Pretending Not To Love You, page 1
Pretending Not To Love You
Hazel Pathway Series #1
M. S. Larson
Copyright © 2020 M.S. Larson
All rights reserved
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 9781234567890
ISBN-10: 1477123456
Cover design by: Art Painter
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309
Printed in the United States of America
This book is dedicated to my husband, who is as beautiful on the inside as he is on the outside. We have a wonderful and beautiful love that I channeled into this book. Thank you for always inspiring me in every aspect of my life.
Chapter 1
Raine
I was counting down the minutes until I was all unpacked and could just relax. My family decided to move to the outskirts of the twin cities in Minnesota. It had been tough to leave my mom’s family, but I was looking forward to living here in the states too. I wondered what it would be like. Would I like it in Hazel Pathway? Would were the people like?
I was so deep in thought that I almost missed a boy my age shooting baskets two houses down. As if he could sense my stare, he turned around and spotted me. I stopped in my tracks, smiled and waved at him.
“Hi,” he called out. He dropped the basketball and started walking towards me.
“Hi.”
He had dark brown hair and as he drew closer, I noticed that he had deep, soulful, chocolate-brown eyes. He smiled, and I spotted a dimple. It transformed his average looks into a total cutie. I gave a sharp intake of breath and wondered if he had girls falling all over him. And if he had a girlfriend…
“I see you guys are moving into the former O’Hurley house,” he observed. “I’m Alex. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Raine Robertson, nice to meet you too,” I replied.
“Welcome to Hazel Pathway,” Alex grinned. “Where did you guys move from?”
“Thanks, we just moved here from China. My dad’s family lives in the Twin Cities, so we occasionally come here to visit. My family likes Minnesota, so we decided to put down our roots here.”
“That’s cool. Well, I think you will really like it here. It’s a great place to live.”
“Thanks, it’s nice to finally settle in one spot for a change.”
“You made it here just in time for the beginning of school,” Alex remarked.
I nodded slowly, not saying anything. I didn’t want to think about starting out at a new school, having to meet new people and make new friends. I’ve tried to reassure myself that everything would be ok, but part of me was dreading it. What did my Uncle Lee say to me when I was feeling discourage in a new situation? Be brave against the changing tides, wavering but rooted to the ground.
Alex sensed my nervousness. “Don’t worry; there are a lot of nice kids at school. In fact, I can show you around town and introduce you to people if you like.”
I smiled. “Thanks, that’s very nice of you. I’d love that.”
“Great,” Alex said. “Just let me know when you’re available.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll let you know,” I replied. I stood there trying to get hold of the box that was slipping out of my hands.
“I’m so sorry—where are my manners? Let me help with that box,” Alex insisted. He reached out and took the box from me.
“Thanks,” I replied. “Here, follow me inside.”
I led him upstairs. He entered my bedroom and looked around. “Nice big room.”
“I love my bedroom so much. I have huge windows that overlook the woods behind our house. The leaves on the trees are so pretty this time of year.”
“There’s actually a beautiful creek beyond the trees. Maybe one of these days you would like to go check it out.”
“Sounds like fun,” I remarked. “That’s if you have the time. You’re already helping me out a lot here.”
He shrugged. “It’s not a problem. I don’t mind at all. Let’s go grab more boxes.”
“Okay, but let me introduce you to my parents and sister first,” I suggested.
“Sure.”He followed me down the stairs. I stopped by the entrance of the kitchen.
“Mom, Dad, this is Alex. He lives a few doors down from us.
My mom and dad were busy unpacking in the kitchen but stopped abruptly when they heard me. My mom looked at me and then her eyes settled on Alex who was standing next to me. I could see the wheels turning in her head. I don’t really go out that much, much less go on a date. I knew she was going to find a way to set me up with a boy, and Alex was the unsuspecting victim. She ambled over and shook his hand. My dad followed closely behind.
“Alex, it’s a delight to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Robertson.”
“Please, call me Ling,” she said with a warm smile.
“Okay, Ling.”
“Nice to meet you, Alex, call me Bob,” My dad remarked, reaching out to shake Alex’s hands.
“Welcome to Hazel Pathway,” Alex said. “It’s a great little town; I know you guys will really like it here.”
“Thanks, Alex. We’re excited about moving here too,” my mom said. “Raine hasn’t had a chance to explore all of Hazel Pathway yet. Maybe you can show her around.”
“Alex has already offered to show me around town, mom,” I grimaced, trying not to be annoyed with her.
My mom was a meddler and a matchmaker. She and I are completely different from each other. River, my little sister, was a lot more like her. I was more like my dad, quiet and calm.
“Oh, that’s wonderful.” She clapped her hands in delight.
“Who’s that?” River asked, walking into the kitchen. My sister, River, was a few years younger than me and was going to be attending the middle school in town.
“Alex, this is my little sister, River,” I replied. “River, this is Alex, our next-door neighbor.”
