First Edition
Copyright © 2017
By Penelope Ward
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may neither be reproduced nor used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Model: Lucas Garcez, @lucasgarcez93
Cover Photographer: Sven Jacobsen, svenjacobsen.com
Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs
Proofreading & Formatting by Elaine York, Allusion Graphics, LLC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
* * *
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Dear Readers
Other Books by Penelope Ward
Acknowledgements
About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
* * *
AMBER
The ring of my phone startled me as I was mindlessly scrolling through photos online. The name on the caller ID made my pulse race.
Channing Lord.
Channing?
My heart began to beat faster.
Why would he be calling me?
Before I had time to ponder that question, I picked up, trying my best to sound chipper despite the fact that just moments earlier I was in tears while stalking my ex, Rory’s, Facebook page.
I ran my hand through my hair as if it mattered what I looked like. “Channing!”
A deep, sexy chuckle vibrated against my ear, but somehow I felt it between my thighs. “How did you know it was me?”
My nipples stiffened at the sound of his voice. I didn’t want to react this way, but for as long as I’d known him, I reluctantly and secretly crushed on Channing. For one reason or another, he was always off-limits.
When I first met him, he’d been my best friend’s big brother. Off-limits.
Then, our relationship evolved into a friendship I valued. Off-limits.
Crossing the line with Channing wasn’t a possibility, especially after I fell in love with his best friend, Rory, which made Channing once again...off-limits.
But the fact that I’d always considered Channing off-limits didn’t mean I could ignore how attractive he was. The man was beautiful, and there was no denying that.
“Your name showed on the display. That’s how I knew it was you,” I said.
“Really?” He laughed. “Shit. This is my cell. I didn’t know my name came up when I called people. I don’t know if I like that.”
“Well, it’s because I have you programmed in. You must’ve called me from this number before—the last time we spoke. I think that was like six months ago.”
“Oh, gotcha. Jeez. It’s been a while, huh?”
“Yeah, it has. This is a surprise. What’s up? How are you doing?”
Still hot as hell?
I couldn’t help where my mind went with him.
Even though we’d talked on the phone occasionally, it had been a couple of years since we’d actually seen each other in person. From what I could tell on social media, he’d gotten even better looking with age. Channing was probably the most attractive human I’d ever personally known. Not only that, he had a larger-than-life personality and effortless charm. Women were always drawn to him, and that was precisely the problem for any chick who ended up dating him. Channing Lord loved women, and they loved him. That was the bottom line.
“I’m really well, actually,” he said.
“Good to hear. I’m sorry that I haven’t been in touch. It’s been a rough couple of months.”
A few seconds went by before he responded, “I heard about you and Rory. That was pretty shocking news. Are you okay?”
No.
The subject of Rory always turned me into a defensive, moody bitch. “Why do you ask? Did someone tell you I wasn’t okay?”
“No. I haven’t spoken to Rory or anything. Jordan told me.” Jordan was one of my friends from back home who’d had a fling with Channing way back when.
“How nice of her to fill you in.”
“You guys had been together forever. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this must be rough for you.”
“Well, I’m taking it one day at a time.”
I didn’t want Channing to know how badly the breakup had devastated me.
“That’s all we can ever do, right? One day at a time. One foot in front of the other. That’s a good attitude.”
“So, to what do I owe this phone call, Lord?”
“Well, I sort of have a question for you—not sure if I’m overstepping my bounds in asking but…”
What was he getting at?
My heartbeat sped up a bit. “Okay…”
“I just got a temporary contract position with a biomedical company in Boston. SeraMed. You ever hear of them?”
“Oh, yeah. In Cambridge.”
“Exactly. The one in Cambridge. It’s only for a few months, starts in early October. Jordan said you might have an extra room that you rent out to people? I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask if it’s available. I’d need it starting on October first.”
He wanted to stay here? With me? I didn’t know how I felt about that. But I didn’t want to lie to him.
“Yeah, actually. I do have a room. I rent it out typically through Airbnb, but I’m only booked through the end of August. After that, it’s available.” What the hell. “It’s yours if you want it.” I closed my eyes and cringed. I really should have thought it through a bit more before offering Channing a room. The last thing I needed at this point in my life was to have to listen to him doing God knows what with God knows whom across the hall.
He sounded surprised. “Are you serious?”
“Of course.”
“You’ve rescued my ass. I owe you big time. I’ll pay whatever you normally get—even more. I don’t care. You just saved me the hassle of trying to find a place in the city. I was dreading it.”
