“Okay, well, we’re not that far if you need anything. And text me when you get there, so I know you aren’t in a ditch on the side of the road!”
“Yes, Mom.” I smile as I hang up the phone.
My smile instantly drops as I think about what I’m doing.
When did I start running away from my problems instead of facing them head-on? Will I ever feel sure of myself again?
I pull into the driveway of my little rental and stare at it. The house is not awful. In fact, it could be really cute if I added some flowers to the front and tidied up the yard. It’s a little, 900-square-foot bungalow with a good-sized backyard that backs up to a greenway. It’s the sole reason I jumped on it so fast. I imagined sitting on the back porch and staring out into the wildflowers, thinking about how happy I am with my life.
Yeah, right. It’ll take a lot more than wildflowers to be happy with my life right now.
I hate this so much. I’m thirty-four years old. I should have my shit together. Instead, all I want to do is hide out in my new home and ignore the world and my problems, hoping they magically disappear. Adulting is overrated anyway.
Well, that’s exactly what I plan to do for the foreseeable future.
I hop out of my car as I nod to the imaginary devil on my shoulder and grab the suitcase from the back seat. The POD with all my other shit should be delivered in the next couple of hours, so until then, I’ll check out the wildflowers.
The house is actually in great shape. You can never really tell online when you’re just looking at pictures, so it’s a relief to see it’s not falling apart at the seams. It consists of one large open area that contains the kitchen and living room, with the bedroom and bathroom off to one side of the house.
I beeline it to the French door and see a large deck that spans the entire length of the house, and my heart starts to feel ten times lighter. Walking through the doors, I drop down on the edge of the deck and swing my legs as I peer up at the sky. Vitamin D is supposed to cure all, right?
Moving home isn’t something I ever thought I would do, and coming to terms with the decision is harder than I thought it would be.
The only good thing is it didn’t take me long to find a new job. It’s nowhere near the ambitious and demanding financial advisor career I had, but maybe a change of pace is a good thing. Plus, the company is based in Bluebell Falls, so it just makes life easy all around right now.
Sure, being a virtual assistant and someone’s lackey is definitely better.
I roll my eyes, annoyed with the pessimist currently infiltrating my mind.
I don’t have much of a choice at the moment, so bitching about it won’t actually solve anything. I honestly don’t know if I want to solve anything. Being in a demanding job in a male-dominated field was fucking hard, but I was excelling. Until Lance got that damn promotion, and his true, asshole personality came through. Do I even want to stay in a field that prioritizes misogynistic assholes like that? At the moment, hell no. And when I took a step back and looked at the life I had created in Austin, the only bright spot was Larkin and her family. I never went out with friends, always too busy working. I never really got past date three with anyone recently, so it’s not like I had a thriving love life there, either.
Those realizations about my life are the reason I’m back here, in a town I wanted nothing to do with for years. It’s why I chose this little bungalow on the outskirts of town, away from neighbors and people. People haven’t been a positive in my life in a long time, so hiding away from them seems like a great option to re-prioritize my life.
Maybe I should pick up a hobby… Knitting? Is that still a thing people do? Or maybe I’ll get a gaming console and play video games with my nephew.
I pull out my phone and text Larkin, asking what console they have. When she answers me, I immediately go online and order one, along with some games I’ve heard Gavin talk about non-stop. I can still be the cool aunt from two hours away, right?
God, I hope so, because I desperately need a distraction.
Tilting my head back, my eyes close, and I soak in the dying warmth of the day.
Who needs a booming career and amazing food all within their fingertips? Not this girl. I’ll just find those copycat recipes online and try to replicate all my favorites.
The closing of a car door interrupts my cooking plans.
“Annie?” my dad calls out.
A smile creeps onto my face at the nickname he’s always called me. That didn’t take long. “Back here, Dad!” I yell out.
“There she is! Your sister called us to tell us you made it. I brought your favorite pizza from Mullin’s,” he says as he plops down next to me, and my mom shuffles through the gate, holding a basket of God knows what.
Mullin’s is that greasy, cheap pizza I survived high school on. It’s nostalgia, through and through.
The smell of small-town, fresh air, and greasy memories makes me think this move might not be so bad.
Chapter 2
Ledger
