CHAPTER 1
DANI
Offside is busy for a Monday night. It makes me grateful that I’ve got the next two days off. Two years ago, if you’d told me I was going to be tending bar in a small town like Nolan, I would have laughed in your face.
But a lot can change in two years.
The glass in my hand starts to slip, and I squeeze it a little tighter, focusing on the beer I’m pulling and not the man I’m desperately trying to escape. He haunts my every day, and that’s why I moved.
That’s why I packed my bags, hugged my family goodbye, and took a job with Tobin’s boyfriend. It was the out I’d been waiting for. And now I have to make the most of it.
Tobin and I grew up together—next-door neighbors and elementary school buddies. I’m so glad I kept in touch with him, even after he left for college. When he suggested I come to Nolan for a change of scenery, I initially said no, but it took all of three days for me to change my mind.
And here I am.
“There you go.” I place the beer down with a bright smile, handing over the card reader so the sexy man across the bar can tap his Visa card.
Damn, he is fine.
I take in his stunning smile—all straight white teeth—and those glittery blue eyes.
It’s impossible not to grin back.
This is exactly what I need.
Some hot guy giving me a flirty smile, distracting me, pulling me away from a life I can’t live anymore.
That’s why I’m here.
Fresh start.
New beginnings.
All that shit.
I can’t keep being single, pining for a man I can never have.
Because I can seriouslyneverbe with Atlas again. He’s gone. Died in my arms. And I’ve spent too many days, weeks,monthsmourning him. If I didn’t make a drastic change, I was going to wake up from my stupor in fifty years and realize life had passed me by.
I can’t keep doing this anymore.
And so I’m here, with my heart held together by string and duct tape, barely hanging on while I try to let go of the man I thought I’d marry. My one true love.
Clearing my throat, I try to shake off the blues and flash this guy another bright smile.
“You let me know if you need anything else.” I raise my voice to be heard above the guy crooning on the stage and the cacophony of voices surrounding the bar.
He raises his glass and smiles at me. “I will definitely be calling you over again.”
My smile grows while my nerves flail.
Yes, you want this, Dani. Youneedthis!
Ask for his number. Be bold. I dare you.
Brushing my teeth over my lower lip, I go against every grain in my body and rest my elbows on the bar. I know the movesquishes my boobs together, because his eyes dart south for a second before popping back up to my face.
A sizzle rushes through me.
