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9: Build Me Up, Buttercup
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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Come on, Charla! We’re going to be late,” my dad called up the stairs a few hours later.
My parents had returned from their impromptu trip to Hope Falls for whitefish at their favorite restaurant. They got home a few minutes after Stephen and Julie picked up Rory, utterly shocked to hear that they’d offered to babysit.
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Something So Sweet 10: Zip it Up
“You jackass,” I said the moment we broke through the doors of the community center. Rory’s victory yell had brought the entire recital to a halt. Between the looks Julie and Stephen gave me, and Jack’s head on my shoulder as he collapsed into laughter, I had not been able to contain myself. Time to make our exit.&n
Something So Sweet 11: Coming Clean
I barely made it to the parking lot when I heard Jack’s footsteps behind me. “Tierney,” he called. “Wait up.” My feet wanted to keep moving, but every other part of me wanted an answer. Needed to know if all of this—the flirting, the fun, the chemistry—was part of a fa
Something So Sweet 12: Hook, Line, & Smoocher
“Tierney, that boy is here.” Dad’s voice boomed up the stairs the next morning. “You up?” “Shit.” I bolted upright and shoved my hair out of my face, immediately blinded by the sun assaulting me through the window. It was still morning. Who showed up for a dat
Something So Sweet 13: Desperately Seeking Dobler
Our next stop was a couple towns over, at a diner in Cherry Lake. As we pulled into the parking lot, Jack said, “I figured you’d appreciate a meal without people staring or trying to overhear our conversation.”“You figured right.” I looked over at him, a smile taking over my face. He’d very slyly reached across the truck to hold my hand on the way here, and we had t
Something So Sweet 14: Big Dream Adjacent
Jack drove. I rolled my window down and reached over, taking his hand. As we entered June Lake, I watched his hair ruffle in the breeze. We were nearing my parents’ street. Soon, I’d be getting into my car and driving back to Port Agnes. Back to reality.
Something So Sweet 23: A Heart Thing
“You sure you don’t want to go back in there?” I asked as we stepped out onto the sidewalk. I looped my arm through Jack’s and cast a surreptitious look at his profile. The muscles in his jaw worked overtime as he thumbed through his wallet for the valet ticket. “I’m sure,&r
Something So Sweet 24: Sugar Helps the Sorry’s Go Down
The next morning, I got to the office about five minutes late—not bad, considering how long I spent staring at my phone, willing it to ring. The regret of letting Jack leave last night was more intense than watching a slasher film before bed, even though you know it’ll give you nightmares.
Something So Sweet 15: Will Edit for Food
“Tierney, can I see you in my office?” I looked up from a manuscript I’d been editing about the mating habits of army ants to find Ron’s head poking out of his office door. “Yeah, sure.” Tossing my red pen down, I stood and rounded my desk.
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Something So Sweet 41: Pour Some Sugar On Me
Two hours later, I found myself parked at a table in the corner of the first bar I found. I didn’t stop when I walked away from Jack. I’d pushed through the crowd and right out the door. Took a right and followed the sidewalk until I found this place.Through the window, the Hope River glittered in the moonlight. All I could focus on, though, w
Something So Sweet 40: Cupcake Carnage
I had nearly two weeks to chicken out. To convince Cat that there was no need for me to attend the restaurant grand opening. To make her see that being in Jack’s presence would do neither of us any good. I was unsuccessful. Should have known better, really. Once Cat got something in her head, there was n
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The next month flew by in a whir of brainstorms and phone calls and late nights staring at my computer screen. The end result: my very own literary agency.Well, technically, agent. Singular. Just me. Working out of my apartment after getting home from my day job. But I had plans, dammit. Big ones. Ones that involved getting good books by talented writers out in the world. Starting with Joy Ne
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What did “fine” mean, really? For me, it meant getting up the next morning, putting my big girl pants on and finding a new job. I couldn’t just sit around and mope forever. There were bills to pay, man.
Something So Sweet 37: Gloom & Body Odor
Getting dumped and getting your dream job in the same day sucked. Getting dumped, getting your dream job, and going to work the next day like everything was normal sucked even more.
Something So Sweet 36: Cherry Pie & Goodbye
A couple hours later, the sun had begun to dip below the horizon, casting a dreamy golden glow over the fairgrounds. People still milled about, laughing and talking, soaking in the magic hour before darkness took over. I sat back in my chair and surveyed the booth before me. Slim pickin’s. Jack’s a
Something So Sweet 35: To the Rescue
The next morning, Cat and I were squeezed into her tiny kitchen, making pancakes and scrambled eggs before we settled down to a marathon of My Boyfriend the Vampire—a very nice Sunday, if you asked me. I had just flipped the final pancake when my phone buzzed from its place on the counter. Cat g
Something So Sweet 34: Something in the Fair
We wandered the fair for a while after that, hand-in-hand. Initially, we’d been looking for Luke and Cat, but they’d vanished. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I worried that the bearded man had actually murdered them. When I voiced my worry, though, Jack assured me that they were fine. “Pro
Something So Sweet 33: Concrete Ribbon
Jack was sitting on the front porch Saturday morning as I pulled into the driveway, looking like an excited kid. An excited kid with a naughty secret.We’d been talking since I left him on Thursday. His dad was on the upswing, so he felt comfortable leaving the hospital for the day.
