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Shit.
Going up there will mean that I’ll more than likely run intohim. I’ll have to look into his handsome, sexy face, and those eyes that haunt my dreams every night.
Shit.
Sighing, I take one last look at my neck in the mirror, and then go back to my room. I pull out my suitcases from the closet and lay them out on the floor, throwing in almost every warm piece of clothing I own.
Maybe seeing him will make me stop thinking about him.
Well, that’s a load of bullshit. I can only hope that maybe he’s gotten ugly and less manly and muscly over these past few months. That would solve everything.
Chapter 2
“Ashley, honey, are you sure you should be traveling to Maine now?” my mom asks for the fiftieth time this morning.
“Yes. I have to beat the storm that’s supposed to hit in a few days.”
“But why are you going now? It’s January. What if you get stranded in the snow?”
“I’m not going to get stranded. Ally and Jake are there.” It’s the truth, I just didn’t tell her that I’m not staying with them. She’d freak if she knew I was staying out in a cottage by myself where anything could happen to me. Including getting stranded.
“Well, that makes me feel a little better. But why now? Did something happen? Don’t you have work?”
“Mom, you have to stop with the twenty questions. I asked for a little time off at the bar because we’re slow, and I just need to get away for a few days.” The lies just keep coming. If she knew I was forced to quit another job because of sexual harassment, I don’t know what she’d start thinking about me.
“Alright, honey. I’m sorry.” I can hear the twinge of sadness in her voice, and I immediately feel guilty. I know she’s only worried because I’m all she has left now.
“I know why you’re worried, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”
She pulls me in tight for a hug. “I know you’ll be fine. You’re strong.” I don’t know if she can sense I’ve been lying to her about why I’m going on this trip, but her words bring tears to my eyes that I have to quickly blink away.
“I’ll call you when I get there.”
“You better.”
Smiling, I kiss her cheek and take my last bag out to my car.
“Love you, Ashley,” my mom calls from the door.
“Love you, too,” I say back as I get in behind the wheel.
∞∞∞
Six hours, and three coffee stops later, I’ve finally made it to the Pine Cove exit off of the highway. The sun is shining bright above, and the ground and pine trees are covered in a blanket of snow. It looks like they just had a snow storm, and the sky hardly looks like another one is coming, but I guess in Maine, snow is always just around the corner.
The closer I get to Pine Cove, the more nervous I feel. My hands are sweating on the steering wheel, my left leg is bouncing, and I can’t stop chewing on my lip.
What was I thinking coming back here? I mean, I knew I’d eventually have to come back for Ally’s wedding, and I’d have to face him again, but I thought I’d have more time to prepare myself. This trip was too impulsive.
Turning right onto Main Street, my heart starts to pound in my chest, and my skin breaks out in a cold sweat. I slow down when I see The Blueberry Café, and pull into a spot right out front. I need a cup of Courtney’s strong coffee to calm my nerves. And maybe one of her pastries. Sugary treats and coffee go hand in hand for me.
Courtney is only four years older than me, and at 32, she owns the café. She’s married to hot fireman in town, too. Just like Ally, Courtney came to Pine Cove for a fresh start in life, and she found her forever here with the café and her hunky husband. She had her life together when she was my age, and yet I’m bumbling around like an aimless drifter.
Maybe this place possesses some kind of small-town magic that draws in the lost souls of the world and finds them a home. Or, maybe this town just has an obscene amount of hot men that know how to make women fall in love with them so they’ll stay.
Either way, I do know that Courtney’s coffee and pastries are magic, and I could use some of both right now. Opening my car door, a blast of frigid air blows in my face and I immediately close it again. Holy hell, it’s freezing!
Reaching into the back seat, I grab my scarf and wrap myself up before attempting to step out of the car again. It’s only a few steps to the café’s door, so I tuck my face down and hurry inside. The familiar bells jingle above my head, and the warmth welcomes me like an old friend.
