Page 5 of Flynn

Chapter Two

Flynn

Fuckinghell.Ara looked good.

I’d always thought so, but the years had definitely been kind to her.

Chiara Jennings was the epitome of the girl next door. Or in my case, the girl across the road. While I’d only lived near her for a little over two years, I’d never forgotten about her. When I first came to live with my uncle and my aunt, I’d been a dangerously angry kid and tired of adults making decisions for me, telling me how to act, how to grieve, and how to move on. I was done with all of them and headed down a road that would destroy my future.

My uncle Trevor had been a true hero in keeping me on track. It was not an easy task to undertake, but he refused to lose me to a bad life. I owed him everything. My ex-biker uncle knew a thing or two about living a rough life and getting through the crappy times. He hadn’t let my bullshit slide for too long.

But if it hadn’t been for Chiara’s kind nature as a teenager, I’d have gone right off the deep end my first month in that town. I’d barely been hanging on, and her ability to put me at ease simply by sitting with me was life changing.

She found me late one afternoon by total coincidence. I’d ditched school and was out by the lake, skipping rocks and contemplating some really dark things when she’d shown up like some guardian angel throwing me a lifeline. At the time, I saw no hope for myself, and the pain of living when my mother hadn’tate at me. And my father...well, my feelings about him were confusing and often contradictory.

I loved him. I hated him. I hated that I loved him.

They died in a car accident with me in the backseat, and I’d walked away with nothing more than a sprained wrist and a concussion that required one night of overnight care in the hospital and five stitches along my hairline.

That was it.

But the crash killed my parents. My father died on impact, but my mother—

I shook my head and slung the duffle over my shoulder and tucked in my chair, my gaze on the sweep of Chiara’s dark lashes as she pointed in the direction of the exit. I nodded and followed behind her, trying to keep my eyes from her backside but losing the fight in seconds.

Goddamn.

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about her over the years. But it was more in reverence or in appreciation. It was through the eyes of an eighteen-year-old boy who had a crush on the sweet, shy girl across the road and wondering what she was up to now.

She’d saved me as a kid, whether she knew it or not. On more than one occasion, she’d brought me back from the brink just by being herself. There were no ulterior motives with Chiara, no desire for recognition for being a good person. She didn’t seek admiration or thanks for being my sounding board or for giving advice. She did it in a non-patronizing way, and she never made me feel inferior for needing help. She was justthere,and she didn’t make me feel like shit for my twisted thoughts.

So, when I’d seen a date pop up on my calendar and realized it was Chiara, I hadn’t even hesitated to accept it. Not only was this a chance for me to help her, but it gave me an excuse to see her again, to track her down and see how her life was going. I’dasked my uncle here and there how she was when the topic of conversation allowed for it, but he hadn’t ever told me much. An online check hadn’t given me much information either as all her social media profiles were set to private.

“So, what have you been up to all these years?” she asked as we exited the coffee shop.

I stepped up beside her and matched her pace. “Well, I did two tours and was lucky to make it back safe and whole. After the second one, though, I was done. I floated around for a few months. I travelled and worked odd jobs while I tried to reacclimate to civilian life.”

Her large gray eyes met mine, compassion and warmth in their depths and something inside me just...eased. She’dalwayshad that effect on me, always soothed me, calmed me. It was weird that all this time later she could still do that.

“I can’t imagine what you went through. I asked your uncle about you, about how you were,” she admitted.

Something inside me grew excited knowing she’d checked in on me too.

“He is so proud of you, but he was relieved when you were home for good,” she added.

My heart clenched at hearing my uncle was proud of me. I knew he was. He’d told me, but it still hit home when I heard about it.

I cleared my throat. “It was an adjustment, but I managed.” I didn’t want to get into all that right now. “After travelling, I rented a place with a buddy of mine from my old team, and he gave me a job working construction for a while. He was our second in command, and he’d pulled me out of hell several times. I was grateful he was still looking out for me.”

It surprised me with how easy it was to be open with her. Chiara and I hadn’t spoken in thirteen years, not since the night before I left. I cleared my throat when memories of that night swept across my mind again. It had been so long ago, and nothing thatserious had even happened. I’d be lying if I said that memory didn’t find its way into my highlight reels sometimes.

“Do you still work for him?” she asked as we took the dirt path to the left.L’Amour Islandwas beautiful, and everything was within walking distance. I’d heard about this place running contests to win “vacation hookups” a while back but had thought it was ridiculous. Looking around, though, I could see how it would be easy to orchestrate something like that. This place was stunning.

“Uh, no. Not really, anyway. If he needs a hand on a big project I’m there, but I actually opened my own business,” I answered.

“Really?” she asked with a pleased smile. “Doing what?”

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