Finding Rachel Read online

  She was afraid, after what had happened earlier, that he would never return her calls. She had to at least get him to understand why Richard had been at her house.

  Work, she thought, snapping her fingers in an “aha” moment. She could go to the bar. Maybe he would be there, and he couldn’t very well ignore her in public. She could make him listen to what she had to say, and she could find out why he had shown up at her house in the first place. If, after that, he wanted nothing to do with her, so be it. At least she would know that she’d taken charge of her own life and not waited for something to happen.

  Luckily, she’d only had a couple of sips of wine, so driving was not an issue. She walked into the house, sat her half full glass on the kitchen counter, and grabbed her purse. Looking down at what she was wearing, she contemplated changing, but decided that this wasn’t about how she looked; this was about clearing up any misunderstanding between them.

  She drove the few minutes into town and parked across the street from the bar. It looked pretty busy, based on how full the parking lot was, and she started to second-guess the wisdom of her plan.

  Screw it, she told herself. What’s the worst that could happen?

  She walked inside and found Celeste working behind the bar and some guy bussing tables, but she didn’t see Evan. Celeste watched her approach the bar with a look that was a little less friendly than the one she’d had the last time. It made Rachel wonder if Celeste had thought that she was responsible for whatever Evan had been going through the other day when she‘d been there. But, she wasn’t going to let herself be deterred.

  “Is Evan here?”

  Celeste paused, as of trying to decide whether or not to answer her.

  “I just need to talk to him for a second. There’s been a misunderstanding, and I just want to explain it to him.” Rachel thought if she pleaded her case, Celeste might relent and tell her where Evan was.

  Celeste grabbed a glass from the dishwasher and dried it off before putting it in its place. “He’s not here.”

  “Oh. I’ll try him at home, then.”

  “He’s not there either.”

  Rachel was confused.

  “He went out of town for a few days. Not sure when he’ll be back.”

  “Thank you,” Rachel said dejectedly, then turned to walk back out.

  “Hey, Rachel?” Celeste called out, her voice taking on a nicer tone, and Rachel turned around. “That day you were here, do you know what happened?”

  Rachel shook her head.

  “He was pretty messed up after you left.”

  “He showed up at my house yesterday, but there was some confusion, and he left before we’d had a chance to talk.”

  Celeste looked sympathetic. “If he calls, I’ll tell him you stopped by.”

  Rachel nodded and then left.

  10

  The next two days passed uneventfully, and except for the fact that she still hadn’t heard from Evan—even though she’d broken down and texted him two more times, but had received no response—she’d made a couple of life decisions. She planned to make several changes, some of which she’d wanted for a long time, if she were being truly honest. She’d been so stuck in the rut that had been her life prior to the divorce, that it had never really occurred to her that she could change and do what she wanted.

  She’d spent a lot of time over the last couple days soul-searching, trying to think of what she was really passionate about. It had been hard, because thoughts of Evan had interrupted her concentration every few minutes. She’d given up hope that there would be anything between them, and realized that it had been a foolish notion anyway. She’d only known him for a brief time and had only really talked to him once. She was old enough to know that love at first sight and a happily ever after were simply fairy tale ideals, and so she could tell herself that her attraction to Evan was just a fleeting thing. And yet, she was also someone who needed closure, especially with a relationship in which she’d played a part in a miscommunication. She knew that he’d come to her house for a reason and she felt so guilty that they hadn’t had a chance to talk. For the sake of closure, she needed them to discuss what had happened and move past it, and then they could just be fellow Moonshire Bay residents.

  She was sitting in the living room, looking through the big bay windows at the storm. Even though it was gray and gloomy outside, she found that the rain pelting the windows was soothing. If it kept up, she saw a nap in her future.

  There was a knock at the door. She’d been expecting Laura to stop by with some tomatoes from her garden, and so Rachel assumed it was her. She went to the door, but it wasn’t Laura. Evan stood in front of her with a timid smile on his face. Her heart pounded. Her previous idea of them simply coexisting in the community was swept from her mind, replaced by a realization of how strong her attraction was to him.

  “Can I come in or do you have company?” he asked without any hint of malice.

  “Of course, you can. Can I get you something to drink?” she asked as they walked to the kitchen.

  “Water, please. Maybe a shot of tequila.”

  Rachel gave him a funny look, and he laughed, but it was strained. She could tell that he was uncomfortable, which made her wonder even more what he had to say.

  “I’m kidding. I guess I’m just nervous,” he admitted.

  Rachel filled a glass with ice and water from the fridge and handed it to him. They both headed to the living room and sat down. Although Rachel was dying to know what he had to say, she stayed quiet in order to give him the opportunity he seemed to need to start talking.

  “First, I want to apologize for the day you saw me in the stockroom when I kinda lost it.”

  “It’s okay—” Rachel started to say, but he held up his hands to stop her.

  “No, it wasn’t. I scared you, and for that, I’m sorry. But I want you to know that it was a bad day for me. In fact, that day every year is a bad day for me, because ten years ago on that day, I lost my son, and I essentially lost my wife,” he said, his voice breaking as he spoke.

