CHAPTER ONE
Malone
May
Rolling over in my childhood bed, I reach over, grabbing my phone off the nightstand. Three months ago I was one of the most sought-after entertainment journalists in the world. My phone was never quiet, I always had at least thirty messages at a time.
Until the great fuck over.
I call it the great fuck over, because there was a concentrated plan by three people at the company I worked for, who’d conspired to get me fired. Spoiler alert – they succeeded.
Judging by the empty cell phone I have, I’m not sure I’ll ever have a job again, at least one in the field I love so much.
“Malone! Time to get up!” My Mom yells from the kitchen.
Oh yeah, did I mention I’ve had to move back home? As in with my parents. Back to Willow’s Gap, Georgia. A small town that holds too many memories? The last few months have been hard, but the last two days? They’ve been the absolute worst. Every turn of this town reminds me of something I’d rather forget.
“I’m up, I’ll be down in a few,” I yell back to her.
She’s trying to keep me from being depressed, by making sure I get up and do something every day. While I understand her intentions, I would really appreciate a few days to lick my wounds. I’m mourning the loss of life I know it. All the cool stuff I got to do, when I lived in Los Angeles.
Now I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do any of that stuff again.
* * *
“You’ve gotta get out there,” Mom is saying as I sit at the kitchen table, eating a piece of toast with her homemade strawberry jelly on it. “At least get some applications in. With the summer season coming up, people will be hiring, and beggars can’t be choosers,” she reminds with the raise of an eyebrow.
She’s saying it without really saying it. I have bills to pay, and if I don’t get off my ass, I’ll be stuck not only living with my parents but having my car repo’d and my credit completely trashed.
“I’m going to,” I sigh, taking a drink of my coffee. “Today I’m going to.”
“Del’s is hiring,” she hands me a piece of bacon.
I most definitely won’t be working at Del’s Diner. Too many memories. From the greatest to the worst ever. “I’ll look into it,” I tell her, just to pacify this situation. “I’m gonna head downtown and see what’s going on.”
“I love you, Malone. I just want you to not let this break you. Not like last time.”
And here we go. “Mom, I lost the love of my life last time I broke. This is a job. Not the person I was going to spend the rest of my days with.” Somehow, it still hurts talking about it. Even though I was a teenager the last time I left small-town Georgia.
“He’s back in town, ya know?”
“I’d have to be living under a rock to not know that,” I take a snapping bite of the bacon. It had been national news when Slater tore his ACL, and for a few weeks, no one had left him alone. Even though I’ve tended to be able to ignore stories about him since we broke up, this one I’d read. A part of me wonders who’s taking care of him. Probably some chick with fake tits and lip fillers.
“He’s at his momma’s,” she continues. “Going to physical therapy when he has to, the family is driving him around.”
“Good to know he’s still got them,” I take a drink of my coffee, staring off into space. “His girlfriend probably stayed behind in Birmingham.”
She snorts. “Malone girl, you got a lot to learn. For most of your life you’ve made a lot of assumptions, and I think having to come home and face the truth, is gonna be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
I have nothing else to say, so I set my cup down. “Guess I should get moving on finding a job. See ya later, Mom,” I lean down, kissing her on the cheek. “Be back later.”
As I step out onto the front porch, I take a deep breath, and hope that not everyone in this town has the same opinion of me she does.
Savage
“Want your usual?” Stephanie, the morning waitress at Del’s asks as I have a seat in the booth I’ve proclaimed as my own. She and my Mom are friends, they went to school together, and while my parents were married. Stephanie started a job here, that she’s never quite given up. The people of this town though, we love her to death.
“Hell yes, I’m starving,” I rub my stomach with the palm of my hand.
“You’re always starving,” she gives me a grin.
“Because I always come in here after going to physical therapy. They work me hard,” I remind her.
Sinking into the booth, I put my leg up, sighing as it’s finally allowed time to rest. The PT I’m going through is hard, but it’s what I’ll have to do if I want to be able to play professional baseball again.
“You want me to double your order?”
“Why not?” I shrug. It’s an omelet and I’m definitely losing more calories than I’m putting back in. I’ve lost ten pounds since the injury, and I can’t afford to lose much more. “Add some bacon and sausage to it.”
“Will do,” she sets a coffee and a water in front of me.
Glancing around the room, I nod at the group of older men sitting at a table not too far away from me, before I grab my phone and start checking emails. Even though my season is done, for the most part, I still have appearances I’m hoping to be able to make in a few months, endorsement deals, and paid sponsorships that have to be posted on social media. My agent has promised to keep me in the forefront of fans minds, and I know he will.
Logging onto Instagram, I see that I’ve been tagged in a multitude of get well posts. It’s happened every day since I went down in spring training. Most everyone told me I needed to rehab in Birmingham with team doctors, surrounded by my teammates, but the truth is I needed a break. I know myself and being with the team, while not being able to play, would have driven me insane.
“Here ya go,” Stephanie pushes a plate of food in front of me, along with a bottle of hot sauce.
“You know what I like,” I give her a smile before I liberally dose the omelet, and move to take a bite.
“She’s back, ya know?” Stephanie says right as the fork is situated at my mouth.
“Who’s back?”
“Your girl. She rolled into a town a few days ago.”
I force myself to put the bite of food into my mouth and chew, before taking a drink of my coffee. “Don’t have a girl.”
Stephanie laughs. “Sure ya do, and look alive, she’s walking in right now.”
Over my egg white omelet and the cup of coffee I’m holding in my hand, I see the girl, now woman, who broke my heart all those years ago.
Malone Fulcher. No one’s come close, lived up to, or taken her place in my heart since that summer night we both drove away from Williow’s Gap and never looked back. As our eyes meet, a film strip of memories replays in my head, and I wonder if this small town is big enough for the both of us.