Chapter 1
Hayden
For some reason I thought northern Texas would be snowy in December. However, as my jeep bounced down the pothole littered highway, I found it almost too pleasant outside. The sun was warm, my thin sweater was more than enough to keep me warm, and everything had a golden glow.
I hated it.
There I was, driving through what looked like a goddamn postcard when my life had just imploded spectacularly three days ago. The rolling green hills stretched endlessly on either side of the cracked asphalt, dotted with wildflowers that had no business blooming this late in the year. Even the grass looked smug, swaying gently in the breeze like it was mocking me.
I cranked up the radio another notch, letting the bass thump against my ribs until it nearly drowned out the memory of my ex-boyfriend’s voice saying those words.I think we need some space, Hayden. This isn’t working anymore.
The song switched to something annoyingly upbeat about small-town Christmas magic, and I jabbed the seek button with more force than necessary. Static crackled through the speakers before landingon a country station playing something appropriately miserable about heartbreak and whiskey. Better.
My phone buzzed against the cup holder, probably another text from Mom asking if I’d made it safely, or worse, one of my ex’s friends trying to play peacemaker. I ignored it and pressed harder on the gas pedal, watching the speedometer creep past the limit. A roadside sign announced “Sagebrush - 15 miles” in faded blue letters, and my stomach clenched.
Aunt Dolly was waiting for me at some diner she owned in this nowhere town called Sagebrush. Apparently, she was somewhat of a big deal there, her food drawing people for miles around. However, the more I watched the landscape go by, I had no doubt she had probably the only decent food for at least sixty miles. I still didn’t really know why she decided to stay behind in Sagebrush after she and my mother had graduated high school. Mom went to the east coast, found a rich executive, my father, and settled down. Meanwhile, Dolly apparently set up a little eatery and was perfectly content to live in her hometown. I hadn’t seen her since I was ten years old. Would she even recognize me after fifteen years?
I shook my head. It didn’t matter whether she recognized me. And Sagebrush didn’t matter either. This was a simple transaction. I needed a place to stay over the holidays while my parents were at their villa in Italy. The house back in Boston was rented out for the holidays. It was right on the water and one of the biggest places to rent out for Christmas parties in the area. My parents made akillingoff of it.
So, needless to say, I couldn’t stay there. And they wouldn’t be back for months. Aunt Dolly was my only option. While my parents were rich, I was not. And I didn’t have anywhere to go that wasn’t my ex’s apartment.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel as another wave of anger rolled through me. Tommy had made sure I was completely dependent on him, hadn’t he? His apartment, his friends, his world.And when he was done playing with me, he’d tossed me aside like last season’s swimwear.
The worst part? I’d seen it coming. The way he’d started looking at his phone more, the way he’d cancelled our plans to hang out withthe guys. The way he’d stopped touching me unless he wanted something. But I’d convinced myself I was being paranoid, that my insecurities were getting the best of me again.
God, I was such an idiot.
Another sign flashed by -“Sagebrush - 8 miles”- and I could feel my chest getting tight. What if Aunt Dolly took one look at me and realized what a complete disaster I was? What if she asked too many questions about why I was really here, why I’d driven halfway across the country with nothing but two suitcases and my tail between my legs?
The radio crackled again, and some DJ’s overly cheerful voice broke through the static. “Ho ho ho, folks! Only twenty more shopping days left until Christmas! Remember to spread that holiday cheer?—”
“Fuck off,” I muttered, switching it off entirely. The sudden silence felt almost oppressive, filled only by the rumble of my engine and the whistle of wind through the barely cracked window. Now there was nothing to distract me from the churning mess of thoughts in my head.
I caught sight of myself in the rearview mirror and winced. My hair was a greasy disaster from running my hands through it, my eyes were still slightly red-rimmed despite the sunglasses, and I looked like I hadn’t slept properly in days. Which, to be fair, I hadn’t.
Great first impression, Hayden.
Maybe I should turn around. Drive back to California, swallow my pride, and figure something else out. Sleep in my car if I had to. Anything would be better than showing up at Aunt Dolly’s doorstep looking like a kicked puppy begging for scraps.
But where would I go? Back to the apartment complex where Tommy and I had lived, where I’d have to see his car in the parkinglot every day? Back to the modeling agencies that had already forgotten my name? Back to the friends who were really his friends, who’d probably already heard his version of our breakup?
The thought made my jaw clench so hard I could hear my teeth grinding. I forced myself to relax, rolling my shoulders and taking a shaky breath. No. I wasn’t going back. I couldn’t.
Another mile marker whipped past, and then I saw it… a cluster of buildings rising from the prairie like a mirage. Sagebrush, Texas, population a little over two thousand according to the welcome sign that someone had decorated with plastic holly and a faded red bow. Even the town sign was aggressively cheerful.
The main drag was exactly what I’d expected from a small Texas town. There were a handful of storefronts with hand-painted signs, a gas station that looked like it hadn’t been updated since the eighties, and pickup trucks parked at lazy angles along the street. Christmas lights were draped over everything that would stand still, strung between the lampposts, and they twinkled in the afternoon sun like they were trying too damn hard to be magical.
I slowed down, scanning the buildings for anything that looked like a diner. Then I saw it.Dolly’s Dinerin cursive red letters across a window, with a neon “OPEN” sign buzzing beneath it. The building was small and painted a cheerful yellow that made me want to put my sunglasses back on. A few trucks were parked outside, and through the big front window I could see people sitting in red vinyl booths.
My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, reminding me that I’d survived on gas station coffee and spite for the last two hundred miles. I pulled into a parking space and sat there for a moment, engine ticking as it cooled, staring at the diner’s front door.
This was it. No more running, no more time to figure out what I was going to say. In a few minutes, I’d be face-to-face with a woman I barely remembered, asking for help like some pathetic charity case at Christmas.
I caught my reflection in the side mirror again and grimaced. At least I could fix my hair.
I ran my fingers through the sandy mess on top of my head, trying to make it look less like I’d been sleeping in my car for three days. It didn’t help much, but at least now it was a slightly more organized disaster. The freckles across my nose stood out starkly against my pale skin. Apparently even my California tan couldn’t survive a cross-country breakdown. That’s what I got for using tanning beds.
I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it when the scent of bacon and something sweet — cinnamon rolls, maybe? — drifted through my barely open window. My stomach clenched with hunger so sharp it was almost painful. When was the last time I’d eaten actual food instead of stale gas station chips?
