Page 11 of The Proposal Pact
“Same old and probably didn’t even notice that I left it.”
Luke snorts. “Trust me, you’ll wish for that invisibility superpower here soon enough. Oh, I almost forgot, Griffin said his apartment is free if you want to move in there. Fifi—that’s the owner—doesn’t mind.”
“Really?” My eyes widen at how easy this all is falling into place so far.
“Yeah, and the rent is decent.” Thank God. I have some savings but not all that much and I need to make it work before I find another job.
“Oh, that makes me so happy!” I yelp, and run at him, enveloping Luke in a hug without thinking. The man stiffens and awkwardly pats my back before I peel away from him with a sheepish smile. “Sorry.” I roll my lips and glance at Grace who’s barely holding her laugh in.
“No problem,” Luke says but he scurries out of the house like his ass is on fire and Grace doubles over, laughing.
“Oh, lumos, did you see his face? Can you please do the same to Joy when we see her next time?”
“Shut up.” I punch her shoulder, but she just keeps laughing. “I take it he’s not a hugger?”
“Come on.” Grace tugs on my arm, wiping tears from her eyes. “I want you to meet my other sister Hope and then we are off to Mom and Dad’s for dinner where you’ll meet the whole crazy squad.”
3
Callum
“I already had a big bowl of curly-toed weirdo for breakfast.”— Shrek Forever After
Loverly Cave, a small coastal town in California. Population three thousand one hundred and ten. Ninety percent of who have lost all of their marbles. I was born and raised here. I wreaked havoc and embraced the lifestyle until I couldn’t anymore. Until I had to get out of here as soon as I could, and I guess staying away from the colorful, hippy-infested madness with in-town gossiping chats and meddling locals that is Loverly Cave for over sixteen years, opened my eyes wide and clear. As in, this isn’t normal in the slightest but somehow is here.
God knows I never planned to be back home, but God also has a sense of humor, and here I am.
As a sheriff none-the-less. A decision I regret more and more the longer Mrs. Fanny Lovesil—also known as Love-Hive-Grannies-United gang leader—keeps talking.
“And another thing!” She points her index finger at me across my desk, her gray, short curls bouncing around wildly each time she starts a new sentence. “The quiet hours you decided to adopt are unacceptable! Completely outrageous!”
“Mrs. Lovesil—”
“Oh, don’tMrs. Lovesilme. I wiped your butt when it could fit in the palm of my hand.” I so did not need this visual. “I’m still available, by the way.” She batts her lashes at me. “If you ever need help in that area again.” Scratch that, I didn’t needthisvisual.
I groan. Out loud. “Mrs. Lovesil—” Once again, I stop when I hear a scary growl come out of the tiny grandma. I wouldn’t put it past her to bite me. In all of her five-foot-nothing frame, neon colored Adidas suits, and easy-going vibes you’d never suspect the most viscous hippy gang leader known to mankind.
“Fanny,” I amend, shifting in my seat. “For all that is holy, can we be done with this conversation?”
“Sure thing, Cakepop. As soon as you retract those ridiculous rules you posted this morning.” She sits back in the plastic chair, her arms crossed across her chest.
I don’t know if my eyes hurt from the headache this conversation is giving me or the neon pink Adidas tracksuit with matching headband she’s wearing today. I should make another rule about the dress code in this town. Seriously, what is it with people in Loverly Cave and their undying love for all things ridiculous and eighties?
“These are normal rules that our county lives by,” I parrot for the thousandth time in the span of twenty minutes.
“Pshh, who are you calling normal, boy?”
I cluck my tongue against my teeth. “That’s right, I’m sorry. The audacity to call you all normal…I have no idea what I was thinking.” I squeeze my eyes shut, rubbing them hard with the heels of my hands.
More like the delusion…but we’ll go with audacity.
You can handle a few crazy locals and the madness that is this town. You’re a Navy Seal, for crying out loud.
Unfortunately for me, the Navy didn’t prepare me for this level of torture. And in the sixteen years that I’ve been gone from my hometown, I forgot just how insane the locals are.
You know, it’s kind of like with the memories of a toxic ex-girlfriend. With time all the bad slowly starts to fade away and you only remember the good parts, so you run head-first back into that relationship, and thenBAM! Reality check.
That’s what I’m experiencing right now.
