Ethan Moore took a hard right.
Not only had they not dated in eleven years, but he hadn’t seen her for just as long. So why had hearing her voice one time—onefucking time—caused him to stop seeing Nel, a woman he’d taken on two dates?Gooddates. But suddenly the thought of going on a third felt…hell, he didn’t even have words. Wrong? Dishonest?
He blew out a breath as he turned onto the highway, driving toward Deep River, forcing Maggie out of his head.
But the second he stopped thinking about her, he started thinking about Ward.
His fingers tightened around the wheel. In the year he’d been home from the military, he’d realized the sheriff had gotten even worse. Become lazier. Just a general not-giving-a-shit attitude.
It was pissing Ethan the fuck off, because he loved his town. He loved The Pancake Bar, which had been awarded the “best pancakes in the world” in 1990 by some small magazine, yet Basil still advertised it like it was yesterday. He loved the black-and-white theater that had missed the memo that color was introduced to film in the early nineteen hundreds. He even loved the eighties-themed bar with the old-school TV.
So Ward failing to do his job to keep the town safe, while also refusing to give up the badge, was making Ethan mad as hell. There were still three years left on Ward’s term as sheriff, and it felt too long.
He pulled into a gas station to fill the truck. When he got back in, a text came up on his phone.
His mouth stretched into a smile. It was the group chat with his old team.
Joel: The neighbor’s dog ate my glacier lilies.
What was a glacier lily? But Ryan got the text in first.
Ryan: What the hell’s a glacier lily?
Joel: It’s a flower, jackass.
Connor: I just Googled it. Glacier lilies can be toxic for dogs. Is your neighbor’s dog dead?
Joel: Going by the vomit on my front porch this morning, I’d say no.
Ethan’s lips twitched. He fucking loved his friends. He’d loved them when they’d become a SEAL team, and nothing had changed. Although, living across the country from one another was fucking hard. Five of them were out, three still in.
Ethan typed out a reply.
Ethan: There you go, the dog got sick so they paid the price.
Joel: The mutt ate my flower and threw it up on my porch. I paid the price.
Ryan: Your neighbor obviously hates you. What did you do?
Joel: Existed. I just existed.
Ethan: Obviously, you’re in the wrong town. You should come to Deep River.
Joel: Any dogs there?
Ethan: We’ll find you a dog-free street.
Joel: Don’t tempt me.
Zack: Hey, do I get an invite?
Ethan: You can all get your asses here. But I’ll put you to work. God knows we need the help.
Connor: Still no luck on the missing tourist?
Ethan: None. It’s a mess. But you’re right, your dog problem’s bad too.
Joel: Hey. It’s a flower problem. I grew those babies with my bare hands.
