“Binxy boy!” I drop my bag to the ground and crouch down. My old black cat meows and trots over, big belly swinging. He sniffs me, rubs his head against my hand, then hisses. “Thanks. I missed you too.”

I do smell like dog. And probably sex. Both scents on me are new to him. Yawning, I stand. It’s after midnight, and I’m exhausted from the drive. I left a lot later than I planned and got stuck in traffic.

“Becca?” I drop my keys in the decorative bowl on the entryway table. Technically, we don’t have an entryway. The door opens into the living room, which connects to the small kitchen and eating area. There are two bedrooms and one bathroom, and after a week of being at the Kellers’ and Jack’s, the apartment seems extra small.

Becca’s bedroom door is closed, and I have no idea if she’s is there sleeping or not. Some nights she’s in bed by nine. Others, she’s out until three AM. You never know with her. I stand outside her door and send her a text, telling her I’m home. I don’t hear her phone sound from inside her room, so I assume she’s out.

I drag my bag into my room, thankful Stephanie did all my laundry before I left. I get my stuff put away by the time Becca texts me back, saying she’s out with Liam and will be home soon. Soon could be anywhere from five minutes to another hour, so I reply and tell her I’m going to shower and go to bed.

Normally, when I’d return after a visit home to Dale Hollow, my bed here in the apartment is so welcome and comfy. But not now. I miss Jack with my whole heart, and I hate how we left things unsettled.

He asked me to call him when I got into town so he’d know I made the drive okay. We talked not long ago, but our conversation was cut short when he got an email from the publisher, moving up a deadline on one of the covers Jack was working on from the end of the week to tomorrow. He guessed he had at least eight hours of work left to do on it, which makes me appreciate the cover art on books so much more.

I’m opening at the coffee shop tomorrow, and I’m dreading getting up early. Knowing I need to fall asleep now to avoid feeling dead tired stresses me out, making it harder to fall asleep. I can’t stop thinking about Jack. As much as I feel for him for the sudden tight deadline, knowing he’ll be up most the night and not lying alone in bed is oddly comforting.

I toss and turn for a while, missing the feel of his body against mine. I’m too tired to be horny at the moment, but I know I’ll be missing the feeling of his hands all over my body and his big cock between my legs soon enough.

It feels like only seconds passed between falling asleep and my alarm going off. I hit snooze three times, dragging my ass out of bed when the sheer panic of I only have fifteen minutes to get ready hits.

Becca’s door is open, and I can see her in bed. Sleeping. I narrow my eyes with jealousy. I want to be back in my bed right now. I get dressed, throw my hair into a messy braid, put concealer over the dark circles under my eyes, and head out the door. The good thing about working in a coffee shop is always having coffee readily available in the mornings. And this morning, I’m going to need a lot.

The day drags on, and I check my phone every chance I get. When I haven’t heard from Jack by ten-thirty, I figure he was up all night and is still asleep. I tell myself the same at noon. When I clock out at two o’clock and still haven’t heard from him, a ball of dread forms in my stomach.

Not that something necessarily bad happened to him, but he went back to thinking I’m better off without him. If that’s the case, I don’t know who I should be more pissed off with: myself or him.

I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew the dangers and the risks of loving a man with a dark and harrowed past. Yet there is nothing else I can do with Jack besides love him.

There’s still a chance he worked all night, crashed, and had to get right back to the computer, painstakingly drawing the incredibly detailed mermaid scales one by one. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt even though deep down, I know I shouldn’t.

I call as I walk from the coffee shop to the apartment and get his voicemail.

“Hey,” I say to the machine. “I miss you, and I hope you got everything done on time. Call me when you can. I love you.” After double checking my phone isn’t on silent anymore, I stick it back in my purse and tell myself not to obsessively check. I’ll hear if Jack calls.

When Jack calls.

I get back to the apartment and find Becca and Liam lounging on the couch. I change into sleeper shorts and a T-shirt, then join them, binging on vegan cookie dough and last season’s The Bachelor. They ask about Jack and we all gush over him. Now, if only he’d call me back…

Two episodes later, I get up to use the bathroom and call Jack again. He doesn’t answer, and this time I don’t leave a message. He’s just busy. Maybe working. Maybe sleeping. Or maybe he went hiking. The cell service at the cabin is spotty. On the trails it’s nonexistent.

“What’s the plan for dinner?” Becca asks. “Ever since Nicole mentioned the new Taco Bar last night, it’s like all I can think about.”

“Girl, me too.” Liam sets the cookie dough down. “I can try to get us a reservation. It’s not a weekend so we might get lucky.”

“Nora?” All eyes fall on me.

“Yeah. I never say no to tacos.”

Liam’s able to get us a table at six, which doesn’t give us much time to get ready. Liam leaves, needing to go home to shower and change.

“Do you need to wash your hair?” Becca asks me.

“No, I did last night. Though I think my braid smells like coffee. I splashed a mocha all over myself today.”

“I was trying to figure out what that good smell was,” Becca laughs. “I do need to wash my hair. I haven’t in a few days. Or shaved.”

“Go. You take longer than me to get ready anyway.”

“Guilty. Hey, can I contour your face?”