“Hi, Alex, nice to meet you,” River stuck out her hand to shake Alex’s.
“Nice to meet you too, River,” Alex exclaimed. “Raine and River, pretty names for pretty ladies. I see where you both got your good looks from.”
My mom laid a hand to her chest and giggled. Jeesh. She was already smitten with him.
“Oh, you charmer,” she gushed.
“Thanks,” I replied, my cheeks warmed at his compliment even though I knew that it was only partially true. River was the real beauty of the family. I was passably attractive. But if Alex thought I was pretty, I wasn’t going to argue with that.
“Thank you very much, I’ve been told that many times,” River boasted.
Alex chuckled and looked my way. I smiled wryly.
“Well, it’s true,” she insisted. “Grandma says daddy’s going to have to fend off all the guys with a bat once I’m old enough to start dating.”
My dad groaned. He hated thinking about his daughters dating. He hated talking about the entire subject in general.
“Mom, Dad, Alex offered to help me unload my stuff from the truck for a little bit. So we’re going to get back to doing that now,” I announced, signaling to Alex to follow me.
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you. What a nice young man you are,” my mom exclaimed. “Thank you so much!”
“Thanks, we appreciate the help,” my dad added.
“You’re welcome. It was nice to meet you all. I’ll see you guys around,” Alex remarked and followed me.
“It was nice to meet you too. See you around,” they called out.
I stepped onto the front porch and could hear my mom say from the kitchen. “What a nice young man.” My dad just grunted.
“Are you ready to do some unloading,” Alex asked.
“Yes, let’s get to it!”
For the next hour, Alex helped me unload and unpack my boxes. When I thought we were at a good stopping point, I suggested that we hung out on the front porch to relax and grabbed something cool to drink. We chatted about different things and planned out our day for touring Hazel Pathway.
“So tell me more about where you’ve lived?” he asked.
I shared with him the different places my family had lived in, but the place we lived in longest was rural China with my mom’s family. My dad taught English and my mom did a lot of free legal consulting as well as helping out the poor. Then my dad decided that he wanted us to experience more of the American culture before we got too old so we moved to Minnesota.
“You have a nice family,” Alex commented.
“Thanks, I have an identical twin sister, Remi, but she’s studying abroad right now.”
“You have a twin sister?” Alex wondered. “That is so neat.”
“It is,” I agreed and amused him with stories about how Remi and I would trick my cousins when we were younger by pretending to be each other.
Alex chuckled. My breath hitched. His laugh sounded deep and sexy. The sound of it was inciting feelings inside of me that I’ve never felt before. He felt my gaze and gave me a lopsided smile.
“So who are the only ones who can tell you two apart?”
“Hmmm, only my mom, dad and my Uncle Lee.”
“That
“Remi’s going to join us next year. I can’t wait.”
“You miss her,” he observed.
“I do,” I replied. “But we often keep in touch so it’s not too bad.”
“Speaking of siblings, I have three younger siblings,” Alex said. “You’ll probably meet them soon. They can be annoying, but overall they’re pretty good kids.”
I laughed. “That’s siblings for you. Like River, she can be a bit much. She’s really girly girly, but overall a good kid. My sister Remi, she’s got a rebellious streak and gives my parents a hard time, but we still get along really well.”
“All of your names start with an R?” Alex realized.
“Yep! It was all my mom’s doing.”
Once in a while during our chat, he would flash me a bashful smile. Oh man—was I a total goner.
“So your sister has a rebellious streak?”Alex inquired. “Is that why she’s studying abroad?”
“More or less,” I sighed. “She’s just trying to find herself.”
“So what about you? Where do you fit in your family?” Alex asked.
“I guess I’m the peacemaker, the calm and cool one,” I remarked. “What about you? What’s your role in your family?”
“Well, I’m the oldest. So all my siblings sort of look up to me. There’s Tim, he’s River’s age. Declan, he’s nine, and Abby, the baby of the family. She was unexpected.”
“Great, I’m excited to meet them,” I remarked.
“You’ll meet them,” Alex assured me. “They’re always hanging around outside.”
“So what do you like to do for fun?” I asked.
“Well, I love to play sports.”
“Oh, what do you like to play besides basketball?”
“I love most sports, but I love soccer and football most of all. I’m on the high school’s football and soccer teams.”
“That’s wonderful! Are you any good?” I teased.
Alex shrugged. “I’m a decent player.”
“I’m just teasing. I imagine you’re pretty good at both sports,” I remarked. And I meant it too. He looked extremely fit and athletic.
“What about you, what do you like to do for fun?” Alex inquired.
I grinned. “Well, you’re going to think this is strange so I don’t know if it’s a good idea to tell you.”
“Oh, come on, you can tell me,” he coaxed. “I’m not going to say anything negative.”
“Okay, fine. I like to knit.”
