Chapter 1
Chapter One
DALLAS—FOUR-AND-A-HALF YEARS LATER …
Layne Larson removed her two diplomas from Southern Methodist University from the wall behind her desk and placed them in the small box sitting on her desk.
This day was bittersweet. The company she had worked for since obtaining her BBA in accounting from SMU had been sold an hour ago.
She was making out like a bandit, being given a severance package worth two years’ salary, plus CObrA health benefits for a year.
While she had started in accounting at the small firm, she had quickly moved over to the tech side.
Several of her innovations and creations had caused the company to increase in profits and prestige, and she would be leaving with a sterling reputation as its CFO and enough from the buyout to take her time before deciding where she wanted to work next.
She would like to take some time off and travel.
She came from a small town on the Texas coast, twenty miles from Corpus Christi.
Driftwood Bay was a sleepy place, and she had been eager to leave it.
Everyone knew everyone’s business in a small town, and she had been thrilled to win a Presidential Scholarship to SMU.
She had hoped for a sports scholarship since she was a terrific soccer player, but the academic full ride to a prestigious university such as SMU was too good to pass up.
Knowing this day was approaching, Layne had taken home a few things here and there over the past two weeks.
She pulled a few photos from the walls now, adding them to her box.
Pictures of her at various charity events with players from Dallas’ professional sports teams. One of her and the city’s mayor.
Another with her and fellow board of trustees members at SMU.
Though she was only thirty, she had packed a lot of business into her twenties.
Now, she wanted to play a little. Maybe go to Europe.
See Paris. Rome. London. Take a river cruise down the Danube.
She’d love to see the pyramids of Giza and the Northern Lights in Iceland.
Every day—weekends included—had been work, work, work.
It was time to take a step back and reassess her life. Aim for more of a work/life balance.
She only wondered if Jeremy would be a part of this next chapter.
Jeremy Riggs had been her boyfriend the past five years.
They had lived together three of those. While Layne had gone to night school at SMU to earn her MBA, Jeremy had taken two years off to attend classes during the day—with her footing the bill.
Jeremy was forever broke, despite working in several high-profile, high-paying jobs.
He never seemed happy at any of them. He never remained employed long, always complaining about his boss or the workload or anything else he could think of.
Everything was always someone else’s fault, and he never seemed happy in his professional life.
Layne was the one who had bought the house in Lakewood. She paid all the bills, from utilities to streaming services. When she asked, he would kick in half of that month’s mortgage, but plenty of months had gone by without Jeremy contributing a cent. At least she had only put her name on the deed.
She slipped into her wool coat and gathered her box in her arms and stood at the door, saying goodbye to her corner office with its spectacular view. Her assistant was wiping away tears as Layne hugged her and passed over her keys to the leased car which had been provided to her.
“Here’s the keys to the Lexus. I’m going to miss driving that car.”
Her assistant accepted them, as well as the office ID badge. “I’ll miss you, Layne.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
As she made her way to the elevator, she waved at various people.
Some, like her assistant, would be staying on.
Most of the higher ups were being let go.
They had built the company from its infancy to world player, but now their baby had outgrown them.
She knew she would find a new challenge after she took a much-needed break.
In the elevator, she heard Christmas music playing.
Christmas was on a Sunday this year. Her dad had hinted about her coming home to Driftwood Bay for the holiday, but she had told him that she needed to stay in town and finish up all her obligations to her company.
Her dad was the only person she had confided in regarding the company’s sale and her compensation package.
He had told her how proud he was of her and all her many accomplishments and how much he loved her.
Maybe she and Jeremy could catch a flight tomorrow and join her parents for the weekend.
Then again, flights were probably booked.
They could drive, but Jeremy whined if any car trip lasted over an hour.
Besides, her parents didn’t like him and made no secret about it.
Dad had told her Jeremy was using her as a sugar mama.
As she was slowing down and reevaluating her life, Layne was beginning to agree.
