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Chapter One
Phoebe
“It’s time for sunset pictures. Where’s Ben?”
“They’re calling for you,” I whisper to Ben Steel, even though I don’t want him to hear them.
His blue eyes lock on mine, and the longing in them reverberates through me.
We’re just outside the big wedding tent, cozied up on a bench so close, I’m sure the town gossips have already noticed us.
I don’t care. Let them talk.
This is a scenario I’ve fantasized about for a long time and I don’t want it to end. But it can’t last forever. As much as I don’t want him to walk away, I know my mom won’t hesitate to march over and break up our little bubble herself if he’s not lined up next to his brothers in the next thirty seconds.
She’s photographing the Calloway-Steel wedding and has no problem getting shit done. It’s what makes her a brilliant photographer and the best mom my brother and I could’ve ever asked for.
But right now, she’s interrupting the first quiet moment Ben and I have had together. Before it sounds like I’m being selfish, it’s important to note that three rounds of group pictures have already been taken. When we snuck to the corner of Clover Creek Park, we thought the main festivities were over.
“I better go then.” Ben gets to his feet and hesitates.
His eyes flick to my lips and, for the briefest delusional second, I’m certain he’s about to kiss me.
Things were getting hot and heavy and more than a little handsy as we discussed the books we’ve been reading—mostly Regency.
But the clock is running and I don’t know if there’s enough time for our own love story to play out before I have to leave.
“There you are. The photographer is a little intense. You better hurry.” Tobias, Ben’s brother-in-law and a Californian transplant who’s still learning the intricacies of a small town, winces when he sees me behind Ben. “Shit. Phoebe. That’s your mom. I’m so sorry.”
I laugh and wave him away. “Nothing I don’t already know.”
“I’ll be right back.” Ben reaches for me and pulls his hand back to his side when Tobias clears his throat.
Dammit Tobias.
I’m pretty sure five more minutes of sitting next to each other on this hard bench would have resulted in a kiss.
For now, I have to be content to watch the back of him as he walks away.
And I can’t complain.
I’d have no problem raking my hands through his hair. It’s that perfect length to grip and looks impossibly soft, despite his intense eyes.
Leaning back, I sigh in quiet frustration. I’ve been looking forward to this visit home for weeks and it’s going even better than I had hoped. But I can’t let anyone know.
When I graduated, I was young, and dumb, and itching to get out of Clover Creek. I was vocal about it, too. I had applied to every college as far from here as I could, telling anyone and everyone who would listen, convinced I belonged anywhere but Clover Creek.
Connecticut Liberal Arts in North Grayslake accepted my application, and I was on the first plane out of Washington after graduation. It was the ideal scenario.
There wasn’t a whole lot for me in Clover Creek. My brother, Elijah, had left for San Francisco several years before with the Steel brothers to set up their wildly successful business. I’m still not one-hundred percent sure what they do, but it has something to do with sustainable construction.
He was happy in San Francisco—at least until they moved their headquarters back to Clover Creek.
With him gone, though, this place was just a reminder of all the things I didn’t want.
I carried some guilt leaving my mother behind, but she raised the two of us to be independent and go after our dreams. She had no idea I was trying to shake this little town, so she was my biggest cheerleader as I uprooted myself.
And, at least at that time, I thought it was my destiny to join a sorority and have the full college experience. Now that I’m three years in, I’m a little less enthusiastic about that dream.
