Page 1 of Not That Impossible

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It was raining hard. I slammed my car door and jogged from The Lion’s tiny carpark to the porch, head down and shoulders up. It was mid-February, and it wasmiserable.

Grey skies. Wet roads. Chill wind. All the Christmas lights in town had been taken down and packed away weeks ago. Even all the sales had finished, and with the sparkle of Christmas in the rearview and the promise of spring a good few weeks ahead, people were hunkered in to wait out the between times.

It was lunchtime, but the day was dark enough, with a thick, soggy mass of grey clouds pressing down on the moss-tufted roofs of Chipping Fairford, that it made me want to climb into my comfiest sweatpants, make a cup of tea, and curl up on my sofa.

Preferably with my soulmate and the love of my life, Detective Chief Inspector Liam Nash.

Since Liam was married to a woman and had zero interest in being my soulmate, the love of my life, or snuggling up on my sofa, I’d take a good book in second place.

Or Netflix.

I hadn’t bothered to put my coat on for the short run to the pub, and I regretted it immediately. The warmth of my car was stripped away and the wind gusted cold rain straight into my face. I sped up, splashing through puddles and getting my socks wet. I didn’t even notice the couple rushing in from the side, until we all ended up trying to get through the door at the same time.

I was taller than either of them by a good few inches, so I stretched an arm over their heads, pushed the door open, and scooted them in ahead of me.

The man blinked up at me in surprise. The woman flashed a killer grin.

I smiled back. I didn’t recognise her, but I recognised the man she was with—well enough to know they weren’t a couple.

Unless Ray Underwood, the man of my best friend’s dreams, had made some big life changes, and I felt like Adam would have known about it if he had.

Adam was about as obsessed with Ray as I was with Liam. He also had way more of a chance of a happily ever after, despite their uncomfortable history, as Adam and Ray were both gay, and neither of them were married.

I paused on the mat by the door to wipe my trainers dry. One, because it’s polite. And two, because I knew from bitter experience that wet trainers and wooden floors don’t mix.

Only the fact I can actually do a full split—although I prefer to warm up first andnothave it happen as a surprise—has saved me from serious groin injury on more than one occasion.

I brushed a hand over my wet hair, shook out the rain, and headed over to the bar. Ray and his friend had gone through to the restaurant area and I watched through the open archway as he fussily picked one table, then changed his mind and picked another, before going back to the first table. His friend seemed to find it all highly amusing.

I ordered a sparkling mineral water from Zoe behind the bar.

“Ice?” Zoe said. “Slice of lemon for you?”

“Just ice, please,” I said.

I took my drink over to a small table in the corner, one with a great view of the restaurant area. Ray’s table was in my direct line of sight. I personally didn’t care about it one way or the other, but Adam would when he got here.

He had a sixth sense for Ray Underwood. A sixth sense, and a hell of a hard-on. He’d walk into the room and he’dknowRay was there. I’d seen it happen. He’d go still, as if someone had called his name, then he’d swivel to face wherever Ray was.

It was eerie.

I thought it was perhaps a family trait. Liam was Adam’s cousin, and he had the same kind of talent when it came to me. He always seemed to spot me before I could spot him, and when I did see him? He was leaving.

I slumped in my seat and moodily sipped at my water, the ice clinking against my teeth. I sucked a cube into my mouth and crunched it noisily as I gazed around. The pub wasn’t what you’d call crowded, but it was slowly filling up.

I didn’t usually eat lunch here—I didn’t usuallyeatlunch at all. Most days, I poured a protein shake or two down my throat between classes at the gym, as early afternoon was one of our busiest times.

We were both working hard at the moment. Adam was taking as many shifts as they’d give him at the Premier Lodge, a local chain hotel, saving up to pay for his master’s degree which he wanted to start in September. I was doing my best at the gym while writing on the side and praying for the big break that would kickstart my journalism career.

I checked my watch. I hoped he wouldn’t cancel. I’d missed him a lot over the last couple of years.

My parents had moved to Chipping Fairford when I was thirteen. Although Adam and I hadn’t got on at first, we’d bonded through a spot of teenage delinquency, and after that we were inseparable. We grew apart after leaving school. He went off to Cambridge to study architecture, and did some modelling on the side. I failed to get into university, and stayed here to disappoint my parents by becoming a personal trainer. He came back when his mum had her pacemaker operation, and he decided to stick around. Even if his mum hadn’t needed him, I was pretty sure he’d have come back for Ray.

The door opened and Adam strode in. He looked like a complete snack, all tall and lean with bright copper-blond hair and dark hazel eyes. Despite what people liked to think, it had been a very long time since we’d fooled around.

I could still appreciate his hotness, though.

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