Heart Words: A Sweetbriar Hearts novel, page 1
Heart Words
A Sweetbriar Hearts novel
Nora Everly
Heart Words
Copyright © 2020 by Nora Everly
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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.
Cover Design: Julianne Burke of Heart to Cover LLC
Editing: Rebecca Kimmel: Thewritingrefinery.com
Contents
1. Rose
2. Trevor
3. Rose
4. Rose
5. Trevor
6. Trevor
7. Rose
8. Rose
9. Rose
10. Trevor
11. Rose
12. Trevor
13. Rose
14. Trevor
15. Rose
16. Trevor
17. Rose
18. Trevor
19. Trevor
20. Rose
21. Trevor
22. Rose
23. Rose
24. Rose
25. Rose
26. Trevor
27. Rose
28. Rose
29. Trevor
30. Rose
31. Trevor
32. Rose
33. Trevor
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Nora Everly
1
Rose
I sipped my hazelnut latte and smiled gratefully at my older sister. Violet always gave good coffee. Sometimes she also provided unwanted advice and nosy observations, but I decided to ignore those and focus on the positive aspects of having her as a volunteer in my classroom. If the first day of school was hectic, then the first day of kindergarten was utter insanity. Nervous children barely out of toddlerhood combined with teary-eyed, emotional parents made for an intense morning. Volunteers were necessary. Volunteers who provided coffee were invaluable.
“Are you ready, Violet?” I asked after taking another sip.
“Yep. But the real question is, are you ready?” She peered at me over the top of her coffee cup, eyebrows standing at attention and hazel eyes twinkling. She expected the scoop, but I wasn’t ready to give it up. “Madison is going to be in your class this year, which means Trevor will be here any minute to drop her off.” Madison was the adorable daughter of my—well, he wasn’t even my ex. Trevor was my almost. He’d never fully owned my heart, yet he’d broken it all the same.
Trevor Hale was the delicious new detective on my police chief-father’s force. I wanted him from the second I saw him over a year ago, standing in my sister’s living room looking gorgeous and irresistible. For a while, he wanted me too. But it didn’t last. Nothing ever lasts for me, because something about me was forgettable. Easily-replaceable Rose. Well, no more of that. I had made a sacred vow to myself to find a man who wanted me as much as I wanted him. No more complicated, messy relationships and no more settling for second place.
“Earth to Rose . . .” Violet teased.
I took another sip of my latte and smiled at her. “I’m ready. You know, the first day of school is always my favorite.” She looked at me skeptically as I smoothed down my navy blue, red apple-printed shirtwaist dress. I tapped my red T-strap flats on the floor, and flashed my matching red manicure at her, making her laugh. I could go over the top with my school attire. My goal in life ever since I was a child was to be just like Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She always wore dresses inspired by her lessons and made learning fun. Seeing a child become inspired in my classroom meant everything to me. I refused to allow the thought of seeing Trevor this morning throw me for a loop. This was my world, and I had important work to do.
“We have about ten minutes ‘til game time. Just enough time for you to spill about what went on between you and Trevor,” she said as she sipped her coffee and walked the room, making sure everything was in its place. Every year, Violet helped me set up my classroom. This year we decorated with a black chalkboard and neon rainbow theme. Violet owned a hugely successful coffee shop in town called Violet’s. But before becoming the coffee guru of Sweetbriar, Oregon, she was an educational assistant. She kept herself on the volunteer list and usually spent the first week or two of school with me. Kindergarteners were like kittens for the first few weeks; all hyper and easily distracted. Herding cats was a multi-person job.
“Nothing happened,” I lied as I checked my makeup in the mirror hanging behind my desk. After fluffing my long, curly red hair, I applied more lip gloss. I wasn’t usually a primper, but I was nervous as all heck. The closer it got to start time, the more fidgety I became. I didn’t usually get nervous on the first day of school. In fact, my classroom was the only place that I felt confident. Every other aspect of my life was kind of a disaster. And now, because of Trevor and our almost-thing together, I was pretty much a nervous wreck in the one place that made me feel good about myself.
Damn it, Sexy Trevor. Get out of my brain.
“Oh, come on. You met him at Lily’s, right? And then you had a secret affair with him. Is that it? Did he move here to be with you? Come on, I won’t tell anyone!” She waggled her eyebrows at me. Lily was our sister, and my identical twin. Trevor was her late husband’s partner on the police force. I did meet him at her old house; Violet was half right.
“I don’t want to talk about this Violet. Now is not the time,” I insisted as I continued with my excessive primping.
Violet’s voice greeting a student snapped me out of my vain reverie. Whipping around, I hastily stashed my lip gloss in my desk and hurried to join her at the door to say hello to the little early bird. I’d met most of the students at back to school night last week, but not this little cutie.
