Lost in You (Flirting with Forever Book 1)

by Amanda Bailey

  Lost in You

  Amanda Bailey

  Lost in You Copyright © 2020 by Amanda Bailey

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the author is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  This novel is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Created with Vellum

  Credits

  Editing by Rebecca Kimmel: www.thewritingrefinery.com

  * * *

  Proofreading by Krista Dapkey: www.kdproofreading.com

  * * *

  Cover Design by Diana TC: www.triumphbookcovers.com

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Epilogue

  SNEAK PEEK: Fight for You

  Also by Amanda Bailey

  Also by Amanda Bailey

  Dear Reader

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Madison

  I can’t believe I have to go to yet another family wedding alone. For probably the fiftieth time today, I cringe internally just thinking about it. Lonely girl, party of one. With a deep breath, I shove all thoughts of white dresses, dancing, and cake to the back of my mind, determined to enjoy my evening with friends before all hell breaks loose this weekend.

  My hands burrow down into the warmth of my coat pockets and I shiver, picking up my pace as I walk the fifteen minutes from the high school to the center of town where all the shops and restaurants are located. My cheeks and nose feel ice cold from the sudden rock-bottom temperatures we are experiencing in Newberry. The frigid wind whips around me as I get closer to my destination. It’s getting cold enough that soon I’ll have to drive to work instead of walk, as I prefer to do.

  If it were a warmer day, I’d glance through the windows into some of the shops, taking time to just breathe in the fresh air. Not today. I’m almost as eager to get inside and out of the cold as I am to meet up with my friends. Boy, do I ever need their thoughts on how to handle things this weekend.

  I double-check the address on my phone. It looks like it’s just down the street from the coffee shop I frequent on a regular basis, so I don’t know how I haven’t ever noticed it before.

  From a distance, I can see it’s an older building, just like most of the establishments in the rest of the tiny town of Newberry. Most people would say it’s in need of a little sprucing up. In my opinion, it’s quaint and the one window shutter hanging slightly crookedly only adds to its charm. I’m a fan of our town, having lived here my whole life, but I definitely can’t remember giving this particular place so much as a passing glance before my coworker friend Sophia suggested we meet here this afternoon for our book club.

  We’ve got a half day of school tomorrow, and then we are as free as birds—for two weeks, anyway, until winter break is over and school resumes. I know the other teachers are itching for the break; the high school students have been driving them half-insane with gift exchanges in the middle of the hallways between classes. Constant candy cane consumption has given everyone a permanent sugar high.

  From my perspective as the school librarian, I need this evening so I have someone to actually talk to. This last week has been quiet in the library, with just a handful of students checking out books to take home over the holidays. No one has been looking for my help with research on projects and there hasn’t been a single study group in sight for me to provide guidance to. Apparently, all assignments due before break are already in and there are no tests scheduled, so no studying is happening. It had been party central in other parts of the building today, and I know it will be the same tomorrow. In my library, though, it’s been dead quiet, and it’s left me way too much time to spend wishing I had someone to go with me this weekend and constantly wondering how I even came to be so alone, unable and unwilling to try again with anyone else. Stupid Chase. I haven’t been able to shake what he’d done to me; his actions are still having an effect on my life years later.

  So, while I need this night out to cure my case of the lonelies, I know everyone else needs it to decompress and get ready for the last bit of crazy tomorrow. Then everyone can relax and enjoy the holidays with their families. Or they’ll relax, and I’ll just try to get by for a bit.

  Don’t get me wrong, I do keep to myself a lot—it’s no wonder I’m a freaking librarian—but in the face of what’s to come tomorrow with this family wedding, I definitely need human interaction tonight. And it’s the best distraction when it’s in the form of some Secret Santa fun and book talk with my girls. Book talk will invariably turn into girl talk, which is just what I need.

  It’s depressing (to say the least) to think about attending yet another wedding without a date at the age of twenty-four. I’m not looking forward to all the prying eyes and questions, and I’m hoping my girls can give me the boost of confidence I need to help me figure out how to get through this. It’s not the way I want to start my break, that’s for sure.

  Speaking of my girls, this is the first time in my life that I’ve had a whole group of female friends, and it’s definitely a new and different experience for me. I have a brother who I’m close to, but it’s definitely not the same as having other women to talk to. So, when Sophia approached me about getting people together to talk about books—hello, my favorite—and have some girl time? I’m not ashamed to admit that I’d jumped at the chance to help her put it together.

