Page 6 of Sometimes You Fall

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“You’re here early.” Dallas Sheppard, my childhood friend, greets me with an arch of his brow as I head for the bar he’s standing behind. As planned, Dallas left for the Marines right after high school and returned to Carrington Cove around the same time I did to build a life outside of the service. He now owns Catch & Release, a coastal bar and restaurant, and turned it into the hot spot in town for tourists and locals alike.

“I’m starving,” I reply, feeling my stomach growl as the smell of grease and food fills my nostrils.

“Well, Jimmy just started the burgers, so it’s going to be a minute.”

“No problem.” I push a hand through my hair that’s in bad need of a cut and intercept the glass of Coke Dallas pushes my way. “Thanks.”

“Of course. How’s everything going?”

“Fuck. That’s a loaded question, man,” I say, unsure if I want to get into this with Dallas right now. It’s not that I don’t trust him. Hell, he was one of my closest friends before we both left our hometown, and we picked up right where we left off when we returned.

In fact, we actually have a lot more in common now than we did back then. After twelve years in the service, he retired and bought this restaurant from the owner who was looking to sell at the time, much like I did with the garage. And for a while there, he was single too.

But then he met Willow Marshall, the owner of a multimillion-dollar advertising company who inherited a house in town and stole Dallas’s heart in the process. Now he’s happy, in love, and living a life that I never allowed myself to even think about because baseball was the only thing I cared about for the longest time.

And now I don’t even know what I want out of my life anymore.

Dallas smirks, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know, owning a bar has made me great at listening to other people’s problems. Comes with the territory.”

Huffing out a laugh, I lean back in my seat. “I just feel stuck.”

“With…?”

“Life.”

He nods thoughtfully. “Sounds like you need to shake things up a bit.”

“What needs to be shaken up?” Parker, Dallas’s youngest brother, interrupts our conversation as he slides onto the stool next to me.

“Grady’s in a funk.” Dallas fills a glass of Coke for his brother and sets it in front of him.

“Yeah, I get that. I’m so fucking busy at the clinic right now, by the time I get home, I just zone out on the couch watching TV or scrolling on my phone before passing out.”

“And then get up and do it all over again,” Dallas says. Parker and I nod in agreement.

“Maybe we need to take a page out of Penn’s book and just take a fucking vacation,” I grumble as the bell on the kitchen counter rings, signaling that our burgers are done. Dallas grabs our plates from under the heat lamps and delivers them to us. The plate barely hits the bar top in front of me before I pick it up and take the biggest bite I can fit in my mouth.

“I still can’t believe he did that,” Parker mumbles around the fry he’s chewing. And honestly, I was shocked too. Penn is a fucking workaholic, and now that he’s starting his own contracting business, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. “Although the week I’m taking off between Christmas and New Year’s is all I can fucking think about, so I know I need the break. Dr. O’Neil was adamant about it too, so I really didn’t have a choice but to take it off,” Parker explains, referring to his boss. I’m pretty sure Dr. O’Neil has been the owner and main doctor of the veterinarian’s office since I was kid.

Dallas nods. “You should consider it, Grady. Maybe it will help turn that frown of yours upside down.” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice, but I know he’s trying to give me real advice that I should probably take.

I scowl at him as the door opens and closes behind us. Parker and I both turn our heads to find Penn striding toward us, happier than I’ve seen him in a long time.

“Oh, look. It’s Mr. Well-Rested,” Parker teases his brother as Penn finds his stool and Dallas slides him his burger. Penn is the second oldest of the three Sheppard siblings and the one I’m closest with, probably because he’s close with my sister, Astrid. They have a younger sister, Hazel, who is also friends with Astrid, so our families have no shortage of ties to one another.

I moved back to Carrington Cove just before Brandon, my sister’s Marine husband, died in combat. Being there for her when her life was turned upside down made me beyond grateful to be back home. But it was Penn, Brandon’s best friend, who stepped up and helped her the most. He has an uncle-like bond with my niece and nephew, and I’m glad she has more than one man she can count on, especially since our dad was never around and her marriage was less than stable.

“Yeah, those bags under your eyes are a lot smaller. It must have been your mini-vacation.” I grin as I pop a fry in my mouth. Giving each other shit is what we do, but honestly, I’m grateful for these guys. Lord knows life would be a lot less interesting without them.

Penn cups his hand around his ear. “Do I detect an ounce of jealousy from both of you?” He nods his head. “Yup, I think I do.”

Dallas scoffs from behind the bar as he crosses his arms and his legs, leaning against the counter behind him. “I think I hear it too.”

Parker rolls his eyes and I go back to eating, mumbling around my food. “So, you had a good trip, then?” I ask.

“I did. The mountains are gorgeous in the winter—but fucking cold.”

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