I sat back and threaded my hands behind my head. “Barring any fires, acts of God, or unforeseen emergencies, the Cooper family will be there.”
“Great.” He grinned and rapped a knuckle against the doorframe. “If I don’t see you at the bar tonight, I’ll see you Friday.”
As he sauntered away, I dropped my hands, my eyes wandering to the last family photo we’d taken before Natalie died. Charlie had been four. She was so small, her dark hair the same shade as mine as she wriggled in my arms. Nat had one hand on each of the boys’ shoulders, her face warm and genuine, her love for us shining through her eyes. Garrett and Connor had the biggest grins, their blond hair and freckles matching their mom’s. It had been a while since any of us had looked so happy.
Isaac and Gwen Tarrington shuffled into my doorway and I straightened, forcing a smile.
“Jack! Long time no see.” As always, his deep voice was a tad too loud for such close quarters.
I stood and shook both their hands. “Good to see ya, Isaac. Gwen. Please, have a seat.”
“Straight to business, then?” Chuckling, Isaac scooted out a chair for his wife, then lowered himself into the other, arms draped over the sides like a fat, old king.
“Straight to business.” I didn’t have the patience for another conversation about their ‘perfect for me’ daughter.
“We’ve known each other too long to skip the small talk.” Gwen folded her hands in her lap, her eyes analyzing my every movement. “How are the kids? Are they settling down, yet?”
“No, not yet,” I said, forcing optimism into my tone. “I’ve got a girl from Wildrose High watching them today and I hope they don’t traumatize her.”
Gwen fluffed the ends of her bleach blonde hair. “You can’t keep that up, you know. Filtering through nannies and babysitters. Eventually, the kids will—”
“The kids are fine.”
They weren’t.
They were loud and rude, and no one could get them to behave like they might one day grow into decent human beings, but I had even less patience for this conversation than the one about Lisa. My kids were my business. They’d been through a lot and one day, they’d settle down again.
“Lisa’s coming into town next week.” Gwen sat up even straighter. “You should spend some time together. See what happens.”
I swallowed a groan. There was nothing wrong with Lisa. As far as I knew she was warm and kind and driven…and as her parents’ accountant, I knew she came from money and stability.
But that would still be a hell-fucking-no from me.
I’d rather be lonely the rest of my life than risk falling in love with someone else and losing her the way I lost Nat. It was bad enough the kids were gonna grow up and leave me someday. That was the natural order of things, but my heart wouldn’t stop dreading it. Having one person ripped from my life was enough and three more were scheduled to vacate the premises in a decade or so. Who in his right mind would sign up to let someone else in, knowing the heartbreak waiting for him when she was gone? Not this guy.
Instead of trying to explain any of that to the Tarringtons, I shrugged like it wasn’t the worst idea I’d heard in a year. “Yeah, maybe.”
Isaac and Gwen grinned victoriously at each other and I moved the conversation back to business, hoping nothing more would come of the Lisa situation.
Chapter Two
Amelia
The last time I came to Wildrose Landing, my best friend’s life had just fallen apart. Oh, how things had changed. Evie McAllister went from living on my couch, to meeting the love of her life and living happily-ever-after in a quaint New England town.
And me?
Lately, I’d felt untethered. The optimism I’d worked so hard to cultivate floated just out of reach and the more I stretched to recapture it, the further it drifted. An old limiting belief started keeping me awake at night, one I’d conquered years before: When something good comes along, it’ll just be taken from me.
The thought circled my head when I least expected it, with memories of how much fun it was to have Evie staying with me juxtaposing my now very solitary apartment. I hated it, not only because of the uncomfortable feelings, but also because it felt like going backwards.
Negative thoughts hadn’t plagued me in years. I’d very purposefully become an eternal optimist, impervious to worry as long as I remembered to trust my higher self.
But still, the nagging anxiety plagued me.
Something wasn’t right, and I needed a change.
After weeks of meditation, prayer, and conversations with Evie, we decided I should move to Wildrose before her wedding and open up a shop—Good Vibrations. I’d sell crystals, sage smudge kits, new age books, affirmation calendars…you name it, I’d sell it. I even wanted to start a clothing line using colors and quotes guaranteed to raise the spiritual vibration of the wearer. Amelia Brown was going into the business of selling enlightenment and I flippin’ flappin’ loved the idea.
Evie had invited me to live in her spare house while I got myself situated in town—that’s right.
Her!
Spare!
Freaking!
House!
When I said life really turned around for her, I meant it. Her higher self had been on point to lead her to Wildrose Landing, and I needed mine to be too. Though obviously, I had no reason to doubt it was. Higher selves had this way of knowing what you needed and I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn mine and Evie’s were working together on this little project. The two of us settling here had been destined from the start.
I cranked up the music and grinned as I turned
