After All This Time (Sunset Cove Book 1)
1. Dani
“This is bullshit!” I say to myself.
Slumped in my swivel chair with my arms resting on the handles, I stare down the blank screen of my laptop like it’s mocking me.
Writer”s block is a bitch.
I was hoping sitting here with music flooding my eardrums would help me brainstorm some ideas, but so far, it’s not helping. It’s surprising because music typically helps me get into the world I’m writing about.
As I let out a deep sigh, I managed to type out one word on the page.
Shit.
Leaning back in my chair, I cross my arms and scrutinize the word as if it would sprout friends if I glared hard enough.
Instead, it sits there and tortures me until I ultimately decide to slam the laptop shut—I’ll only frustrate myself more than I already have. The clapping sound of my laptop closing echoes in my room and rings in my ears.
Maybe I should just stick to my job at Sweet Salty.
Sweet Salty is the romance-only bookstore here in Sunset Cove.
I started working there regularly throughout my high school years, up until I started college. And now summer seems to be the only time I can fit it into my schedule.
My mom’s lifelong best friend, Laura, opened the store back in the early 2010s. She wanted a place for romance readers to call home—I’ve been lucky enough to call it my home for the last several years of my life. I’m grateful Laura opened this place because I’d be lost without it.
If only my life was a romance novel, everything would be easier.
I’d fall in love with a guy who’d treat me like a princess, take care of me, buy me books, support me, and maybe be an avid reader like myself.
But, unfortunately, this is reality. It’d be a miracle if I found a guy who could sweep me off my feet.
The creaking noise of the door has my head spin towards it which brings me back to reality.
Bella”s head pops into view, her face lighting up until it dims like a faulty night light. “Dani, what the hell are you doing?” she asks. “Did you stay up all night again?”
“Maybe,” I reply.
“And how are you functioning right now?”
“Who says I”m functioning?” I quip, pushing away from the desk like it’s the worst thing to exist.
She stands there, narrowing her eyes at me and folding her arms across her chest. She’s interrogating me with her look alone.
I stand up, stretching out my arms and lower back. ”It”s called survival mode,” I tell her, trying to rub the fatigue off my face. ”You know me better than anyone, Bella Castillo-Ryder, which means you know I’m running on nothing but shit.”
Bella shakes her head at me and laughs. ”Okay, let”s pull you out of survival mode and get you fueled up. I’ll whip something up for us for breakfast.”
“Sounds good to me,” I smile. “What were you thinking of making?”
She shakes her head. “Nope, I’m not telling you. It’s a surprise.”
As I shuffle to the bathroom, I can almost hear the pep talk I need speaking through the tiles that line the backsplash.
“Hey, don”t take too long in there!” Bella calls after me, her tone playful yet commanding.
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” I say.
Bella and I have been best friends since we were toddlers. We’re practically sisters, even though we’re not blood-related. She was there for me when my father passed away, letting me stay at her house with her when I couldn’t bear the thought of stepping into my own house.
She always puts other people’s interests before her own, and never asks for anything in return. She deserves the world, especially after everything she’s been through.
I look at my reflection in the mirror and notice dark, puffy circles under my eyes that take me out of my thoughts.
I’m so exhausted.
I spend a good twenty minutes brushing my teeth, washing my face, and fixing my hair.
Hearing the sound of someone’s throat clearing, I find Bella standing behind me.
“Can I help you with something?” I ask her, my eyes widening.
“Breakfast is almost ready, Madame.” She curtsies, bowing her head down.
I laugh. “Thank you for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome.” Bella giggles and leaves the room, heading back into the kitchen.
Once I finish up in the bathroom, the smell of onions frying shoots straight up my nose.
As I walk out of my bedroom and into the kitchen, I see Bella working two skillets. One has scrambled eggs, white onions, and tomatoes. The other has two small flour tortillas in it.
“You amaze me sometimes,” I tell Bella, standing in the entryway to the kitchen area.
She turns towards me with a dirty look taking over her face. “Sometimes?”
“I’m kidding. How are you not used to my sarcasm by now? You’ve known me for years.”
“Well, you can take your sarcasm over to the tortillas and flip them over. If they’re golden brown, take them out.”
“Aye-aye, captain.” I walk over to the pan and grab a pair of tongs, flipping the tortilla over. Both sides are golden brown and it smells so good.
My mouth is watering from the combination of scents happening in here.
Bella cuts the heat from both sides of the stove.