“Please do!” I love when Becca does my makeup. She makes me look flawless.

“I was kind of thinking about starting a makeup YouTube channel, actually,” she says slowly, unsure of herself. “Is that stupid?”

“No, not at all. I’ve watched hours of makeup tutorials—and I still never look half as good—but I love them. Lots of people do. And you’re so good at makeup you’d rock it.”

“Thanks. I’d start it for fun, of course, and just see where it goes. I’ll set a moisturizer out for you to use after you wash your face,” she says and then goes into the bathroom. I lean back on the couch and make it through the end of the current episode before I grab my phone. I’m checking the time, not if I somehow missed another call or text from Jack.

I didn’t.

“What’s going on, Jack?” I whisper, closing my eyes. “Just call. Please.”

My phone rings. What the heck? It’s like I made it happen. I know by the ringtone it’s not Jack. Crystal plays when he calls. I don’t know the number, but I do recognize the area code to be from Dale Hollow. My hands shake, and every bad scenario plays out in my head.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hi, is Nora available?”

“This is her.”

“Hi, Nora, this is Karen Young.”

I blink, hand flying to my heart. Jack hasn’t been mauled by bears. “Oh, hi. How are you?”

She laughs. “You sound surprised.”

“I am a little.”

“Don’t be. Your resume is very impressive for a new grad and I would love another woman in this workplace, which is why I called.”

My eyes widen. Is she going to offer me a job?

“I’m hoping you’ll consider working with Young Construction. We’re a smaller company, but I have big plans for the next year, and I think you’d be a great addition to the team.”

“Oh, wow,” I say.

“We have been outsourcing many of our architectural and engineering needs, and it’s time to officially have our own on staff. I have the formal job listing typed up and can email it to you if you’re interested.”

“Yes,” I say, trying not to sound too eager. “I am very interested.”

“Great. I will have Rachel send it right over along with some information about salary and benefits. I look forward to hearing back from you, Nora.”

“Thank you,” I say and hang up, immediately going to my email. In my mind, Rachel had the information already written up and was waiting with the mouse hovering over ‘send’ the entire time Karen was on the phone. Two minutes and no new emails later, I know that wasn’t the case.

“Holy shit. I got offered a job,” I tell Binx. He’s sleeping by the window and doesn’t open his eyes. My first instinct is to call Jack and tell him the good news. I press his name on my phone and wait.

My call goes to voicemail after two rings. Did he hang up on me? I stare at the phone. He did by accident. He’s going to call back any minute now.

Only he doesn’t.

Not a minute later.

Not two.

Or three.

My email alert sounds on my phone, and I shake myself and open my emails. Rachel sent over the job description. I scan through it, too impatient to read the whole thing. I miss too much and have to go back and scan it again, only to run into the same exact problem.

Third time’s a charm, and I read through it at a normal speed. I’d be a manager and would start out on the lower end of the pay scale for new grads, but it’s more than what I’d make as an intern. The benefits are good, though, and the health insurance is actually affordable.

I’m going to accept. I call Karen back and get her voicemail, telling me she’s out of the office and won’t be back until the morning. Before I can call Stephanie, Becca comes out of the bathroom, asking why I didn’t wash my face yet. I need to let the moisturizer sink in before she can do my makeup. I set my phone done, mind whirling, and go into the bathroom to wash my face.

“I got offered a job in Dale Hollow,” I tell her, rubbing the cream into my skin.

Becca leans out of her doorway. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No. Doug arranged an interview for me at a construction company. The owner retired, and his daughter took over. She called while you were in the shower and offered me a job.”

Becca blinks, and I know she’s sad at the thought of me leaving. Then she smiles. “That’s amazing, Nora. You took the offer, right?”

“I haven’t yet, but only because the owner is out of the office now.” I frown. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“I don’t want to leave you either, but…” She bites her lip. “I’ve been thinking about going back to L.A. My heart is in acting and I want to give it one more shot. My dad’s going to start working for the CW and there will be lots of open doors from there.”

We stare at each other, realizing we’re both at a crossroad. It’s exciting and sad at the same time.

“No matter where we end up, we’ll still be friends,” I assure her. “And L.A. is closer to Dale Hollow than Berkeley is.”

“That’s true.”

I grab Becca’s makeup bag and sit in our small kitchen, waiting for her. She lays everything out on the counter and starts working on my face.

Half an hour later, I look amazing. I carefully curl my hair while she gets ready, and by the time Liam gets here, we’re running late.

And Jack hasn’t called me back. Something terrible happened, one way or another. Either he’s pushing me away again, or something actually happened to him. If I don’t hear from him by the end of the night, I’m calling Veronica to make sure Jack is at least okay.

The tacos are good, and I enjoy being out with my friends. It’s loud in the restaurant, and I obsessively check my phone. Becca orders a pitcher of margaritas, and when I pour a glass for myself, she calls me out.

“What the hell is going on? You’re picking at your food, you’ve hardly talked, and now you’re drinking?”

I bring the drink to my lips and take a few big sips. It’s strawberry, and oh so good. My eyes fall shut, forcing back tears. I take another big drink and look at my friends.

“History is about to repeat itself.”