Chapter One
Paige Wilcox squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. She dreaded waking up and seeing Richard’s face leering down at her, while his favorite belt lay curled in his ham-sized fist like a snake. But she had to wake up eventually to face Richard and the rest of the day.
She silently counted to ten in her head, then opened her eyes, surprised to see the dingy beige ceiling above her and the wobbly ceiling fan. The first thing she did after getting the keys to this one-bedroom apartment was clean that filthy ceiling fan.
“I’m free of my ex-husband. Richard can no longer touch me,” she whispered to herself. Her daily mantra.
She extracted herself out of bed, unsurprised to find her hair damp and her sleeping shirt soaked.
She’d moved back to Grace only a week ago. Even with his connections, Richard wouldn’t think to look for her here, the small town in the boondocks where she spent her childhood. Never in Paige’s wildest imagination did she picture returning to Grace.
She was born and raised in Grace. Paige had her first motorcycle ride, met and fell for her first love here. She vaguely wondered if Gunner still lived in Grace.
She’d seen a couple of the bikers in town. The MC still claimed Grace as their territory and base of operations. Gunner’s old man had been a patched member of the Ruthless Reapers MC, and Gunner always told her he’d follow in his old man’s footsteps.
Wild and misunderstood Gunner, with those intense brooding gray eyes and dark hair. The mayor’s daughter and the town’s bad boy—the two of them were fuel for town gossip in the old days.
Paige hadn’t thought of Gunner in years. No, that was a lie.
During nights when Richard left her a bloodied mess on their bathroom floor, Paige often liked to think of the good old days. Days when a boy she fiercely loved treated her like a queen. Like a precious gift. Richard always belittled her, told her he could’ve done better.
She shook her head and refused to spare another thought for her ex-husband.
After a quick shower, she dressed in jeans and a plain white blouse. She tied her bronze curls in a ponytail and didn’t bother with makeup. She no longer needed to constantly doll herself up to impress guests or pretend she was someone else.
Hell, after five years of being in a crappy marriage, Paige no longer recognized the woman staring back at her in the mirror. A complete stranger.
No matter. Paige had time to discover herself, her likes and dislikes. To build a life for herself and start fresh. She only had to ensure Richard never found out where she lived.
Paige knew her ex-husband. She had shocked him and his pretentious family when she told her lawyer she didn’t want any of his money or a share of his property. She only wanted his signature on the divorce papers. That move completely alienated Paige from her own parents. Not that she was surprised. They had never been close. Her mother called her foolish for not accepting anything from the divorce. Meanwhile, her father decided to never speak to her again because her link to the Maxwells made him feel important.
Around eleven, Paige wandered into town and ate brunch at the local diner. At this time of the day, the lunch crowd hadn’t arrived. She had half an hour to herself, so she took her time eating her toast and eggs. Since she ate most of her meals here, the waitresses usually sat her at her favorite booth by the window. The spot gave her a perfect view of the small, independent bookstore across the street.
Would today be the day she’d gather the courage to ask the proprietor about theHelp Wantedsign? Her palms grew sweaty at the thought. When had she become such a coward?
Oh, she knew the answer to that one. Over the years, Paige had allowed Richard to dominate more and more aspects of her life. She started believing his foul lies and saw herself as something less. Worthless.
She now understood that was only his way of keeping her in line. She arrived in the city, hopeful and straight out of high school. At nineteen, she’d been wooed by the charms and wealth of an older man. Only after their wedding night had she understood she’d fallen into a monster’s trap.
“I’ll ask about the job today,” Paige whispered to herself.
She finished her food and coffee. After paying her bill, she exited the diner. As she crossed the street, Paige heard the rumble of motorcycle engines. Some of the locals on the street quickly entered shops.
Nothing would deter her today. She made it across the street without breaking down once. Paige took a deep breath, then opened the door.
Yesterday, she made it inside the store, too. Paige ended up buying a book instead of asking about the ad outside the door.
The shop’s proprietor, a steely-eyed and white-haired woman in her late sixties, nodded to her as Paige turned left instead of going straight to the cash register.
What the heck was wrong with her? When had everything gotten so hard, even a simple conversation? She pretended to browse the romance shelf although she’d already done so plenty of times.
“Done with your last book already?” asked the proprietor.
The old woman stood close enough to Paige that she could finally read the small nametag on her blouse. Agatha. She seemed to be restocking books near the shelf Paige was currently lurking at.
“Um, yes. It was very enjoyable,” Paige answered. Not exactly a lie. She had gotten hooked on a romance series she discovered by accident.
“Well, Missy Lowell’s next book is coming out next month. They’re so popular, I made a huge order,” Agatha said conversationally. Paige realized it was just two of them in the store now.