“Good morning. My name is Miss Barrett. What’s your name?”
“I’m Anna,” she answered distractedly as she stared at me. “Your hair is just like Merida’s. From Brave. She’s my favorite princess.” I tried my best to tame my curls, but they had a mind of their own. I kept my hair long because the longer it was, the easier it was to take care of. The weight of it hanging down my back kept me from looking like a frizzy red Q-tip.
“Well, thank you. I like that movie too.” I looked up from cute little Anna and shook Anna’s mother’s hand. “Would you like to go to your table and write your name on the paper, then match it to your name on the wall and put it in the slot?” Anna looked intrigued. All the tables had a label with each student’s name, blank slips of paper, and baskets full of crayons. Violet called them over to Anna’s table.
The second she turned from me to go to her table, Trevor popped right back into my brain just like a freaking whack-a-mole. I’d like to whack him out of my mind, but ever since I’d seen him at my mom’s Sunday dinner with Lily and the kids, I couldn’t get him out of my thoughts. That day, I’d taken one look at him, turned around and rushed out of the house. I have been actively avoiding him ever since. He hadn’t attended back-to-school night with his kids; his mother had brought them, which was a relief at the time. But now, I wished I’d seen him and gotten it over with. The anticipation was killing me.
My younger brother Jude came through the door next, which distracted me enough to allow me to whack Trevor back into his hole in my brain. Jude was with Bella, the daughter of one of his good friends. Poor Harper had to work this morning and couldn’t bring Bella herself. Little Bella was crying and Jude was doing his best to console her, but it wasn’t working. “I’m trying, Rose, but she just wants Harper.”
I bent down to talk to her. “Hi, Bella. You remember me and Violet, right?” She nodded through her tears. “Yay! Do you remember that we’re both super nice, and extra awesome?” I teased with a big smile. She looked up at me and returned a tiny smile. “You’ll be fine today. I know that your mom is going to pick you up right after school, and you can tell her all about how much fun you had on your first day of kindergarten.” She took a deep breath and nodded. Violet waved her over to her table. Jude mouthed ‘thank you’ to me, then followed them.
It went on from there. Kids arrived, Violet and I gave greetings and introductions, the little tables filled up—but there was no sign of Trevor. I was a jumble of nerves. I just wanted to get the part where I had to see him over with, so I could go on with my day.
I heard him before I saw him. His voice was a trigger, popping him back up to fill my thoughts. Only this time, all the memories popped up too. Trevor and I had been long distance. We’d built most of our relationship over the phone—as in every night before bed, plus here and there throughout our days—for a little over three months. We’d never even kissed, and sadly, it was the best relationship I’d ever had. What did that say about me? Pathetic, that’s what it said.
Violet bustled around the room, talking to parents and helping kids write their names. I had to suck it up. Tamping down my feelings, I headed to the door to greet Madison and Trevor. “Hi, Madison. Are you excited for your first day of kindergarten?” I asked with a big, partially-fake smile.
I briefly glanced up
I shook my head slightly. Quit it, Rose, you’re at work, look away.
I refocused on Madison, who clung to Trevor’s hand with fear on her face and a trembling chin. As her big blue eyes filled with tears, I forgot all about Trevor and lost my nervous jitters.
I knelt in front of her. “We’re going to have a great day, Madison. We’ll sing songs and color pictures. We’ll play outside and go for a walk around the school so you will know where everything is. I promise to teach you everything you need to know about being a kindergartner. Then you can go home and tell your dad all about it. Deal?” I held my hand out to her, and she shook it with a shy smile. Yes!
I stood up, slipping a bit on the carpet. Trevor held my elbow to steady me.
“Thank you,” I whispered, as the electricity from his touch zoomed through my body. Damn it, no sexy electricity allowed! Trevor was like catnip, and I was the stupid cat.
“You’re welcome, Rosalie.” he said, not letting me go. He studied my face while I squirmed under his observation. I guess I hadn’t tamped my feelings down far enough. Who was I kidding? I had so many unresolved feelings for Trevor that I’d have to turn my heart into a landfill to bury them all.
Violet called to Madison and waved to her from her table. She looked up at Trevor, who nodded encouragingly. Madison headed over to Violet and sat down.
“You haven’t been taking my calls,” he said softly, once she was out of earshot. No way I was taking his calls. Trevor was irresistible over the phone. His deep, smoky voice did things to me—things that were too inappropriate to be thinking about here.
I sighed, frustrated and confused by my lingering feelings for him. “I’ve been busy. Getting ready for the school year to start. I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“If I call you tonight, will you answer?” I shook my head as his deep voice washed over me and I shivered. Damn him and his hotness. “I know I hurt you. It hurt me too, Rose. But we could have another chance together. Please? Can we try again?” he whispered intently. Gorgeous eyes burned into mine, drawing me in. I had to look away from that eyeball tractor beam, lest I end up headfirst in the garbage again.
