1
LANA
PRESENT DAY
Ilook at myself one final time in the mirror and curse every single one of my so-called friends. This isn’tme.
It’s not the me that moved to Blackstone Falls, at least.
I’m a T-shirt and yoga pants kind of gal in my off time in between carting my kids to practice, activities, and play dates. Boxed hair dye has been my go-to since the divorce, and I can’t remember the last time I had a manicure.
But because my new friends Ellison, Cal, Bea, and Nessa had volunteered me for this little adventure today, they insisted on treating me to the deluxe package at Cedar Lake Day Spa.
I’d been massaged, colored, painted, and waxed within an inch of my life.
But I couldn’t deny the glow that remained long after I’d walked out of there, feeling more relaxed than I had in months.
Apparently finding out your husband is having multiple affairs, divorcing him, and moving to a whole new town really drains a girl.
“Hey Lana!” a dark-haired beauty says as soon as I walk through the clearing. “You look gorgeous!” The resemblancebetween her and Cal is obvious, and something about that settles me a little.
“Hey, Hannah, right?” I ask even though I absolutely know her name—I’m just stalling for time.
“Yes,” she says, her eyes twinkling, “but you already knew that.” She throws me a wink like it’s our little secret and maybe it is.
“Did he show up?” I ask nervously, becausethatwould be just my luck—finally agreeing to this ridiculous photoshoot only for the guy to no-show.
“Yes and no,” she says with a coy smile. “The original guy I had you paired with called with a sinus infection.” She pauses like this is good news, and I guess it is—my kids bring home enough germs, thank you very much.
“So, is there someone else?”
“There is,”—she pauses, as she gives me a once-over—“and I think I like this better.”
“That isn’t ominous at all.”
“Don’t want to ruin the magic or anything,” she quips, and I snort as I fall in step with her. “Speaking of magic, I have one rule.”
“Oh boy.”
“You’re going to do this completely judgment free. No worrying about his clothes, height, age, hair color—any of that, okay? He’s a great guy and I just want both of you to focus on the feeling.”
“Did you give him the same speech or am I just special?”
Hannah rolls her eyes as she pulls me to a stop. “I tell all my clients the same thing. You lose so much of the experience if you’re just going to focus on something inconsequential. This is supposed to be fun.”
“You’ve never met me, so I’ll give you a pass on assuming I’m fun.”
Throwing her head back, she laughs. “Oh, yeah, this is definitely going to work out perfectly.”
2
MASON
My heart pounds in my chest as I hear them approach. Something about this feels like the calm before the storm, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.
“M, put your blindfold on, please,” Hannah says, and I can hear the amusement in her tone. There’s honestly no telling with her, but it has a smile tipping up the corner of my lips all the same.
A photoshoot hadn’t been on my list of things to do today, but when your boss’s wife calls and says she needs an emergency fill-in, you do it. Besides, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday.
