Chapter One
“Chase Hamilton is back in town.”
Mia read the text again, shaking her head. This town and its rumor mill. Like the Golden Boy of Sapphire Falls would have the time or inclination to come back for a visit.
Chase hadn’t been home in eleven years, not since the day after graduation, when he’d thrown a couple of suitcases in the back of his beater truck and headed west seeking fame and fortune. He hadn’t been back for holidays, or his mom’s fiftieth birthday, or their tenth high school reunion.
To be fair, he had flown his mom out to the coast for a birthday weekend in Hollywood. And he was pretty busy—all you had to do was check his IMDb page to figure that out.
But coming home to Sapphire Falls? Especially after he’d sworn he was done with this town and everyone in it? She’d believe it when she saw it.
Mia tapped out a quick “not possible” to her best friend and co-worker, Jessie, then tucked her phone into the pocket of her armband. It was gearing up to be a miserably hot day, and she needed to get this run in before she could use the weather as an excuse to skip it.
Good Lord, she hated running. So, so much.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming message, but she ignored it. Putting her earbuds in, she headed out the front door of her little duplex and started a quick jog down the pathway to the main sidewalk. She’d head through town, then cut across to the river for some off-road jogging. It would be cooler there, near the water and under the canopy of trees that lined the banks. A little rougher and more uneven surface to run on, but it was a reasonable trade off to having the sun beat down on her relentlessly the whole way.
She double-checked the water bottle strapped to her waist and turned onto the main street through town.
Time to get this over with.
*
Chase ignored the obnoxious ring of the landline phone his mother insisted on keeping. He rolled over and clutched the pillow over his head, hoping it would muffle the sound.
It worked. A little. And thank God, his mom answered the call.
Now, if she’d just stick with the cell phone he’d gotten her years ago, she could keep the phone with her and answer it right away instead of having to walk all the way through the house to get the call. Who used a landline anymore?
Apparently, his mom. And he had to admit that cell service could be a bit spotty in this part of the country. But still.
He snuck his head out from under the pillow. His mom was still talking, her voice a soft and friendly murmur, too far away to make out the words. It reminded him of the teacher in those Peanuts cartoons, a wah-wah-wah sound that provided background noise but no information.
He heard her hang up, and her footsteps grew nearer.
Nope. Not ready to talk yet.
Closing his eyes again, he willed his breathing to slow down, mimicking the easy rhythm of sleep. She tapped lightly on the door and opened it a crack.
He ignored it and continued to pretend he was asleep.
After a few moments, she closed the door and went away.
Chase shoved down the twinge of guilt and stayed still long after she’d moved on to other things.
Sleep dragged him down, his last thought before going under that at least his acting training was good for something.
*
Mia was sweating, and grumpy, and sore by the time she got back from her run.
Endorphins? That runner’s high everyone always talked about?
Utter bullshit.
At least as far as she was concerned.
But it kept her in shape, so she ran. It helped that she was stubborn too.
Still, a little euphoria mixed in with the pound-pound-pound of feet on pavement wouldn’t hurt.
She bent over, breathing and stretching at the same time, then opened the Velcro pocket on her armband and retrieved her phone.
Wow, she’d seriously undercounted the number of texts Jessie had sent her while out on her run.
“I’m not kidding.”
“Call me.”
“Marta saw him pull up to his mama’s house in his fancy convertible last night.”
“She was watching The Late Show and heard the engine through the open window.”
“Says he has at least three suitcases with him.”
“You know she’s not making it up. She lives right next door, remember?”
“CALL ME. NOW.”
Mia’s heart started pounding again, this time for reasons that had nothing to do with her recent aerobic exercise. It couldn’t be Chase. Could it?
She took a swig from her now-warm water bottle, trying to slow down her breathing. It could be a different relative. Mrs. Hamilton could be renting out the back bedroom to someone arriving early to work at the festival. She could have a secret boyfriend visiting from out of town.
At that one, she snorted. That was even unlikelier than Chase coming home after all these years.
Okay. Okay, maybe it was him. So what? It’s not like he would even remember graduation night, or how she’d made an utter fool out of herself trying to turn their stage kisses into real ones.
Or if he remembered, it would be fondly, right? They’d both grown up, moved on, gotten some life perspective. They could laugh about it over a beer.
It’s not like he’d be staying permanently. No matter how many suitcases he’d brought, his life was in Hollywood. He had too much going for him to disappear in Sapphire Falls for more than a little while.
She closed the front door behind her and headed into the kitchen. Time to hydrate, eat something, and call Jessie back. She had a feeling she’d need the energy to make it through the conversation.
Not to mention the next couple of days.
*
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
Chase glanced at the clock above the stove. “It’s one-thirty in the afternoon, Mom.”
“I know.” She poured him a cup of coffee and pushed it across the table to him. “But when you don’t roll out of bed until one-thirty in the afternoon, good morning seems like a reasonable greeting.”
“Ha.” He took a sip and winced as it burned his tongue. “Time zones, Mom. I’m still acclimating.”
“You just don’t want me to think it’s part of your fancy Hollywood lifestyle,” she said sweetly. “Especially since there is no way you can convince me that two hours difference makes you wake up this late.”
“Stop being so smart,” he grumbled. “Is there anything to eat around here?”
“Chase Matthew Hamilton, I can’t believe you asked me that question. Of course there’s something to eat around here. It’s like you never lived under my roof or something.” She finished wiping down the counter and draped the cloth over the faucet. “But you’ll have to get it yourself, Mr. Superstar. I’ve got an appointment downtown and I don’t want to be late.”
“Feed myself? What is this world coming to?” He stood up and kissed her on the cheek. “Sorry I’m in a mood. Good luck with your appointment.” Was she sick? She didn’t seem sick. But he hadn’t been around to really know for sure.
“I won’t need luck. Gena is great with my hair. Well, ninety-five percent of the time.” She crossed her fingers and let herself out the door with a wave.
A hair appointment? His arrival would be all over town by the end of the shampooing.
If it wasn’t common knowledge already.
There were some things he liked about small towns. The efficiency of the gossip mill wasn’t one of them. Neighborly chatter was more effective than TMZ half the time.
Last night, his mom had insisted on him parking behind the house, instead of on the street, because the paparazzi would be less likely to track him down that way.
Yeah, not really an issue. But you sure couldn’t tell his mom that.
To humor her, he’d pulled his car around back. Now she was probably busy spreading the news to everyone she knew in Sapphire Falls.
Moms. Gotta love them.
Chase glanced over at the clock on the wall. Still not quite two pm.
A little early for a drink, even for a Hollywood hedonist like himself.
Grumbling, he opened the fridge and pulled out the covered casserole on the middle shelf. It may be too early for a beer, but it was never too early for leftovers.
Maybe once he had a full stomach, he could start facing the disaster his life had turned into.
Or maybe it would be late enough he could dive into that beer and forget it all.