Chapter 1

CHAPTERONE

Three months later…

“You have arrived at your destination.”

Paige Hollister snorted at the navigation app’s announcement. She most certainly was not at her destination. Nowhere near it, in fact. When she’d left Chicago seventeen hours earlier, her destination was home: Ames, Iowa. Where her mother no doubt waited with a stern “I-told-you-so.” And as if that weren’t enough, Mother Nature planned to follow up that not-so-warm welcome with a bone-chilling snowstorm.

Something came over Paige when she neared the on-ramp for I-80 west, however. Rather than take her exit, she did what every unemployed, heartbroken woman staring thirty in the face would do. She hopped on the southbound lanes and headed toward sunshine, margaritas, and sand.

Going home felt like giving up for good. As angry and hurt as she was, she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. To admit her mom was right and she should never have left the farm for the big, bad city.

Paige may be down, but she was not out. Besides, she’d spent the bulk of the impromptu road trip giving herself a stern come-to-Jesus lecture. No more foolishly trusting a man with her heart. Did she learn her lesson when Jackson Miller asked her to prom only to ditch her for Chelsea Sorkin, whose unofficial senior class superlative was “most likely to smother a man with her double D’s?” Nope. Did she learn her lesson when, sophomore year in college, Kurt Wallace wined and dined her, taking the gift of her virginity, only to dump her after she’d single-handedly spent all semester completing their project for advanced marketing? Apparently not.

They say “the third time is the charm.” Except in this case, the third time was the kick in the ass Paige needed. Instead of wallowing in the misery of rejection, she was going to pick herself up, dust herself off, and live life her way.

On her own.

A sign nestled among the pine trees caught Paige’s eye. Not that anyone could miss it. It was large enough that it was likely visible from space. The townspeople obviously wanted to suck in as many tourists as possible.

“Welcome to Chances Inlet, North Carolina, the home of second chances,” it read.

Paige snorted again. “Second chances, my ass. If people weren’t so quick to screw me over, they wouldn’t need a second chance. Not that I’m giving anybody one. Ever,” she practically shouted.

Her cellphone began to buzz as soon as the words left her mouth, causing her to nearly steer the car into the thick berm lining the road. She glanced at the screen, despite knowing exactly who was calling. Summer Pearson’s face smiled back at her. Her best friend was likely tracking Paige’s every movement on the friend locator app. Paige clicked the button on her dash to answer.

“Thank goodness you made it. Now tell me everything. What’s it like?” Summer demanded immediately.

“You’re worse than having a toddler in the car with me constantly asking ‘are we there yet?’ And I haven’t even reached the actual town.” She stopped at a red light. The gas station on the corner advertised worms and coffee on a placard beneath its sign. Paige shook her head with equal parts humor and disgust.

“But this time you’ll get to see the town in the daylight at least.” Summer’s subtle reminder of the last time she’d been in Chances Inlet made Paige tighten her grip on the steering wheel. Three months ago, she’d vowed never to return to the sleepy coastal hamlet. Ironically, it was the only New Year’s resolution she’d ever made that lasted more than a week.

Her estranged father had invited her to the double wedding of two of his new wife’s sons. On New Year’s Eve, no less. Paige initially refused. How dare he assume she didn’t have better plans for the big night? But when her douchebag ex claimed to have to work that weekend, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to surprise her dad.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted a relationship with a man who had barely been a blip in her life. But she did want to show him that she was a mature, independent woman who no longer needed his acceptance. Even if her heart never fully recovered from his abandonment.

In the end, though, she never got the chance to show off her new and improved self. Seeing him in his new element stirred up emotions she thought she’d gotten control of a long time ago. All it took was a few moments observing the warm gaze he showered on his beautiful wife and listening to his heartfelt toast about family to send her scurrying from the reception before she’d even made her presence known.

Maturity was a funny thing. Apparently, it came and went at will.

“I’ll bet the town is adorable.” Summer sounded like one of Paige’s kindergartners—make that former kindergarteners—waxing on about some fairy garden. “With quaint little shops and people who actually say hi when you pass them on the sidewalk. I’ll bet there’s even a gazebo.”

“You do know that Stars Hollow is not a real place?” Paige asked. “‘The Gilmore Girls’ was a television show filmed on the Warner Brothers lot.”

“But there are real towns like it out there,” Summer argued.

Didn’t Paige know it. Ten years ago, she’d escaped the small town where she grew up and never looked back. Summer, on the other hand, was born and raised in a Chicago suburb. Her idea of life outside a major metropolis consisted of the idyllic small towns depicted on television or in movies.

“And who says Chances Inlet can’t be like Stars Hollow,” Summer insisted. “Who knows? They may even have a kitschy diner where everyone goes to gossip. You’ll go in for a cup of joe and meet the man of your dreams. He’ll be sitting right there at the counter next to you.”

