Chapter Two

“Sare-bear! You made it,” her sister exclaimed as Sarah walked through the door to Three Sisters Apothecary.

Sarah grinned and held back a sigh, feeling like a failure. Coming back to Fallback felt like she’d taken a thousand steps backward. After being within reach of becoming a junior partner at the agency to jobless with a ruined apartment and moving back to her childhood home, it seemed like life had hit the back button and screwed everything up. Of course, if she were her sister, she’d look at this as a reset instead of a rewind. Alas, Sarah was Sarah and much more of a pragmatist than an optimist. That was what her romance books were for. Happily ever afters weren’t real life.

However, Bridget’s enthusiasm at Sarah’s homecoming did ease a bit of the sting of loss. “Hey, Bridget.” She wrapped her sibling in a tight hug. Leaning back, she said, “You’re glowing, little sis. Engagement agrees with you.”

Her sister ducked her head with another bright grin.

“It does agree with her,” Gran announced as she walked into the store from the back hallway. “And having you back home agrees with me.”

Sarah found herself enveloped in a Gran hug and she struggled to keep tears at bay. She held her grandmother tight, thankful for the unending support from the woman who had raised her. While Seattle had been good to her, not having her family nearby had sucked. Gran, her sister and her cousins—they were the most important people to her growing up.

And Cornelius.

Her chest tightened at the thought. No, she wouldn’t think about her ex-boyfriend. Or how close he was going to be while she was back in Fallbank—in the most literal sense. No need to dwell on the boy next door. The one whose heart she’d shattered along with her own.

Sarah straightened her shoulders. They’d both moved on and it was all water under the bridge. They had grown in different ways and their lives would never overlap at this point. She had to keep telling herself that. With a glance around, she saw the shop decked out for spring. Pots of pink, blue and yellow flowers dotted counters and tiny carved wood animals sprinkled the shelves. Sarah crossed to the far wall and picked up a bird. “These are cute. Where’d you find them?”

Bridget walked back around the checkout counter to her spot behind the laptop. “Oh, Cornelius made those. Aren’t they adorable?”

“What?” When had he learned to make something like this? She didn’t recall him having a crafting hobby.

Her sister looked up as her cheeks turned pink. “Um, I mean, Jack and Cornelius. Jack’s grandpa taught him some woodworking and he picked it up again after moving here. Cornelius wanted to learn. He’s really gotten into it. They use leftover scraps from Timber Logging Company and we sell the items here.” She shrugged. “They donate all of the proceeds to the local animal shelter.”

“Very cool,” Sarah said. She was at a loss for how else to respond. A sense of pride filled her that Corey had made the little wooden bird she held. It was simple, but created with meticulous care. The curves and lines of the figure showed the craftsmanship put into it. A pang of sadness hit that she’d had no idea about this new hobby of his. But it wasn’t her right. Not anymore.

Placing it back on the shelf, Sarah turned and plastered a forced smile across her face. “So, what’s the latest news?”

“Nothing much, just wedding planning,” Bridget replied. “We have about three months. I’m freaking out a bit. There’s so much to do.”

Sensing her little sister’s anxiety, she kicked into oldest sibling mode to protect Bridget. “I’m here now and as your maid of honor, it’s my duty to help however I can.”

Gran smiled and cocked one brow at Bridget. “I told you Sarah would take care of things. She’ll put together a plan in no time.”

Sarah laughed for the first time in three days and it felt good. She wasn’t sure what else to do with her life at the moment, but Gran was correct. Sarah would have a design for her baby sister’s wedding. If anyone deserved to have a perfect day with the spotlight on her, Bridget did. Her sister took too much on for others and put herself last. It was time for Bridge to be center of attention for once. Although knowing her sibling, she’d be too intent on Jack and oblivious to all of the focus on herself. Sarah clapped her hands together. “Tell me what you have in place so far.”

Her sister scrunched her nose. “We have a date and a venue? No more than fifty guests.”

“Okay. We’ll go from there. How about I go to the house and get settled? Then when you get home, we can talk through a few things like flowers, catering, music, cake, invitations. That sort of thing. Sound good?”

