2. Henry Fucking Cavill Hot
Henry Fucking Cavill Hot
Missy
I’m excited. Like, crazy excited, kid at Christmas excited. Jeez , I really have no life. Standing at the airport to meet a complete stranger, I can barely contain myself, certain this woman, who I know nothing about, is going to become my new best friend.
Cara is my grandpa’s dead wife’s granddaughter. I have no idea what relation that makes us, if any at all, but I do know that we’re the same age, and she knows nobody else here; she didn’t even know her own grandmother.
Roberta married Grandpa when I was six, and she was wonderful. Losing her a couple of months ago was devastating, and then losing Grandpa when he couldn’t bear to live in that house without her and moved back to Montana was even worse. I have my Jonah, but it’s been lonely.
I watch as people start to file through, carrying bags, pulling cases, greeting loved ones, and drivers holding up name cards. I don’t know what Cara looks like, but when I see a lost-looking blond, I know that must be her.
‘Cara?’ I ask as I approach, waving and grinning because, apparently, I’ve lost all self-control.
‘Marissa?’
‘Missy, please. Hey, how are you?’ I pull her into a hug and start grabbing some of her bags. ‘Is this all you brought?’ I ask, surprised at the small amount of luggage. ‘You’re moving your whole life here, and this is it? Meh, this means we get to go shopping.’
‘Well, I don’t know if I’m moving yet. I’m here for a bit, but I don’t know how long. Most of my stuff is in storage.’
I laugh as we move toward the exit.
‘This is South Carolina, honey. Once you’re in, you won’t want to leave.’
I was right. I knew we were going to hit it off. I felt it deep in my soul, and, okay, she didn’t know anybody else and had nowhere to stay when she found out the house Roberta left her was a wreck, so she had to stay with me, but Cara is officially my best friend.
The past nine months with her in my life have been the best. She quickly met some other friends in Bree and Zoe, twins who pretty much own the town they live in, as one of them is the police chief and the other runs the bar, but instead of shutting me out in favor of more local friends, she brought me into their little circle.
I have friends for the first time in so long, and I’m so happy.
I love them, and I love Forest Falls.
When I first came here almost a year ago, I couldn’t believe how cute it was. Back then, I was just dropping Cara here to start her new life. I had no idea then that as well as her, this town would become so special to me.
The truth is, without me asking, they — Cara and her found family here — opened their arms to me without them knowing I really needed it.
When Roberta died, Grandpa sat me down and tearfully told me that he couldn’t live in that house without her. He offered me and Jonah the opportunity to go with him but told us he was moving to Montana. I wanted to go. I wanted to be near him. He isn’t getting any younger, and he and Jonah are all the family I have left, but I can’t leave South Carolina. As much as I hate him, Bax is Jonah’s dad, and I can’t just move him to another state .
‘Hello, Missy,’ Mrs. Abernathy, one of the older residents of Forest Falls, greets me as I enter the diner.
‘Oh, hey, Mrs. Abernathy, how are you doing today?’
‘I’m good, sweetheart. I heard a rumor you’re our entertainment tomorrow?’
I smile and look around for ears that shouldn’t be hearing this conversation.
‘I am. I can’t wait. Buck and Lucy are the sweetest.’
Tomorrow, I am singing at a wedding in Cara’s backyard, a surprise wedding no less. That is, everyone knows except the bride.
After Bax and I finally broke up, I needed to find something for me. I gave up the apartment, and Jonah and I moved back in with Grandpa and Roberta, so in the evening, once Jonah was asleep, I needed something to do. I had no friends left — they never came back, and there were only so many books I could read or card games I could enjoy with my grandparents. So, I started thinking about the things I enjoyed before Bax, and singing came out on top. I searched local classifieds until I found a band looking for a singer. I met the guys, and we all clicked, so I started singing with them a few times a month. It’s something I love and gives me a few extra dollars each month. This one though, the wedding, we’re performing for free.
‘They are indeed,’ Mrs. Abernathy pats my arm, ‘well, I can’t wait to hear you sing.’
As she walks away, I find my friend Bree and drop into the booth she’s sitting at.
‘You’re here.’ She grins. She’s not wearing her police chief uniform today.
‘I am. Child-free and ready for a weekend of fun.’
‘You make it sound like we’re heading to Vegas.’
I laugh. ‘Honey, when you have a five-year-old son, a weekend alone is better than Vegas.’ I reach for the pitcher of water on the table and pour myself a glass. ‘I love that boy more than life itself, but five is a fresh kind of hell.’
‘And that is why my uterus will remain blissfully vacant.’
I envy Bree. I love being a mom. Jonah is the greatest thing in my life, but Bree and her twin Zoe don’t have to worry about childcare. They can stay in bed until midday if they want to and don’t have to hide their snacks. Their whole lives are not driven by what to prepare for the next meal — well, Zoe’s is, but that’s just because that woman loves food.