If only Summer could see how hard Paige was rolling her eyes. She’d been the subject of gossip enough to know she’d rather be just one in a million living in a large city. And as for men…

"Not gonna happen. I’m finished with guys, remember? Forever. I’m just passing through this rinky-dink town on my way to a two-week rent-free vacation at my stepbrother’s Myrtle Beach timeshare.”

“Yet you added an extra hour to your trip by getting off the highway and cruising through said ‘rinky-dink town,’” Summer said. “Why is that I wonder?”

It was a question Paige had been asking herself for the past forty minutes.

“Morbid curiosity, I guess.”

“Wanna know what I think?” Summer asked.

“Not really.”

Not surprisingly, her friend ignored her. “I think you regret not sticking around New Year’s Eve and getting to know your dad and his new family. I mean, he married a woman whose kids are celebrities. One of her sons is a United States congressman, for crying out loud. Another son is a professional baseball player. And don’t forget the cute one who was Cosmo’s Bachelor of the Month before he married a soap star. And he had that home improvement show. What was it called?”

“I have no idea,” Paige lied. She’d binged the entire season of “Historical Restorations” in a single sitting last month while she was hiding out in her apartment trying to figure out what do with all of her empty days.

“Ooo, maybe you could stay at the gorgeous B & B your dad’s wife owns. The Tide Me Over Inn, I think it’s called. The pictures online look amazing,” Summer gushed. “It supposedly books up a year in advance. I’ll bet they have a room reserved for family, though.”

“You’re forgetting that I’m not family,” Paige all but snapped.

She passed several chain hotels, grocery stores and beach shops as she made her way into the more historic part of the town. The sun was warm overhead, and her car was getting stuffy. She pressed the button to open her sunroof, allowing some fresh air in.

“Who says you can’t be? Your dad clearly wants that. Or else he wouldn’t keep inviting you to family events.” Summer softened her tone. “Paige, you’re not betraying your mom by getting to know your dad.”

Was that what she was doing?

“Honestly, Sum, I don’t have the emotional capacity to deal with my dad and his overachieving family right now. There was no other reason for me to divert off the highway other than I needed a change of scenery. I’m driving straight through to the beach where I’m going to put my toes in the sand, open a couple of bottles of wine, and spend a few weeks someplace where nobody knows my shame.”

“Stop talking like that,” Summer said. “You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Tell that to the board of directors at Preston. They fired me for cause. Six years of exemplary work and suddenly my character is not appropriate for young minds.”

“They are a bunch of hoity-toity pompous assholes,” Summer argued. “They based their decision on rumors spread by a coven of bitchy moms with nothing better to do than tear people down. I agree with my brother. Sterling says you should sue them for defamation of character.”

“Did your brother even pay attention during law school? Everyone knows the defense for defamation is truth. The truth is, I had an affair with a married man. The uncle of one of my students.”

“Who never told you he was married!” Summer practically shouted. “The slimebag used you.”

Of course he had. And yet, Paige was the one who paid the price. Her career was cancelled all because she trusted the wrong man. The unfairness of it still made her sick to her stomach.

It also made her question herself. How could she have been so blindsided by a sexy smile and complimentary words? Well, it wasn’t happening again. She had a new life plan. It was a simple one. Never let anyone close enough to hurt her again.

“It’s all going to work out,” Summer said softly. “Sterling is putting together a case to get you your job back.”

“He’s wasting his time. My reputation is shot. If I want a coffee, I have to drive to the next suburb to avoid the angry glares of the parents staked out at our shop.”

She didn’t dare mention the ugly anonymous letters she received each week. Or the vicious DMs attacking her character. There was no point in stressing Summer out, too. Instead, Paige had shut down her social media, packed up her favorite books, and headed toward the sunshine. She would spend the next two weeks pulling on her big girl panties and figuring out her next move.

Whatever that might be.

“Then we will find you another job,” Summer insisted.

Easy for Summer to say. Teaching was a side hustle for her friend while she pursued her dream of becoming a concert cellist. For Paige, teaching was more than a job. It was her calling. Her identity. Without it, she wasn’t sure who she was anymore. And that scared her more than the attacks on her character.

She breathed through her nose to keep the tears at bay. Summer thought Paige was long past the days of crying jags on the sofa. Paige wanted her friend to believe she’d rounded a corner. Heck, Paige wanted to believe she’d rounded a corner.

“Sum, I can’t even get a nannying gig. Apparently, moms don’t want the ‘other woman’ near their husbands. Go figure.”

Paige’s car seemed to sense her precarious mood. It grew more and more sluggish as she made her way into the historic downtown area. Eclectic looking shops and restaurants surrounded a lush, green town square complete with a sprawling live oak tree and, damn it, a large white gazebo. Not that she was mentioning that little tidbit to Summer.

