Page 1 of Rekindled

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Ten years had passed since Molly left her hometown in utter despair. In that time, she completely overhauled her life, leaving her troubled past and adolescence behind.

Today, she was returning with a college degree, an established journalism career, and her hot, new boyfriend, Rick, an elite Seattle plastic surgeon.

As he drove his red Corvette through the streets of Bayfield, Washington, Molly realized little had changed with the small town she had grown up in. Main Street was still filled with the same two restaurants on each end, along with the grocery store, coffee shop/bakery, and salon.

She watched as people moved along the wide sidewalks next to the brick buildings. A handful of people were sitting on the benches, which had flower pots on the side of each one. The residents had on jackets and were carrying umbrellas, a common necessity in the town that regularly saw rain in the winter months.

“So, this is the town you grew up in?” Rick asked her, the disapproval obvious in his tone. “When you said small, I had no idea you meantthis. I’m just waiting for a cow to come sauntering down the street,” he said snidely.

She forced herself not to show her irritation with his condescending judgment. She wasn’t sure why it bothered her anyway, considering that when she left a decade ago, she had convinced herself she was better off leaving the provincial place behind.

“No, the cows only come to town in the morning,” she said with sarcasm. “We must have just missed them.”

He let out a small chuckle as he turned onto the small road that led to her parents’ house. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were upset. I know that can’t be the case considering how you’ve never wanted to come back here to visit until now.”

“I never had a reason until my boss gave me this assignment.”

“And your reunion has nothing to do with it? You’re not coming back here to show off your awesome life?” He reached out and patted her arm. “Otherwise, why would you have invited me along?”

She shrugged. “I’m not saying it won’t be nice to show the people from school they didn’t break me; however, it’s just a bonus. The reunion will be the perfect cover for my real reason for being in Bayfield.”

“Right, you’re investigating some lawyer from here.”

Molly stiffened, not liking how casually Rick threw around her real purpose for returning. She didn’t need him ruining her chances of finding out the truth for her story. She had spent hours online going over Spencer Conrad’s social media, local newspaper articles, and past case results after years of trying to forget about him. She knew all the public details of the past ten years of his life, including the fact that he went to Washington State University before going to Stanford law school. There was no mention of why he returned to Bayfield when he could have gotten a job anywhere, but it was one of the pieces she needed to figure out. Perhaps it would reveal a connection to the district attorney, Jeremy Jacks, the other person secretly accused of unethical conduct. She had looked into him too, not finding anything out of the ordinary. Until she figured it all out though, she needed Rick to stay quiet.

“Remember, we discussed how we need to keep my work part of the trip a secret. If anyone gets wind of the real reason why I’m here, they won’t talk to me, and my whole investigation will be over before it starts.”

“You’re so dramatic. You act as if everyone in this town cares about what happens to this guy.”

“You say that in jest, but you have no idea how right you are,” Molly said, pushing her long, blonde hair behind her ear. “Spencer Conrad is the darling of Bayfield. He has been ever since we were kids, despite the fact he was an awful person.”

“Wow, you really don’t like the guy, do you,” Rick stated. “I mean, every time he comes up, you become hostile. What’d he ever do to you?”

“Nothing I want to talk about,” Molly stated adamantly. “It’s in the past, anyway.”

Without her wanting it to happen, her mind drifted back to the first time she met Spencer Conrad.

Oh, goodness, there was Spencer Conrad coming through the front doors of the town’s public library. Molly saw him every day in the school hallways and in two of her classes, but she never talked to him. He was popular, being the varsity football quarterback—and Molly was most decidedlynotpart of the “in” crowd.

He looked good, really good, with his thick, black hair and his blue and white letterman jacket hugging his body in all the right ways. He had his backpack slung over one shoulder, and his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans.

Her eyes drifted to his perfect pair of lips, and for a moment, she let herself wonder what it would be like to kiss them. She knew she wasn’t the only one to imagine it. Every girl in school was obsessed with Spencer Conrad, but she had made it a point to avoid his crowd. They were mean, and made it a point to pick on anyone unpopular. Even though she knew all the reasons that she shouldn’t have a crush on him, Molly found herself doing it anyway.

“Stop it,” she chastised herself. “Spencer Conrad is completely off-limits. Besides, you don’t want to be with someone like him. Just keep this about tutoring.”

As Spencer approached the table, he looked annoyed, like he didn’t want to be there. Good, I don’t want to be here either, she thought to herself.

“You’re late,” Molly stated with frustration, pushing her long bangs out of her eyes. “If this is going to work, you have to be on time.”

He shrugged, placing his backpack on the ground next to him as he slung himself into a seat across from Molly. “What can I say, I had football practice.”

“You’re not the only one that has a busy schedule. I have commitments too.”

“I’m sure; math and science club I’m betting, right?” he asked with a smirk.

“No, yearbook and church.”

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