Ruby pulled up in front of her house and let a long breath seep out through her teeth. She knew taking Parker’s car was a stupid thing. But so was him flying his hot air balloon when he knew he shouldn’t. When Ruby had seen the balloon spread out on the ground like that, she’d imagined Parker sprawled out just like it, limbs twisted at odd angles. The flashbacks from Clark’s death had hit her so suddenly, and so hard, she’d panicked. Thank goodness all her years of training had kicked in and she’d managed to land the plane safely. The man had only asked to see her pilot’s license, which had never expired. Maybe because it was an emergency, he hadn’t asked to see the card that really mattered—the one that showed she’d actually kept up to date with her flights and training. He had then been kind enough to give her a ride to Parker’s car, which she was suppose

Melinda swept ceramic shards into her dustpan—at least the ones she could find. What used to be a plate lay scattered across the tile floor, but she knew from experience that she'd be finding small pieces for days to come. She'd seriously considered switching to using plastic plates in the diner, but then had been reprimanded by her mother about the environmental impact."France has banned plastic in their restaurants completely. We could learn a thing or two from them," her mother had said.Melinda had conceded and was now suffering for it. Even though her parents technically owned the diner, she'd been running it for the past nine years, and they hadn't even set foot there in the last four year

Melinda woke with a start. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and looked out the car window. A large building with pillars greeted her. It was surrounded by palm trees and a man in a valet uniform stood out front."Good morning," Daniel said. "Or afternoon, I guess."Melinda stretched her legs as far as she could, but Daniel's car was a bit cramped. "How long was I asleep?""The last hour." He glanced around. "Is there any self-parking available at this joint, or do we have to hand over the car?"Melinda opened the passenger door. "I'm not sure, but I can ask." As soon as she stepped out, she heard someone calling her name. Her gaze snapped up and sh

Melinda woke to knocking on the door. What time was it? "Go away. You can clean my room later," she mumbled before turning over and snuggling further into the blankets. She’d had the best night's sleep of her life, and she didn't want to cut it short.The knocking continued.Melinda groaned and rolled out of bed. Grabbing her robe and slipping it on, she shuffled to the door. She cracked open the door and said, "I didn't order a wakeup call.""But you did ask me to pick you up for breakfast," Daniel said.It was already seven-thirty? She was used to getting up at six to go to the diner and had figured she would wake up with time to spare. Melinda swung the door open. "I'm so sorry.

Melinda lay in bed, a bag of peanut M&Ms on one side, and a bottle of water on the other. A cheesy romantic comedy played on the TV, but the dialogue was barely audible and she was too comfortable, and lazy, to get up and find the remote.Maid of honor. Melinda had been disappointed, and slightly offended, when she’d found out that her sister hadn't chosen her for the coveted position. Bree had passed up her own sister. Looking back at it, it made sense. They hadn't seen each other in years, and they rarely spoke on the phone. Bree had her own life now, and it didn't include Melinda. All that had been left behind in Amor.But now that Melinda had the job, she wanted to give it back. It turned