The sound of kids squealing flowed from the phone.

“I’ve gotta go,” Summer said. “The kids are arriving for rehearsal. Don’t forget you’re coming to Milwaukee for my conducting debut with the children’s symphony next month.”

Her friend was finally living her dream. She’d found the love of her life—the last decent bachelor on earth—and she was performing again. Something that only a few months ago seemed impossible. Summer came out of the other side of her quarter life crisis with a picture-perfect life.

Paige forced herself not to be jealous. Instead, she told herself that if her friend could survive her most embarrassing moment, so could Paige. Except without the guy, thank you very much. She didn’t need a man to complete her.

“I’m not making any promises,” Paige teased. There was no way she’d miss Summer’s return to the stage. “I might decide to take up swimming again and look for a lifeguarding gig.”

“You would stay in Myrtle Beach? Forever?” The hurt in Summer’s voice was unmistakable.

“Kidding. You know I’ll be in the front row cheering you on. I’m the president of your fan club, remember?”

“And I’m the president of yours,” Summer said. “Text me when you get to the condo so I know you arrived safe. Love ya, girlfriend.”

No sooner had Paige ended the call when her car misfired, the sound echoing loudly down the town’s main street. From the corner of her eye, she watched as a woman walking her dog put her hand to her chest before glancing around as if someone had fired the Civil War cannon in the town’s square. Several heads peeked out from the open doorways of the shops lining the quiet street.

So much for passing through town unnoticed.

“Shh,” she hissed at her misbehaving car.

The car responded with a jerk.

“No! No, no, no. Not now. Not here. Please,” Paige begged.

But her normally reliable late model SUV wasn’t listening. The engine began to rattle. Paige pressed down on the accelerator, but instead of speeding up, the car slowed down. She managed to steer it into a parking spot before it shuddered to a stop and the engine died, a solemn puff of black smoke wafting from the tailpipe as its epitaph.

With a groan, Paige pressed her forehead to the steering wheel. “This can’t be happening."

"Oh, it’s happening, sweetie,” a woman announced from outside the driver’s side window.

Paige nearly jumped through the open sunroof. She turned to glance out the window, still grimy with salt and sand from winter in Chicago. A petite lady with blue-gray hair framing her chubby, smiling face stood beside the car. Paige swallowed a panicked breath before waving her fingers at her. The woman adjusted her fuchsia cat-eyed glasses as if that would help her see through the dirty window more clearly. Thank goodness, before leaving Chicago, Paige wiped off the “slut” someone had traced into the grime.

She sighed. There was no way to avoid the woman without being rude. As angry as she was at life right now, it wasn’t in her character to take it out on a stranger. Besides, if she stayed in her car, she’d likely pass out from the nasty smell seeping in from the front end. She gestured for the woman to back up—hopefully way the hell back into the next county—and opened her door.

Gulls squawked in the distance as Paige inhaled a lungful of the salty sea air. Her lower back complained about the long drive, causing her to wobble slightly when her feet hit the ground. The other woman reached out a hand to steady her, but Paige waved it away.

“I’m fine.” She gave the woman a shaky smile.

Her companion arched an eyebrow as if to disagree. Paige glanced down at her rumpled appearance, hastily swiping at the orange cheese puff crumbs stuck to her sweatshirt. Her leggings sported two tiny holes in the thigh. So much for dressing for comfort. Of course, the woman in front of her was a walking Chicos ad, smartly dressed in an oversized linen blouse draped with a floral scarf and cropped pants to match her bright pink flats.

Paige tucked several wayward strands of her stringy blonde hair behind her ear before lifting her shoulders. At five foot ten and a half, she towered over most women. Her farm girl physique of big bones and broad shoulders, coupled with her height, made her appear menacing to some. Of course, this had to be a good Samaritan who refused to be intimidated. Her expression implied she was hell-bent on helping Paige, whether her assistance was wanted or not.

“Bless your heart,” the woman said. “Your ride isn’t fine.” She wrinkled her nose at the pungent rotten egg smell the car was giving off and pulled a heavily bedazzled phone from her pocket. “Lucky for you, we’ve got a fabulous garage right here in town. I’ll just give Chet a ring, and he’ll be right over to sort this out.”

“No!”

The woman started at Paige’s harsh tone. But the last thing Paige wanted was to linger in Chances Inlet. If she used the local garage, she’d be a sitting duck all day. No doubt the busybody standing in front of her would have everyone in town knowing her business by dinnertime. The longer she stuck around, the greater the odds of her coming face-to-face with the father she didn’t want to see.

“Thank you, though. You’re very kind.” Paige gave the woman the smile she used when she needed to placate a parent. Firm but kind. “I have Triple A. I’ll just call them for a tow. That way, the expense will be covered.”

