best friend before we’d trudged outside to say goodbye.
Everly was driving to the airport.
I was heading to Calamity.
“Call me when you get home?” I asked.
She nodded. “I will. If you need anything at all, I’m just a plane ride away.”
I hugged her, squeezing tight. “I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you too.”
My entire life, Everly had lived less than one block away from me. We’d lived together in Nashville for the past ten years. And now she’d be across the country, chasing her dream.
While I was moving to a new town, a new state, and a new home, hoping to find a new dream.
Hoping to find that elusive peace.
“Thanks for this,” I said. “For the weekend. For coming out here with me. For keeping this a secret.”
“I hope it stays that way.” Her brown eyes filled with worry. “Are you sure about this?”
“No, but I have to try.”
“You know your secret is safe with me, but Lu . . . at some point, someone is going to figure it out.”
“I know.” I sighed. “I know I can’t hide here forever.”
That wasn’t going to stop me from trying.
“Just take care of yourself, okay?” She hugged me again. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” I stood beside my car, watching her drive away. It wasn’t until her taillights disappeared down the highway that I finally unglued my feet.
And started a new chapter.
• • •
“Oh, hell.” I glanced at my watch and abandoned my lazy pace.
Maybe tomorrow I’d learn how not to be perpetually late. Today was clearly not that day.
As I scurried down the sidewalk, I sent my realtor a text, apologizing for being late and promising to be there soon. Then I tucked my phone away, pinned my purse beneath an elbow, and ran toward my car.
Mom had always teased me for getting lost in my own head and misplacing time. Dad had been the same way.
Except I hadn’t been lost in my head.
I’d been lost in Calamity.
Located in the heart of Southwest Montana, my new hometown had charmed me instantly. Calamity was nestled in a mountain valley, surrounded in all directions by towering indigo peaks. There wasn’t much to the town itself, as my realtor had promised—I’d driven from one end to the other in less than five minutes.
But I didn’t need a sprawling metropolis. After an hour of walking up and down Main Street, I’d realized that quaint rural setting suited me fine.
I’d instantly fallen in love with the easy pace. No one rushed down the sidewalks. People smiled as you passed. In every store I’d explored today, the clerks had welcomed me to town and asked for my name.
My realtor had promised Calamity was a friendly place. She’d boasted about the stunning, short summers and sunny, albeit, cold winters. How everyone would be so happy to have a young, fresh face in their community. I’d thought she’d been blowing smoke up my ass, just trying to earn a commission.
As it was, Calamity was everything she’d pledged and more.
Which was why I’d spent much too long exploring instead of meeting her on time to pick up the keys to my house.
Sweat beaded at my temples by the time I reached my car and hopped inside, rolling down the windows in favor of the air conditioning. Then I reversed out of my spot like my wheels were on fire and raced down the road.
The air whipped through my hair. The sun warmed my face. And the smile that tugged on my lips was of sheer excitement.
This is going to work. I felt it in my bones.
Calamity was located two hours from the nearest town of any size. It would be easy for me to hide here, living as Jade Morgan. In all my wandering, I hadn’t seen a flicker of recognition on anyone’s face.
According to my internet research, there were roughly a thousand people living in Calamity and the surrounding area. I could convince a thousand people that I was a nobody. That I was just a single woman, new to Calamity, who’d bought a two-bedroom home on the outskirts of town. I didn’t have to find a job because I was planning on telling everyone I worked from home. I’d pay cash whenever possible and simply blend in.
My foot pressed into the accelerator as I glanced between the road and my GPS. In one mile, I’d take a left and in less than three minutes I’d be—
The wail of a siren filled my ears. Blue and red lights greeted