Fallen Hearts (Bachelor Pact #1)

Chapter 1

1

PIA

Cedar Falls, Finger Lakes Region, NY

“Want your regular?”

The cashier didn’t even look up as a woman about my age approached the counter.

“Mmhmm,” the customer murmured, looking as if she was about to cry. As someone who cried at sappy commercials, among many other things, I could empathize.

Making a quick decision, I jumped up from my seat.

“I’ve got this,” I said to the woman. “You head to the ladies room.”

Although it was an odd offer from a stranger, she didn’t seem to mind. Swallowing hard and giving me a quick nod, she bolted in the direction of, I assumed, the ladies room. It was my first time in the place, new to town and all, so I knew very little about the Coffee Cabin or even Cedar Falls itself. Except that, as of last night, it was my new home.

When the cashier looked up—a college kid, from the looks of him—he appeared confused.

“I’ve got her coffee. And…” I didn’t need to look at the pastries again to know what I wanted. “A blueberry crumble muffin.”

Paying for both, I brought them to my corner seat and went back to people-watching. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. Just a cozy coffeehouse in a town even smaller than the one where I grew up. One I’d be seeing a lot of since my new apartment was just upstairs.

“Thank you so much,” the woman said when she returned, clearly unsure what to do.

“Join me,” I offered. “Got a muffin top.”

She looked a bit like that actress from the funny movie with Ryan Reynolds. What the heck was the name of it? Ugh, how could someone be so bad at remembering names?

“You look like someone,” I started, about to explain the movie.

“Emma Stone.”

“That’s it. I guess you get that all the time?”

“I do. But I take it as a compliment, so thank you.”

I would too. Emma Stone, and my companion, were both extremely pretty. Red hair in a long bob and a smattering of freckles across her cheek, just like me. It was rare to meet someone with freckles. We also shared unusually bright eyes, hers green and mine blue. I wondered if it meant anything? Like maybe we were destined to be friends?

“You’re welcome,” I said.

“And thank you for the coffee.”

“My pleasure. Please help yourself to the muffin. It looks too good not to eat.”

“Oh, they’re good, alright. Deadly so. Try some.”

I helped myself and silently agreed. This would be dangerous. I’d have to limit myself to one a week or special occasions or something. Sweet treats were my downfall.

“I appreciate the rescue. Delaney,” she said, offering her hand.

“Pia.” I shook it, smiling.

“Passing through?” she asked.

“Actually, no. I just moved here. I’m renting the apartment upstairs.” I motioned above us. “Got here last night from Oregon.”

“Oh wow. You must be exhausted. Welcome to Cedar Falls.”

“Thanks. So you live here?”

“I do. Born and raised. Although I just came back to town myself after a few-year hiatus.” Delaney took a sip of coffee, looking over the rim sheepishly. “Sorry about the waterworks.”

Clearly she’d been crying, but I hadn’t planned to mention it.

“No apologies necessary,” I said. “No one is a bigger crier than me. Though I definitely don’t look that good after a cry. More power to you.”

Delaney laughed. “I don’t believe you. The guys in town are going to lose their minds. We haven’t had anyone new to Cedar Falls as pretty as you… ever.”

“Stop,” I said, never able to take a compliment well. I’d gotten comments on my dark hair and clear blue eyes my whole life. But it wasn’t like I’d done anything to earn it, so I was never sure what to say. I supposed “thank you” would suffice, but somehow I never managed to say the words.

“Although, fair warning. There are more than a few heartbreakers out there.”

Ahh, so that was the source of the waterworks. “Breakup?”

“Yup. Five months hot and heavy, and boom. Just like that, he goes back to the ex. I feel silly. Five months isn’t very long, I know. But I liked him. A lot. He was a commitment phobe, and in the worst twist of fate, mutual friends of ours say he’s planning to propose.”

Breaking off a piece of muffin, I prepared to do one of the things I did best.

Overshare.

“I get it, trust me. Last year I dated a guy for the summer. Knew it wouldn’t last since he was only there for a seasonal job. But the fact that we were never on a collision course for a long-term relationship didn’t seem to matter to my traitorous heart. There was something about him that I connected with, almost from the start. An attraction, of course, but something else I could never quite put my finger on. Getting to know him was one of the easiest and most fun few months of my life.”

“Why do you think that was?”

I’d asked myself that so many times. “I’m not sure, to be honest. We just clicked. Our chemistry was off the charts. I told him things I’d never shared with another living soul, trusting him completely even knowing it was a dangerous thing to do.”

“So what happened?”

The pang in my chest at the thought of having lost a man I’d been convinced would play a role in my life, even though I knew from the beginning such a thing was impossible, never dulled when I thought of him.

“He left. We tried for a long time just to be friends, which worked for him, but never for me. I know he really liked me, and enjoyed getting to know me too, but only one of us caught feelings. Turns out, it’s really fucking hard to be friends with someone you could envision waking up to every day. Who you’d have given everything to be with.”

“You were willing to move for him?”

“I was. But he wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. So I know a thing or two about commitment phobes and do my best to avoid them.” I remembered why I was telling this gut-wrenching story, one that I’d worked for so long to forget. “There were days I questioned everything. How I felt about him, how disappointed I was in myself for taking too long to let go. Aside from losing my grandparents, it was honestly the most difficult period of my life. One I never saw coming.” And finally, my point. “But I eventually got over it. And you will too. I promise.”

Delaney reached across the table, tears in her eyes once again, and smiled in a way that erased any doubt. We weren’t going to be friends.

We already were.

“Thank you for sharing that with me.”

It should have felt odd to squeeze a stranger’s hand, but it didn’t. I truly believed there were no such things as coincidences, and the two of us were meant to be in this coffeehouse together today.

“My pleasure.”

Letting go of my hand, she took a deep steadying breath. “So tell me how you ended up here in this little corner of the world.”

“Well,” I said, taking a sip of coffee. “I was hired as the new manager of a struggling inn. The owner seems like a great guy who I can’t wait to meet in person on Monday when I start.”

“What’s the name of the inn? Who’s the guy?” Delaney smiled wryly. “Trust me, if it’s in or around Cedar Falls, I’ll know him.”

“Heritage Hill,” I said as a vision of the beautiful, if older-looking inn popped into my head. “The owner’s name is?—”

“Thomas Bennett.”

The way she said his name sent a shiver down my back. “What is it?” I asked, knowing without a doubt something was wrong.

“Oh, Pia,” she said, as if feeling really sorry for me. “Thomas Bennett is dead.”