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“Cheryl?” I ask, confirming what I already knew to be true.
“Nolan?” she asked, her mouth fell open in a perfect O shape. Fuck. All manner of erotic thoughts about her wrapping her juicy lips around my cock went through my head. Fuck, they still do.
After one short lunch meeting with her, my plan was clear. She had no idea I wasn’t local; she still doesn’t. I never told her that I moved across the county all because I was unable to let her go. I left Maine in a daze, went back to Chicago, and drove across the country with everything I couldn’t live without. I moved into a furnished 2 bed, 2 bath house in Cupid’s Cove.
After our phone conversation earlier, I am still wondering who the fuck called her. My jealous, primal nature always rears its ugly head when it comes to her. I want everything from her. Her innocence, her heart, her mind. It’s all mine, and she doesn’t get that. Not yet, but she will. It blows my mind that she doesn’t know how beautiful and talented she is. I want to be the one to tell her that every single minute of every single day because she needs to know. Her sexy naivety is killing me. How can she not get it? Why doesn’t she know that I am head over heels in love with her? Doesn’t she know that I am obsessed with her? Obsessed enough to uproot my life and implant myself in hers. I could get a skywriter to announce it to the world, but I’d rather tell her first. She’s the very best thing that’s ever happened to me, and she doesn’t even know it.
Cupid’s Cove has a Love Festival, and I plan on taking thorough advantage of it. Starting February 1st, I’ve got fourteen days to show her much she means to me and to make her mine.
CHAPTER3
CHERYL
THE NEXT DAY
“I am soexcited to see you!” I tell one of my best friends, Rose, practically jumping up and down. She is coming here in a few days for the Valentine's Day Festival from Chicago.
“I know and as soon as I land I am expecting you to hook me up with the cutest guy in town.” As soon as she says the words, my mind flips to Nolan. He is by far the most handsome and rugged. Too bad he is not interested in me. When I think, even for the briefest moment, that Rose might be more his type, I feel like thousands of tiny splinters are being pushed into my heart. “Hello. Earth to Cheryl.”
“Oops. Sorry. Spaced out for a moment thinking about my book.” It’s not a complete lie, right? I mean, Nolan is doing the cover.
“That makes sense. I can’t wait to read pages of it. I bet it is fantastic and someone is going to find it and make it into a Hallmark movie.” Shaking my head, I can't help but giggle. Rose is the most optimistic out of all of us. She is like a one-woman cheering squad sometimes. That is why all of my friends and I love her.
“I don’t know about that. Do you know how hard it is for an indie author to have luck like that? Next to impossible. Besides, to really be seen I need to be on Kobo and Barnes and Noble and iBooks and whatever stupid thing someone thinks of tomorrow. I would just like to make my money on Amazon, writing books for all the hopeless romantics like me.”
“Well, I say, this year, you shoot for the stars, girl. Well, I have to go. Love you.”
“Love you too. See you soon.” Hanging up, I look around, and suddenly, I don't want to write today. Have you ever had one of those days? You know you should be doing something, but you just don’t want to. Well, today is that day.
Looking at the time, I see it is just after one. Excellent. Putting on my hat and scarf and some slim gloves, I start the twenty-minute walk down the street, across the tracks, and through town to Cupids Cove.
It’s amazing, really, how all of this came to be. Hundreds of years ago, my friend Tiffany that I grew up with, and her husband's great grandfather Sutter Bishop, founded Cupid’s Cove. Over the years, it grew as most small towns do, but only with more lives being born. Our family settled into the town about forty years after it was founded. We have been here for generations.
One year, the town council, consisting of Sutter, his brother Godfried, and a woman named Hiawatha Mason, whose father was a partner of Sutter’s, sat down around the table and decided we needed a train station. Now as you can imagine, for some folks, this was taboo. It would bring the city folk into the town, and they didn’t want that. But to others, it was a chance to bring in more revenue and work. So it was voted upon, and based on the majority, it was built.
My family and a handful of others, like the McGillis family, The Lort’s, and the McCarthy’s, all decided against it. My grandfather decided since our houses were on the other side of where the tracks would be built, we could form our own town, separate from Cupid’s Cove, and when the other two families agreed, they drew up contracts, did a bunch of other stuff I have no clue about and formed a new town called Arrow’s Bow. Yes, you heard me right. It’s named after my family.
Now as a young person looking in, it all seems kind of silly. The only thing our town has is houses and one bakery, and that is because Ann McGillis wanted to open her own. So she did. But, for the rest of our needs, we depend on Cupid’s Cove. We use their fire department, police department, schools, and everything else. See. It is all ridiculous.
“Hi, Cheryl. How are you?” Mr. Frick asks, changing his sign in front of the butcher shop for the afternoon. He is my friend Tiffany’s father. The biggest teddy bear in the world.
“Doing great. Going to see Tiff and the kiddos. They are home, right?” I didn’t think to check the library first, which is where Tiff’s grandma works.
“They should be. They went to the library for story time and then I saw them when they were headed home. Little M.J. was fussy.” She has the cutest little newborn son. Every time I see him, I forcefully stop myself from eating his cute face.
“Great. Well, I’m going. Nice seeing you.”
“You as well,” he calls after me. Continuing my walk, I get so giddy when I see the frozen hot chocolate stand go up. It is literally the highlight of my entire winter. I mean, some mad genius thought of putting hot chocolate with ice. It’s fantastic.
“Hey Cheryl. How are you?” Turning, I see Harvest Pack behind me, with her son Michael and a very handsome man I don't recognize. I walk toward them, wanting to say hello to Michael.
“Hey guys. What’s up?” I ask, ruffling his hair because he hates it so much. Immediately he fixes it, and the man behind him chuckles. Up close, I can totally see similarities between him and Michael. Oh boy. I wonder if…
“Cheryl, this is my dad, Pedro,” Michael says, standing so proud and tall.
“It is so nice to meet you,” I tell him, waving, not sure what else to say. Especially since I have like a thousand questions running through my head.
“You as well.” He nods his head toward me. I look at Harvest, and she is blushing so hard it gives me flutters for her. She deserves it.
