“Why did I agree to get up this early just to see you?” Rose joked as she barely stifled a wide yawn.Heath grinned. “It’s only nine a.m.”“You’re a morning person, I’m not.” She yawned again, and Heath laughed.Rose had agreed to meet Heath for coffee that Sunday at The Rise and Shine, the bakery Megan Thornton—née Flannigan—owned and ran. Rose had only been here a few times; working at The Fainting Goat, she tended to get up late and return home in the wee hours of the morning.“I’m not a morning person,” Heath replied, “but I’ve been getting up early for work so many years now that I can’t break the habit.”“I’ve never had that problem.”“Why does that not shock me?”Rose stuck out her tongue right as Jubilee Thornton placed their two coffees and muffins in front of them. “Cinnamon latte for you,” she said as she handed the drink to Rose, “and a latte with an extra shot for you. Just how you like it,” she said to Heath.Rose suddenly felt more awake than she had been just a
Rose threw the tennis ball, laughing as Callie sprinted in the opposite direction to fetch it. At the local dog park that evening—on her day off of work—she’d decided to get some much-needed fresh air to clear her head.Callie returned with the ball and dropped it at Rose’s feet. Rose ruffled the dog’s fur. “Good girl,” she crooned. “Go get it!”She threw the ball so far that it landed in the lake. Not one to be put off by a little water, Callie jumped into the lake before Rose could catch her.“Good thing I just had you groomed,” Rose said in exasperation as Callie returned the ball. Callie panted, water dripping onto Rose’s bare toes, and just waited for Rose to throw the ball for the millionth time.Rose kept tossing the ball—far away from the lake each time—letting her mind drift.She’d run into Seth a few times since she and Heath had returned from The Rise and Shine. Seth had been courteous but distant. Rose told herself it was for the best, although she couldn’t help but re
Seth watched as a shutter fell across Rose’s features, and it only made him want to know her better. Shouldn’t women burst into tears and tell men like him about all the monsters under the bed?He almost snorted. He’d never met a woman like that and he probably never would. He only dealt with stubborn women, brave women,annoyingwomen. Like his twin, Lizzie.“I don’t want to talk about it,” Rose finally said.He clucked his tongue. “Look, I heard you screaming. Screaming, Rose. Something’s going on, and I’m not leaving this apartment until you tell me what it is.”Anger flashed in her eyes. Good. He could deal with anger better than he could deal with hysterics. He understood anger.She glared down at him from her perch on her chair. “I didn’t think you were into harassment, Seth Thornton.”“I’m not, but I know when somebody needs to talk. You need to talk. You look like shit, by the way.”That made her laugh, which he’d hoped it would. “You’re an asshole. Go away.”
The weekend before the Fourth of July, the entire Thornton clan and their various significant others rented a boat to celebrate Caleb’s thirty-fourth birthday. Caleb had told Megan he didn’t want anything big, but she’d decided that he should definitely have a party. Not only to celebrate his birthday, but to celebrate his promotion at work.When Caleb and Megan got on the boat, everyone yelled “Surprise!” when they walked to the stern. Caleb jumped a little and then laughed.“Happy birthday!” Megan kissed him with a smacking sound, and Seth was amused to notice his brother blushing a little.“Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want a party?” Caleb shook his head, but he looked pleased nonetheless. “How did you manage to plan this without me knowing?”“Oh, a woman never tells her secrets,” Megan demurred.That resulted in laughter all around, and then the drinks were being poured. Since Harrison had rented the boat, they had a captain to make certain the boat didn’t go anywhere it shouldn
When Rose heard Seth cry out in the middle of the night, her heart twisted. It wasn’t a shout like when you stubbed a toe or banged your knee against a piece of furniture: it was the kind of cry that was equal parts terror and rage. It was the kind of shout that she understood all too well.She closed her eyes and dug her fingers into Callie’s plush fur. She waited for another shout, but there was only silence from next door.Rose hadn’t been able to sleep, although Seth’s yell would’ve awoken her, no doubt. Rising from her blankets, she padded to the living room, which shared a wall with Seth’s apartment.She placed her ear against the wall and listened. She could make out Seth walking around, and she heard his low voice. It was too muffled to hear his words, but it confirmed that he was awake.Callie stood next to her and woofed softly. Rose petted her absently.She’d missed him—that she couldn’t deny. She’d avoided him since she’d essentially kicked him out of her apartment, bu
Rose saw Seth and his brothers sit down at a table in the back at The Fainting Goat, and she almost ran into Rebecca when she whirled around.“Whoa, watch out! I almost dropped my tray.” Rebecca glared as she pushed past her.Rose took a deep breath and forced her heart to slow. She owed Seth an explanation—and an apology. Again. This seemed to be her lot in life: want Seth, offend Seth, avoid Seth. Rinse, repeat ad infinitum.“DiMarco, you okay?” Ash Younger asked as he walked past her to Trent’s office. “You look like you saw a ghost.”She gave him a wan smile. “I’m fine. Sorry, I’ll get back to work.”She didn’t give a chance for Ash to ask more questions before she hurried into the kitchen, only to realize that there weren’t any orders to pick up. She loitered until the chef told her either to start cooking or go be productive.She checked on her tables, refilled water glasses, and made absolutely certain to avoid any glares directed her way via Seth Thornton. Considering she
Rose had never hated not having a car more than when Heath called her to tell her his place had been broken into. He’d told her she didn’t need to come over, but of course she would. He was her brother, for God’s sake.The bus system in Fair Haven was mediocre at best. Deciding to pay for an Uber even though she really couldn’t spare the cash, Rose arrived about fifteen minutes later at Heath’s small bungalow on the south side of town. One of the few benefits of living in a small town was that you didn’t get stuck in traffic just driving a handful of miles away.There was a Fair Haven police car outside Heath’s house, and she approached to see Caleb Thornton talking with Heath.“Rose! I told you didn’t need to come,” Heath admonished, but he didn’t look upset.She hugged him hard, and he laughed.“I’m fine. I wasn’t even here, and they didn’t take anything that I can find. Just messed up the place.”That only made her feel worse. When she started shaking, Heath made her look him
That night, Rose lay in her nest of blankets with Callie and thought. She thought about everything she’d told Heath, and everything he’d told her.You can’t let fear rule your life.Those words thrummed in her mind like a single chord of music. She stroked Callie as she thought, and considered, and finally, made a decision.She knew very well it wouldn’t be as easy as letting go and dusting her hands of everything that had happened. But that didn’t mean she should stay in a kind of stasis, either.If she didn’t push herself to move forward, no one would.It was close to midnight. She wondered if Seth was asleep, but then she heard the creak of footsteps next door.The universe was giving her a sign, that was for sure.“I’ll be back later,” she whispered to Callie. Before she left, she brushed her teeth—a second time—brushed her hair, put on her prettiest bra-and-panty set, and then added a little lipstick on top of it all.If she was going to seduce a man, she might as well giv