Alex chuckled.
“See, I knew you’d think that was strange,” I crossed my arms and gave him a playful frown.
“I’m just kidding around,” he remarked. “I think that’s a great hobby to have. My mom likes to knit on her down time too.”
Right after he said that, I see at the corner of my eyes, a boy around River’s age walking out of Alex’s house. He looked like a younger version of Alex.
“I’m guessing that’s Tim.”
“You have a great memory,” Alex observed.
He spotted Alex with me and called out. “Alex, mom needs your help with Abby!”
“I’ve got to go,” Alex sighed.
“Okay, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied. “See you Saturday morning?”
“Yep, see you on Saturday.” I watched as he sprinted off to his house. I smiled to myself and walked back inside. My smile faded when I spotted my mom and River standing in the foyer waiting expectedly. My mom had a small smile on her face.
“What?”
“You like him,” River declared with a smirk.
I didn’t answer and made my way upstairs to my room. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of saying yes.
“Raine likes Alex. Raine likes Alex,” River teased in a sing-song voice. I closed my bedroom door but could still hear my mom chastising River for teasing me. Ugh, she was probably going to keep it up for a while. River being a bit much was probably an understatement.
***
That night, I laid in bed thinking about the boy next door, well technically two doors down. I’ve never felt this way about a boy before. My Uncle Lee, who was my mentor, had always taught me to keep my emotions under control. Logic and wisdom over feelings. So I was unsure about these new budding feelings. Maybe it was because I thought he was cute. No, that couldn’t be it. I wasn’t that shallow. I was taught to judge a person by their character, not their looks. No, it was because I could sense that there was something special about him. Plus, I enjoyed our conversation and felt a connection with him.
Ugh—I groaned and covered my face. I was acting all lovey-dovey and I barely knew him. Alex had spent some time helping me unload boxes from the moving van and I found that endearing and sweet. He was nice, quiet and sometimes gave me bashful smiles which added to his charm. I wondered if he was thinking about me too.
I knew one thing for sure; I definitely was looking forward to him showing me around town.
Chapter 2
Raine
A few days later, I found myself going through ten outfits and created a little mound of clothes on the floor. It had taken me thirty minutes to find an outfit. And I still wasn’t satisfied with it. This was unheard of because I usually just threw on what was available and comfortable. I settled on a purple knit shirt with sleeves, a black t-shirt over it and black capris pants. I found myself questioning the outfit but didn’t have enough time to reconsider when I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly tied my hair into a ponytail and ran downstairs.
My family was standing in the foyer. I hastened my steps towards the front door and could see Alex, Tim, a dark-haired older woman and a young boy entering the foyer. They had to be Alex’s mom and brothers.
“Honey, look who’s here,” my mom announced.
“Good morning, Alex, I see you brought along your family,” I exclaimed.
“Good morning, Raine, this is my mom, Sophia, and my little brothers, Declan and Tim.”
“It’s so nice to meet you all,” my mom exclaimed, then proceeded to introduce my family to Alex’s family.
“So you’re Raine?” Sophia inquired, eyeing me curiously. “It’s so good to finally meet you. Alex has told me a few things about you.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, too. Alex has shared a few things about you to me too.”
“I’ve been meaning to stop by earlier but my little girl Abby can be a handful sometimes.” Sophia handed my mom a plate of cookies. “Welcome to the neighborhood. I baked these for your family.”
“Oh, thank you so much,” my mom gushed. “That’s so sweet of you.”
“It’s nothing, and I'm sorry my husband isn’t here. He’s at work right now.”
“Oh, that’s perfectly fine,” my mom reassured her. “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to meet him.”
River glared at Tim. “Mom, why does he keep on staring at me like that?”
Tim’s face turned bright red, and he looked down at his shoes. I hid a smile. He appeared quite taken with my sister.
“River Robertson! Where are your manners?” my mom chastised. “I’m so sorry. Please excuse my daughter’s poor manners.”
“But mom—”River began.
“Hush, we will talk about this later,” my mom said.
River huffed and crossed her arms. She kept silent but continued to keep an eye on Tim.
“Not a problem,” Sophia declared. She shot Tim a look. “Please excuse my son’s manners too.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you guys,” Sophia announced. “So we will be leaving now. Plus, Alex is giving Raine a tour around town so I don’t want to hold them up much longer.”
“Alex is such a wonderful person,” my mom praised. “He helped unload boxes for us, and now he’s going to show Raine around town. You’ve done a great job of raising your son.”
“Thank you. That’s my boy. I’m very proud of him.” Sophia beamed. “Plus, he would’ve had to answer to me if he was anything less than a gentleman.”
“Okay, mom.” Alex pointed to his watch.
“We better get back. Abby is due to wake up any minute now,” Sophia exclaimed as she shuffled her two younger boys out the door. “Maybe one of these days, I will bring Abby by and introduce her to you.”