“Well, I’m glad. It will be nice to catch up, too.” I meant that. Channing had a way about him that always made me happy when I was around him. Even though he and I were closer friends when we were younger than we were now, he was always fun to be around. We grew apart back when Rory and I started dating, but Channing was always someone I knew I could count on even if we weren’t speaking regularly. He was truly like a big brother.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Amber?”
“Completely.”
“I promise I’ll stay out of your hair. And by the end of December I’ll be gone.”
“We can touch base closer to October, but I’ll hold it for you, won’t book anyone for that time period.”
“Fantastic.” He paused. “Do you think Rory will be pissed?”
&nb
sp; His question made me defensive. “I’m not even going to tell Rory. I don’t owe him any explanations. I haven’t been in touch with him in several weeks.”
My ex lived about a half-hour away and had custody of our golden retriever. With a fenced-in yard, his house was a better fit for an animal. So, I only really contacted him to check in on Bruiser from time to time.
He was quiet, then said, “I’m sure you don’t want to go into it right now, but I’m here if you ever need to talk about what happened between you and him.”
“Thank you, but nope…no need to talk about Rory. Onward and upward,” I said defensively.
No. I didn’t need to talk about how my boyfriend of nine years, the guy I’d given my virginity to, up and decided that we needed a break because he hadn’t sown his oats. He suggested we take some time to “explore other people.” He’d completely blindsided me.
“If we’re meant to be, we’ll find our way back to one another, but I don’t think either one of us is ready for marriage when we’ve never experienced being with anyone other than each other. Marriage is a vow you don’t break, Amber.”
Channing snapped me out of my recollection of Rory’s words.
It sounded like a train was approaching in the distance. “Alright. Well, thanks again, Walnut.”
Walnut. Now that was a nickname I hadn’t heard in years. He used to call me that because of my last name: Walton. Channing used to tease me, saying that I was a bit of a nut—a walnut.
The train got louder. He continued, “I’ll definitely have to eat you out when I get there.”
What did he just say?
“I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”
He shouted, “I said I’ll have to take you out when I get there…as a thank you for letting me stay. Anyway…I’m just about to hop on the train. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Oh, mother of God.
“Okay. Sounds good.”
“Take care, Amber.”
“You, too.”
***
The summer flew by faster than I was ready for. I couldn’t believe that in less than a month, Channing would be arriving in Boston.
I decided that it was time to replace the ratty sheets on the bed in the spare room.
My friend, Annabelle, accompanied me to Bed Bath & Beyond one afternoon. Annabelle was a clinical supervisor at the human services agency where we both worked. During the day, I assisted in a special education classroom and worked with a special needs adult a few nights a week to supplement my income.
The store was filled with university students and their parents who were infiltrating the city for move-in weekend. A feeling of nostalgia hit me upon the sight of all the college kids standing in the checkout line with their shower caddies and reading pillows. Ah, to be that age again.
Annabelle lifted a set of shrimp-colored sheets that were encased in plastic. “What about these?”
I shook my head. “Not masculine enough.”
She returned them to the shelf and picked up another. “What about these beige ones? Egyptian cotton?”
Taking a closer look, I said, “The thread count is too low.”
“You seem very invested in this choice.” She laughed. “Are you sure you’re not planning on spending some time rolling around beneath these sheets yourself?”
Hells no.
My cheeks felt hot as I explained, “Channing is the last guy I’d be frolicking around with under any sheets, believe me.”
She raised her brow. “Why is that? He’s single, isn’t he? And I really think you could benefit from a rebound.”
“I can think of a million reasons why nothing will be happening with Channing.”
“Like what?”
“Let’s see. One: Channing has slept with half of my friends back home. Two: he was Rory’s best friend for a while. Three: I look at him like a brother. Those are just a few of many reasons.”
“I can’t think of a better way to get back at Rory than to take up with his friend.”
“As much as I’d love to stick it to my ex, it won’t be via Channing Lord. There’s way too much history there.”
“Do you have a picture of this Channing?”
I proceeded to pull up his Facebook page on my phone, laughing to myself in anticipation of what she was going to say. Scrolling though some of his photos, I stopped at the one I knew would get the biggest reaction. Channing was wearing a gray beanie and a black, collared shirt. A little of his lustrous, brown hair was peeking out from under the hat. He was looking off to the side, showcasing his perfect profile. Just the right amount of chin scruff peppered his angular jaw. The photo was apparently taken during a brief modeling stint for some designer out in Chicago. Even though he wasn’t a model, he was literally recruited off the street and into a photographer’s loft for an impromptu shoot, according to the caption. That didn’t surprise me. Only Channing. I was apparently transfixed on this shot, because Annabelle had to swipe the phone from me in order to look at the photo.
