Page 10 of The Last Love Story
Me: Glad you’re enjoyingyourself.
Justin Ayers: What are you doing?
Me: Watching Virgin River and relaxing.
Justin Ayers: And plotting?
Me: You already know me so well.
Justin Ayers: I’d say we’re soul mates, but I don’t think soul mates are supposed to enjoy emotionally destroying each other.
Me: What can I say? I’m special.
Justin Ayers: Something like that. Anyway, I can’t message and read at the same time, and I’m determined to finish reading this before my flight lands.
Me: Good luck.
He sends me a saluting emoji, and I laugh as I lean back against the couch.
Nowit’s time to rest. If my brain will stop shouting ideas at me for long enough to do that.
CHAPTER FOUR
JUSTIN
“Dude,should I be getting you coffee instead of beer?” Devon asks as he slides a bottle in front of me, then sits down next to me in the semicircle booth at our old hangout spot in New York City.
“I wouldn’t complain.”
“You stayed up all night reading, didn’t you?” Kennedy teases.
She and Dev flew out to New York on the same flight as me. While I have a job, they’re here to finish packing Kennedy’s apartment since she’s moving in with Devon.
“I had to finish,” I whine.Then start another book on the flight. It’s not my fault that Jade’s books are infused with some kind of magic that makes stopping impossible.
“Aw, is someone getting old? Can’t pull all-nighters anymore?” Kennedy’s cousin Hallie teases.
She’s the youngest of the bunch at twenty-three. I give her the middle finger, and she laughs loudly. She was thirteen when I firstmet her, and was seventeen when I moved here after college with Devon and Kend, and we have a very sibling-like relationship.
The whole crew is here tonight. The new version of the whole crew. It used to always be me, Dev, Kend, Hallie, and Frannie—Hallie’s older sister. But back in February, Frannie met professional football quarterback Mark Abbott on a flight and they had a whirlwind vacation romance without realizing they had ties to the same town upstate, Ida, where Frannie now lives. She still comes down regularly to visit her folks and Hallie—and even more now to be with Mark.
Mark came with two other NFL players, Ryan “Hardy” Hardison and Brian Ackley. Hardy is a wide receiver and Brian is a giant lineman. He looks menacing, but really, he’s quiet and kind.
I only met them one other time a couple of months ago when I was here for a job. I only had time to visit for a couple of hours, though. This time, we all have a whole weekend together, and I’m hoping it’ll be like the old days. Lots of laughter and shenanigans.
I’ve missed that.
I don’t regret my decision to move home to Georgia a few years ago. The city life isn’t for me. Unfortunately, going back home only reminded me why I left. Not all small towns are full of bigotry and hatred, but mine has way too much of that. Since I travel a lot, I’ve been letting it slide, but as I’ve been taking on more narration jobs and traveling less, I find myself looking for somewhere else that feels like home.
“What book got all in your head?” Hardy asks. He’s aBridgertonnerd and loves all things romance and drama.
“Not a book. A whole ass series.”
“Ooh, which one?” Frannie asks, pulling out her phone.
Mark laughs and wraps his arm around her.
“The Mariano Family series by Jade Jackson. Just be aware, it’s a rabbit hole, and once you start down it, there’s no going back. I started one of her other series on the plane.”
