My body lurches forward as the captain slams on the plane’s brakes. I clutch the armrests of my business-class recliner, my stomach rolling as the plane swerves left and then right on what looks like a makeshift runway.

The captain somehow regains control of the plane and steadies it. I loosen my death grip on the armrests and let out a shaky breath.

Ian nudges me. “You awake, Sleeping Beauty?”

“Barely,” I croak.

“Some of the people in business-class wanted to demote you to coach because of your snoring.” He snickers. “But I held them off.”

“Great. I’m forever in your debt.” I rub my eyes and peer down at the folder on my lap. I hadn’t gotten past page one before I’d succumbed to a fitful sleep on yet another flight. For as much flying as I do, I hate every second of it. Especially the trips that take me over large bodies of water. Or mountain ranges. And pretty much everything in between. Sharp pains in my chest assault me during takeoff while I wait for the Xanax to kick in, and then without fail, my body is alert and awake just in time to relish the nauseating finale.

But today, my mind and body are too paralyzed to panic about crash landings, fuel leaks, or engine failures. So the folder stayed open to page one for the entire flight. I flip it closed. Fuck it. I’ll read it on the drive to wherever the hell we’re headed.

I yawn, my body jerking forward again as the plane comes to a sharp stop. “Jesus! Did this guy actually graduate from flight school? Seems like he missed the lessons on landing and stopping the damn planes.”

“You’re pretty cranky right now, Princess. I need you to snap out of Grinch mode and get ready to woo these farmers with your winning personality. Think you can handle that?”

“Get me some coffee, and I promise I’ll turn on the charm full force.”

“Deal.”

Ping! The seatbelt sign flickers off, and I jump out of my chair, eager to feel solid ground under my feet. I grab my overnight bag, and as soon as the door opens, I haul ass off the plane. I shoot a dirty look at the smiling captain as I walk past the cockpit.

Fucking cowboy.

I pull my phone from my pocket and turn off Airplane Mode. It beeps and buzzes for a full minute with incoming text messages and voicemails. A quick scroll through my missed calls confirms that someone in the London office is pretty damn eager to get in touch.

I silence the groan building in my throat. They can’t possibly need anything more from me. I just spent a grueling three days debriefing the entire investment team about our portfolio status and fielding about a million-and-one questions about how our branch is going to show a profit this quarter and how quickly we’ll recoup our investments.

And they just loved the answers I had for them.

That’s why Ian and I are the so-called “dream team” — he finds the companies to invest in, and I figure out how we’re going to make the most money with them. Since we were sent out to California to run this satellite office two years ago, we’ve reported jaw-dropping growth in the green space. And the top dogs in London are living large off our deals.

Ian runs to catch up with me, my sights already set on a Starbucks. I rake a hand through my hair when it occurs to me that I slept through pretty much all of the announcements on the plane. What the hell airport are we at, anyway?

Caffeine will clear up the spiderwebs. And it’ll make me actually care a little bit more about what we’re doing here when all I want to do is find a hotel and sprawl out on a bed for the next twelve hours.

I get in line, staring up at the board when I know exactly what my order will be. It’s the same every time…double venti flat white. That’ll jump start me, and Ian will be a happy guy.

“Hey, I’m just going to let them know we’ve landed and we’ll meet them at the office this afternoon.” He nods at me. “You know, after you clean yourself up and turn back into human form. We want to make a good impression. Think wholesome. Not Euro trash.”

I wave him away. “Fuck off and make your call.” I turn to the barista, who has about ten piercings on her face and in her ears that I can count before placing my order. I force my eyes away from the hoop through her nose. Like a bull. Why the fuck would anyone do that to themselves? How do you even ask for that? “I’d like the bull nose ring, please.”

I order my drink, pay, and step to the side, my pulse pounding in anticipation of the caffeine flooding my veins. There are a few people before me in line, so I dial the London office.

The international ring tone bleeps in my ear a few times while I wait. A quick glance at my watch confirms that it’s just after eight o’clock in the evening. I don’t leave a message. If they need me, they know where to find me.

“Jack!” My name is finally called by another barista who has about fifty hoops up each ear, not to mention the clamps gripping each eyebrow. How the hell does she get through metal detectors? I guess it’s not necessary for airport employees.

I grab the cup, steam rising out of the tiny top hole. The scent of coffee wafts under my nose, and I know I must look like a crazed crack addict once they’ve gotten their hands on the goods, but I don’t give a damn. My mouth waters, lips puckered. The thick hot liquid hits my tongue and an instant jolt of electricity zaps me. My eyes open a little wider, my brain slightly more functional.

I feel human again.

What an amazing fucking drug. And the best part, it’s completely legal.

I walk over to Ian, feeling more alive with every step. I can do this. Crush the meeting, pass out immediately once my head hits the pillow. Wherever the hell that may be.

