Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

SHAE

“I will be fine, Mom. You do this every time.”

Sighing into the phone, Mom said, “I know but I can still worry.”

For the past five years, the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I headed across state lines into North Carolina to meet friends and go hiking. There was a small town that nobody knew about, Silver Rock, tucked against a stretch of the Appalachian Mountains. The appeal was the fact that it was a truly small town, not a tourist town, and just a few minutes’ drive to a simple hiking route.

Truth was, none of us were experienced hikers. When we were about to graduate high school, we tried to think of something we could commit to doing together every year, regardless of where life took us. We had paid a friend’s older brother to hook us up with some alcohol which wasn’t the smartest idea, but while under the influence the weekend before graduation, we decided on our brilliant plan.

We opened a laptop to a map, and I was designated to blindly put my finger on the screen and that would be where we went. When my finger landed on Silver Rock, we had no clue about the place. After searching online, we discovered there was nothing out there, except mountains.

We were all going away to different schools, but we decided then and there, every Thanksgiving break we would meet at that spot and spend a few days together before parting ways to be with our families.

The first year we went with no plan and realized besides hiking, there was nothing to do. It was fantastic. After so much studying and most of us having part-time jobs as well, we were all in need of a break. So, we all drove to the nearest town, got some basic gear, then spoke to the old man at the only gas station in town. There was one pump, no sign, and there was nothing convenient about the inside of the store. He pulled out an old paper map and showed us exactly where to go since we weren’t avid hikers.

We headed back to our rustic cabin and thanks to the same older brother, Dean, we had more booze. We had enough sense to get plenty of bottled water and provisions for sandwiches, hot dogs, and lots of prepackaged snack cakes for breakfast for the few days we’d be there. There was a small fire pit outside the cabin, so we roasted weenies on sticks and made s’mores in the evening.

All of us were old enough to buy our own alcohol now and all had graduated college. Some of us even paired off and we were quite sure there would be engagement announcements soon from at least one of the couples.

Not me, though. I hadn’t settled with anyone. Dating in college was a nightmare. Boys in high school were awful, but they seemed to get some strange level of confidence that they didn’t earn once they attended higher education institutions. There was one man I’d had a few interesting daydreams about, but he was off limits. The broody but always compliant, Dean. He was forced by my mom and Jenna’s mom to accompany us the first time we went on our adventure since he was a few years older, and I had suspicions they thought a man could save us from ourselves should there be trouble. We had male friends in the group, but they were our age and not the most responsible people, but who was at eighteen?

Dean begrudgingly agreed, but it was handy to have someone old enough to buy drinks and he drove so we could enjoy our road trip. He was more handsome than any man should be allowed. But the funny thing was, he didn’t seem to know. He kept to himself a lot and worked from home doing some kind of IT work. He had a full-time job before he even graduated college.

His hair was a bit shaggy and light brown with hints of copper and gold. I had friends who paid good money for such highlights. His eyes were dark brown, and he was always clean shaven, highlighting full pouty lips and perfect cheekbones. The kicker was his dimples. He hardly smiled but occasionally when he spoke, you’d see them pop. And for someone who spent so much time on the computer, he was in excellent shape. He’d been dragged to a few lake visits on our summer breaks in high school and when Jenna came to town to visit in college, and I had to be careful not to ogle too long at his impressive abs and rounded pecs.

Too bad he’s Jenna’s brother. She was my oldest friend, and our moms were best friends, too. But she went to college on the other side of the state then found a job several states away, so summer visits and our annual mountain trip were sacred times. Most of us scattered around. But I stayed. And so did Dean.

The last of my high school friend group moved several hours away earlier in the year, leaving just me and him.

“When’s Dean picking you up, honey?” Mom asked.

Looking at the clock, I answered, “Any minute now. I should probably go make sure I have everything.”

“Such a good boy. Always taking care of you girls. I heard there may be some bad weather. Did you speak to Jenna? Will she be able to get down there?”

Nodding as if she could see me, the phone tucked between my shoulder and ear, I said, “We talked this morning, and she was already in the car with Billy for a few hours at that time. She’ll probably beat us there if we don’t leave soon.” I was zipping my bag after shoving my hiking boots on top when I heard a horn blowing outside. “Mom, Dean’s here. I love you. I’ll text when we make it up.”

“Give him a hug for me and I’ll see you Thursday, honey. Love you.”

Yeah, that’ll happen . “Love you, Mom.”

I heaved my heavy luggage from my bed then rolled it out, turning off the lights as I walked through my tiny, two-bedroom cottage. I grabbed my purse and threw it over my shoulder, shoving my charger, phone, and keys inside. Flinging the door open, I screamed.

Clutching my chest, I said, “Shit, Dean you could’ve knocked. Why’d you honk if you were coming to the door?”

Dean’s dark eyes stared into mine. “I came to the door because you were taking so long, and you opened it before I had a chance to knock. You ready?”

With a forced grin, I nodded. Oh yeah, besides him being my best friend’s hot brother, he was kind of a dick.