But he never comes.
Luke’s absence hits harder than I expect. His callousness leaves me breathless, a punch in the gut when I least expect it. Itold myself I could handle this, that I was prepared for whatever happens between us, but I wasn’t ready for him to disappear.
I never would’ve guessed that my deepest scar wouldn’t come from the boy I left…but from the one I thought would never leave.
Chapter One
Olivia
“Edna, I’m not wearing those. They’re basically long-sleeve panties.” I hold up the black pair of tights my elderly neighbor brought over and has been trying to convince me to wear for my date this evening—a date that she, herself, arranged. My last three dates have gone horribly wrong, but Edna has been talking this man up, restoring a little hope within my heart.
She wiggles a bony finger my way before huffing in disapproval. “You never appreciate my fashion advice.”
“I’m surprised by it, is all.” Shrugging, I make my way into the kitchen and grab the plate of cupcakes I made for her.
“You have a gorgeous body. I’m just trying to help you emphasize it.”
I place the cupcakes on top of my counter and make my way over to my couch to pick up the old halter top Edna had grabbed from the back of my closet earlier. It belonged to my sister, Wren, whose style from the early 2000s is something I don’t want to explore today. “This top is a tad too revealing.”
“You know what they say: boobs are to men what laser pointers are to cats.” Edna flaps a hand in front of her chest, like the words that came out of her mouth were no big deal. Her perfectly cut, gray bob sways as she turns toward my kitchen. “I just want you to finally find someone to settle down with. I need grandbabies to love on.”
“Edna, you’re not my grandmother, and you already have six grandchildren,” I remind her.
“First of all, your kidswillcall me Grandma Edna. And I said grandbabies. My grandchildrenaren’t children anymore. I miss having little ones running around. Plus, you’re loud enough over here, blasting your music every second of the day. I’m already accustomed to the noise, so a baby crying won’t even bother me.”
I raise a brow at her. “So, that’s what you’re trying to do with these risqué outfits? You’re trying to pimp me out so I can birth you some babies to spoil?” I’m finally on to this woman and her evil schemes.
She smiles, the wrinkles by her bold red lips deepening with the movement, and I catch the slightest hint of a twinkle in her glassy green eyes. “Guilty as charged.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but your taste in men is terrible.”
Edna’s smile is quickly replaced with a disapproving scowl as she places her hands on her hips. “Now you take that back! I know at least one of those men had to have shown you a nice time.”
I roll my eyes, knowing full well that all three dates were a complete disaster. The first one, Justin, was the most normal out of the three. He only wanted to talk about his career as a car salesman, and at the end of the date, he drove us over to the dealership to try to sell me a car. Then there was Harvey, who ordered spicy Indian food that he could hardly handle. He drank his water, then drank my water, ordered some milk anddrank it, and ended up in the bathroom for the remainder of our date.
“Farnan was the most interesting date.” I press my lips together to hide a laugh, but Edna can see right through me.
“Oh, what did that boy do?” She tosses her hands up in the air, the sagging skin on her arms swaying with the movement.
“Where do I even begin?” I start, pausing for a moment as I shift through the memories of that eventful night, secretly loving how Edna’s frustration is radiating from her. “Let’s start with the fact that he talked about his little sister the whole time during dinner. ‘I sure do love my Brookie-Cookie,’ he kept mentioning, as if he’s overly affectionate with her. What really topped the night off was, after we grabbed some ice cream, he took me to his grandparents’ house—where they were sleeping, might I add—and woke them up so he could introduce me.”
Edna scoffs and flicks a hand at me. “But he’s such a sweetie. His red flags are heart shaped.”
I burst out in laughter as I march my way toward her and give her a side hug. This woman always brings the fun with her. I lucked out in the neighbor department when God blessed me with Edna Murphy. She has been a widow for nine years and is happily retired at the age of seventy-seven. Her days consist of running the gossip train in Covewood, Kentucky while being heavily involved in everyone’s lives—mine included.
“Well, surely Jerry will treat you better than them. Fourth time’s the charm,” she says.
“I hope you’re right.” I give her nose a small boop before reaching next to her for the plate of cupcakes.
I really need this date to go well. Lately, I’ve been feeling off, wondering what’s wrong with me, why my relationships always seem to fall apart. I know I can be a lot for some people. Maybe even a little intense sometimes. I’ve got energy for days, and I’m not afraid to share my opinion. I usually love fiercely, but for some reason, the men I date seem to fade away after a few weeks.What’s going on with that?
I’m scared that, at this point in my life, I’ll never be able to find someone to settle down with. I don’t know many twenty-nine-year-olds in Covewood who are still going out on blind dates. It seems like most of the people around me have settled down and started families of their own.
I’m sure some of these feelings started after watching Raine find her way back to Ryland. Seeing her reconnect with the love of her life—and get engaged—made me realize just how much I’ve been craving a family of my own. She’s about to become a wife and a stepmom. And here I am, clinging to the hope that maybe this date will be what I need to start something real.
After all, Edna has had nothing but good things to say about Jerry.
“I know that look. Stop it. Everything will be okay. If Jerry acts like a jerk, I will give his mother a call. She won’t be happy with what I’ll have to say,” Edna says reassuringly before giving my cheek a pat and taking the cupcakes from me. “Don’t you dare hold back. I want you to be yourself. And make sure he pays for the dinner.”