Judging from how wide Bridget opened her eyes, it did not sound good to her. “Sure…”

“Don’t worry, sis. I’ve got you covered. Once you pick out a few things like colors and general aesthetic, I can take it from there. I know what you like.”

Bridget sighed. “Perfect. Thanks, Sarah!”

“What are big sisters for?” Sarah waved then made her way up Main Street toward her car. She passed by the local bookshop and couldn’t resist going in. While she didn’t have space or spare money for more books, the comfort of a story and world she could fall into and forget about everything around her was too tempting.

Sarah slipped inside and inhaled the familiar scent of dust and paper and coffee. Shelves lined the walls and filled the spaces between until they parted at the back to leave space for a small coffee bar and a couple sets of two cushy chairs. Soft music in the background and an instant peace settled in Sarah’s bones. Strolling the aisle, she rounded a corner to find three massive freestanding shelves and one entire wall dedicated to the romance genre.

A delighted gasp escaped her. Clasping her hands together and giving a little wiggle, Sarah embarked on investigating the offerings. She was ecstatic to find a whole subsection on sports romance with a heavy showing of hockey-based love stories. She was a sucker for those. Plucking three from the shelf and continuing on her way, Sarah added one romantasy novel with a winged elf on the cover and a contemporary romance with an adorable illustrated cover.

As she checked out, a sense of relief settled over her. Books made her feel better. That was why she gravitated toward romance—because she was guaranteed a happy resolution. Real life was hard enough and she knew she came off as cold and stony. This was her soft underbelly and she guarded it with a fierce exterior.

 

* * * *

 

Cornelius was bone tired after a long day filling in on a logging site. Even if he’d just been strapping the cables around logs for hoisting them into the backs of trucks, and not running the hill to drag them up, the work was exhausting. His evening plans consisted of a beer, whatever sports game he could find on television and nothing else. As he pulled onto his cul-de-sac, he saw something that derailed his night. An unusual car was in the driveway of the Wildes’ house. Familiar, but not one that should be there.

What the hell was Sarah doing in town on a Monday? A trickle of worry slithered through his belly. Was Gran all right? She’d had a heart attack a few months ago, but had been as healthy as could be since then. Cornelius parked his truck and hopped out, peering at the sporty red car.

The sound of a door opening was all the warning he was given before Sarah appeared from the house. As she always did, the sight of her was like a punch to the gut. Her beauty never faded or grew mundane to him. From her golden blonde hair falling around her shoulders, to her dark green eyes the color of the fir trees at twilight, her full lips that still made his blood flow south and her svelte curves his hands had once upon a time memorized—they all called to him on a primal level. Time had done nothing to change that.

No getting back together. That’s what Hop had taught him and God knew Hop had all kinds of experience with on-again-off-again relationships.

“Sarah?” he called and she turned those incredible eyes on him. He almost faltered in his steps.

She swallowed then lifted the corners of her mouth into a small smile. “Hey, Cornelius.”

“What, um, what are you doing here?” He shuffled closer to her car. Awareness prickled along his skin at her nearness.

Sarah yanked open the back passenger door. “My apartment flooded at the end of last week,” she mumbled as she snagged an overflowing box. On instinct he reached to grab it from her, but she resisted. “I’ve got it.”

“I’m just trying to help.” He refused to let go of his end of the box.

Another tug from her end. “I don’t need it, but thanks.”

A sigh escaped his lungs and he reigned in his frustration. Same old stoic Sarah. “I know you don’t need assistance, but you don’t have to do everything on your own. There’s nothing to prove.”

“Ugh, fine.” She released the box and he staggered back a step from the sudden force. “Do what you want.” She plucked a suitcase out, then spun and headed into the house.

“O-kay.” He trailed after her. “So I guess the damage must have been bad?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” She dumped her things in her old room and swung around to take the box from him. “I’m surprised I have anything left.”

Cornelius winced. “That sucks. How long until it all gets fixed?”

