Chapter 1
Sun that shouldn’t be shining in winter
Heated Seats
Bluetooth
Mountain Views
New Friends
Hillary Duff
Work
Wi-Fi
The chipped mug really should have been the first sign that this place wouldn’t have espresso or anything other than drip coffee on the menu.
I didn’t know why, but damaged mugs just said something about a place.
As did the booths pockmarked with tiny rips.
The carpet was in desperate need of replacement—in my opinion they should swap it for hardwood—but the location wasn’t bad.
I could see the entire street from my seat in the diner.
Today marked one week since I arrived in Macon, Oregon, and I was still trying to figure out exactly what I was doing here. Malibu had been my home for all twenty years of my life, and as much as I didn’t fit in there, this leap I decided to take didn’t make much sense either.
It wasn’t like I just drove up here on a whim.
My brother sort of deserted his girlfriend at our parents’ house, and when I offered to drive her back, she took me up on it. So, after taking a fifteen-hour road trip with Nora, I plopped myself here in my brother’s town. I just happened to pack everything I own in the back of my SUV when I left.
So, here I was, being a dutiful sister to the one brother who never saw me as one.
“How are you doing? Can I refill your coffee?” a waitress offered with a beaming smile and a pop to her hip. Her coral lips stretched, causing a few wrinkles to appear near the edges of her mouth. I hated that my first thought was how she seemed to fit into this entire small-town-diner aesthetic.
Returning her smile, I covered my mug. “No, thank you, I’m okay.”
“Well, look at those nails and that hair! I haven’t seen hair that shiny since I took a trip down to L.A.
I saw Hillary Duff. She was just out there walking her dog like it wasn’t a thing at all, can you believe that?
A lot of people around here think I’m lying, but I saw her, and I remember her hair being so shiny that it looked like liquid gold. ”
I caught sight of the name tag, pressed against her pink shirt.
“Thank you, Tammy, that’s sweet of you to say. And I believe you about Hillary Duff; she’s a national treasure and has been seen a lot around Los Angeles.”
Tammy took a seat, sliding in across from me, her pot of coffee going right in front of her.
“Isn’t she? I just loved her in that modern Cinderella movie. She did such a good job, and my nephew showed me that she’s on that Clock app too. I think it’s so fun to be able to see these stars on those videos. So what part of California are you from?”
Feeling a little apprehensive about being locked into this conversation, I spun the mug around in slow circles.
“Uh…well …”
“Tammy, leave that poor girl alone and get back here with that pot of coffee,” a woman with a soft gray cardigan yelled, only her head showing through the door that led to the kitchen.
“Sorry, Millie!” Tammy said as she winced and began to slide out of the booth.
“That’s the boss lady, she owns this place. Usually she’s real nice, but I’m new and I have been testing her patience. At least that’s what some of the staff tell me.”
Tammy rolled her eyes with a bit of a laugh.
“Anyway, sorry, I have the tendency of being too nosy. I just assumed with your tan and overall look—like you just stepped out of one of those fancy spas—that you were from California. You haven’t had to endure a Macon winter yet, have you?”
Giving her a soft smile, I shook my head. “I haven’t…this is my first.”
Tammy grabbed her pot of coffee and smiled.
“Well, welcome to Macon, honey. Hope you enjoy your visit.”
Tammy gave me a wink before walking away, but her words wrapped around me as tight as a fist.
Visit.
That’s what this should be…just let this be a vacation. Get to know Colson. There was no reason at all I should be toying with the idea of staying.
Staring a hole into the seat that Tammy had just vacated, I was lost in my thoughts when a little girl suddenly slid into the seat across from me.
I blinked and glanced around.
She had big blue eyes and a round face with cute, chubby cheeks. She was somewhat familiar— maybe, but it was hard to tell under all her winter gear.
“Hey…” I said hesitantly. Had she really meant to just sit down at a stranger’s table?
“Hi,” she replied sweetly.
“Uh, I think your mom or dad might not wanting you to sit with strangers.” I glanced around again for someone who might have lost a kid.
The girl nodded and grabbed the sugar shaker. “My dad says we can’t sit with strangers, but you’re not a stranger.”
I’m not?
Another little girl walked up, slipping into the booth with ease.
Where had she even come from?
“Hey, it’s the makeup lady.” This one had the same blue eyes but long, dark hair, tucked behind her in a low ponytail.
Oh. The makeup.