Covering the cost of whatever was wrong with her car would be a whole different matter, however. Her credit cards were already feeling the pinch of the lack of a paycheck these past three months. But she’d have to worry about that later. Right now, her priority was to get the heck out of Dodge. She reached back into the car to grab her phone.

The woman tsked. “If you say so.” She pulled a business card from her phone case and handed it to Paige. “But if you find yourself still in a pickle, call me. I know everyone in this town.”

Precisely the reason Paige wanted to put some distance between herself and—she glanced down at the card—Bernice Reed.

“Thank you, Ms. Reed. I’ll certainly look you up if I need help,” she lied.

“Call me Bernice. Everyone does.” With a jaunty wave, she trotted off like a woman on a mission to butt into someone else’s business.

Paige released a slow breath of relief. No way was she sticking around Chances Inlet. She patted the hood of her car. It probably just needed a rest after the long drive. She’d go find a place to grab a drink and use the restroom. By the time she returned, her car would be ready to go again. With any luck, she’d be at Myrtle Beach in an hour. Once she got there, she’d give her car the rest of the weekend off.

She glanced around the square for anything resembling a Starbucks. Summer would be delighted to know there was a diner. Paige’s stomach rumbled when she spied The Queen of Hearts Bakery. Right next door was the Java Jolt coffee shop.

“When in Rome,” she mumbled to herself as she headed in the direction of sustenance.

Halfway across the square, the unmistakable sound of a child sobbing stopped Paige in her tracks. She immediately went into teacher-mode, following the sounds to a picnic table located behind, of all things, the cannon. The crying grew more muffled the closer Paige got, almost as if the child heard her approaching and didn’t want to be found.

Paige crouched down to peek beneath the table. A little girl with the most gorgeous eyes Paige had ever seen stared back at her. Wide and wary, they were a lovely mix of green and brown, sitting above cheek bones that likely already had modeling agents clamoring. Her tear-streaked skin looked to be a soft brown. Wavy black hair formed a wild corona around her face, but her clothing looked clean and very similar to the expensive designer duds most of the students at Preston donned every day.

“Hi,” Paige said gently.

The little girl’s lips trembled but remained firmly shut. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around the stuffed bunny she was clutching onto for dear life.

Paige forged on. “Is everything okay in there?”

No response. Paige studied her as closely as she could from four feet away. There weren’t any outward signs of harm. Everything about the little girl screamed pampered princess. Mom or Dad had to be around here somewhere. Still, small towns weren’t immune to child predators. Paige sank down onto her bottom, crossing her legs in front of her to wait until a family member came to collect the little girl.

“My name is Paige. Is it okay if I hang out with you until your mommy gets back?”

The child gulped a sob at the mention of her mother. Paige had seen that look before on many of her young students. Usually when they’d done something wrong, and they didn’t want their parents to know. Maybe she was upset she couldn’t get a cookie at the bakery. Or something from the toy store on the corner with all the colorful kites fluttering out front.

Paige glanced around at the nearby shops. The Whale of a Tale Bookstore was the closest. “Is your mommy in the bookstore?”

The little girl’s chin moved side-to-side ever so slightly.

No, then. “Maybe she’s in the bakery or the coffee shop?”

Paige hoped the child said yes because this day was already hella-long and she was growing desperate for a ladies’ room.

This time, the chin shake was a bit firmer.

“Do you have any idea where your mommy is?”

The question was met with a gulping sob before the girl buried her face in her bunny’s neck.

So that was it. She was lost. Paige huffed out a sigh. There was no telling how long the girl had been here. And no sign of a search party. Her bladder let her know she couldn’t sit here all day. She scanned the square for somewhere safe she could leave the little girl until her family realized she was missing. Given how fate was screwing with her, the one place in Chances Inlet Paige intended to avoid at all costs was less than fifty yards away. It was also the best place where she could bring the child for help.

She glanced back over at the anxious little girl. There was no way Paige could sit here all day.

Fate is definitely male.

“You know you are never supposed to go anywhere with a stranger, right?”

The girl nodded swiftly.

“I’m a stranger,” Paige explained. “But I’m a teacher, which means I’m a helper. And I’m going to take you to where the other helpers are so we can find your mommy. Okay?”

Her bladder did a happy dance when the little girl nodded solemnly before crawling out from under the table. Paige gingerly got to her feet.

“This way.”

She said a silent prayer that someone—anyone—in the child’s family would intercept them before they reached their destination, but no such luck. When they arrived at the steps of the weathered brick building, the girl slipped her small hand into Paige’s. Those gorgeous eyes were full of trust as they looked up from beneath damp eyelashes.

“Right,” Paige said with a nod before leading the way into the Chances Inlet Sheriff’s Department.