  Outside the bar, I pause briefly to blow out a deep breath before I pull open the heavy door and step inside. I close my eyes for a second, appreciating the warmth from the fireplace in the corner. When I open them again, I immediately spy Sophia sitting on the far side of the room in the corner booth with Quinn. They both spot me at the same time and wave me over, all smiles.

  “Hey, ladies. I see the science department made tracks after school, huh?” Quinn and Sophia are both science teachers, along with Sophia’s fiancé, Heath.

  Quinn laughs, hazel eyes twinkling, and takes a quick sip of her margarita. “Yeah. We made a quick escape to Heath’s car right after the bell rang.”
>
  Sophia grins at the mention of Heath, brushing her chestnut waves over her shoulder. We haven’t had a book club meeting since their engagement during Thanksgiving, so I’m sure that’ll be a hot topic later.

  My eyes are drawn once again to the beautiful ring gracing her left hand. Heath sure can pick ’em. Focusing on their happy faces again, I ask, “He dropped you guys off?”

  Sophia nods. “Well, yeah. That way we can indulge and have no worries about having to walk home because he’ll come back and get us, too.” With a wink, she gestures to the pitcher of margaritas. “Thirsty?”

  “Of course. Sounds great.” I slide into the booth kitty-corner to Quinn as she pours my drink.

  Once I’ve settled, Sophia claps her hands excitedly, eyes alight with something I can only describe as joy in its purest form. “Madison, guess what? Heath went to pick up Ava from Kelly. We just confirmed we get to have her for Christmas this year.” I’ve got to hand it to her, she’s taken to being a soon-to-be stepmom like a duck to water. She loves Ava so much you’d think she was hers.

  Heath and Sophia had hit a rough patch with his ex-wife for a while, but that seems to have been resolved. It sounds like all three of them realized they all just want what’s best for Ava, and I’m glad to see things working out.

  “That’s going to be so much fun for you guys.” I’m just about to ask what Ava wants for Christmas when I’m distracted by Piper heading our way. Her brows are pinched together in what can only be described as a grim expression. Uh-oh.

  She tosses her long, dark hair over her shoulder and stops in front of the table with a huff. “You all aren’t going to believe this. Jake is finally retiring as the English department chair, and I just found out I might not be a shoo-in for the position after all.” Her pretty face sets into a deep scowl. “I need a drink,” she huffs.

  Before Piper can expand on the issue, Hadleigh hurries over to the table and slides in right beside me. “What are we talking about?”

  “Nothing I want to ruin our night with, that’s for sure. Let’s talk about something else,” Piper grumbles.

  Sophia makes her best yikes face. “How about a margarita, Piper? Maybe that will help.”

  It doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone that Quinn pours Piper’s margarita glass extra full. I stifle a laugh as Quinn winks at me again when our gazes connect.

  Amused, I focus on Hadleigh, our resident history teacher. “Had, where were you? I looked for you before I left.” Her room happens to be right next to the library. It’s rather convenient because she is an excellent and endless source of entertainment for me. I never know what’s going to come out of that woman’s mouth next. She’s like a tornado; she gets all whipped up and excited, and the next thing I know, thoughts are flying everywhere, torn from her mouth before she’s really had a chance to think them through. Like I said, she’s all kinds of fun.

  She reaches for the glass that Sophia slides in her direction and takes a deep swallow. “Mr. Steele asked me to swing by the office before I left.” She sips the margarita again before she continues. “He’s assigning me a student teacher next semester.”

  “Hi, ladies!” The final member of our group, Zoey, hurries toward the table. “How is everyone? Ready for some Secret Santa?” Truly petite at five-foot-one, her raven hair and dark eyes can barely be seen behind the huge gift-wrapped box she carries. She sets it down carefully next to the wall just outside of our booth, and Hadleigh hops up to give our friend a quick squeeze.

  When they are both seated, Hadleigh directs a question to Zoey. “So, what inside info do you know about the student teacher who is being assigned to me? Have you heard anything around the office?” Zoey is the new guidance counselor this year, so sometimes she hears about things before the rest of us do.

  “Just that he’s from some small college east of here.” She wrinkles her nose. “I wouldn’t really know anything at all, but I may have overheard Miles talking on the phone with him.” She smiles at first, but then as she looks around the table at the rest of us, she notices our faces all hold the same hint of surprise. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

  Quinn pauses, her drink halfway to her mouth, and chuckles. “Miles, huh?”

  Zoey blushes. “Mr. Steele. Sorry.”