It finally clicked as the third member of their group found us and slid in next to her sisters.
After I had arrived in Macon and thrust myself into my brother’s life, his best friend had come over with his three little girls.
Wanting a chance to spend the evening with my brother, I did the little girls’ makeup and fed them marshmallows.
I smiled at the newcomer. She wore a black beanie over her hair, but it did nothing to hide the eyes that I was now learning was a family trait.
“Hi, guys, I remember you.”
The oldest tucked a little strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re Uncle Colson’s sister, right?”
My heart warmed at her use of the word “sister.” It made me think of Blaire. She had moved back to be near her grandbabies in Alabama, but we still talked on the phone from time to time. She had a lot of thoughts regarding me being here.
“You’re right where you should be. Cuttin’ and sharpening out all the hard edges in that family. Don’t give up on him.”
He’d rejected me my entire existence, but here I was, inserting myself into his life like a weed. Forcing him to talk to me and, for once, see me as his sister.
“Yep, that’s me,” I answered the girls who had all started toying with the jams and Splenda packets in the little carousel at the edge of the table.
“We were supposed to be going to Uncle Cole’s house, but our dad started talking on the phone with someone important,” the youngest said while getting to her knees to reach for my silverware. She slid it toward her while giving me a sly smile, almost like she was daring me to tell her no.
I covered the bundle with my hand and moved it away from my side so she could have it free and clear.
“Remind me of your names again.” I said curiously, starting with the girl in the black beanie on the end.
“I’m Seraphina, but I like to be called Seraph…I’m seven.” Her face was less round, and I couldn’t see her hair at all under her hat.
“I’m Mila, and I’m five!” the youngest interrupted, completely oblivious to taking turns or how loud she was being.
The oldest gave her younger sister a scathing look and straightened her shoulders. “I’m Maddy, I’m ten.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you guys again. I’m Haley.”
“And how old are you, Haley?” Mila asked, propping her hand under her jaw.
Biting back a laugh, I brought my hands together, all business, and said, “I’m twenty years old.”
Right as I finished, a man I recognized approached the table. Ah, here was their dad. Leo, or Logan. Something like that.
“Hey…” His eyes bounced around to his daughters’ faces then back to mine.
A dark brow lifted as if he wasn’t sure why I was talking to his kids.
He had the air of a man who was wary, protective and dangerous if he needed to be, which was only driven home by his tall stature and lean muscle.
Dark hair that looked overdue for a haircut brushed against his brow, and matching thick lashes framed a pair of unusually gray eyes.
They were the one thing I did remember about this man, because they reminded me of liquid mercury.
I tried to give a reassuring smile.
“They just sat down. Sorry if I overstepped by letting them.”
His lips quirked in the corners, lifting the tiniest bit, but his eyes stayed glacier like he was waiting for me to move away from his little family. Except I was here first, so…
I stared at him, raising a brow of my own in challenge, until he finally broke.
“No, it’s fine. Millie usually takes them in the back when I come in or if I have to take a phone call.”
Their dad’s eyes assessed me slowly, moving from my hair down my temple to my eyes, then my lips and all the way down to my folded hands.
I felt squirmy as he inspected me, so I word vomited.
“We met the other night at my brother’s house.
I don’t know if you remember? It’s okay if you don’t.
My memory is horrible when it comes to remembering people’s names.
Numbers, I have down…but names? Not so much.
” I let out a nervous laugh. Why was I rambling?
Because he’s watching you like a wolf watches his prey.
“Haley.” His deep voice was an unexpected mixture of tenderness and violence. His hand was soft when he offered it to me. “Liam Croft…”
“Now tell her how old you are, that’s how it goes,” Mila sassed, sitting up on her knees again.
My face flushed for some reason. I didn’t want him to think I was trying to coax his kids into conversations about their ages.
Liam smiled at his daughter and sassed right back. “Thirty-two, Nancy Drew.”
“Who’s Nancy Drew? My name in MILA.” Liam’s youngest pronounced her name slow and loud like her dad couldn’t hear her.
I laughed, but Liam just gave them a smirk that made his eyes crinkle.
“Girls, we were only stopping in to get out of the cold and so I could take that call. Let’s get going.”
“I’m actually on my way out, too.” I slid out of the booth and left a ten on the table, as Liam’s girls all exited the row.
“You can walk with us. That way you feel safe,” Mila instructed, pushing through the diner’s glass door first.