She shrugged. “Longer than a week or two. So here I am,” she barked

Her snarky tone took him off guard. Sarah didn’t mince words, but she wasn’t mean. Something must’ve happened to upset her this much. Of course, if her apartment had flooded bad enough she had to move back to Fallbank, that could put anyone in a terrible mood. “I’m sorry to hear about your apartment, Sarah. At least your job is cool with you working remote and you can come home to save on paying for temporary living.”

Sarah dropped onto the bed and buried her face in her hands. An unintelligible noise came from behind her palms.

“I missed that.”

She lifted her head with a heavy exhale. “I was laid off the same day as the building flooded. Overall, an exceptionally shitty day.”

“What?” He jerked back. “They fired you? But you’re great at your job. That’s a stupid decision to make.”

“No argument from me.” She ran a hand through her hair. “There was a merger and about seventy of us were considered redundant. Then I got the text about my place. So here I am. Back in Fallbank, for who the hell knows how long.”

Cornelius sank down on the mattress and wrapped an arm around her. When she leaned into him, he forced himself to refrain from pulling her closer and kissing those lips that always beguiled him. His heart raced behind his rib cage. Her floral scent of peonies jolted electricity down his nerves. Being this close to her was never good for his emotions. Instead, he focused on not being a perv who took advantage of a vulnerable woman and concentrated on comforting her as a friend. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. That is a total shit deal.”

“It is, isn’t it?” She snorted a laugh then sucked in a breath. “No use moping around about it. That won’t change anything.” Sarah stood and crossed to the door. “Better get back at it.”

Cornelius followed and together they emptied her car within thirty minutes. Then he stood awkwardly by the front door. “I guess I should go.”

“Yeah. Thanks for all the help. And sorry for being so grumpy earlier.”

“I get it. That’s a lot to have happen in the same day, let alone the same morning.” It surprised him that she appeared so unflustered by the terrible turn of events.

“Yeah.” She closed her eyes and sighed. She lifted one corner of her mouth into a half-smile as she opened her eyes. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other around now that I’m back next door.”

He nodded. “That and the wedding.”

Her green eyes widened and she swallowed. “Wedding?”

A vision of Sarah in a white dress filled his imagination. For a second, he struggled to breathe. Sarah had been the only girl—woman now, he’d ever dreamed of. With a cough, he said, “Bridget and Jack. In a couple of months? I assume you’ll be there?”

Sarah looked away before stuttering out a giggle. “Right. I’ll be there. Maid of honor and all. Can’t believe my little sister is getting married.”

Cornelius smiled. “Kind of crazy. She and Jack are great together. Perfect match. Anyway, I’m going to be the best man so I guess we’ll be helping with all that… You know. Planning and stuff.” He waved a hand in a vague gesture.

Her chuckle this time was real. “Yep. Planning and stuff. We’ll get through it together.”

Cornelius’ phone dinged with a new alert, startling them both. A quick glance at the screen showed he’d gotten a hit on the dating app he’d signed up for that morning. He blinked at it, unsure what the tightness in his chest meant. Shoving his phone into his back pocket, he looked at Sarah. “Well, I should get home. Early morning tomorrow at a job site.”

Three little lines appeared between her brows. “Sure. Bridget will be home soon.”

“And Jack. He lives here now instead of my place.”

She crinkled her nose and damn, if that didn’t hit him hard in the stomach. She was so cute and her expression reminded him of when they used to catch frogs. She’d loved it, but also was always just a bit grossed out. “Right. Him, too. Not awkward at all.”

They both laughed as headlights came down the road. “Speak of the devil.” He waved as Jack swung his truck into the drive next to Sarah’s.

Bridget hopped out from the passenger side and ran over, hugging her sister with a squeal. “I’m so excited to have you here. I know things have been a total nightmare and coming back to Fallbank wasn’t in your plans, but I love that you and Cornelius can both come to all the wedding planning events and give input.”

Cornelius’ phone chimed again and he said his goodbyes to everyone. Once he was inside his house, he sank onto his couch and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. His phone sat on the coffee table like a bomb about to go off.

Should he look at the alerts from the dating app? Was there someone else out there better for him than Sarah? Not that it mattered, because she didn’t want him. Not anymore. With a grumble, he grabbed up the offending device and opened the application. Two notices waited. Heaving out a breath, he tapped the first one.