Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
“I don’t do anything halfway,” she said, lifting her chin.
Luke chuckled and gestured toward the back. “Come on. I keep a table out back for breaks. Less noisy.”
They stepped through a rear door into a small outdoor area behind the garage, nothing fancy, just a picnic table under a wooden awning with string lights overhead. The evening air was cool and carried the scent of grass and motor oil, somehow not unpleasant together.
They sat across from each other as Luke dug into the lasagna, nodding after the first bite. “Okay, I’m impressed. You might just survive in Willow Creek after all.”
Zoe smirked. “That was the goal.”
A brief silence passed between them, easy and comfortable. Fireflies danced near the edges of the woods, and the soft hum of night creatures filled the space between their words.
Luke leaned back, watching her. “So, what are you really running from, Zoe Carter?”
The question was asked without malice or pressure, just quiet curiosity.
She exhaled slowly. “Everything. Work. Deadlines. Expectations. I’ve been climbing a ladder so long I didn’t stop to ask where it was going.”
Luke nodded like he understood. “Sometimes when you stop chasing, you finally see what’s been chasing you.”
She looked at him, her eyes narrowing in thought. “What’s been chasing you?”
His jaw flexed slightly, and he looked away. “Ghosts. The kind that don't show up in the mirror but still follow you around.”
She wanted to ask more. About his life. About what he’d lost. But something in his eyes told her not yet. Maybe not tonight.
Instead, she gave him a small smile. “Well, consider this dinner a temporary truce. Me and Willow Creek—we’re on probation.”
Luke grinned. “You’ll come around.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“I would,” he said, his voice softer now, almost teasing. “You don’t seem like someone who gives up easy.”
Zoe met his gaze, and for a beat, everything felt still—the night, the town, the ache in her chest she’d carried for months. Something shifted then. Not loud or sudden. Just a quiet click, like a gear sliding into place.
She stood, brushing off her hands. “Thanks for the conversation.”
He stood too. “Thanks for dinner.”
They walked to the front of the shop together, and as Zoe turned to go, Luke called out gently, “Hey.”
She paused.
“You ever need to go without conversation or good company again, as long as I’m around.”
Zoe gave him a slow, knowing smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
And as she walked back to her cottage beneath a sky dusted with stars, she realized that something had cracked open inside her—just a little. And whether she liked it or not, Luke Harrison had something to do with that.
Chapter 4: Community Ties
Zoe didn’t realize how quickly news traveled in a small town until three different people asked her about the lasagna by noon.
At the grocery store, the checkout clerk smiled knowingly. At the bakery, a woman she hadn’t even met yet raised an eyebrow and said, “I heard Luke finally ate something other than diner food last night.”
By the time she stepped into Sweet Bloom Flowers—Sarah’s latest obsession, Zoe had stopped trying to act surprised.
Her younger sister was near the back of the shop, arranging a bouquet with the precision that Zoe had always found both beautiful and maddening. Sarah looked up when she heard the bell over the door, her expression brightening.
“There she is,” Sarah said with a little too much cheer. “Town celebrity.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Why does everyone know what I fed a man for dinner?”
Sarah smirked. “Because Luke Harrison has been a bachelor longer than I’ve lived here. You think you can drop off a hot meal and walk away unnoticed?”
“I was being neighborly,” Zoe said, folding her arms.
“You were being pleasant. And brave.” Sarah handed her a sunflower, placing it in her hand like a peace offering. “Also, he’s hot. I’m just saying.”
Zoe took the flower, amused and mildly flustered. “I’m not here for all that.”
“You’re here to rest. And sometimes resting means realizing you need people too. Even grumpy mechanics with nice arms.”
Zoe snorted, but didn’t argue. Sarah always had a way of seeing through her walls.
Before she could respond, the door opened again, and a woman in her sixties walked in with a cane and a commanding presence. She wore a bright purple cardigan and carried herself like she ran the town—or maybe just knew it better than anyone else.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Zoe Carter,” the woman said, eyeing her warmly. “Heard you’re settling in real nice.”
“Um, hi,” Zoe said, thrown off but smiling.
“Name’s Granny Mae,” the woman said, reaching out to shake her hand. “And don’t let the name fool you—I’m sharp as a tack and nosier than a raccoon in your trash.”
Zoe laughed, surprised at how quickly she liked her.
“Mae runs half the events in town,” Sarah explained. “And she’s been trying to find someone for Luke for at least five years.”