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Chapter 1
Justine turned the car into the hotel’s lot with a light sigh glad she was finally there and could rest. It’d been a long drive, and she needed sleep. She grabbed her bag and headed inside amazed the place hadn’t changed in the slightest in ten years. It pulled her back in time, and she wondered what kind of life she would have had if she’d stayed. She wasn’t close to being that girl anymore, the one who only saw the good in the world, who wanted a life of happiness with someone she loved. Now, she was jaded and wanted to take refuge in the smallness of her hometown.
“Good evening, how may I help you?” Angela asked from behind the desk and Justine wondered why she was working it. When she’d left Angela was getting married to some rich slightly older businessman she’d met on vacation.
“I’m looking for a room for the next week or so,” Justine replied forcing the questions out of her mind.
“We can certainly help you out with that, I just need a credit card and photo id,” Angela told her, and she dug them out prepared for the questions the moment they arose. “Justine Crawford—oh my, I didn’t realize it was you and not one of your cousins. You don’t look a day older than when we were in high school.”
“I don’t, but thanks,” she said with a smile she didn’t feel.
“Are you here to see your family or for the class reunion—no it’s not for another three weeks,” Angela said shaking her head slightly as though clearing the confusing thoughts from it.
“I thought I’d stop in to say hi to the family. I didn’t know they were having a reunion,” she added with another smile. “Tonight I just want to sleep so can I have your word you won’t tell them I’m here?”
“Of course girl, welcome home even if it is just for a visit,” Angela assured her, handing her credit card and id back over along with the room key. “Have fun.”
“Thanks,” she said although she knew fun wasn’t something that was possible for her—not now at least, maybe one day she could get there but it was too soon for it right now.
She took the stairs despite being on the fourth floor and checked the exit routes just in case as she moved into the room. It was a typical hotel room, nothing fancy but she didn’t need anything more than a bed to crash on for the next twelve hours to refresh her. Getting ready for bed didn’t take long and she ensured the ‘do not disturb’ sign was on the door before she wedged a chair underneath the door handle.
Sleep came to her, but it wasn’t pleasant, far from it actually, and she finally gave up on it around five hoping a run would either wear her out enough to stop her brain from turning over allowing her to sleep or wake her enough that sleep wouldn’t be necessary. As long as it got her out of the past, she didn’t care which one it was. Her body would force her to sleep when it was ready.
She headed out, connecting to her normal route despite the years away, and felt the tension in her body drain, the heaviness in her chest ease enough that she could fully breathe. The quiet swelled around her, giving her comfort in a way she never expected to find after the last five years.
She reached the creek and stopped, staring at the mass of wildflowers now growing beside the gazebo and her heart skipped a beat. She was here when they’d first begun to bloom ten years ago. She’d been amazed at the beauty of them and that someone had taken the time to carefully plant them. No one else in town knew they were for her, but she did, and she’d said yes to the proposal that came that night.
If only she hadn’t left town alone maybe—no, there was no maybe about it. If she hadn’t left town alone she never would have chosen the career path she had and she wouldn’t be standing back here alone trying to erase the last few years from her memory. She would have been back here many times over the last ten years. Possibly—no, probably with a little boy or girl in her arms while she enjoyed being in his.
Justine shook those thoughts away; they weren’t healthy for her. It would simply push her further into a depression knowing just how much her choice had changed everything.
She started back out on the path bracing herself for the sweet smells she would discover racing past the flowers and moved across the wooden bridge over the creek. She turned to go down the path that would take her along the far side of town and nearly screamed aloud in terror when she careened into a hard mass.
“Careful,” a deep voice said, and recognition flew through her making her heart skid to a stop. She couldn’t stop her head from going up to see him and there was a complete flare of surprise as he gazed down into her eyes.
“Justine?” he said taking a step away from her quickly, and not bothering to ensure if she was stable in his shock. She took a step backwards to keep herself upright and nearly stepped on a tray of flowers. “Be careful,” he grunted, his voice now tinged with anger as he moved her away from the tray.
“Sorry,” she stated unable to think straight enough with him this close. Not with his hand still on her arm sending sparks throughout her body she’d only ever felt with him. She was just surprised to find it so rampant after all this time.
“So the famous last word becomes the new famous first word you bother to utter to me in ten years, Just? Really creative,” he replied, as his gaze grew darker.
“Tyler,” she sighed, knowing she deserved his anger for the way she’d left, for not telling him in person. There was no way she’d have managed to actually leave if she’d looked into his eye and told him she was going.
She hated seeing and hearing the anger though, especially after all these years. All she’d wanted was for him to be happy—even if she hated the thought of him with anyone else. She’d wanted him to move on the way she hadn’t been able to. To find a life that he was happy to live, but from the glare he shot her, it didn’t seem like that’d happened.
“Don’tTylerme Justine—why are you even here? Whynow?” he questioned, and she wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
“I just came to see my family. I didn’t come to bother you or to rehash the past.”
“Good,” he stated unable to take his gaze from her even though he knew he should, he shouldn’t be feeling anything towards her in the least. “Watch where you’re going next time.”
“Famous first words becoming famous last Tyler?” she retorted making his body wake in ways it hadn’t been in ten years, which only made his anger rise higher to see her here. For her to be here now of all times was infuriating.
“Who knows what the first words I ever said to you were Just,” he said, slipping again with the nickname. “We were kids when we met.”
“No Tyler—we were teenagers when we really met. As kids we were told to avoid the other like the plague.”
“And I finally understood why when I got here to find your note instead of you the night we were supposed to leave here together.”