Her mom had been acting distant lately anytime Layne called.
She couldn’t quite place her finger on what was wrong, but Mom just wasn’t acting like herself.
Maybe she could go down to the coast for a week or so after Christmas, minus Jeremy, and get in a good visit with her parents.
Hopefully, she could spend some time with Mila, too.
Her longtime friend had just married Driftwood Bay’s basketball coach three weeks ago.
Layne had flown down the morning of the wedding, played maid of honor, celebrated briefly at the reception, and then returned to Dallas, where she and Jeremy had then spent Thanksgiving with his family two days later.
Piper, her other good friend from kindergarten, wouldn’t be in Driftwood Bay.
She performed in musical theater and was always crisscrossing the country.
Piper had worked her way up the ladder from chorus to secondary to leading roles ever since graduating from college.
She was now touring in a production of Chicago, which had just finished a run in Chicago and would be heading to the West Coast. Seattle would be its first stop, with shows starting two days after Christmas.
Layne thought the company was headed to Sacramento next.
Layne owed both Piper and Mila a long FaceTime chat, especially since she was now unemployed.
Maybe they could take a girls’ trip somewhere once Piper’s latest tour ended.
Or she and Mila could surprise Piper and fly out to the West Coast. Since Mila’s volleyball had ended, hopefully she could take a few days off from school.
Then again, her friend was a newlywed and probably wouldn’t be interested in leaving Carson and Lily for a few days.
In the lobby, she brought up her rideshare app and placed an order for a car since her company car was a thing of the past. Living in Dallas, she would need a vehicle to get around.
She added car shopping to her to-do list as she waited in front of the building for four minutes.
Her driver arrived, and she gave him the code texted to her to confirm he was the correct driver for her trip.
As he drove through downtown Dallas, decorated with Christmas wreaths, Layne faced a reality she had put off for far too long. She and Jeremy had become more like roommates than lovers. When she got home, she would confront him about that and see if she really wanted a future with him.
Her gut told her no. That moment of clarity let her know it was time to cut ties. Enjoy being on her own for a while before looking for a new partner.
She thanked her driver, giving him a five-star rec and tipping him generously as she headed up the sidewalk and let herself inside.
As she shed her coat, Layne heard rap music blaring and knew Jeremy was already home.
Setting her box on a table in the entryway, she made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of Moscato as she slipped off her black stilettos.
She promised her feet she wouldn’t put on a pair of heels for at least a month.
Jeremy wandered into the kitchen, barefoot, wearing nothing but sweatpants. She recalled him saying that he had Friday and Monday off for Christmas, but this was Wednesday. Her gut told her that he had probably quit another job and had yet to tell her.
“You’re home early. It’s just now three. I can’t remember the last time you left work in the middle of the afternoon.”
Suddenly, everything about him bothered her.
Yes, he was definitely easy on the eyes, his body being the only thing he was truly dedicated to.
Jeremy worked out religiously, lifting weights and running on alternate days.
He had toned muscles and a handsome face, but for the life of her, Layne couldn’t remember what she had seen in him.
It made what she was about to discuss suddenly easier.
“I’ve got some news,” she said loudly. “Can you turn the music off?”
He slipped his cell from his pocket and hit a button. Blessed silence filled the air.
Going to the fridge, he took out a beer and popped the top before taking a seat at the kitchen table.
“What news? A raise?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with interest.
“No.”
Suddenly, Layne didn’t want to tell him about the severance package. About wanting to take some time off to relax. All she could see was greed in his eyes.
“My company was sold earlier today,” she announced.
His eyes narrowed. “Did you know that was coming?”
“Yes. I’ve been a part of the plans.”
Anger sparked in his eyes. “Babe, we could’ve made a killing. Sold your stock. Make a tidy profit. I’m pissed you didn’t say anything.”
“Uh, that’s illegal, Jeremy,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “No one ever cares about that stuff.”