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Chapter 1
Whitney
“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”I swerved to avoid the big rig that entered my lane without signaling. Sure, I didn’t want to drive to my hometown, but death wasn’t exactly the alternative I had in mind. I muttered a few more expletives while I flipped off the driver.
“Just breathe.” I chanted my new mantra for what must have been the millionth time that afternoon. My knuckles had turned white some miles back, my grip on the steering wheel unrelenting.
Unless I needed to flip someone off.
I became increasingly agitated since I crossed thestate linetwo hours back.
But crossing thecounty linesent me over the edge as the miles counted down to Haver’s Creek.
Needing a distraction, I pressed play on my iPhone, which pulled up my current audiobook, the latest in a sexy romance series I absolutely devoured.
She followed him into his office, closing the door behind her. The distinct click of a lock drew his attention. “What are you doing here?”
A sigh escaped me as I tried to lose myself in the book, focusing on the story rather than the unexpected turn my life had taken.
You see, exactly a week ago, my sister called me in tears. That phone call turned my world upside down. After several minutes of getting her to stop hyperventilating, she finally told me the reason for her call: she was pregnant and the bastard that knocked her up wanted nothing to do with her or her unborn child.
What a jackass.
She was suddenly alone, pregnant, and clearly in need of support. I could only do one thing: move back home.
It wouldn’t have been my immediate reaction had she called five years ago in the same predicament. Hell, it wouldn’t have been my gut reaction even a year ago. But I was starting to feel unsettled in LA. The success of my job no longer fulfilled me the way it had. Bratty brides and demanding celebrities could only hold my appeal for so long.
And the transient nature of LA meant that I didn’t have a support system there. I didn’t have good friends I could count on.
If I were being truly honest with myself, I hadn’t had that in a very long time.
I called all my clients, referred them to other, slightly less brilliant event planners, packed up boxes, put my condo on the market and started my road trip back home.
I still felt conflicted about the sudden change in my life, but I knew I’d eventually figure it out. I always did.
Fortunately, I had two thousand miles between Los Angeles and my sleepy hometown of Haver’s Creek, Ohio, to contemplate what my homecoming would be like.
Unfortunately, mentally preparing myself only went so far.
The last time I stepped foot in Haver’s Creek was ten years ago, the day after graduation, to be exact. My amazing best friend and possible love of my life, Jack Montgomery, had royally screwed me over, sending me packing well before the end of summer, as I had originally intended.
Rather than sticking around the gossipy, small town while trying to avoid the betrayer, I threw what few belongings I had into my car and drove west. By some miracle, I snagged a waitressing job so I could afford summer student housing before the school year started at UCLA.
Knowing Jack Montgomery still lived in Haver’s Creek kept me far, far away. When I wanted to see my sister, I flew her out to me or met with her in a more exciting corner of the country. I might have avoided Haver’s Creek, but I would never avoid my sister, the one person who was always there for me.
It was because of her that I had to come back. There was no way in hell I’d let her go through this life change alone.
And besides, as much of a shock as it was for me to find out she was pregnant, I was secretly thrilled at the idea of becoming an aunt. Maybe I’d think of some kick-ass nickname the kid could call me. Luckily, I had about seven and a half months to figure that out.
My stomach clenched as I pulled off the highway and onto Haver's Creek's Main Street. While I had never been to my sister’s house, I knew exactly where to find it on the other side of town.
I slowed down as I approached the Haver’s Creek central square, the late afternoon “traffic” congesting the one-lane streets. Although traffic in a town this small was relative.
“It all looks the same,” I marveled. I should have expected it, but it was still a little eerie, given how much I had changed over the years. It was as if the town was perfectly preserved in time.
An uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach as feelings I’d worked long and hard to suppress began to resurface. That last month I’d spent in Haver’s Creek before graduation no longer seemed a distant memory, but rather a fresh wound to the skin.
I turned the volume up, desperately trying to block out those memor—
