Recklessly Yours (Half Moon Lake #4)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

HATTIE

“This one might actually be a keeper.”

I glanced up and found my sister Ashley standing in the doorway to my office, holding a large bouquet of white roses and blue flowers.

“Huh?” I tilted my head, confused about what she was talking about. It couldn’t be her husband. We all knew she thought he was a keeper.

She plucked the crisp white card from the bouquet and read it out loud. “Hey, beautiful. Can’t wait to see you again soon.” Her face lit with a smile. “Who is he?” Before I could respond, she shook her head. “Don’t tell me it’s a guy from those dating sites you’ve been using.”

Sighing, I sat back in my chair. Here we go again . The same tirade for the hundredth time. I’d let her say her piece, and then, if I was lucky, she would leave my office and let me get back to work.

“I don’t like you meeting all these guys online. It’s so sketchy.”

I fought the eye roll I wanted to give her. She acted like online dating was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard of. Like millions of women get murdered by men they meet on the internet or like it was banned across the country instead of it facilitating plenty of lifelong matches.

My brother Rhett appeared behind Ashley. “Whose flowers?”

“They were just delivered for Hattie,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “And I was telling her she needs to be careful with this whole online dating thing.”

“Yeah. I’ve said the same thing.” He shook his head.

Frustration coursed through me. Great. Now they were both giving me opinions I hadn’t asked for.

Ashley stepped forward, dropped the bouquet onto my desk, and held the card out to me. Before I could take it, though, she snatched it back.

“Wait, is there even a signature?” Her face scrunched like she’d smelled something bad as she turned it over. “That’s weird.”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “They’re probably from Kevin.”

I’d send him a text and thank him later. But I had to admit, I was confused. Even though he was nice and our date had gone well, he’d come off as not that interested.

“Which weird dating site did you meet him on? Kill Me Over Coffee or Stab Me After Dinner?” Ashley chuckled.

Rather than amused, Rhett seemed pissed off. And I had barely told them anything. This was why I was considered the quiet sibling.

I narrowed my eyes. “I didn’t?—”

“I know you’re looking for a real relationship and all,” Ashley said, crossing her arms, “but I don’t think this is the way to find one.”

I’d actually met Kevin at a bar a few weeks ago rather than on a dating site. But I couldn’t imagine these two would like that any better, so I kept that to myself. Ashley was still rambling about the dangers of online dating, so I couldn’t even get a word in anyway.

“I agree.” With a nod, my brother propped himself up against the doorframe.

Guess he wasn’t leaving anytime soon either.

“But—”

“It’s dangerous,” Rhett added. “Maybe Mom can set you up with one of the single guys from church.”

I slumped back in my chair. Jesus. I’d tried that last year and wouldn’t again. If they’d let me get a word in, maybe I’d tell them that I was done with meeting guys online for now too. It was an easy decision after one showed up wearing a kilt, which was fine until I asked if he was Scottish, and he said no. That he just liked airing out his junk. Then another one literally never stopped smiling. Like I couldn’t tell whether he had recently gotten Botox or just really liked to smile.

“I want you to find a love like I have with Jackson.” Ashley tilted her head to the side as she sent me a sympathetic smile. “Creating a family with him and Sophia has made me so happy. I want that for you too. But…I don’t know…” She trailed off.

I gritted my teeth. They mean well . I often chanted those words to myself in regard to my siblings.

Yes, I wanted to find something real. But even the guys that friends had set me up with or that I’d met while out in the last couple of years hadn’t worked out. And lately the selection had gotten even more weird. At this point, I was pretty much convinced that if they were still single by the time they were thirty, then something was wrong with them.

“Maybe meet someone the old-fashioned way.”

Right. Old-fashioned way. Why didn’t I think of that? This time I couldn’t hold back the eye roll. Not all of us had the luxury of marrying our brother’s best friend like she did.

It was getting harder to deny it when my family members told me that I was picky.

If I said a guy was weird or not attentive or that I didn’t feel a connection, they were quick to tell me that I wasn’t giving it a fair shot.