  The whole group giggles. Every time one of us brings up the assistant principal, Miles Steele, Zoey blushes like mad. It’s freaking adorable.

  I look down into my glass only to realize I’m almost done with my first drink. “I’m going to need a refill, and we haven’t done our Secret Santa exchange or even mentioned the book yet. This could get bad.”

  I exhale loudly and slide my glass over to Quinn, who arches her brow at me. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I wave a hand. “I’m fine. We can talk about it later.”

  “Okay, then, let’s dive into this book.” Sophia holds up her book of choice, effectively ending the gabbing for the moment. “So, what’d you all think? Overall impressions first.”

  The whole group gives it a thumbs up with the exception of Piper. “Sci-fi is just not my thing, guys.”

  After thirty minutes of actual book talk, we’re ready to move on, namely to our Secret Santa exchange, but my mind keeps drifting to the absolute suck of showing up alone to my cousin’s wedding. Stop ruining tonight’s fun for yourself, Madison.

  With a soft smile, Sophia reaches into her bag. “Can I go first? I have Madison’s gift … and I think she needs a little pick-me-up right now.”

  My eyes flick to hers. “How’d you know?”

  Four additional pairs of eyes land on me.

  “We can totally tell you’re out of sorts.” Quinn tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, eyeing me carefully.

  Hadleigh wrinkles her nose. “You were acting a little weird this morning, too.”

  “And at lunch,” chimes in Zoey.

  Piper squints at me from across the table. “Spill.”

  At my grumpy expression, Sophia holds up the gift she brought for me. “Let it out, then we can get back to fun stuff.”

  I look down at my hands in my lap for a brief second, then around the table at each of my friends. “I’ve got a family wedding to attend this weekend, and I’m dreading it. Big-time.”

  “Aw, why? Weddings are so much fun.” Hadleigh tilts her head to the side in question.

  “It’s the showing-up-alone part that I’m not managing well. It’s been a long time since I’ve dated anyone, and I hate all the questions and assumptions that come with flying solo at a wedding.”

  Piper works her jaw back and forth. “Well, what about bringing a friend?”

  A sharp laugh rips from me. “A male friend? I don’t really have any.”

  Quinn frowns. “And you’re leaving tomorrow?”

  I nod. “Yep.” I let the P pop on my lips.

  Sophia frowns. “You didn’t give me any time to play matchmaker. Why didn’t you say something about it? We could have figured something out.”

  My voice is soft when I respond, “I’m embarrassed that I’m letting this get to me.”

  At my explanation, Zoey gives a quick shake of her head. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’ll find someone when the time is right.”

  “Maybe. I’d already thought I had.” I shrug. “Will you guys text me while I’m away and make sure I’m not losing it?”

  A slow smile spreads across Sophia’s face. “A group text. That’s always fun.”

  I nod and take a deep breath, then expel it slowly. “Okay, I’m fine. I’m ready for Secret Santa now.”

  I school my features as Sophia studies me. I’m not okay, but I can’t handle talking anymore about it right now. Hopefully, I’ll make it through the weekend and can put this behind me.

  Sophia passes me the gorgeously wrapped gift that she’d been holding hostage.

  “Should I go ahead and open?” I ask as I accept it.

  Sophia gives me a warm smile. “Yeah, I think it’s more fun to do one at a
time so we can see what everyone gets. Go on, open it.”

  I carefully pull the wrapping paper off to reveal a book sleeve—one Sophia knew I’d been looking at. “Aw, thank you so much.” My gaze wanders over everyone at the table. “I saw this a few weeks ago when Sophia and I were glancing through the new bookstore together.” My gaze lands on Sophia. “You even remembered the exact one I was looking at, too, with all the music notes on it.” I bite my lip and wipe away the hint of a tear from the corner of my eye. “I just love it.”

  Sophia tilts her head, studying me. “Aw, come on now, don’t cry. You’ll get us all going.”

  I blow out a deep breath and nod, then pull out Piper’s gift. “I had Piper.” With a watery chuckle, I hand it over to her. “Don’t worry, ladies. I don’t think she’s going to cry over this one.”

  Piper wrinkles her nose as she starts unwrapping. “Thank goodness. I couldn’t handle it if we all got sappy.” She pulls a T-shirt from the gift box. “Oh!”

  Zoey leans closer to read as Piper holds it up in front of the two of them. “‘Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.’”

  Zoey frowns and looks at me and then Piper. “What’s that all about?”

  I smile. “It’s a—