As I sit onto my chair at our small kitchen table, she slides equal amounts of food onto two plates with the finesse of someone who”d grown up in a kitchen where food was seen as a form of love and art.
Bella grew up in a Mexican-American household. Her love for cooking stems from her mother and Abuela. I’ve learned so much from all three of them about Mexican cuisine, it’s opened my eyes in ways I could’ve never imagined.
A vibrating sensation through the table takes me out of my daze. I peer down at my phone.
SAGE
SAGE
how’s writing going?
ME
do you really want to know the answer to that question?
SAGE
like shit, right?
ME
and you are correct!
honestly, i’m amazed i’m functioning at all right now
SAGE
what’s that quote from alice in wonderland again? “we’re all mad here” it’s not just you
shit, i got to go
my roommate needs my help with something. please remind me why i decided to have someone live with me?
ME
is it because you’re in desperate need of attention and constantly feed off other people’s energy?
SAGE
screw you
ME
you know you love me
SAGE
no, i tolerate you
there’s a difference and what you just said is absolute bullshit BTW!!!
ME
oh, really? i had no idea
SAGE
bye, bitch
ME
bye, loser
Sage is one of my best friends, I’ve known her since high school. We’ve always had the kind of friendship where we’re not afraid to be brutally honest with each other. She doesn’t hold anything back, except her own feelings. Mostly because she’s had this storm cloud that’s been following her for several years.
Bella inserts a forkful of food into her mouth. “Eat up. You need brain food to tackle that novel of yours.”
“It’s not polite to talk with your mouth full.” I press my lips together to stop myself from breaking out into laughter, but it doesn’t work.
She fakes a laugh, scrunching her face. “Well, I can say that sitting at your computer screen for several hours isn’t going to help write your book.”
“Yeah, I know. Also, you”re not the one going into overtime with writer”s block.” I manage a grin, leaning in my seat.
“Good thing I don”t write fiction,” she spits out.
I stick both of my middle fingers up at her. “Thank you for that.”
“Sorry. Unlike you, I was never drawn to books or writing them.”
“And that’s okay,” I say before taking a bite of eggs and a piece of fried tortilla. “Holy shit!”
She whips her head around and back. “What?”
“This is so good.”
“You scared the crap out of me.”
“I think you missed your calling to go to culinary school.”
“Right. Be sure to tell my mom that. Back in high school, she looked like she was going to pass out when I told her I wanted to write about fashion and beauty, so I could add some experience to my résumé. I thought she was going to have a heart attack when I told her I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”
A breathy laugh escapes my mouth. “Yeah, I remember that. And for the record, you’re going to be the best digital news journalist the industry has ever seen. They have no idea what’s coming,” I reply, cracking a smile.
She purses her lips together just enough to make a small frown combined with a smile appear on her face.
I believe in her, even if she doesn’t believe in herself. She doesn’t realize how strong and incredible she is, and I will spend every day for the rest of our lives reminding her.
Suddenly, my phone rings. The caller I.D. flashes Mom in bold letters with a picture of me and her on the front.
”Hey, Mom, what”s up?” I answer.
”Hi, Sweet Girl. What are you up to this morning?”
”I’m just having breakfast with Bella.”
“Good. That’s good.” Her voice comes out in a hushed tone, barely a whisper.
There’s a long pause which is starting to make me nervous.
“Is everything okay?” I glance at Bella, who’s pausing mid-bite and watching me closely.
There’s a heartbeat of silence before she responds. “Dani, there”s been an accident.”
I freeze as the room stills around me. “What?”
“There’s been an accident, and it’s really bad.”
My grip on the phone tightens as my breathing gets heavier. ”Mom, what do you mean by an accident?”
“Ben and Lizzie Kaplan got into a car accident earlier this morning. I’m at the hospital with Laura.”
The next words she says have me in complete shock. And suddenly, everything around me begins to fade.
I shake my head violently from side to side.
This can’t be happening. Not again. This isn’t real. No, no, no.
I look down and notice the breakfast Bella spent so much time making is now all over the floor and the table.
Everything around me is suffocating, sticky, and puffy.
Oh God, I can’t breathe.
It’s like middle school all over again.
My breath comes out in short, ragged gasps, each inhale feels like the air is getting sucked right out of me.
“Dani, what’s going on?” Bella asks beside me, her face concerned and worried.
I feel like I’m going to cry, but the tears are at a standstill.
My vision starts to blur and that’s when I lose it. “It’s…Ben and Lizzie.”