?” I point to Lilac, the only other sister who remains unattached. “Why can’t Aspen meddle in your love life?”
“Please,” Aspen draws out the word. “I think we all know Lilac will be the last of us to pair off, and she’s going to need the most help. It’s for the best if all of us are happily paired off before we set our sights on matching Lilac.”
“What if I don’t want to be happily paired off?”
Ashlyn barks out a laugh. “Ha! Liar.”
“I am not lying.” I sneer at her.
I’m done with men. Men who make tons of promises before they get you in their bed but disappear before you wake up the next morning. Men who can’t be bothered to answer your messages until you start ignoring them. I hate games. In fact, I’m thinking I hate most people at the moment.
I’ll stick to my animals, thank you very much. My sweet pets never forget about me, and I never question how much they love me, because they show me how much they love me constantly.
The crowd buzzes, and I glance over at the back porch expecting to see Ellery and Cole emerge from the house. It’s about time. But the happy couple is still missing from their own party.
“Someone’s not a secret admirer anymore,” Ashlyn sings. What is my baby sister – aka shit stirrer of the worst kind – talking about?
