Page 2 of Always Be Mine

She stared a little longer at the oversized wooden sign on the edge of town, and for the first time, questioned every single one of her decisions over the last few days. She’d taken a leave from her job, found someone to sublet her apartment in downtown Vancouver for a few months, and packed up her car with everything she could fit, putting everything else in her storage unit or donating it before driving ten hours into the mountains.

Alone.

And it felt great. Mostly.

“What do you think, Garfield?” Lucy scratched her giant tabby cat’s ears. The cat, who’d been curled in a big fluffy ball for most of the drive, lifted his head and answered her with a loud meow before resuming his nap. “I agree,” she said with a laugh. “It’s time for a fresh start.”

Not that she was even sure it was a fresh start she was after. Her decision hadn’t been well-thought-out at all. It was more of a gut reaction to pack up and leave, but she didn’t regret it. At least not yet. And really, it wasn’t like she’d rented a house or anything. She had a short-term rental booked for a few weeks. After that, she’d decide on what she wanted to do next. One step at a time.

There were probably a thousand little towns that would have been a better fit than the one that Ross had promised her he’d take her to one day, but it had been the first place she’d thought of when she opened her laptop the night before to start her search.

And then she’d lucked out when it came to finding a short-term rental that wouldn’t eat up all her savingsandwould let her bring Garfield, so Lucy jumped on it. It wasn’t until she told her best friend where she was going that she realized it might not have been the best choice.

“You’re going where?” Lucy could practically hear Mandi’s disbelief through the phone.

“Trickle Creek,” she repeated. “But you can’t tell anyone. Especially?—”

“Pick somewhere else.”

Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head despite the fact that her friend couldn’t see her. She’d called Mandi at work, which was risky enough considering Ross could have answered the call. After all, her ex also happened to be the owner of the restaurant she’d managed for the last eighteen months, and her abrupt departure had thrown all the staff for a loop, which meant that Ross was spending more time there trying to keep his business from collapsing now that she was gone.Good. He deserved the stress.

It also meant that Mandi had received a sudden, but much-deserved promotion from her role as assistant manager.

“I already paid for two weeks.” She swallowed hard. “I leave in the morning.”

“Damn, Lucy. Just like that?”

“What else would you have me do?” She had to fight back the tears. She hated that she’d already cried so much over a man who didn’t deserve it. She hated a lot about how she’d behaved when it came to him. Lucy hardly recognized herself anymore. “I need to get out of here.”

“I get it.” Mandi’s voice softened. “But you could go somewhere else. I know you guys always talked about?—”

“It’s already done. And that’s not why I chose it.”

“If you say so.”

Mandi knew her too well. Plus, she’d had a front-row seat to the rise and fall of what, up until recently, Lucy had been so sure would be her last relationship. She’d been so sure they were going to get married.

“You can’t say anything to?—”

“As if I would.” No doubt Mandi was rolling her eyes. “It’s about time you finally saw him for who he really is.”

“He’s still your boss.”

She scoffed. “So? He’s still a piece of shit. Honestly, Lucy, you know I love you and I think you’re amazing, but I really don’t understand how?—”

“I have to go, Mandi. But I’ll text you when I get there, okay?”

“One more thing, Lucy. Please promise me you’ll do something to get him out of your head. Go on a date, kiss a stranger, hook up with a random?—”

“I’m not hooking up with anyone.”

“Ah ha!” She could practically see her best friend’s wicked grin. “You didn’t say no to a date or a kiss.”

“You know I’m not kissing any strangers.”

Mandi laughed. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”

Lucy hung up on her friend and put the car in gear. Despite herself and the situation she found herself in, at least the call had done one thing.

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