CHAPTER ONE - CHLOE
THE QUAD-SHOT espresso with oat milk in my hand was not enough coffee to start the day.
It had begun with nearly having an argument with my best friend, and then on the way to work, I’d tripped on three cracks in the sidewalk when my heels got caught, it rained on my walk from the parking garage, and I’d dropped my cell phone in a puddle that looked like it had a layer of oil floating on the top. Not to mention I’d barely been able to sleep due to the weird dreams I’d been having. I kept seeing a hill, golden wings, and feeling shadowed hands touching me. No face, just the shadow. What was most bewildering, though, was the feeling I woke up with every time—butterflies in my stomach, heated cheeks, restlessness in my muscles, an aching heart…
“I think I’m dying,” I told my best friend, Lana, on our video chat that morning. Since moving across the country last year, video calls have become our daily ritual. I missed her more than I could express. There was something about Lana that lit up an entire room and made everyone around her feel comfortable. Maybe it was the fact that she was a therapist, or maybe it was just Lana’s presence. But I could tell her everything, and she could read me like a book.
“That medical site says I’m dying,” I continued.
“You can’t trust those sites, babe,” Lana said, crossing her legs and leaning her elbow onto the countertop. Her black cat jumped on the barstool beside her, and she pulled the feline into her lap. “You put in a stuffy nose and it comes back with nasal tumors. How did you say you felt again?”
“Hi, Salem,” I cooed to the beautiful little cat. “She’s getting big.”
“Stop stalling,” Lana said. “Let’s hear it. How did you feel?”
I twisted the bread bag and wrapped the tie around it before throwing two pieces into the toaster. “Racing—no, aching heart. Weak knees. Like… adrenaline? Dopamine? Almost giddy, as if you’ve had a glass of red wine—“
“I’d like to know what kind of red wine you’re drinking,” Lana muttered behind the cup of tea at her lips.
I pursed my lips at her, and she chuckled, her spiraled curls falling out of the colorful headband she had wrapped around her head. “Right. Go on. What else?”
“Ah… Warm. My stomach was fluttering almost—”
“Are you sure you didn’t eat anything odd?” Lana asked.
“I’ve had this same dream for a week now. Countless times in the past. I don’t think it has anything to do with my eating habits,” I replied.
“I mean, you did eat an entire large pepperoni pizza by yourself last night,” Lana teased.
My lips twisted as I tried to deny a smile, pressing my palms into the edge of the counter. “Tyler is out of town,” I argued. “And it was a Buffalo Chicken pizza—“
“Extra hot sauce, ranch, and a few cider beers,” Lana knew. “Did you also have the strawberry ice cream?”
My toast popped up and I took it out to smear red pepper jelly on it. “Pistachio, actually.”
Lana laughed softly and took another drink of her tea, her eyes still sleepy from the caffeine not kicking in yet. “Where’s Tyler this week?”
Tyler Drake. My fiancé.
We’d been together three years now, engaged for two of them. I’d had the most challenging time picking a date—to the point that all decisions had been handed over to Tyler’s mother and mine. The date, the location, the decor, even my dress.
“Ah… Florida,” I said as I sat down at the table with my toast and coffee. “His father wanted to talk to him about the latest investment.” I slapped a sarcastic smile on my lips. “It’s very exciting.”
“Sounds like it,” Lana mumbled.
Tyler was—what he liked to call—an entrepreneur. He’s had his hands in a few small businesses that he swears will be the next big thing, along with owning a few pieces of real estate. He was always traveling to check on things.
“What about the wedding? Three-month countdown, right?” Lana said.
I nodded and took a bite of toast. “Are you coming next week?” I asked.
“For your dress fitting? Wouldn’t miss it.Especiallysince you picked it out without me,” Lana replied, batting her lashes and giving me a tight-lipped smile.
“You know I had to do that while my mom was in town—”
“Along with your sisters and Tyler’s mom,” Lana interjected.
“I’m honestly surprised we found anything. It was the first shop and you know how particular my sisters are,” I finished.
