Page 1 of Burn for You

chapter one

MAY

A cool breezewhispers across my bare shoulders as I lean closer to the mirror in my bedroom, trying to even out my winged eyeliner.

The breeze is a constant here in Ruby Cove, always floating off the surface of the turquoise water that surrounds the town. Sometimes it’s enough to toss your hair across your face, but today it’s light, like a faint caress drifting in through my open window.

Eyeliner is one of those things where I either get it right the first time, or I spend the better part of an hour with a Q-Tip and makeup remover.

Tonight was one of those nights where I got it the first time, and it boosts my confidence through the roof. I’ll happily take that as a sign that it’s going to be a good night.

“I’m Fakin’” by Sabrina Carpenter is blasting from my laptop where it’s propped up on my bed. I need good music, specifically girl-boss shit, when I get ready, and Sabrina Carpenter is thequeenof girl boss shit.

I hop into the little black dress I laid out earlier, nearly tripping over my makeup bag in the process. The dress is a little small, but it gives the desired effect. I fluff my short hair in the mirror and smile to myself. Ever since I cut my hair off last year, I feelso much lighter. I know it’s entirely in my head, but after the shitshow that was my senior year of college, I decided to change it up, and I feel more like myself than I ever have.

I rifle through my makeup bag looking for my favorite lipstick that’s perfect for the occasion—Ruby Woo by M.A.C. It's the perfect red. If only I could find it.

I walk out towards the kitchen, the music fading as I turn the corner into the little open living space of Rosemary Cottage.

The bright light from the setting sun across the water beams into the room through the large windows that sit above the sink in the kitchen, giving me a perfect outlook to the bay that Ruby Cove sits on.

This cottage is my dream. It sits just far enough out of town that I can sleep peacefully at night, but not so far that I am still within walking distance from Main Street. With the big trees reaching high above the thatched roof, it feels like I’m tucked away in my own little world.

In the month that I’ve been living here, I’ve managed to make the place my own. The cottage came mostly furnished, but I’ve added my own touches.

My books are scattered throughout every room. Most of them sit on the wooden shelves that line the walls of the living room, but the ones that couldn’t fit make up various stacks around the house.

I’ve loved to read since I was a kid, always finding peace in the quiet corners of any place, blocking out the noise of the world around me as I disappeared into another reality for a while. Now it’s more smutty romances over magic treehouses, but you get the idea.

A locally made rug covers most of the wooden floors in the small living room, and I hung some metal hooks on the wall in the kitchen to hold the collection of mugs I’ve accumulated since being in Ruby Cove over the last four months. I can never go to one of the local markets without getting another mug.

I drink a lot of hot chocolate.

Therefore I need a lot of mugs.

I’ve made the place feel like mine. I love it so much that I’ve barely left in the last two weeks. It’s got that old and cozy kind of feel about it, and it’s small enough that it takes me less than an hour to clean the whole place.

When Marina first offered it up to me, it took me less than five minutes to decide that I wanted in. After my best friend Isla moved into the penthouse of Hotel Dolce with her boyfriend Caio, the hotel room we shared there felt a bit temporary for me once we decided to make Ruby Cove our home.

Caio’s cousin Marina made quick work of making Isla and I feel at home when we first showed up in town, so when she heard I was looking for a new place, she offered up Rosemary Cottage in a heartbeat. She’ll do anything for anyone, but she doesn’t hesitate to tell you how it is. She’s my kind of girl, and easily became someone I can rely on. She’s also my boss. So she’s given me a job and a place to stay in the last four months…I should really figure out how to pay her back.

But right now, my focus is on getting out of this little cottage and under my date for tonight.

Hence the girl-boss music and the need for Ruby Woo.

I spy my handbag discarded on the couch where I threw it last night after ordering pizza. That’s been my go-to at the moment—again, I haven’t left the house much.

I open the pocket, shuffling my shit around until I find the little black bullet I was looking for.

I swipe the color over my lips and toss the lipstick back in the bag before swinging it over my shoulder. I grab my keys off the hook at the front door and set out for what will hopefully be an orgasmic night.

The warm breeze tosses my hair behind me as I make my way out the front gate and down the windy path that leads to and from the cottage.

It’s like something out of a fairytale, and sometimes I still can’t believe I just moved here.

Just like that.

Nothing was waiting for me back in New York, anyway. My mom and stepdad are off traveling. God knows where. They move around constantly, and I can barely keep up with where they are. If it wasn’t for my mom’s social media posts, I probably wouldn’t even know that they’re still alive. I think they’re in Canada right now. Her latest post of a moose suggests as much. Also, who knew moose werethatbig?

---