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“Zachary.” She practically spit out his name, as if it tasted bad. “He might be the one who finally stumps me. But Luke?” She tapped her lips with her finger. “No, I don’t see it.”
“If you don’t want to foist her on Luke, I have plenty of brothers to choose from.”
That was the truth. There were six of us boys, plus Annika. We were a yours, mine, and ours family. Dad had me, Luke, and Garrett with his first wife. Mom—she was the only mom any of us had ever known—had Reese, Theo, and Zachary. Dad had adopted them after they got married and no one questioned the fact that they were Havens. Then they’d had Annika together.
Plenty of single Haven brothers for Louise to annoy. Even Garrett, who’d gotten a divorce a few years ago.
Then again, Reese was the wild card. We hadn’t seen him in years. He could be married with seven kids of his own and we’d have no idea.
“You know, maybe I’ll see if Theo is interested,” she said. “He has a good, stable job.”
“Or Garrett,” I said, glad to see the wheels of her matchmaking mind turning away from me. “Also has a good, stable job.”
Heidi brought my to-go bag and set it on the table. I pulled out my wallet and shoved some cash at her before she could leave. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks.”
I stood, ready to make a break for it before Louise talked me into staying to eat with her. “I gotta go.”
“Good to see you, honey. But don’t think you’re off the hook.”
I just shook my head and left.
Smelling my dinner all the way home made my stomach growl even more. Fortunately, I lived in town, on Meadow Street, the last house on a dead-end road. I’d bought it years ago, intending to fix it up, but hadn’t gotten around to doing much of anything with it. It still had the same sad, faded paint and crooked screen door that squeaked when it opened.
Inside wasn’t much better. It was livable, just dated and bare. Dull hardwoods needed to be refinished. I’d taken out the old baseboards and trim and hadn’t replaced them. Someone before me had painted the kitchen cabinets a terrible shade of mauve and covered the original linoleum with cheap peel and stick tiles. A few were coming loose, but fixing them meant replacing the whole floor, which really meant redoing the entire kitchen.
One of these days, I’d get around to it. Probably when I was ready to sell or convert it into a rental.
I pulled off my work boots, leaving them by the door, and tossed my phone, wallet, and keys on a small folding table. My furniture was as shabby and mismatched as the house. Same couch I’d had for years, a recliner my brother Theo had dumped on me last time he’d moved, and a small table that doubled as a footrest.
I dropped my takeout bag on the table and went to the kitchen to grab a beer. After cracking it open, I collapsed onto the couch and kicked my feet up.
Lonely? Aunt Louise didn’t know what she was talking about. Sure, I was alone, but I wasn’t lonely. I liked being able to put my feet on the table right next to my food. Sitting on an old couch in a half-finished house. I worked on my own schedule, did what I wanted the rest of the time. The last thing I wanted was someone else I had to worry about.
Alone, not lonely. Just the way I liked it.
CHAPTER4
Audrey
My stomach tumbledwith nervousness as I walked up the sidewalk to my new job. It felt like the first day of school. The feeling wasn’t entirely unpleasant, although I did wonder if I’d dressed appropriately. Was this a casual office? More formal? I’d interviewed over video chat, so I hadn’t been there in person, and nothing in my correspondence with my new boss had mentioned a dress code.
I’d opted for what I hoped was classic—white blouse with a charcoal gray skirt and black pumps. It made me feel a little bit like Lois Lane, which seemed appropriate, given my new job.
Now if only I could find my own Clark Kent. He didn’t even have to be Superman. Just a nice guy with a good job, who liked dogs and would fall head over heels in love with me. Was that too much to ask?
My life experience said yes, but I was a hopeless optimist.
I’d left Max at Happy Paws, the local pet store that also offered doggie daycare. It had taken him all of ten seconds to bond with the owner, Missy Lovejoy. Of course, she’d given him a treat. Max’s love didn’t come at a high price. But at least it was one less thing I needed to worry about.
The Tilikum Tribune office was a block off Main Street, not far from Lumberjack Park. Tilikum had a much cuter downtown than Pinecrest. It had a quaint, let’s-walk-around-and-shop quality, with interesting stores and quite a few restaurants.
I skidded to a halt as two squirrels ran across the sidewalk in front of me. It looked like one was carrying a set of keys. I glanced around, wondering if I should chase it down and get the keys back. They had to belong to someone. But a second later, they both disappeared around a corner.
Apparently the Tilikum squirrels came by their reputation for thievery honestly.
I smoothed down my skirt and took a deep breath, then opened the door to the Tribune office and went inside.
