Chasing His Forever
Sweet Somethings Book One
Rory Reynolds
Chasing His Forever
(Sweet Somethings Book One)
Rory Reynolds © 2020
Created with Vellum
Juliebean, love you most.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Also by Rory Reynolds
About the Author
1
Lani
“That man is head over heels for you, Margo,” Ana teases.
Margo shoots her a dirty look. “He is not! He’s a bit of a grumbly jerk.”
Ana snorts. “Then why does he buy sweets by the dozens from your bakery even though the diner is known for its own desserts? Besides, he’s not a jerk… unrequited love will make anyone grumpy.”
Margo’s cheeks heat in embarrassment. I decide to save her from the crosshairs of Ana’s stubborn insistence that Amos wants more than her strawberry cream cupcakes and mini apple pies. “So, did anyone actually read the book this week?”
Prue gives me an ‘are you kidding me look.’ “You know we didn’t. Why do you insist on calling this a book club? All we do is drink wine and eat leftover treats that Margo brings.”
“I read the book,” Ana smirks, holding up the book with a broken spine, dogeared pages, and what looks like food stains. I cringe at the abuse. I lovingly touch my pristine copy.
“Did you like it?” I ask, hopefully.
“It was alright.” She shrugs. “I expected it to be hotter than it was considering the half-naked man on the cover.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head.
“What?” Ana grumbles. “Don’t you dare judge me, Lani Smith! You know it was disappointing.”
I’d argue if I could, but she’s right. It definitely didn’t hold up to the reviews. “It was.”
Prue pops open another bottle of wine. “Now that that’s taken care of let’s drink up.”
After two more glasses of wine and enough of Margo’s baking to put an elephant in a sugar coma, the party breaks up. We don’t even talk about a new book for next week. It seems all pretense of this being a ‘book club’ is out the window. Ah well, not everyone is suited to be a bookworm.
“You guys want a ride home?” Margo asks. She hardly ever drinks and, like always, offers to be the designated driver for the rest of us.
Both Prue and Ana jump at the offer, but I think the fresh air will do me some good. I had a great time with my friends, but the melancholy that’s taken over the last month creeps back in. I wish I could put a finger on why sadness keeps creeping up on me. I’m usually upbeat and happy all the time. It’s disconcerting to be anything else but my perky self.
“I think I’ll walk.”
Margo furrows her brow. “Are you sure? It’s late…”
Prue snorts. “It’s not like we live in the city. This is Sugarhill, the worst that could happen is Mrs. Overland’s dog attacks her with his stinky dog breath.”
“It’s only a few blocks. I’ll be fine.” I give each of my friends a hug before locking up the store. I take a minute to admire the display in the front window. Sweet Reads is my pride and joy. After college, I thought for sure I would move home and take over Sugarhill’s little library, but then my grandmother passed and left me a sizeable inheritance. Her letter that accompanied the money told me to follow my dreams and to never settle.
So, I took that money and invested in opening Sugarhill’s first-ever bookstore. Within the first year, I was already in the black. The townsfolk were so excited that they wouldn’t have to order their books online, and business has been excellent. Plus, as a general rule of thumb, Sugarhill takes care of their own. We’ve kept the big box stores out of our community, preferring to keep our businesses local whenever we can.
I drop my keys into my bag and start the walk home. The night is peaceful. Stars shine bright in the sky, and the cicadas sing their songs broken only by the random dog barking. Before I know it, I’m home. I climb up the two flights of stairs to my little apartment. My cat, Mr. Grey—yes, I named him after a very popular book boyfriend, don’t judge—weaves in and out of my legs, nearly tripping me.
“You act like I’ve been gone for years instead of just a few hours.”
Mr. Grey answers with a pathetic meow before taking off towards the kitchen. I shake my head because I know exactly what he’s complaining about. By the time I enter the little nook that serves as both my kitchen and dining room, Mr. Grey is already pawing at his tipped over bowl. His cat food is strewn all over the floor, and he’s meowing like he’s telling me all about what happened.
“It’s your own fault, purr bucket. If you wouldn’t tip the darn bowl over, then you wouldn’t have floor kibble.”
He turns his back to me, flicking his tail in agitation. He does this any time I’m not home on time—punishment for not coming home when I usually do. I flip the bowl over and scoop the food back into it. Mr. Grey shoves my fingers away, sticking his head in the dish like he’s starving. He’s not. He’s a fat cat and quite happy with it.
I give him a little scratch behind the ears before heading to my bedroom. I quickly change into my favorite pajamas before flopping onto the bed. Despite my brain being on overdrive, I’m asleep within moments.
2
Torin
It’s been a long twenty-four hours. You’d think in a town as small as Sugarhill, there wouldn’t be much need for emergency services, but that’s not the case. The town’s budget only allows for three of us, and only two of us are fulltime. Thankfully we have a handful of loyal volunteers who never hesitate to help when we have something big. I’ve barely closed my eyes when the alarm starts blaring. I’m up and pulling on my gear in a flash.
