Page 32 of Choosing You

“And her husband is going in on a bar with her dad, his dad, and his brother! Think about it! Sweetbriar is small and yet that one family has their hands in a bunch of the businesses in the downtown area! They’re obviously one of the biggest families in town that I know of and the best example I could think of, but there’s more of that sort of thing than you realize, just on a smaller scale.”

She was looking at him funny and he had no idea why, so he just kept talking.

“By that logic alone, there’s a good chance we’ll run into one of the Donovans if we go anywhere in town. Cora’s already seen us, and, another thing you should know about small towns, we gossip. A lot. So, if Cora tells Jade, Jade is going to talk to the people who work at Books & Beans. If any of the guys from my garage go in there, it’s possible someone will bring it up to them, and by the time I go to work tomorrow, chances are half the guys are going to already know about us and want to know what’s going on. It’s crazy!”

“It sounds to me like you’re specifically blaming Jade and the Donovans for being the biggest gossips,” she murmured.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. That was just an example. If we went to the steakhouse or the café, or anyplace in town to eat, the same thing would happen. But…I don’t know…it seems like the Donovans have their hands in a lot of businesses here and sometimes it feels like they’re everywhere. Like…why can’t they just let someone else open some new stuff? Why is it always them?”

“Do you notlikethe Donovans?” she asked, her tone slightly accusatory.

“It’s not that. Like I said, sometimes it feels like they’re everywhere. And now more of them are moving here. Ronan—he’s Billie’s dad.” Pausing, he laughed. “He’s also Levi, Ashlynn, and Chloe’s dad, and he recently moved back. Anyway, he’s part of the new bar opening soon. His nephew—who doesn’t live here—was one of the people in charge of breathing new life into the town. Houses that had been seriously neglected are getting renovated and sold. And he brought in some big-time investor who financed the whole rebuilding and re-opening of Summit Ridge.”

“So…what I’m hearing is how the Donovans are firmly committed to helping this area improve and grow,” she said evenly. “They’re doing all these positive things—breathing life into the local economy in ways that no other family was willing to do—while also making this a place people want to come and live. And you think that’s…?”

Okay, he could see how he was sounding a bit ungrateful and possibly like he had some sort of grudge against the family.

“It’s just weird sometimes. I never knew of a family who was so totally woven into the community the way the Donovans are. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

She simply shrugged, and he figured maybe they should get back to their conversation about where to go.

Clapping his hands together, he said, “So, how about you tell me where you want to go and what you want to do and I swear I won’t be a weirdo who’s afraid of running into people I know. I promise.”

“We didn’t see anyone you knew up at Summit Ridge. We could go back up there for dinner and not have to worry. If we ate in the main restaurant, I’m sure the lighting is dim enough that we could go undetected.”

For a moment, he didn’t respond because now he knew he was being a dramatic and paranoid jerk. That wasn’t how he wanted Sloane to see him.

“I just really want more time to ourselves. I can’t help it. When I go to work tomorrow, you’re going to go and be with your family and you’ll probably want to spend your last day and night here with them before flying home.”

And that’s when it hit him. She never told him who her family was.

Actually, she never even told him her last name.

Why didn’t I notice that until right now?

“Maybe I can pick you up tomorrow from your…cousin’s? Your sister’s? I can’t remember which one you said you were staying with.”

Smiling, she said, “My sister. She just had a baby and as much as I want to spend time with her and get to know my new niece, I think she was a little overwhelmed having me there. I sort of just showed up unannounced, so…”

It wasn’t possible that he truly knew everyone in town, but he remembered seeing baby pictures just the other day. Who was he talking to? Was it…?

Oh no…

“Is your sister married to Max Calloway?”

Sloane let out a long breath before nodding. “Yup. My sister is Hailey Calloway.”

“So that makes you…?”

“Sloane Donovan.”

Oh, shit.

ChapterSix

“I’d say this looked like a walk of shame, but you texted that you were on your way home, and you picked up breakfast, so…”

Grinning, Sloane placed the box of pastries and coffee tray on the kitchen island before facing her sister. “Luckily, Jade and Billie weren’t in yet, so I didn’t have to answer any family questions at the coffee shop. Not that I would have lied,” she rambled on. “Everyone knows I was here hoping to find Will, and now I did! Yay!”

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