Page 8 of Exes and Oh Hell No

Ford’s house.

Well, technically, his grandmother’s house.

The place I once spent so much of my time.

I used to know every inch of that place—every creaky floorboard, every warm, comforting scent, every space where Ford would pull me close and make me feel like Ibelongedthere.

That I belonged with him.

A flicker of nostalgia slams into me, uninvited.

I can still see us, his gloved hand tugging mine as we stepped onto the frozen lake, my skates wobbly beneath me, my limbs flailing.

I was awful. Hopeless, really.

But Ford wouldn’t let me fall.

Heneverlet me fall.

Allie’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. “So, have you seen him?”

I snap out of my daze. “Of course not. I’m sure he’s busy being the town celebrity.”

A beat of silence before she says, “Seems inevitable that one of these days, you’ll run into him.”

I swallow hard. “Not likely. The second the house sells, I’ll have no reason to come back to White Pines.”

“You sound sad.”

I force a laugh. “Not at all. I’m just tired and hungry. Thinking about grabbing some food from Charlie’s.”

“Ugh, now I want Charlie’s. Eat some wings for me.”

I hear Mark’s voice in the background.

Allie sighs dreamily. “Mark’s back. Gotta go.”

I smile. “Enjoy your night.”

She makes obnoxious kissing sounds, and I hang up with a laugh.

But as I turn back to the window, my amusement fades.

My eyes immediately find their way back to the house across the lake.

To the place where Ford might be.

To the past I swore I left behind.

Inhaling sharply, I grab my keys and head to the door.

It’s over.

You need to let go of the past.

4

HARPER

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