“I can’t do this right now.” He looked like he wanted to argue. “You can call me tomorrow night,” I said, simply to placate him and get him to go away so I could attempt to have a normal day.
“Okay, tomorrow then. I’m going to say goodbye to Madison.” Violet had switched name tags and moved her to sit by an also-crying Bella. Over the years, I had found that when you put two crying little girls together, they always ended up as friends. I shot Violet a thumbs up.
I pulled myself together. I had until tomorrow night to come up with something to say to him. Trying to avoid him wasn’t going to work anymore. It was clear he would not be giving up any time soon. Madison beamed up at him as he tugged one of her pigtails, straightening the corkscrew curl. And he just got hotter.
2
Trevor
The walls of my tiny office closed in on me as I sat at my desk, tapping a pencil on the blotter and thinking about Rose. My ex-wife, Tara, also flitted through my mind, along with the regret over how I had let her fuck up my life. I probably shouldn’t have married her, but it was hard to regret it too much because Madison wouldn’t have been born if I’d made another choice. We got married after she got pregnant with Mikey, my soon-to-be seven-year-old son. We were never in love, and I think she resented me for trying to settle down with her. When I found out she had been cheating on me, I filed for divorce immediately; it was the last straw. Our divorce was almost final when I met Rose.
The whispers at my door jolted me out of my thoughts. “How was school?” I asked as my kids burst through the door. My mother followed quickly behind. I stepped around my desk, knelt, and opened my arms. Madison ran to me and crashed into my chest. I picked her up and kissed her cheek with a laugh. She was just like the nursery rhyme: sugar and spice and everything nice. She looked exactly like her mother—golden blonde curls and big blue eyes.
She leaned back in my arms with a big smile on her face. “I love Miss Barrett,” she answered with a big toothy smile. “She sings all the time! She took us to the big kid playground. If we’re good, our class gets to play on it every Friday! And look!” She pulled a pink heart cut out of construction paper and tied onto a red string from under her shirt and stuck it in my face. “I wrote this all by myself! It says “love.” It’s my first heart word because I know it by heart. L-O-V-E spells love. I love you, Daddy, and I love Miss Barrett!” She wiggled, so I put her down. She ran around my desk and started doodling on the blotter.
“I love you too, sweetheart,” I said to her, and she smiled huge at me.
“Oh, Daddy, call me Maddie. My friends all have nicknames and I wanted one too.”
“Okay . . . Maddie.” Wow. What a difference from the scared, quiet tears from this morning. Rose was a miracle worker. I felt a curious pride in her.
“How about you, Mikey?” Mikey, on the other hand, was all me. He had my nose and my build and he same dark brown hair that he insisted be cut just like mine—short on the sides, and a bit longer on top. Every time I looked in his eyes, I saw my own brown looking back at me. Except his eyes held a spark of mischief that mine never had; I had to watch him constantly.
“Dylan and Mark are in my class and they’re my best bros, so that’s awesome.” I watched him wander around my office and stop to flop into the chair in the corner. “This office is way smaller than your old one. But I’m glad we live in this town now, even if we’re all squishy in here. Plus, Grandma picks us up from school. No more daycare. I can sit around in my underwear at Grandma’s. They wouldn’t let me do that at daycare.”
I chuckled and met my mom’s eyeroll with one of my own. I never knew what was going to come out of Mikey’s mouth. “Do you like your teacher? She seemed nice,” I prodded.
“Yeah, she’s okay. I like her. Can we have pizza for dinner?” he asked.
“I’ll get one before I pick you up. Sound good?” He held up his fist and I bumped it with my own. I’d take that as a yes.
“Thanks for picking them up, Mom.”
She nodded and hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re here, honey. Tacoma wasn’t the place for you. It never was.” She’d been against my marriage to Tara. I had been too, but I’d done it for my kids, and I’d do it again if I had to.
Moving here was the best decision I’d made in a long time. Sweetbriar was a small town, so the pace of my job would be slower here, my hours more flexible. In Tacoma I was one detective out of many. Here, I was the only one so far.
Sweetbriar is where I would start my life over. I’m closer to my parents, closer to Lily and her kids, but most of all closer to Rose. Letting her get away was one of the worst mistakes of my life. There was no room for more mistakes. Rose wouldn’t get away from me this time; I was determined to make her see how good we could be for each other.
3
Rose
I pulled into my garage with a scowl. No matter how loud I blared my radio I couldn’t get Trevor out of my thoughts. His bedroom eyes and irresistible deep voice haunted me. The way he looked at me this morning had imprinted on my brain, while the memories of the months and months we had spent talking and planning and getting to know each other raced through my mind. It all left me breathless and frustrated in the front seat of my car. Stop it, Rose.
