August 2009
August in Mississippi was unbearable. But after living in Havenbrook her whole life, Mackenna Haven had learned what was worth suffering the heat for. And the single night of entertainment their tiny town put on that she and her friends wouldn’t roll their eyes at? Well, that was worth all the boob sweat in the world. Which meant she’d be down at the high school football field tonight, enjoying the monthly movie night along with nearly every other resident, heat be damned. The only difference between her and everyone else? This would be her last time.
Come next week, she was finally getting out of her tiny hometown, and she wasn’t sure she was ever coming back.
For as long as she could remember, she’d felt stifled by Havenbrook and the people in it. Everyone knew everyone else, and everyone was in everyone else’s business—and that only went double for a Haven. It was exhausting.
She never could understand her eldest sister’s need to put down roots here. Rory couldn’t get back fast enough—so much so, Mac was surprised she’d even gone away to college in the first place. But as soon as Rory had graduated, she and her college sweetheart came right back to good old Havenbrook and settled down. Bought a house and had already started on their way to that two-point-five kid average.
But Mac? She wasn’t sure she could think of anything more awful than coming back once she finally escaped.
How important their hometown was to their family had been beaten into her and her three sisters’ heads from as far back as she could remember—after all, they put the Havenin Havenbrook. But as near as Mac could tell, Rory was the only one it’d actually gotten through to. Mac’s older sister and one of her best friends, Willow, had had plans to leave and never look back. Head to Nashville for art school. But then Will’s no-good, lying bastard of a boyfriend up and bailed without a word shortly before they were meant to leave together. Mac was just glad Willow’d gone off anyway—a different, closer school, sure, but at least she’d left.
And her younger sister, Natalie? That girl would need to be hog-tied if you expected her to stay put anywhere. It’d be a damned miracle if their momma and daddy could keep her in Havenbrook long enough to graduate high school. Nat was born to fly, and she talked about all the places she wanted to visit and explore every chance she got.
All Mac knew was once she headed off to MSU next week, it was going to be a hard feat getting her back to Havenbrook for short breaks, let alone any extended period of time.
“Mac, you ready?” Will asked as she poked her head into the bedroom they shared. “Daddy says if we’re goin’, we gotta take Nat with us, ’cause he’ll be busy interactin’ with everyone.”
“I think you mean bullshittin’. And ’course we do.” Mac rolled her eyes. She and Will both knew exactly what that meant. Nat would escape them the first chance she got, and then they’d be blamed for her recklessness. “It’s like Daddy just looks for ways to get on our cases. He and Momma can’t control her, so I don’t know why he thinkswecan.”
“You know Daddy—always the optimist.”
Mac snorted as she followed Will into the hallway and down the staircase. Their daddy could be called a lot of things, but optimist most certainly wasn’t one.
“’Bout time y’all got down here,” Nat said, her fifteen-year-old attitude ringing loud and clear in the tone of her voice. “Been waitin’ for years.”
“Shut up, Nat.”
“Girls!” their daddy snapped. Never did have any tolerance for them fighting—in or out of the house. Anything that put on less than a perfect show simply wasn’t allowed in the Haven household. “I expect y’all to be home before curfew. Since you’re takin’ Nat, that means eleven o’clock.”
Mac’s mouth dropped open at the same time Will’s snapped shut. Yep, just like always, she’d be fighting this one on her own. But dammit, she was eighteen years old, and next week, she’d be living on her own. Why in the world did she have a curfew? “You can’t be serious, Daddy.”
“Do I look like I’m jokin’, young lady?”
A thousand retorts flew through Mac’s head. But, just like always, that was exactly where they stayed. Without another word, she spun on her heels, whipped open the door, and stormed out into the thick blanket of heat and humidity.
Mac tried to keep a lid on her anger, but the three of them weren’t even to the end of their front walk before she exploded, turning an accusing finger toward Will. “Why don’t you eversayanything? You do whatever he wants without thinkin’ twice. You just turned twenty,for cryin’ out loud, and you think it’s okay that you need to be home by eleven? What are we, thirteen?”
Will just shrugged. “Not worth gettin’ worked up about it. Next week, it won’t matter anyway. We’ll be at school, and we can stay out until three in the mornin’ if we want. Daddy can’t do anything about it then.”
“He could if I told him,” Nat taunted.
“Shut up!” Mac and Willow snapped at the same time.
“Y’all know I’m just playin’.” Nat grinned at them as they continued their trek toward the football field. “At least y’all get to leave. I’m stuck here for another three years.”
“That’s because you’re fifteen,” Willow said. “Gotta at least finish high school before you run off somewhere exotic.”
Nat skipped ahead, then twisted around to face them as she walked backward, her eyes bright with excitement. “Maybe so, but as soon as that diploma’s in my hand, I’m outta here, and I’m not lookin’ back.”
“Why’d you even wanna come tonight?” Mac asked. “You hate movie nights. In fact, you hateanythingHavenbrook.”
Nat spun back around, her hair flying behind her, and continued forward. With a snort, she said, “I’m not goin’ to the football field.” She darted her head left and right as if she were looking for something.
“No? Where you think you’re off to, then?” Mac shot a sidelong glance at Willow, who returned her irritation. Yep, it was always the same with their baby sister.
“Asher and Nash found this—”
