Page 10 of Somehow You Knew

“Ugh. Why do older brother’s best friends have to be so damn irritating and handsome at the same time?”

I think back to all the times I had a crush on my brothers’ friends and how many times I was just written off as the annoying little sister. That is, until onedidstart to notice me. After that, Penn and Dallas ensured none of their friends ever made that mistake again, threatening bodily harm to anyone who so much as looked in my direction.

Let’s just say that I didn’t have much of a dating life until they both moved out. Even though Parker was still around, he was so focused on school and his own girlfriend that he didn’t pay much attention to my dating life.

“Fletcherisbeyond irritating, especially when I have to see his stupid face on the TV every damn weekend.”

“Being a professional football player has only made him cockier, huh?”

“Honestly? I wouldn’t know. I’ve been avoiding him every time he comes to town, which isn’t often, but still. Judging by that smug smirk he’s perfected for the cameras, I’d say he hasn’t changed much. But one of these days, we’re going to cross paths again and I’ll have to remind myself of how he truly feels about me so I don’t do anything stupid…again.”

“Well, I wish you luck with that.”

“Thank you. I’m gonna need it.”

“All right, I better let you go. I just got home and have to catch up on editing. If I don’t, I’m going to be drowning in work.”

“Life as a business owner never stops, right?”

“Never,” I say, unlocking my front door. “But I love it.”

I can practically hear the smile in her voice. “Talk to you soon!”

“Bye, Laney.”

Once inside my apartment, I grab a glass of wine, change into my pajamas and “wine makes me less murdery” socks, and settle into my favorite spot on the couch. I put my headphones on, push play on my latest romance audiobook, and get to work creating beautiful memories of other people’s love stories while quietly wondering if I’ll ever have one of my own.

Little did I know that Hummingbird guy and I would cross paths again, and when we did, I’d realize he wasn’t such a stranger after all.

Chapter three

Hazel

One Year Later

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Timothy MacDonald, Carrington Cove’s resident attorney, steps out of the hallway leading to his office and greets me in the reception area.

“Not a problem, Tim.” I stand from my chair, smooth my shirt, swing my bag over my shoulder, and follow him back to his office.

“Today has just been a little crazy, especially without Mabel here.”

Taking a seat across from him at his desk, I put my purse on the floor beside me. “I can imagine. How is she doing? I heard about her knee.”

Timothy settles into his chair, resting his clasped hands on his rounded belly. “Luckily, the doctor said nothing is broken or torn, but she definitely angered a ligament. The woman decided to run a marathon and ends up hurting herself.” He shakes his head and pats his stomach. “This is why I don’t exercise—causes more harm than good.”

I hold back an eye roll. “That’s one way to look at it.”

“Regardless, I can’t wait for her to return. She keeps this place running.” Timothy leans forward, shuffling papers across his desk. “Well, I would get started, but we need to wait on Gage.”

I glance at my watch, noting that it’s ten minutes past our scheduled appointment time. Grinding my jaw in irritation, I remind myself to relax. I’m here for Diane, not him. “It’s fine. This is the one free day I have this week…but I imagine there’s a timeline for handling these things.”

“Yes, there is. And Diane was insistent about some of them.”

Diane Kingston passed away three weeks ago after her long battle with COPD. Being with her in her final days brought back painful memories of losing my dad to cancer three years ago, but I’m grateful I had that time with her. The friendship that woman gave me, the genuine appreciation and love we shared—it’s something I’ll cherish forever.

And her precious nephew she boasted about so often was nowhere to be found in her final days… Which probably explains why I’m this irritated with a man I’ve never even met.

He better have a damn good reason he’s keeping us waiting, especially since I hate leaving Blueberry alone for too long. Diane gave me custody of her dog, so now, on top of whatever Timothy tells me today, I am also a new pet owner. That’s an unexpected transition I’m still trying to navigate.

---