Chapter 44

Jenny Winter

When Matt's text pinged my phone saying he was getting off the interstate, my heart pounded so hard it shoved ribs. Up until this moment, I kind of figured he'd back out. Go the safe route and stay in Greensboro. Matt wasn't a coward by any means, but he did like his world neat. Orderly. And a change as big as moving to the coast disrupted that perfect bubble he'd lived in.

I was so damn proud of him. I knew his relationship with Summer would never pan out, and I think he did, too. Yet, he'd pursued her anyway. I'd never deluded myself into wishing Ian could ever be mine. We were a seasonal hookup and nothing more. Had I looked forward to Fourth of July week every year? Yes. Ian was a great lover who'd treated me well. He'd never led me on or made what we had feel cheap. But that's all it was. Friends with benefits.

Matt, however, had clung to the hope Summer would choose him. I shook my head. Truth be told, Matt loved her, but there wasn't a spark between them. He mig