But I could tell after one date whether there was potential. I wanted goose bumps, butterflies, and sparks. I sighed. Above all, I wanted to be seen. To be heard. With three older siblings and an over-the-top younger one, there were days when I felt somewhat invisible. Which was funny, since they never seemed to leave me alone.

“Anyway, so about tonight…” Ashley waved a hand, dismissing the conversation.

I’d said less than ten words since she showed up with the flowers. They hadn’t given me a chance to respond to any of their concerns, and now we were back to talking about her.

I guess I should be thankful she was done harping on me.

“Did you hear me?” Ashley asked.

I shook my head. If she was back to ranting about my choices when it came to my dating life, I was going to throw my stapler at her. Two years ago, she made her own dumb decisions and hid her relationship and feelings for her now husband. So she really had no room to lecture me.

She huffed out a breath. “I asked if you were still coming to our New Year’s Eve bash tonight.”

“We’ll be there,” Rhett chimed in.

The two of them discussed whether Rhett and his wife, Bella, were bringing the kids. What was the point of having this conversation in my office? Obviously, they weren’t really looking for my input.

I turned back to my computer and opened my email. At least I could be productive until I was summoned to speak again.

“So?”

I glanced up to find Ashley now staring at me pointedly. What had she asked? I’d already forgotten.

“Are you coming tonight?”

I ran my fingers along the silver hoop that hung from my ear. “Yeah, I’m planning to.”

Though I’d rather go home after work and curl up on the couch with a book. The idea of showing up to a couples’ party alone wasn’t the least bit appealing. Ashley had promised there would be plenty of other single people there, but I wasn’t sure I believed her. Most of my siblings and friends had either settled down and had a family or were well on their way there.

She placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. “You better. Otherwise you’ll work until seven and then go home and be boring.”

I sighed. That was exactly what I wanted to do. But it was New Year’s Eve, and even that sounded pathetic to me.

“I will be there.” The promise almost hurt to make.

Finally, after the two of them rattled on about how I worked too much and I really needed to take more time off, they left my office. The conversation probably lasted less than twenty minutes, yet it left me mentally exhausted. More and more, I was understanding why my dad was so quiet. Sometimes it was easier to let everyone else say their piece. Dad only spoke up when he knew his words would penetrate through the chaos.

What I still had trouble with was not allowing their chaos to exhaust me.

I shot off a thank-you text to Kevin and got back to inputting invoices into QuickBooks.

An hour later, as I walked through the dining room of The Dock, my family’s restaurant, unease wormed its way through me. Kevin had responded saying he hadn’t sent flowers. I racked my brain for who else it might have been. He was the only guy I had even come close to hitting it off with recently.

“Hey, Hattie.”

At the sound of the deep voice, I spun. Michael, one of the bar’s regulars, was here with two other guys I recognized but couldn’t name. Was one Jason, maybe?

“Hey…”

“Ashley was telling us that you have a secret admirer.” Michael snickered.

My stomach sank. Of course my sister would talk about personal things like that with our customers. Small-town life was lovely. I wouldn’t be surprised if a dozen more of them asked about it before the end of the week.

I shrugged. “Probably not.” The last thing I wanted was to give people I barely knew any more personal information. Clearly, Ashley had told them more than enough.

Hopefully whoever sent them would send me a text, and I’d figure it out. If I didn’t mention it again, Ashley would move on to something else, and the subject of the mystery flowers would be dropped.

After getting stuck chatting for a few more minutes with the regulars, I finally made my escape through the front door. I had to get better at using the side door, because every time I went this way, I got stuck talking to staff or customers. And today, I was over it all and ready to be home.

Lucky me, I still had a party to go to. I started my car, and when the low tire pressure warning light lit up on my dash, I cursed under my breath. This was ridiculous. I’d just had Randy, the town mechanic, look at the damn tire. The indicator for the front tire on the passenger side was showing low, even though he swore there was no leak. But seeing as how this would be the fourth time I’d have to put air in it, the guy had to have missed something. It was under warranty, and they’d offered to replace it. I just hadn’t had time to drop it off yet.

Thankfully, it was never so low that I couldn’t drive it, and usually it would go back off once I started driving.

So whatever. I wasn’t dealing with it tonight. I’d call the shop sometime this week and make an appointment.