Page 2 of Bad Luck, Hard Love (Heaven’s Rejects MC #6)

CHARLOTTE - PRESENT DAY

The sun shines through my open patio doors as the sound of the waves from the Pacific Ocean crashes against the beach in the distance. The early morning sun peeks through my curtains as they sway against the breeze coming off the water.

I roll over and feel the soft cotton sheets against my bare skin. My eyes lock onto the empty half of the king-size bed. The only other occupied space on the bed is from a tightly coiled black kitten—the only worthwhile companion I have found the last few months.

Meow. Shadow calls out when he notices I am awake. He pads over to me with an exaggerated stretch, butting his head against my face with a loud purr rumbling from his chest. I peer over at my phone on the nightstand and groan when the time pops up on the screen.

“Seriously?” I grumble. “I don’t have to get up for work for another three hours. Can’t you go back to sleep?” He paws at my face, “I’ll take that as a no.”

I stretch leisurely on my bed. My satin sheets feel cool and smooth against my skin. Shadow follows suit, making a grand spectacle of rolling by my feet. He brushes against my bare legs as I force myself up.

“You’re hungry, I get it,” I scoff before heading to the kitchen.

I make quick work of Shadow’s breakfast while I let my coffee maker brew.

The sweet smell of coffee fills the small space that surrounds me.

Taking my cup, I grab a blanket and my phone from my room, step out onto the open patio, and settle into one of the rattan deck chairs to watch the sunrise.

A beautiful kaleidoscope of oranges and pinks brightens up the sky.

The best view money could buy, and I got it with Terrance’s money.

I let out a deep sigh and close my eyes, feeling the warm sun on my face.

I hadn’t heard or seen him since our settlement.

Not that I was concerned with his life in the least. Terrance came from money, and his family, well, they’ve likely already started searching for the next Mrs. Roberts.

I had none of those things when we met. I’d been working two jobs, living in the tiniest studio apartment I could afford, barely making ends meet, until he stumbled into the bar where I’d been working.

From then on, he came in every night. Until I fell for the monster I didn’t know he was.

He’s in the past now. A fading memory, I was actively working to distance myself from each day.

The first step was buying my townhouse far from Los Angeles and his family.

I settled into a quiet ocean town up the coast, as remote as you could be in California.

While the spousal support would set me up for the next couple of years, I’d opted to work.

Relying on that money would be a crutch, so I found a remote position working as a billing agent for an online pharmacy.

It wasn’t the grandest job, but it paid the bills so that I didn’t need to dip into my alimony savings.

Shadow jumps onto the chair, sniffing around my coffee cup. I take another sip before setting it down, then pick up my phone to check my messages. Most are work emails from the East Coast offices, but it’s a message from my friend, Minny, that grabs my attention.

I click on the notification and scan through the messages she sent me while I was asleep. An image pops up on the screen. Her smiling face is set against the backdrop of an airport. I stare at it, realizing she’s at LAX.

Are you in LA?

The three little dots pop up immediately before her reply comes through.

I’m a little closer than that. You should come downstairs.

Another image pops up, and this time, the front of my townhouse is on display.

She couldn’t be here, could she? I get up and walk over to the patio railing, peering down to the street below.

And there she is, looking up at me with a knowing smile.

“What are you doing here?” I call out. Thankfully, the buildings on either side of me are vacant.

“I was in town?” She shrugs. “How about you let me in, and we can finish this conversation with some of that coffee I smell? I took a red-eye, and damn, my body knows it.”

I bolt for the stairs, brushing past Shadow, and race down to the first floor. At the bottom, I throw open the door, and Minny pulls me into a hug. Her warmth surrounds me, grounding me in a way I forgot I needed. She’s always been my closest friend, and I’ve missed her more than words can say.

The first thing Terrance did was isolate me, forcing distance between me and everyone I loved. The second I was free, I called Minny.

We’ve been best friends since elementary school, thick as thieves until my dreams carried me to California while she stayed back in Ohio, building a life with her husband, Bobby.

Seven years of hell for me. Four kids and a whole life for her.

When we reconnected, it was like no time had passed.

After the divorce, she became my lifeline.

My constant through late-night calls and daily texts, the light that cut through the worst of my trauma.

We hadn’t seen each other in person since I left, though I’d planned a trip to Ohio in a few months.

“Surprise!” she says again, grinning as she pulls me into a tight hug. I melt into her arms, the familiar warmth of her embrace undoing something knotted inside me.

When she finally steps back, it’s only then that I realize how much I’ve truly missed her.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve picked you up from the airport,” I say, still stunned.

“And ruin that face? Never, Charlie,” she teases, giving me a playful nudge.

I laugh and usher her inside. “Let’s get you settled.”

She sinks into the couch while I head to the kitchen to make coffee.

As it brews, a pang of guilt hits me. Terrance stole years from me.

I missed her wedding, her pregnancies, birthdays, and too many milestones to count.

Just seeing her here makes me want to apologize for not being stronger, for disappearing. But the words lodge in my throat.

I hand her the coffee and settle into the armchair across from her. “So, what brings you to town?”

“I’ve got a conference in Vegas this weekend,” she says, taking a sip.

“A convention?” I arch a brow. Minny’s a hairstylist back home.

“Some hoity-toity thing about new products and trends. Karissa was supposed to go, but her doctor put her on bed rest. So, I volunteered as tribute. Figured I’d escape the chaos and check in on my best friend while I was at it.”

“I hardly live close to Vegas,” I say, smiling. “It’s a six-hour drive.”

She shrugs. “That’s practically next door when you’ve got four kids and no peace.”

“It’s free room, board, and debauchery, Charlie. Why aren’t you packing yet?” Minny teases.

“I can’t just take off on a trip. I have a job and a cat.”

“A remote job,” she reminds me with a smirk. “And Shadow’s got an automatic feeder. He’ll survive.”

The look she gives me says she’s not leaving without me. Minny’s always had that way of getting what she wants with her stubborn charm. But a spontaneous trip to Vegas? It’s not that simple.

“I can’t just up and go,” I argue. “I need to plan, give notice, make sure everything’s in order.”

“Charlie.” She sets her coffee down and takes my hands in hers. “You spent seven years under his thumb. You need a break. You need fun.”

“I have fun,” I say, though I don’t believe it.

“When was your last date?” she presses. “And no—Shadow’s vet visits don’t count.”

“That’s not the same.”

“Why not?” she challenges. “You deserve more than just surviving. You deserve to laugh, to feel alive again. It’s time.”

I exhale, her words sinking in deeper than I want to admit. “Fine,” I say at last. “Just the weekend.”

“That’s the spirit!” she beams, already hopping up. “Let’s pack!”

I can’t help but smile as I watch her bounce around the room. Her energy is infectious, and for the first time in a long while, I feel a flicker of excitement.

A few hours later, with Shadow squared away and a pet sitter on standby, we hit the road. Music blares, windows down, our voices raised in off-key harmony. I laugh, really laugh, and for a moment, the past doesn’t weigh quite so heavy.

Maybe this is exactly what I need. Maybe it is time to start living again.