Fall by Winter
Cara Dee
Fall by Winter
Copyright © 2020 by Cara Dee
All rights reserved
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be reproduced in any way without documented permission of the author, not including brief quotes with links and/or credit to the source. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction and all references to historical events, persons living or dead, and locations are used in a fictional manner. Any other names, characters, incidents, and places are derived from the author’s imagination. The author acknowledges the trademark status and owners of any wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction. Characters portrayed in sexual situations are 18 or older.
Edited by Silently Correcting Your Grammar, LLC.
Formatted by Eliza Rae Services.
Contents
A Novel in the Camassia Cove Universe
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
More from Cara
About Cara
A Novel in the Camassia Cove Universe
Camassia Cove is a town in northern Washington created to be the home of some exciting love stories. Each novel taking place here is a standalone, with the exception of sequels, and they will vary in genre and pairing. What they all have in common is the town in which they live. Some are friends and family. Others are complete strangers. Some have vastly different backgrounds. Some grew up together. It’s a small world, and many characters will cross over and pay a visit or two in several books—Cara’s way of giving readers a glimpse into the future of their favorite characters. Oh, who is she kidding; they are characters she’s unable of saying good-bye to. But, again, each novel stands on its own, and spoilers will be avoided as much as possible.
If you’re interested in keeping up with secondary characters, the town, the timeline, and future novels, check out Camassia Cove’s own website at www.camassiacove.com. There you will also see which characters have gotten their own books already, where they appear, which books are in the works, character profiles, and you’ll be treated to a taste of the town.
Dedication
Sorry, no time for a dedication because I have to upload this shit to Amazon before my assistant/babysitter/professional momma gets really pissed and grounds me. Let’s just say she isn’t always a fan of my being a last-minute person.
This dedication part hasn’t even been etided, so I hpoe for my editor’s peas of mind that I dont accidently include any typos.
One
I took a sip of my wine and bobbed my head to the beat of the music pouring out from the living room, and I surveyed my kitchen. I was pretty much done here. I’d gotten my cozy, French-country-style kitchen. Significantly smaller than the space I was used to, but I was no longer cooking for four.
Small had become the theme for this next chapter of my life. I’d thrown away so much crap before I’d left the old house a few blocks over. Now I had my very own picturesque two-bedroom house on the street right next to the marina. Smaller kitchen, smaller living room, smaller backyard, smaller everything. Fewer rooms to clean.
Sometimes I felt guilty for being happy. For feeling so free.
Other times, not so much. I’d earned this, and I needed the change. From the house down to the color of my hair. I’d dyed it chestnut last time at the salon, and I’d be getting my daughter’s opinion on it in… I checked my watch. About ten minutes.
I suppose I should put on some better clothes. These days, I lived in sweats or cotton shorts and a tank top when I was alone.
It was fucking amazing.
As I set my wineglass in the sink, I saw William pulling up to the curb in front of my house, but Aurora wasn’t with him. He stepped out of the vehicle on his own.
He spotted me in the window when he opened the picket fence gate and smiled politely.
I headed to the hallway after turning off the music and opened the door for him. “If you sold our daughter, I expect fifty percent of the profit.”
He snorted and chuckled. “Since when are children profitable?”
“Touché.” I opened the door wider.
He raised his brows a fraction and gave me a once-over on the way in.
“What do you think?” I asked. “Can I be a brunette?” It wasn’t a far cry from my original color. Well, plural these days. Caramel with a touch of gray.
Men had it easier there. Women loved silver foxes, and William was slowly turning into one. The silver was pronounced by his dark hair. He had some in his beard too.
“Your hair.” He zeroed in on it, as if he hadn’t noticed it before. “Ah, you changed it. I liked the old color.”
I sighed. “You always know what to say, honey.” I patted his chest and trailed into the kitchen. “So, what brings you by if you’re not dropping off Aurora?”
Wedding announcement, perhaps? He’d recently gotten engaged to the love of his life—another man. Kelly.
I was the kind of ex-wife who had helped pick out the rings.
Oh, I had some scars…
“Something she said has been bothering me.” William followed me into the kitchen. “For the record, when women open the door with a new hair color and no bra, don’t expect men to see the difference between two shades of brown.”
I spluttered a laugh and took my seat at the island. “You’re gay, though. You’re not supposed to notice any of it.”
He gave me a look. “Lis, we’ve talked about this. I don’t like it when you diminish the meaning of our marriage.”
Oh boy. I needed more wine. I headed straight for the fridge and grabbed the bottle I’d opened yesterday. “I don’t need another spiel about gay versus bisexual, William.”
“Clearly you do.”
No, I seriously didn’t. Okay, I had been plagued by doubts for months and months after we got divorced two years ago, but he had made me