  Even though Rachel had already known this, to hear him say it with pain and anguish in his voice even after all this time, tugged at her heart, making her care for him even more. She leaned over and put her hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, and he covered it with his.

  “You don’t have to talk about this, if you don’t want to.”

  “I know. And I haven’t wanted to, ever. Believe me. But now, I do want to. Because of you.” He looked at her eyes, searchingly, as if to try to figure out what she was thinking before he continued. “Ten years ago, I was driving my wife and son home from a movie when a drunk driver crossed the median and crashed into us. This accident killed my son on impact and left my wife in a permanent coma.”

  “I am so sorry, Evan. No one should have to go through that.”

  “I’ve gone through the motions of living ever since, feeling like I didn’t deserve to have a full life when the two most important people to me weren’t able to live theirs. And I thought I was fine with that, until I met you.”

  What was he saying, Rachel wondered. Was he telling her that he felt the same attraction that she did?

  “The last couple of days, I’ve been gone because I went back to Ohio and did what everyone has been telling me to do for years. I said goodbye. I will always love Lisa, and I’ll still visit her like I always have, but I need to move on with my life because that’s what she would want, and I would want the same if our roles were reversed. Meeting you has made me realize that I need to attempt to live a real life, and that’s truly what I owe Lisa.”

  Evan looked at Rachel with tears in his eyes that matched the ones in hers.

  “I hope you’ll forgive me for how I’ve acted, because I would very much like to get to know you better.”

  “I forgive you, and would very much like to get to know you better, too. And you should know that Richard, the man you saw at my house, is my ex who will be staying th
at way.”

  Evan smiled and looked deeply into Rachel’s eyes as he leaned forward to kiss her. As his lips touched hers, she realized that she no longer needed to contemplate who she was and where life was going to take her, because she was in the exact spot in which she needed to be. Sitting next to her was great man, and they had nothing in front of them but possibility.

  The End

  While my team and I try to put out the best books possible we are only human. If you find an error please drop me a line and let me know so I can fix it at [email protected].

  If you feel inclined to leave me a review you can do so here.

  The next in series, Ari’s Adventure, is available now! Click here to purchase.

  Thanks For Reading

  If you loved this book, I know you’ll enjoy the rest of the Moonshire Bay Small Town Romance series. You can find them on my website.

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  If you like fun, flirty, and sometimes mysterious books then check out the cozy mysteries under the name L.C. Turner.

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  While my team and I try to put out the best books possible we are only human. If you find an error please drop me a line and let me know so I can fix it or if you just want to chat contact me at [email protected]

  romance About the Author

  Disclaimer: My real name is Laina Turner, and I initially wrote romance under a pen name, Elle Sweet, and my cozy mysteries under Laina Turner. However, things change, and I now write romance under my real name and cozy mysteries under L.C. Turner - C stands for Carole, my middle name, so it’s still my real name.A little about me…

  As a child, I thought I would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (my favorite restaurant as a child). Though I ended up going to college for business. Probably a better choice. The last place I need to work is somewhere I can get a discount on tacos.

  I live by the motto, “don’t be a one-trick pony” and am proud of my vast experiences in life from barrel racing to being on the dance team for a semi-pro basketball team to being a mom of 2 amazing kids,

  Taking the plunge to write books (cozy mysteries and chick lit) that I actually let people read in 2010, I have worked my way up to being a real author, having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). And I tell my family and friends that no one is safe from their escapades slipping into my books.

  You can also find me at www.lainaturner.com or on social media.

  Also By Laina Turner (and L.C. Turner)

  The Moonshire Bay Small Town Romance Series

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  Finding Rachel Book 1

  Ari’s Adventure Book 2

  Photographing Kate Book 3

  Lucy’s Last Chance Book 4

  * * *

  Cozy Mysteries by L.C. Turner

  The Presley Thurman Mysteries

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  Promotions & Poisons A PREQUEL

  Stilettos & Scoundrels

  Necklaces & Nooses

  Handbags & Hooligans

  Mistletoe & Murder

  Gems & Gunshots

  Tiaras & Texans

  Cupids & Crooks

  Vows & Victims

  Romance & Revenge

  Accessories & Alibis

  Bats & Bling

  Weddings & Weapons

  Diamonds & Disguises

  Keys & Kidnappers

  Icicles & Icepicks

  * * *

  Presley Thurman Box Set 1 (Books 1-5)

  Presley Thurman Box Set 2 (Books 6-10)

  Presley Thurman Box Set 3 (Books 11-15)

  * * *

  The Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mysteries

  Friends and Foes A PREQUEL

  Snowglobes and Secrets

  Cupcakes and Killers

  Wine and Revenge

  Lawyers and Liars

  The Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mystery Box Set (Books 1-4)

  * * *

  The Spencer University Cozy Mysteries

  Death by Suspenders

  Textbook Murder

  Killer Classes

  Christmas Caper

  The Spencer University Box Set (Books 1-3)

  * * *

  Sterling Towne Cozy Mystery

  Switched Up