Her mouth was agape. “Holy crap. You look at this guy like your brother? How is that even possible? Jesus Hector Christ…he’s super hot.”
“Hector?”
“Well, they say Jesus H. Christ. I figured the H stands for something. Anyway…yeah…this guy is really good-looking.”
“Oh, I know. Believe me.”
“If I wasn’t married, I’d probably be hanging out at your place all of the damn time. Still might be. Tell me again why you look at him like a brother?”
“We have a long history.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Channing is my best friend, Lainey’s, older brother. I first met him through her. She…” I hesitated. It was always hard to say it out loud. It didn’t matter how many years had passed. “She died…in an accident…when she and I were fourteen. Channing was about sixteen at the time.”
Annabelle looked like she regretted asking. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. That’s devastating. I didn’t know.”
“It was a very hard time for all of us. He was never able to talk about her death. But even so, her passing sort of bonded us pretty fast. He and I really only became friends after that. That was how I met Rory, who was Channing’s good friend at the time.”
“You probably remind Channing of his sister, or at least what life was like before she passed away. He must have taken comfort in having you around.”
“That might have been part of our connection, yes. He, Rory, and I hung out a lot after Lainey’s accident. Being in Lainey’s house with all of her things comforted me. They don’t have a big family. It was just their mom and them. Now, it’s just Mrs. Lord and Channing. Their dad was never in the picture.”
“So, Channing was the man of the house.”
“Yes, and he took Lainey’s death very hard. So did I. She was like a sister to me. But no one took it harder than Channing.”
“So, you said you met Rory through Channing…”
“Yes. We were like the Three Musketeers for a while.”
“You and two guys? That sounds kind of interesting.”
“I knew you were thinking along those lines, but no, it was platonic, even with Rory up until a certain point. When Channing went out of state to college for a year, that’s when things changed. Rory and I got closer and eventually became a couple. I’d never really viewed Rory in that way—romantically. He’d always seemed kind of nerdy to me, actually. I’d always been much more physically attracted to Channing. But Rory grew on me. With Channing gone, we got closer. I eventually fell in love with Rory. I trusted him. And basically, that ended up biting me in the ass years later, as you know.”
“How did Channing feel about you and Rory getting together?”
“I don’t think it bothered him, although he did seem to distance himself from us after he came back from college to find that we were together. Channing had only been gone a year, then transferred back home to go to state school. We all ended up at the same college, at one point. I was a freshman when Rory a
nd Channing were sophomores. Naturally, Channing quickly became a hot commodity on campus. He was with a different girl every week.
“So, he’s a playboy, then…”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Well, I can’t say I blame him with looks like that, but eventually that’s got to get tiring. How old is he?”
“Well, I’m twenty-five…” I closed my eyes for a moment to calculate. “So, that makes him twenty-seven, but I don’t see Channing ever settling down, at least no time soon.”
After I decided on a set of dark gray, 1000-thread count Ralph Lauren sheets, we passed the wedding gift registry area on our way to check out. My heart sank. It was in this very store at that very kiosk that my relationship with Rory started to crumble. We’d been shopping for a new coffee maker when I brought up the subject of starting to think about getting engaged. He’d gotten into a car accident a couple of months before but was on his way to making a full recovery. In the weeks that followed the accident, though, I began to notice changes in him, which all culminated in “the talk” at Bed Bath & Beyond. The accident apparently caused him to ponder his life and determine that he didn’t see a future with me.
Annabelle disrupted my daydream. “Are you okay, Amber?”
Shaking my head to fend off thoughts of Rory, I lied. “Yeah.”
CHAPTER TWO
* * *
AMBER
I’d sent Channing the key to my place so that he could get situated while I was at work. His flight got in to Logan Airport at 10AM, which meant I wouldn’t be home to greet him.
I’d made sure the new bedding was washed and placed on his bed and cracked open a window to air out the room. I also left him a welcome note with two mints, the same gesture I afforded my Airbnb tenants.
Since the school where I worked was only a short walk from home, I decided to head over to my condo during the lunch break to at least say hello.
It was a cool, crisp day in Boston, the quintessential autumn afternoon with falling leaves and blue skies. The historic neighborhood where I lived—Beacon Hill—was known for its brick sidewalks and Federal-style rowhouses. It was definitely one of the more sought-after neighborhoods in the city.