“We’ve got a hot one,” Morgan calls out.
Within seconds we’re on the truck and rushing towards the first actual fire we’ve seen in weeks. Most of our calls are medical, car accidents, and despite the hilarity of it—cats stuck in trees. It’s a real thing. We pull up to Sugarhill’s only apartment complex, which is really just a big house converted into eight small units.
There is smoke billowing out of the first-floor windows. We don’t hesitate to take action. Morgan grabs the hose and quickly has the water flowing. The flames seem to be confined to the lower left unit, so we direct the powerful stream of water there.
Amos runs up to where we’re working and asks what he can do.
“Check the residents for injuries. Make sure everyone’s okay,” I holler above the chaotic noise surrounding us.
“On it,” Amos says, taking off towards the crowd of people hovering close by.
Thankfully the fire is contained quickly. Once it’s out, we do a quick walk-through, first making sure there are no hotspots, then to ensure the building is empty and to take inventory of the damages. It’s immediately apparent that the fire was due to shoddy electrical work. I shake my head, knowing that things could have been a helluva lot worse.
Mr. Phizer is known for being cheap as hell, but this is beyond neglectful, and it’s obvious that this building isn’t up to code. Not even close. Which means the residents will be without a home for
a long while until he makes some serious repairs. With a shake of my head, I go to give the chief a rundown of what happened.
Chief Weiss lets out a string of curses when I tell him about the condition of the building. “I told that stingy asshole he needed to update the electric, among other things.”
“He did make updates… it looks like he did it himself instead of hiring a professional.”
“Motherfucker. He’s lucky he didn’t burn down the whole damn building or get someone killed.” He storms off, Mr. Phizer in his sights. Definitely wouldn’t want to be him right now. When the chief gets a burr in his bonnet, he’s a real bear.
I scan the clusters of residents and neighborhood looky-loos, my eyes land on Lani Smith. She’s standing off to the side, away from the crowd. Lani’s got a fat, gray cat clutched to her chest and tears streaming down her beautiful face. Without a moment’s hesitation, I change course and head straight towards her.
Even with the tears, she’s a fucking knockout. Her brown hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, her brown eyes are red-rimmed from crying, and she’s wearing pajamas that have seen better days, not that I’m going to complain because they show off her curves and are nearly threadbare. I feel like a dick for noticing her beauty when she’s distraught over the night’s events, but I can’t help it. I’ve loved Lani Smith from afar for as long as I can remember.
Every time I’m lucky enough to see her, I can’t help taking her in from head to toe. A ten-year-old me put his claim on the girl next door, whether or not she knows it. I’ve been patiently waiting for the right time to make my move. I was ready to make my intentions known when she first moved home after college, but then her grandmother passed, and it wasn’t the right time. Once her tears subsided, and her smiles came back in full force, I once again decided it was the right time… Then she opened Sweet Reads and, again, the time wasn’t right.
The animal inside me that’s been desperate for her for years has decided right now is the time. I tell myself not to go in for the kill right away. She’s upset after her home being on fire. I can’t and won’t take advantage of her, but it won’t hurt to start planting seeds. I’m done waiting. Seeing her here like this, so upset and heartbroken, makes me want to be the one who soothes her and brings back her beautiful smiles.
“Lani,” I murmur as I close the distance between us. The cat in her arms hisses and growls at my approach. She shushes him and coos that it’s okay. It seems that Lani isn’t the only one upset with the circumstances of the night. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
She lets out a sad sniffle, then straightens up. “I’m fine. Mr. Grey and I weren’t hurt.”
“I’m glad, but I wasn’t talking about injury…”
“Oh… um…” she chews on her bottom lip as she weighs her response as another set of tears falls from her eyes. “It was scary.”
I desperately want to wrap her up in my arms and promise her that everything is going to be okay, but I can’t. She’s not ready for that. Soon. If she were to give me even the slightest hint right now that she wants me, it would all be over. She’d be in my arms in a heartbeat, and I’d do everything in my power to keep not only her body but also her heart safe.
“I know, sweetheart. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
She shrugs. “It happens. I just never thought it would happen to me. I guess that’s what they all say, right? I’m just thankful it wasn’t in my apartment.”
The chief walks up with a very angry Mr. Phizer. “Torin, we need to start taking the residents inside to gather some things. As of now, the building is condemned until Mr. Phizer here makes the necessary updates.”
Lani gasps beside me. “C-condemned?”
Chief Weiss gives her a sad look. “Yes, Miss Smith. The building just isn’t safe.”
“But… my apartment is fine…”
“Lani, honey,” I say quietly, “The entire building is dangerous. Mr. Phizer,” I give the man in question a look that could kill, “was told to update the electrical wiring months ago when there was a short in another apartment. He chose to fix the issue himself instead of hiring a licensed professional. He’s lucky it wasn’t worse than it was.”
