Chapter One
Trisha
Stepping out of the car as I parked in front of my brother’s house, I inhaled a breath of fresh air. It felt good to be back in Cedar Cove after having spent so long away. Zane didn’t know I was coming, so I hoped he didn’t think the car that pulled up in front of his house was some intruder. Who was I kidding? He’d know my car from a mile away.
Though I tried not to, my eyes glanced sideways toward the house that sat directly opposite Zane’s. Beyond it, the large expanse of land held a farm. I remembered that farm too well from when I would go horseback riding with Zane’s best friend, Marshall. I idly wondered if he was home. I hoped that he wasn’t, but the thumping in my chest betrayed that I was lying. I wanted to see him before I left Cedar Cove again for another who knows how long.
I’d had the biggest crush on Marshall before I left Cedar Cove for Yale. I wasn’t exactly sure that it was all gone yet.
I heard a door open, bringing my attention back to my brother’s house.
“Well saddle me up and call me a horse, Trish, is that you?” I heard Zane’s voice.
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my throat as I ran up to my brother and jumped into his arms. He swung me around in an embrace that nearly took us both to the ground.
His hair had grown out from the buzzcut that I saw him with last. It now fell to the top of his shoulders in soft, blonde waves, highlighting his blue-grey eyes that so often resembled my own.
“What’re you doing here?” He laughed and set me back on my feet.
“I wanted to surprise you,” I said with a shrug. “I’m in town for the next two weeks.”
His eyes widened in surprise mixed with something else. “Oh, that’s great to hear but,” he grimaced, “I’m actually leaving town today.”
“What? But I traveled all this way! Where are you even going?”
He gestured me inside the warm house away from the cold. I barely had time to take in the surroundings as I focused on the fact that I’d come to spend my vacation with my brother, and he was leaving.
“Well,” he began as he sat next to me on the couch. “Amelia and I are going through a rough patch and her grandfather just died, so I’m going to hang out with her for the next week.”
I sighed, remembering the warm glow of the girl’s brown eyes. She and Zane had been in a long-distance relationship for over two years now while she finished college. She’d always made him happy as far as I knew and that was what was most important.
I, on the other hand, always had my concerns when it came to her. She seemed like one of those girls that didn’t want to commit, and she was as pretty as they came, so I didn’t exactly approve of her dating my brother. But I didn’t know her personally, so I wasn’t one to judge and I’d keep those opinions to myself until someone asked me for them.
“Can’t you cancel? I literally just got here,” I complained. “Besides, these are the only two weeks that I get off for the year. As soon as this is over, I’m going back into my residency, and I won’t have time for anything yet again.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I know that, but she needs me right now, Trish. I can’t just leave her to deal with it all on her own.”
I exhaled heavily and said, “Okay, fine, when do you leave? I guess I’ll just go stay with mom and dad.”
He gave me a look that told me that we both knew exactly how I felt about that arrangement. “For you and dad to be at each other’s throats for all of two weeks?” Zane said. “Not a chance.”
I looked to the ceiling. “Yeah, but I don’t wanna go back to my apartment either. I took the time off to spend with my family and catch up with you guys.”
He gave me a small smile. “You could always just stay here. I’m only going to New York for a week, and after that, we can hang out until you’re ready to go back.”
“I’m not sure that that’s the best idea,” I said, letting my worry show on my face.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Zane to catch onto exactly what I meant. He’d been there that tragic night after all.
“I thought that you were clean,” he said, turning to me with new-found stress in his eyes. “Are you practicing medicine and drinking? You know how dang—”
“No,” I immediately stopped that thought in its tracks. “I wouldn’t be that reckless.”
He gave me a look.
“Not again, anyway.”
He nodded and cast his eyes across the room. He looked away quickly, but I saw the movement and followed to where he’d been looking. His suitcase was already packed and waiting near the kitchen door.