Chapter 1
Melody
* * *
“Ha. No. Not a fucking chance in hell.” I roll my eyes, staring at the amazing view from the back deck of my cottage. The mountains in the distance look spectacular as the sun sets. My phone is on speaker, sitting on the railing, leaving my hands free to hold my mug of herbal tea.
“Melody, it’s a book club. You love books. You write books, for heaven’s sake. You have to come,” Arianna persists.
I smirk. “Those are facts. I do love books, and I do write books. What I don’t need or want is a man, and you’re trying to set me up with one of those Wilde heirs. I bet I can guess which one, too.”
Arianna sighs. “None of the Wildes will be at book club. It’s for women only.”
After taking another sip of my tea, I glance down at my phone. “And let me guess. These women will be your new sisters-in-law. Claire and Reagan?”
“Not just them. Emilia will be there, too.”
“Arianna, Emilia is also a Wilde.”
“Yes, but she’s a woman. She’s no threat… Unless, of course you’re into women. Are you?” Arianna asks.
I laugh. “No. I’m not into women.”
“Oh, I invited Kinsley, too.”
“The town doctor?”
“Yes. We all know her. Well, except for Emilia. Those two haven’t met yet.”
I chuckle again. “You’ve all met Kinsley because every one of you is pregnant or trying to get pregnant. That shit might be catching. I don’t want it.”
“You can’t catch pregnancy,” she argues as if I legitimately thought so.
It would be nice to get out of the house. I don’t do so very often. Most of the time, I’m kind of a hermit. I should get better acquainted with some women my age. I’ve met everyone at some point or another at the library or bakery or even at Kinsley’s office. But I don’t know any of them very well.
Because, again, I’m a hermit. That’s why I moved to Wilde. Small town. Peaceful. No one bothers me. No one knows me. For the last three years, I’ve been renting this cottage on the outskirts of town. I love it here.
I did not come here to find a man. I came here to lie low and stay out of the public eye. I’m perfectly fine growing old alone and being known as the cat lady. Though I don’t have a cat.
“You’re thinking about it!” Arianna exclaims, sounding way too chipper.
I groan. “Where is this book club meeting?”
“At the library.”
“You promise? I’m not going up to the mansion.”
“I swear. We’re meeting here. Saturday afternoon. Three o’clock.”
“You won’t change the location on me at the last second and suddenly say that Dallas, or one of the other bossy men you all have married, insists on you meeting at the mansion? Because if you do, I’ll bail out.”
“Nope. We’re holding it here at the library. I’ve already gotten permi?—”
I laugh. “Permission? You got permission from your husband to have book club on Saturday afternoon? That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it? And I bet he told you to hold it at three because you have a curfew or something, and you’re not allowed to be out after dark.” I’m joking, but also… I’m not.
Judging by her intake of breath, I nailed it. I set my empty mug on the railing and lean my elbows on it, hanging my head between my arms. Why on Earth would I agree to this?
“You’ll come?” Arianna pushes.