Zoe does want kids, but Bree is secure in her choice not to have them, and I respect that.
‘Do we need to help with the set-up at Cara’s?’
‘Yeah, we can head up there after lunch. Doug’ll probably try laying down the law and telling us what to do, so bring your sassy pants.’
‘When do I not?’
She grins widely. ‘That’s my girl.’
Finding best friends not just in Cara but also in Bree and Zoe has been the greatest gift I could have received. I love them so much, and they adore Jonah. It helps, too, that Bree and Zoe’s brother, Cara’s boyfriend, Doug, has a daughter the same age, and they hit it off right away.
Everything here just feels like home.
I love that I live in the same house I grew up in, but it doesn’t feel the same now that it’s just me and Jonah there. I want to live here. Cara wants me to live here, but unfortunately, there’s no hair salon in Forest Falls, so there’s no point uprooting my and Jonah’s lives to just be out of work when we get here.
‘Okay, let’s eat, then we can get to work.’
‘Congratulations, Buck and Lucy,’ I say into the microphone, and they turn to look up at me from the dancefloor. ‘I heard a rumor you kinda like this one.’
The band starts to play what Doug’s best friend and the man Zoe’s been secretly screwing, Leo, Buck’s son, told me was their song, and their heart eyes focus in on each other as they dance.
I love singing at weddings. I love standing up on that stage and eliciting different reactions from the wedding guests with the different songs we play. I also love watching people when they don’t realize anyone’s watching. Take Zoe and Leo, for instance. Bree and I know they’re together, but nobody else here does. They’re dancing together thinking nobody is watching, but everybody always forgets the wedding singer has eyes.
I see the spread of his fingers against the skin exposed by her backless dress and the way her fingers subtly trace the peaks and dips of his biceps.
I smile as I sing, watching Buck and Lucy laugh and sing along. Zoe, Bree, and Doug’s mama, Lynnie, and her partner, Merv, are dancing too, and they look so happy. Cara spins Doug’s daughter, Bowie, around in her little Converse while he watches them from the side, a beaming grin on his face.
As I finish the song and tell everybody we’re taking a little break, Steven, our guitarist, puts on some filler music, and I step down from the stage. I’m walking to get a drink when Bree calls my name.
‘Miss, you’re so good.’ She pulls me into a tight squeeze, and I laugh until she releases me, and I swallow hard at the sight of the man approaching. ‘Nick, hey,’ Bree greets him brightly with a hug, and I await my introduction.
‘Bree, how you doing?’ Oh man, his voice is smooth, deep, rich, and gorgeously Southern.
‘Good, I’m good. Have you met Missy?’
He turns his gaze on me and smiles. Lord, that smile. ‘Not officially, though I’ve seen you around. Hey, Missy.’
I have seen him around, too. I saw him recently at Cara’s barbecue, but I had Jonah with me and didn’t get around to an introduction before Nick left the party.
He’s hot as hell, and I made it known that I thought so. Now that he’s in front of me, though, talking to me, my bravado is slipping, and I’m very aware that the only man I’ve had sex with since I split up with Bax is Bax… yeah, that was stupid.
‘Hi.’
Bree narrows her eyes at me, and I don’t miss it. I know she’s wondering where my larger-than-life, ballsy personality has disappeared to, but the honest answer is, I know Nick is out of my league, and I’m nervous.
It’s not that I think low of myself. I don’t. I know I’m hot. Yeah, okay, I have a little more meat on my bones than the rest of our little coven. Cara is tall and toned, Bree is short and strong as fuck, and Zoe is petite in every way. It’s annoying, considering the amount of food she puts away, that she never seems to gain a pound but trust me, I would rather have my squishy butt and fantastic boobs any day. It’s just that Nick is Hemsworth hot, no , he’s Henry fucking Cavill hot — all chiseled jaw and a nose with the tiniest of bumps in it, like he’s not afraid to get rowdy, but he knows how to come out on top. They're not on show tonight but I know he has tattoos on his forearms that are sexy as fuck. He’s tall and lean, and his short dark brown hair and chocolate eyes make my kitty purr.
‘Nick is an old friend of ours, and now he’s mama’s boss.’ She smiles.
‘So, you’re the super vet I heard so much about.’
‘Um.’ He grimaces, and I manage a small laugh. ‘I don’t know about that.’
‘He is, he’s being modest. He saved Harley’s life when she got hit by a car.’
‘Oh my god.’ I gasp. Harley is little Bowie’s dog, and we all love her. She’s crazy.
‘Doug got her to me fast — that saved her life.’
‘I’m glad you saved her. She’s the coolest dog,’ I manage, and he smiles.
‘She is pretty awesome. Do you have pets?’
I suddenly realize I need to go to the bathroom and my break is coming to an end.
‘Guys, I’m sorry, I need to go.’
I don’t give either of them a chance to speak before I rush away.