Page 69 of Resisting Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 3)

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Audrey triedto put on a brave face as she took a deep breath while she sat in her car outside Tessa Maguire’s house. The past week had been its own special form of torture. The only silver lining was that it had been singles week so Brewed had been slammed with the influx of tourists so she hadn’t had time for the emotional breakdown she deserved.

After Josh had shown up at her house for a movie night and they’d ended up having sex, he’d stayed the night. Maybe she was naïve. Or maybe he really had been sending mixed signals, but when he’d told her he couldn’t lose her, when he’d spent the night with his arms wrapped around her, when the next morning he’d woken her up by kissing her neck and telling her how beautiful she was, the very last thing that she expected for him to do was to say that he thought she needed to go to all the singles events and date other people.

As Viv would say, what in the actual fuck?

It had completely blindsided her. She’d just stood there, totally speechless as he got dressed. She hadn’t argued. Hadn’t stood up for herself. She’d just said a faint, “Okay.”

Because what was she supposed to do? Tell him that she was madly in love with him? Tell him that there never had been and never would be anyone else for her? Tell him that he was the only man she’d ever loved and would ever love?

They hadn’t even used the L word.

Since none of those had been viable options, she’d spent the past few days going through the motions of life. She hadn’t taken him up on his suggestion to date other people or do any of the events of the week. But she’d gone to work. She’d watched people flirt, and fingers crossed, fall in love.

The town was brimming with hopeful singles ready to find love. And she was heartbroken.

Her phone buzzed and she looked down to see that it was a text from Viv.

Viv: Why are you sitting in your car?

Audrey sniffed and replied.

Audrey: Just finishing up a podcast. I’ll be right in.

The last thing she wanted was for her sister to come outside and grill her. This week Viv had been very distracted with all of the activities she was overseeing, so thankfully she hadn’t seen her sister. She knew that if she had, she would have known something was wrong.

Audrey had only agreed to go to book club because tonight there was a special guest there who Viv had secured to speak at Read Between the Lines on Valentine’s Day morning. It was sort of the culmination of everything her sister had put together. Dr. Vanessa Cupid who had written two New York Times bestselling books on relationships had been a huge get and Audrey wanted to support her sister. She also brought the leftover baked goods that she’d stocked up on over the week which would go to waste if she hadn’t. It turned out heartbroken Audrey baked. A lot.

Her week had gone like this.

Monday night it had been double fudge brownies.

Tuesday was cookie night, she’d made peanut butter, oatmeal raisin cookies and M&M because they were the closest to chocolate chip without actually being chocolate chip. She figured it would be a while before she’d be able to make chocolate chip cookies again.

And last night she’d gotten really crazy and baked cinnamon rolls. From scratch. It was amazing how many hours were in the day when you couldn’t sleep because the man you loved had slept in your bed and even though you’d washed the sheets twice you could still smell him.

She wondered if his scent had imprinted itself on her olfactory nerve. Was that possible? Could his DNA be inside of her? Well, that was a silly question. His DNA had definitely been inside of her.

Tonight, she was doing this, but as soon as she was done she was going to go home, have a glass or bottle of wine, and probably cry.

Tomorrow night, she was pretty sure she was going to go to the dance. She did love to dance, so she figured it would only be punishing herself if she didn’t go.

Then, Friday was the rehearsal for the wedding.

Saturday was Valentine’s Day and the wedding.

Sunday she was working a double and then she planned on taking Viv up on the offer to take a few days off. In the eight years they’d run the shop, she hadn’t taken more than one day off at a time. But she needed it. And her sister had suggested it, since she’d been MIA because of her singles week project.

Audrey wasn’t sure where she was going to go. Or what she was going to do. But she needed to get away. For the first time in her life, Hope Falls wasn’t her safe place. It wasn’t the place where she felt happiest. Hope Falls wasn’t her dream come true.

All week she’d seen people running around town with the sweats that Viv had designed with the Hope Falls Effect on it. Apparently, Audrey was immune. She wasn’t going to get her happily ever after. She wasn’t Lorelai and she wasn’t going to end up with Luke.

Each day she thought that Josh would show up and tell her how much she meant to him. That he’d been an idiot for freaking out and leaving her house half-dressed, with his pants around his knees, carrying his shoes. She honestly thought that scene only played out in movies.

Audrey checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were a little red, but she could just say she was tired. Viv should buy that since she’d been the one holding things down at Brewed with the help of Manny and Carly, of course.

As much as she wanted to support her sister, she was hoping she could just do a stop by, show her face, drop off the goodies and be home within twenty minutes curled up on the couch with Lucy like she had every other night since she couldn’t sleep in her bed. Last night even Frank had snuggled with her. As much as she appreciated him putting in the effort, it did make her realize just how pathetic she was that even her narcissistic cat felt bad for her.

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