Her sadness turns into anger with the flip of a switch. “Is that true?” she asks, glaring at her landlord.
“Well, uh,” he stutters. “I’m sorry, Lani. I never meant for this to happen.”
She shakes her head angrily. “You could’ve gotten someone killed!”
Her cat yowls in her arms, and she instantly calms down, giving him a gentle pet as she murmurs lowly to him.
Mr. Phizer looks somewhere between sorry and petulant at Lani’s outburst. I have a feeling he’s going to get a whole lot more of that as he speaks with each of his tenants. Considering how bad tonight could’ve been, he’s getting off easy with a few citations. He deserves a lot more anger than sweet Lani has given him.
“How about you take Miss Smith up to her apartment so she can grab some of her belongings,” Chief Weiss says with a smirk. He knows as well as just about everyone in the town how I feel about Lani Smith. It seems that everyone knows except for Lani herself.
“Come on, sweetheart, let’s go get you a bag packed.”
I feel like a jerk for watching her ass twitch back and forth as she leads the way to her apartment. Did I mention how much I love her threadbare pajamas that form to her curves like magic?
Because I do.
I so do.
3
Lani
Today has been a shit day, and the sun has barely risen. Instead of a slow wake up with my musical alarm, I was jerked awake by the screaming of my smoke detector and a room full of choking smoke. Bleary-eyed and scared out of my mind, I grabbed Mr. Grey and ran barefoot out of the apartment and into the cold early morning.
If the fact that my building on fire isn’t bad enough. Torin Henley is here. I mean, of course, he is. He’s one of the three firemen in Sugarhill, so he’d have to respond to a fire alarm. I feel really shallow for hating the fact that the man I’ve had a crush on since before I knew what I crush was is seeing me with my hair a hot mess, barefoot, and wearing the rattiest pajamas I own.
That’s just the way it goes, isn’t it? It seems I can never run into Torin when I’m dressed to impress. No, he has to come by the store while I’m standing on a ladder and scraping the old lettering from the front window to be repainted and sweating like a pig. Or while I’m juggling a gazillion boxes of books in ninety-degree weather—also sweating like crazy. So why wouldn’t he be here to see me in my ugly pajamas with tears streaking down my cheeks and a pissed off cat in my arms.
No freaking wonder he doesn’t see me as anything other than the nerdy bookstore owner. Even back in school, he didn’t notice me… I’ve always been a bit of a nerd, and he’s always been the most handsome guy in town. And the nicest. He’s always coming to my rescue… Helping me scrape that ugly paint from the window, grabbing the boxes of books to help me carry them inside the store… Picking a six-year-old me up off the sidewalk and fixing my scraped knee. And now here he is again seeing me at my worst and offering his help.
“You don’t have to come up with me.”
Torin gives me his patented half-smile that gets me every time. That smile sets off a million butterflies in my stomach. If I didn’t know better, I would say that smile is special just for me. That his eyes light up with more than just friendliness. But it’s just him being a nice guy, nothing else.
“Nonsense, it’s my job to make sure you’re safe.”
I force a smile. It’s a cold reminder that he’s just helping because it’s his job and he’s a nice guy. He drew a firm and clear line that he’s helping out of obligation, not because he wants to. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
I barely choke back my tears when I see my apartment. There isn’t any fire damage, but every surface is covered in a fine layer of ash. The apple pie scent that usually fills my small apartment from m
y favorite candle has been replaced by the acrid smell of smoke.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. It will clean.” Torin lightly rubs my lower back, offering me his strength, and I sink into it. I don’t care if he’s just being friendly. I need a friend right now.
“Right.” I nod, straightening my spine. It’ll be fine. My cinnamony apple pie candle will be back to work soon enough.
First things first, I put Mr. Grey in his cat carrier. He instantly makes his displeasure known by yowling and meowing like he’s being killed—drama queen.
I tug my duffle bag from the bottom of my closet and try to decide what exactly I’m going to need. Then it hits me… where am I going to stay? I know that Ana, Prue, and Margo will all offer their spare rooms, but I don’t like being beholden to anyone—not even my besties. My office at the bookstore has a small loveseat, and there’s a dorm-sized refrigerator and microwave that I use for lunches.
Now that I’ve got my destination settled, I start tossing things into my duffle. Torin takes my smaller bag to the bathroom and starts packing away some toiletries for me. To be honest, I’m glad he’s helping me pack up. Even though this has been my home for years, it feels unsafe. It’s no longer my sanctuary. It doesn’t hurt that Torin makes me feel safe. I’d probably be bawling my eyes out if he weren’t here right now, lending me his strength.
“You’ll need a new toothbrush,” Torin says from behind me, startling me.
I nearly jump out of my skin and knock the pile of panties I was folding to pack away to the floor. I spin around with a hand to my racing heart. “You scared me!”
Chasing His Forever (Sweet Somethings Book 1) Page 1