She tried to remind herself that it was for the best, but she couldn’t deny that there was one teeny tiny part of her heart that longed for what her friends had found.
As much as she fought against it because she didn’teverwant to get herself into another situation like the one that had almost destroyed her, it was hard to see her friends so happy and in love and not wish that things could be different. That she could still have a chance at finding true love.
And Valentine’s Day made it all the harder not to want that.
Everywhere she looked happy couples were wandering about arm in arm, kissing and gazing into one another’s eyes, laughing and talking, enjoying themselves. It had beensucha long time since Summer had really enjoyed herself. Too long.
One day she would have to give herself permission to move forward.
But how could she?
How could she move on after all that had happened?
Summer wasn't sure that she could. Or that she should.
If she couldn’t go forward, then where did that leave her? Alone with nothing but her job and her cat? Her friends were moving on with their lives, eventually they would drift apart, it was inevitable. Sure, she could make new friends, but keeping her secrets was such hard work.
She had toyed with the idea of moving someplace remote, someplace where she wouldn’t have to see anyone, ever.
The idea held quite a bit of appeal. She had the money so didn’t have to work. She could quit her job, sell her house, buy a cabin in the woods somewhere, and live a quiet, peaceful life. She wasn’t really sure what she would do with her time, but she was sure she could come up with something. That wasn't her biggest problem, her biggest problem was the money.
Summer didn’t really want to use it, but . . .
She slammed into something solid, lost her balance, and was heading for a hard landing on the icy sidewalk when strong hands wrapped around her shoulders.
“Whoa.” A deep voice chuckled. “Didn’t see you there.”
Momentarily stunned, Summer’s eyes stared at the man’s shoes before slowly making their way up his body. Long, lean legs, a blue sweater that clung to a well-muscled torso and complimented his twinkling blue eyes. His dark hair was cut reasonably short and was dusted with a sprinkling of snowflakes, and he wasn’t wearing a coat despite the freezing evening.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” the man asked.
“N-no, I'm fine,” she stuttered. A million fairytale scenarios full of handsome strangers and beautiful princesses flooded her mind. Deliberately, she shoved them away. She was no beautiful princess, and even if she was, she wasn’t in the market for a handsome prince to carry her off on his white horse to live in a castle. On the other hand, the man was definitely a handsome stranger, and when he caught her staring at him, his lips quirked up in an amused smile.
“You’re sure you're okay?” he repeated.
She had to pull it together. So, the guy was good-looking, she had been down the too hot to be real road, and unfortunately, hehadturned out to be too good to be true. She wasn’t doing that again. Rousing herself, she took a step back and straightened her spine. The man released her, but his hands lingered on her shoulders and then trailed lightly down her arms before he let them drop to his side. There was a glint in his eyes that she recognized as attraction, and she hoped desperately the same thing wasn’t obvious in her own eyes. She could admit that the man was physically attractive and if she lived a different life, she would be open to giving him her name and number. But she wasn’t living a different life, and in this life, shenevergave out her personal information.
“So …”
“I-I'm sorry,” she cut him off quickly. “I wasn't l-looking where I was going. Sorry to interrupt y-your evening. G-goodnight.”
With that, she hurried past him and up the street, moving as quickly as she could without actually breaking into a run.
Why did she have to meet a cute guy today of all days?
This was the day her life had been blown to smithereens. She couldn’t meet someone today. She couldn’t meet someone any day.
With a long, dejected sigh, she headed for her car. A walk had been a bad idea. She should have taken her friend up on her offer to hang out tonight. Nick was working a case, and Aggie and her husband were planning on having their own little Valentine’s Day celebration next week, so Aggie had invited her over. Summer had turned her down because this was such an emotional day for her, but now she couldn’t stand to be alone so she’d changed her mind.
In her car, she turned on the engine and then turned off the heater. Her body had heated where the handsome stranger had touched her, and it was still warm. The moving to the middle of nowhere plan seemed more and more appealing.
She wasn't like other women.
She wasn't free to pick up with a guy no matter how strongly she may find herself attracted to him.
She was a woman who had been hurt so badly that she was too scared to risk herself and her heart ever again.
Tears streamed down her face. She had ten minutes to pull herself together before she got to Aggie’s house.