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Chapter One

 Hey Rory, the email read, I don’t know what you decided about the trip this weekend. If you’re not going  could you cover my shift this Saturday? 

There was no reason she couldn’t have said yes. Any other week, she most likely would have said yes. She liked to be helpful like that. Everyone knew it. 

Except right now, her heart was still broken. And Lita was supposed to be her friend.

What kind of friend tried to capitalise on another friend’s breakup? 

 “A bad one,” Rory said out loud – even though she was alone in the car. 

 She got a little aggressive with the turn signal as her fingers smacked down on the end of the little metal stick. As soon as she rounded the corner, she hit the button on the steering wheel to turn the radio up. Something needed to drown out the misery of her thoughts. 

 The lyrics of this particular song certainly weren’t gonna do it. She’d never heard the song before, and it was absolutely moody and totally gorgeous. The vocalist’s husky tenor paired perfectly with the moody minor chords of his acoustic guitar – the way she liked it best. And instead of listening, she stabbed the tip of her finger into the search button on the stereo. 

 Sad love song. Upbeat love song. Cheating song. 

 When she had to sink her teeth into her lower lip to stop it from trembling, she snapped the radio off and let the car descend into moody silence. 

“Call mom,” Rory said, and technology obliged. 

 “Hello honey.” Her mother’s voice came on the line after just one ring, like maybe she’d been waiting for the call. Her voice on the other end of the phone was bright and cheery. “You sure got gorgeous weather for travelling. Are you on the road yet?”

 Mom wasn’t wrong. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and even this early in the morning, the sun already felt hot on the skin of her forearm as it rested on the ledge beside the window. It was the kind of day that was perfect for going on vacation with your guy. Except, of course, her guy had backed out of this vacation two weeks earlier. The day after the deadline for her to get a refund on her room. And also, Jerry wasn’t her guy anymore. Yeah. There was that.   

 “I stopped to get coffee,” Rory said, “I’ve got to fill up with gas next.”

 “You got coffee before travelling? You’re braver than me.”

 “What?” Rory glanced at the paper cup in her cup holder in confusion. “Drinking coffee is brave?”

 Her mother’s laugh sounded over the car’s speakers. 

 “It makes me need to use the bathroom, that’s all,” her mom said, and laughed again. Rory laughed too, but she wondered if mom could hear how fake the sound was. When dead air followed the moment, Rory figured she could. 

 “I’m not sure I should be doing this,” she said, blurting out the confession and hating that her voice trembled just a bit. Her fingers clenched around the steering wheel as she did her best to hold back the tears that wanted to choke her throat. “Maybe taking this trip alone is a mistake.”

 “Honey.” Her mother’s voice was thick with concern. “Getting away will be good for you.”

 “Unlike Jerry, you mean.”

 Elizabeth Quinn ignored that one, and Rory was immediately ashamed. So, her parent’s hadn’t liked Jerry. Hadn’t trusted him. They hadn’t been wrong now, had they? 

 “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

 “Rory, honey, you know I hate that you’re hurting. I’m so proud of how brave you’re being taking the trip on your own. With how much you were looking forward to this trip, though, I just know you’re going to love it once you get there.”

 “Maybe,” Rory’s sigh was dark. “I have always wanted to spend time in Silver Falls.”

 “There you go,” her mother said. “I bet being away is going to bring you all kinds of perspective.”

 “Perspective on why the love of my life didn’t love me back, you mean? That would be nice.”

 Rory heard her mother’s sharp huff of breath, but she wasn’t sure if it was at the sarcasm or because she had referred to Jerry as the love of her life. That’s what he was, though. 

 Well, wasn’t he? 

 The sliver of doubt surprised her. She’d never even questioned that one before. 

 “So, are you wearing the panties?”

 “Mother.” This time Rory’s laugher was real. “I should never have told you about that.”

 “But you did,” her mom said, and Rory could hear the smile. “Wear the panties. They’ll give you perspective for sure.”

 “Mother!” 

 Rory laughed again, even though they were talking about the new lingerie she’d bought for Jerry’s benefit – the ones she’d expected to unveil on this trip, ones she’d almost tossed into the garbage can rather than bringing them along. The worst of the vise gripping her heart loosened a fraction. Mom often had that effect on her heart. 

 Her sexy order had arrived in the mail the day before Jerry had bailed on the trip… and on them. At the time, she’d been ecstatic that the lingerie had arrived in time for their vacation. Then, the next day, the very existence of the sexy items had seemed to be another level of mockery at how she’d loved him, and he’d used her. She’d almost tossed the slinky little things.

 “Have fun,” her mom said. “Be safe. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Well, that gives me some leeway.”

 “Rude child,” Elizabeth teased her daughter. “You definitely did not get that sarcastic tongue from me.” 

 “I love you, mom.”

 Rory disconnected, her tires bounced over the edge of the curb when she turned into the last gas station in town. If she was going to turn back, she considered, the moment was now. She had exactly as long as it took to fill her tank to decide. After that, she just had a long stretch of lonely road to travel with – hopefully – good things at the end. 

 The smell of the gas fumes wafted over her fingers as she considered. As the numbers turned on the gas gauge, the sun warmed her shoulders, the breeze shifted and blew through her hair.  

 She wasn’t wearing the new lingerie. It was packed. But, she’d chosen to wear her favourite black bikini so she could jump into the lake the minute she got into town. Over top of her bikini, she wore a little red sundress. It had tassels. They shifted when she moved her legs, and they made her smile.

 She really liked the tassels. Just for fun, she lifted her knee, watched as the hemline shivered like a 1970’s curtain, and then she grinned despite everything. Rory looked out at the road she had to travel as the gas nozzle clicked off. Tank full. Time to decide.

 What the hell. It couldn’t be any worse being sad on vacation than it was being sad at home. 

And at least she looked the part.