Always Mine (Coming Home To The Grove 1)

I’m running down the stairs without a smidge of makeup on when the doorbell rings. I’m sure it’s the guests arriving early, and I open the front door without checking to see who it is first.

“Good morning,” Trent says, smiling at me with a box of donuts in one hand and a cupholder with two coffees in the other. I want to send him away, but I really want the coffee, and the donuts would be great to have to offer to my guests since I won’t have time to prepare anything.

I reach for the coffee, but he holds the cup out of reach. “Accepting the coffee means we’re friends, you know.”

“What about the donuts?” I ask.

“Those too. Come on, give me a chance to make up for hurting you.”

I look at my watch and see that the new guests should be here any minute.

“Friendly acquaintances,” I say in negotiation.

“Friends,” he insists.

“Frenemies,” I counter.

“Best friends.” He grins.

I bite my lip, weighing my choices. The longer I stand here, the less time I have. “Fine, friends.” I take the box of donuts with the logo of Patty Cakes on the top. I love Patty Cakes’ donuts.

He takes a sip of coffee as I start arranging them on a platter. “I talked to Patty. She wanted me to tell you that Carrie’s moving back to town. She should be here next week.”

“Carrie’s moving back?” I ask, surprised.

Carrie is Patty’s niece and was one of my very good friends in high school. I started college as soon as we graduated, but she’s only in her third year. I wonder why she’s coming back. I’ll have to be sure to check in on her.

“Yeah, so I guess life outside of Forest Grove ain’t all it’s cracked up to be, huh?” he comments.

My eyes snap to him, sure that he’s being snide, but all I see is curiosity. I forget sometimes that he had wanted to leave too. “Yeah, it’s not.” I wanted nothing more than to get out of this town, but now that I’m back, I know I’ll never leave again. “I missed it here. I think I liked the idea of the big city more than actually living in it. It was lonely. But I finished my associate’s degree and then took a year off doing odd jobs until Mom and Dad told me they were considering selling this place.” I look around the inside of my spacious house. “I didn’t want that. This was my home growing up. I don’t want to let it go.”

For a second, I forget who I’m talking to. I may have agreed to be friends with him, but I’m not going to get close.

I look past him and see a couple pulling into the parking area. I let out an audible sigh. I’m saved by my arriving guests.TrentShe is a bit overwhelmed. I could see that through the window before she’d opened the door.

Never underestimate the power of donuts.

I decide it would be a good idea to stick around and see if I can help until she gets her feet under her. I carry in the luggage for the couple and take it to the room they’ve reserved.

“Thank you,” Lacy says to me as I come back down the stairs. It is hard for her to thank me; I can see that too.

“It’s what friends are for, right?”

Lacy nods and laughs, a baffled sound. “What does it matter if we’re friends? I’m sure you have tons of friends.”

“It matters. You matter to me, Lacy.”

“Pickings must be slim around here if you’re resorting to exes, Trent.” She shakes her head at me.

Lacy is stubborn and strong willed, but she always has been, and I know it’ll take time to convince her that I’m not trying to play a game with her emotions.

“We were best friends as soon as we met, Lacy. You were always mine, long before I even understood what that meant. We can’t just throw that all away.” I rub my hand through the scruff of my chin. “Girlfriend or just friend, you’re the kind of person that matters.”

She’s not fazed at all by my reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Instead she answers me with a hand on her hip and her chin jutted out. “Too bad that isn’t how you treated me when we broke up.”

Damn, she’s a stubborn woman.6LacyHe’s a lot smoother than he was when we dated through high school. He always seemed sure of himself, and maybe it’s because we were friends forever that he was so easy to talk to. But now he’s way more confident. Maybe even a little cocky. I know I’m going to have to do something to make sure I don’t fall deeper into the bottomless pit of loving Trent. Being mean to him and trying to hold him at arm’s length isn’t going to last, not with his determination.