VOLUME TWO: WINTER'S PATHMatt HolcombLate JulyI knew before I even started my car this morning and made the two-hour trek to her house that today was not going to end how I'd hoped. Summer Quinn was supposed to be my salvation, and though she wouldn't be my ruin, the loss was going to thrust my life right back to what started my downward spiral in the first place.From Greensboro to Charlotte, I passed the rolling Carolina countryside with my head in a fog, my heart clutching hope. Pine trees grounded in thick red clay passed by in a blur. Scatterings of wildflowers flashed color under the heavy, hot sun. I drove my reliable sedan that I'd purchased for my reliable life to go in the garage attached to my reliable house.That was me. Reliable. The good southern guy. Boy next door.Except I wasn't. Not really. Hadn't been in two years. Two years to this very day, to be exact. When my flirtation with skating the edge inadvertently put a girl six feet under. Up to that point, I'd been p

Jenny WinterWhen 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

MattPresentTemples throbbing, I stared around at the chaos and shook my head. While I'd been assembling my bedroom, Jenny had unpacked the kitchen stuff. Boxes were still scattered everywhere, my things mingling with my parents'. The plan had been to pack up whatever of theirs I didn't have room for and ship it to them.Perhaps leaving my furniture in Greensboro had been a mistake. I'd all but forgotten the floral-print couch and loveseat here, not to mention the knick-knacks and books. This place didn't feel any more mine than my house back home. The walls were white, scattered with paintings of flowers.The open floor plan allowed for creativity in furniture placement, but I wasn't creative, and all I could see when I looked around were years of July vacations. The large living room was separated from the kitchen by an island. I liked the distressed white cabinets and blue tile countertops, plus the stainless steel appliances were new. Bare, pale hardwood was throughout the fir

JennyJuly-Ten Years AgoI was so excited to have the Seasmoke crew back in town. This would be our third summer together, and the year seemed to take forever to pass. Matt and I talked once a week by phone and emailed, but it just wasn't the same.We'd done the customary bonfire and roasted marshmallows. We got caught up in chatting about our year and how things were going. They told me about where they'd be headed to college, and I got a little jealous. Grampy didn't have the money to send me to school, and with me inheriting the tavern someday, there wasn't a necessity. I'd enrolled in a tech program for a few business classes, but that's all I'd need besides my bartending license.Ian had been good ole Ian. Flirting and teasing. We hadn't slept together, but I had a feeling that would change this year. He wasn't a bad guy at all. He was charming and sweet and, to be honest, safe. My heart could never engage with Ian, but my body didn't seem to have that trouble. Last year, we'd

MattJuly-Two Years AgoStill shocked at my behavior, I followed Cara's directions to the pier and parked my car. She'd said very little since we'd left the nightclub together, and it was wringing my nerves raw. I was a bit of a good guy, a safe bet. Ergo, I'd never associated with the likes of a woman resembling Cara. I'd been instantly attracted to her and still didn't know why. Without a word, she climbed out of the car and headed toward the dunes. I followed, stepping under the stairs to the massive pier jutting out at least two hundred feet into the ocean. I'd never been down this way, but by the look of it, the pier was used by fisherman. This area was relatively deserted. No one wandered the beach. A few restaurants dotted both directions, but they were closed for the night.Staying under the canopy of the pier, she walked the width of beach until her toes dipped in the ocean. I came up beside her, glancing up at the dark brown painted planks and beams overhead. It offered