Page 121 of Starting Over

New love.

I was happy. For the first time in my life, I was truly happy. Not just content, not just satisfied. But happy.

I spent the morning building kitchen walls. Shiplap was a great thing. I didn’t want to mess with the mud and dust of sheetrock. And I loved the way it looked when it was done.

By lunchtime, I was two-thirds of the way through. I looked around at all I had accomplished since I moved to Diamond Creek. I still had more to do, but damn was I proud of what I had achieved so far.

By myself.

For myself.

Leaving my tools out, knowing I would finish up after lunch, I sat down on the couch with Tucker.

“Now, I know we have spent all our time together since you got here, but I don’t think Joellen is going to let you into her diner. And it is too cold to leave you in the truck. So you have to stay here.”

The dog looked at me like I was an anomaly. Like he wasn’t quite sure why I was explaining this to him.

“You’ll be ok though. You can just hang out here, lay on the sofa, and take a nap, right? You won’t pee on my nice new floors, will you? If you do have to pee, please use the kitchen. That floor isn’t done yet.”

I was trying to reason with a dog. Shaking my head, I stood from the couch, and Tucker just laid there. Sometimes, I thought dogs were smarter than us humans.

Grabbing my coat and keys, I walked outside and shuddered in the cold. The temperatures here had me second-guessing every decision I made leading up to moving here. I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but cold didn’t even come close.

The air was bitter against my face. My hands cramped and shriveled under the low temperature, to the point it was hard to open the door. I climbed up into my truck as quickly as I could. Starting the engine, I sat there shivering until it warmed up enough for me to grip the steering wheel.

When I got to The Diner, I considered leaving my truck running. Sadly, I didn’t know how long I would be in there and didn’t want to risk running out of gas.

The Diner was always busy at lunchtime. I looked around but didn’t see Declan or Allie, so I took a seat at the counter and waited.

And waited.

After sitting at the counter for forty minutes, I finally ordered lunch. I ate alone, watching my phone for any kind of response. Declan hadn’t answered the dozen or so times I called. He hadn’t responded to the numerous texts I sent him, either.

I was a middle-aged woman acting like a teenager, wondering if the boy who kissed her really liked her or was he just trying to prove to his friends that he could.

With a heavy sigh of reluctance, I admitted to myself that some things never changed. Men always held the power. Women just lived in this world, while men ran it.

“Hi.”

Turning to the voice, I watched as Rachel Masters sat on the stool next to me. I smiled at the beautiful woman. Beck toldme Rachel had grown up with her, Micah, and Ryder. The Four Musketeers, she called them.

“Hi.”

“You were looking kind of forlorn over here. Everything ok?”

A bitter laughed escaped. “I’m good,” I said with a smile.

“That was pretty convincing I have to say. If you had skipped the sarcastic laugh at the beginning, I wouldn’t have even questioned if you were lying or not.” Rachel stole one of my fries and popped it into her mouth. “Let me guess, boy trouble? A certain broody sheriff who also likes to pretend that the world hasn’t screwed him over his whole life?”

I took a good look at Rachel. Her blonde hair and made-up face, combined with her tight jeans and the cut she wore, did a good job of making her seem like just another biker chick. But there was more to her than I imagined most people saw at first glance.

“You’re more than I expected.”

“I know. I like to keep people guessing.” She winked, stealing another fry. “So, what did he do?”

Shaking my head, I turned away. I wasn’t talking to a child about my love life. “It’s nothing.”

“Look, Maureen, I know I don’t know you well. But I know the sheriff. Whatever he did, it isn’t about you. It’s all the shit he’s been dealing with since his daughter came back to town. The poor man has been tossed and turned like a ship in a tornado.”

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