“Yes, we just landed. We’ll be there in about two hours. Jack and I are really excited to meet the people behind this whole operation.” Pause. “Yes, I have the address. Cringle Cove, right.”

Cue the record scratch sound effect.

I nudge Ian, my eyes as wide as I think they’ve been in the past twenty-four hours. I’m definitely awake now. My fingers tighten around the cup, blood rushing between my ears. Yeah, I don’t think I can be any more awake at this very minute.

“Okay, Tessa. We’ll see you soon.”

Fuck me. I stand corrected.

Ian clicks off his phone and narrows his eyes at me. “Jack, what the hell is up with you? You look possessed, dude. And only a minute ago you were borderline zombie apocalypse.”

“Where are we going?” I struggle to keep my voice even.

“Cringle Cove. Didn’t you read through the paperwork?”

“I dozed off before I could get past page one. And who are the owners of this company?” My chest tightens. It can’t be…but it very well might be…holy fuck, please no…

“The Ellis family. The company was founded by the mom and dad, and one of their daughters is my contact. Tessa. Hot as fuck, but don’t worry. I didn’t touch, just fantasized a little.” He snickers, bending to pick up his duffel bag.

I don’t speak. I don’t move. Hell, I don’t breathe.

“You know, you really need to read some of this over before we show up there, Jacko. How the hell are we supposed to talk offers if you don’t even know who you’re talking to?”

Memories long buried explode from the depths of my mind, blasting away any thoughts of organic vegetables and contracts. “You didn’t tell me we were coming to Cringle Cove,” I choke.

“You would have known if you’d read the briefing packet.” He rolls his eyes and scrolls through screens on his phone. “Come on, I just called an Uber. It’s going to take about forty minutes to get there, and you need to get cleaned up before the meeting.” He raises his eyes from his phone. “Why are you just standing there? We don’t have a lot of time before the meeting. We really need to close out the year with a bang, Jacko. The London office is expecting numbers with a hell of a lot of zeroes after them in our portfolio. This one will deliver for sure.” He grips my shoulder and pushes me toward the exit.

I swallow hard, almost tripping over my own feet as he guides me along a path toward certain riches.

But that town…it’s toxic to me. How the hell can I go back after so much has happened and just show up looking for a stake in the Ellis’s livelihood? How the hell did I not take another two minutes to read at least one more page in that damn packet?

Not that Ian knows about any shred of my past. When I left, I took none of it with me. I started with a clean slate. I wasn’t about to air my dirty family laundry to anyone, and Cam…the love of my life…hell, I just lumped her in with everything else I’d laid to rest.

But this unexpected twist makes me wonder if fate is playing a fucking sick game with my mind. Feedn Time, our shining organic star, owned by the Ellis family. What the fuck are the odds? I haven’t seen the inside of Cringle Cove in years…five, to be exact. Leaving that place had been bittersweet. I’d always dreamed of getting out, of escaping my tortured past and the horrors that I’d kept buried. Getting away from my father had always been the goal, and I told myself year after year that it was only a matter of time until I’d achieved it. I’d dealt with his torment for years. I watched my mother suffer. I prayed for a chance to escape my fate.

I never thought I’d ever have a reason to stay.

Camryn Ellis proved me wrong. Gorgeous, smart, and funny with a body that didn’t quit thanks to endless hours of cheerleading for our high school’s crap-ass football team.

How sick and twisted is the irony?

Camryn was the Ellis’s other daughter. The youngest daughter of our prospective business partners. The daughter whose heart I broke a long time ago. The girl whom I let slip through my fingers. The girl who shattered my heart in return.

But even she didn’t know my secrets. Nobody did. I made sure of that. There was so much I’d kept buried because I couldn’t imagine my life without Camryn in it. She rescued me when I was spiraling. Hell, I even stayed local for college just to be close to her. But eventually I knew I needed to get out of this town and make something of myself, far away from him and the past I’d tried so hard to hide. I had to offer her something and sticking around Cringle Cove was getting me nowhere fast.

Much as it killed me, I knew I had to go out and make a life for myself. For us.

So I got my opportunity, and I left.

I promised her I’d be back, but one phone call permanently altered my path.

I never thought she’d move on without me.

I never thought she could forget me so quickly.

I guess I never thought a lot of things.

It’s been five years, and I’m still battling my demons.

I didn’t go back to Cringle Cove when my father had been diagnosed with advanced-stage liver cancer. I didn’t go back when he was on his deathbed. And I sure as hell had no intention of going back for the funeral.

Rest in hell, asshole.

I never wanted to end up like him, a violent and raging alcoholic who made our family life a living hell. But it’s in my blood, and the only way for me to battle it was to get away from him, to flee that house and that town, to make a new life for myself and Cam.

She didn’t know the real reason why I left.

I was scared she wouldn’t understand, because how could she? Perfect family, perfect life, perfect in every way.

I, on the other hand, was broken. Only she made me whole.

I haven’t felt that way in five years.

And I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that way again.