Chapter One
Rowan
"Mr. Pierce, it's good to see you again." I stuff my work gloves into my back pocket before reaching my hand out to shake Mrs. Chambers' outstretched one.
"Hey, Mrs. C. How have you been?"She smiles warmly before looking down at the stack of papers she's always carrying around and back up to me.
"Same, still buried under a mountain of papers and loving every minute of it."
I laugh because most people would hate the amount of paperwork she has to do on a daily basis, but I guess when it's for a good reason it makes it a whole lot more tolerable."Got a place to put me in there?"I nod toward the stack.
"I always have a place for you, Mr. Pierce. You know that."
"Call me Rowan, Mrs. C. Mr. Pierce is my dad."
She cocks her head to the side before turning and walking down the short hallway to her office."I'll think about it, but I'm rather fond of Mr. Pierce. Seems fitting with those little grey hairs you have coming up on your chin."
I jerk to a stop, my hand immediately going to the short but trim beard covering my face, suddenly self-conscious."I do not have grey hairs."
Mrs. C snickers before pulling out her squeaky office chair."Relax, child, I was just messing with you. You just have the one."
She has a mirror hanging on one of her walls in the small but quaint office. I practically run to it. I tilt my head up, inspecting the area for any signs of a grey or white hair because that shit is about to get plucked right the hell out.
I'm too young for that shit.
I turn my head every which way, my fingers frantically running through the coarse brown hair, but I don't see anything.
That snicker of hers has turned into a full-blown cackle."You make this too easy,"she says between fits of laughter.
"Are you pulling my chain right now, Mrs. C?"What a sly little minx ol' Mrs. C is turning out to be.
She has to be in her late fifties, with a full head of grey hair that's always styled in tight curls. The fine lines surrounding her eyes and mouth tell me she's not afraid to laugh or smile, the kind that only comes with a life well lived.
"Of course not, Mr. Pierce. I know what I saw."She manages to keep a straight face this time, but barely.
Mrs. C and I have gotten to know each other pretty well over the past few weeks, ever since I volunteered with Stella and Wyatt to help build a house for displaced women and children.
My stomach dips a little at the thought of Stella. I quickly push away the feeling that I've unfortunately become very accustomedto ever since I decided—against my better judgment—to fall for a girl who was in love with another guy.
Stupid, I know.
A lot of shit went down in a matter of a few weeks. Things I would rather not think about right now because if I do, I'll end up punching a hole in Mrs. C's wall.
I like her too much to risk messing up her office that I know is her home away from home.
See, Mrs. C here runs the whole thing, she tells the volunteers when and where to show up, orders supplies, and manages the work crews outside of the volunteers.
It's a massive job, one that she does almost flawlessly. She's one of the most selfless people I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know.
And she's been a saving grace for me, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't even realize it.
This year has been hard.
When I say hard, I mean that I was in a horrific car crash with my best friend's girlfriend earlier this year. My car went over a bridge railing and into the icy river below. I barely made it out of the car in time to save myself and Lily, my best friend's girlfriend—but when I pulled her out of the car and dragged her to the riverbank, she wasn't breathing.
I spent twenty minutes performing CPR before my best friend, Luka, showed up to help me. Between the two of us, we were able to bring her back, but I haven't been the same ever since.
That day fucked with my head in more ways than one. I used to be the carefree guy everyone loved to be around. My nickname is Lucky Charm because everyone, including my whole family, says I possess an unnatural amount of luck.
