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Chapter Three

STEVIE - ONE MONTH LATER

“L ast chance, Stevie. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me?”

I sigh, shoving the key into my car and turning it a few times to get it to start. Great. Another thing to add to the never-ending to-do list. Get my car looked at.

“Thanks, Crestina, but I’m good.”

“I hate that dick. I mean, he decides he no longer loves you and then has the gall to kick you out of the apartment? You’re better off without him,” she huffs.

“So you’ve told me.”

It doesn’t change the fact that my boyfriend came home two days ago, told me he didn’t love me, and kicked me out of our shared apartment. Having to pack up my life, for what seems like the umpteenth time, was easy this time.

A few boxes and two suitcases? It wasn’t hard.

“Listen, once you get settled at your grandma’s, let’s go out for drinks. I’m buying.”

“I will hold you to that. Listen, I need to get going. Nan is expecting me.”

“Tell her I said hi. Love you, babe.”

“Love you.”

I end the call and toss the phone into the front seat. I love my best friend, but living with her and her boyfriend when they just got engaged and I was unceremoniously dumped? No, thanks.

I’m already at rock bottom.

Well, whatever is below rock bottom.

I’ll have to stay with Nan in her cottage apartment at a retirement center. As if getting kicked out by my boyfriend wasn’t bad enough, now this?

The heat of the day presses in on me as I roll the windows down. Another thing that I need to fix, but don’t have the money to deal with. Thankfully, Nan doesn’t live far from me.

Turning into the main entrance, I pull my old junker of a car into an empty space and try not to cringe as the brakes squeal. Maybe saving some money by living with Nan will let me finally cross this item off my list.

Hopping out, I do my best to straighten my white, sleeveless blouse tucked into black jeans and go to her front door. There’s a Christmas wreath hanging on the door with a Santa welcome mat. Odd choice considering it’s well into summer.

Knocking on the door, I stand back and wait. And wait. No answer.

“Nan?” I knock again. “Are you in there?”

There’s not a single sound inside.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I find her contact and tap on it. It rings once before it goes to voicemail.

Oh, she did not send me to voicemail.

Tapping again, it doesn’t even ring before her cheery voicemail rings out.

“Hi, this is Deb. I’m not here. Leave a message, but make it good, because if not, I won’t call you back.”

“Nan. Where are you? You’re not home and I need to drop everything off. I don’t want to be driving around with everything in my car.”

The blazing-hot Nashville sun is scorching my exposed shoulders.

Looking around, no one is outside. I can’t blame people for wanting to stay inside. I love the sun, but even this is too much for me.

Spotting the main building, I tuck my keys into my front pocket and head that way. Maybe they know where my Nan is.

It’s not like her to run off without telling me. I mean, she is the one to flit off to the casinos at the drop of a hat. But she always tells me where she’s going. We’re all we have left in the world.

Shoving open the glass door to the lobby, a wall of cool air greets me. Much better.

“Hi there. How can I help you today?” An older woman with cropped hair sits at the desk.

“I’m looking for Deb Campbell.”

“Oh, are you her granddaughter?”

Her immediate recognition has dread settling in my gut. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh yes, she’s fine. She asked me to give you this.”

“What?” I grab the sheet of paper she holds out and open it. Her familiar scrawl is short and sweet.

Stevie,

Hi love. Eve and I have a new address. If you’re reading this, you probably already figured it out. I’ll see you when you get here.

Xoxo

Nan

I stare at the address—complete with a security code for a gate—before stuffing it into my back pocket. What the hell? A note and an address?

“Has she been okay lately?” I ask the woman sitting behind the desk.

“Deb? Oh, she’s been great. Although, she’s gotten on some of the ladies’ bad sides because she keeps winning at bridge.”

I smile at that. Of course she has. I don’t know how someone can have a knack for winning at bridge, but Nan does. Maybe that’s where I get my skills. But I don’t doubt she’s on the bad side of all the players here.

Playing for candy bars is big stakes.

“I appreciate you passing this along.” I hold up the note. “Did someone else move into her place?”

“They did.”

I shake my head. “Of course. Thank you.”

Now that I know she’s fine, annoyance takes over. Heading outside, the heat takes my breath away.

She really couldn’t have sent this via text? Or hell, I don’t know, let me know she moved? Not exactly the way to find out your Nan is no longer living in the same place.

How am I the more responsible of the two of us?

My car door creaks as I open it and roll down the windows. I gave up on fixing the air in here a long time ago. Punching the address into my phone, I notice it’s in one of the nicer parts of Nashville.

“What in the world is going on?” I say to myself. “Where did you go, Nan?”

Sweeping my hair into a high ponytail to keep it off my neck, I slide my sunglasses on. There’s not the slightest sign of a breeze as I navigate late afternoon traffic.

This is one of the reasons I don’t like living in Nashville. It seems no matter what time of day you’re out, the roads are packed. Everyone is here to try and make it in the music scene, and that is not my cup of tea.

Hell, even if I had lofty ambitions, those would be taking a backseat right now. I need somewhere safe to lick my wounds after being dumped.

Except now, I have no idea where I’m going.

With each turn the GPS directs me, I’m driving past fancier and fancier houses. A far cry from the shabby downtown apartment I was living in. Coming to the neighborhood entrance, I type out the four-digit code on the paper and wait for the gates to open.

“Holy shit.”

Each house sitting off the main road is massive. Red brick. Gray stone. A light sage hardwood. It’s like each house is trying to show up the other. I’m pretty sure the one I just passed has a turret. If a witch flew out of there, I wouldn’t be surprised.

I’ve never driven through any place so nice. When I’m told my destination will be on the left, my jaw drops.

Nan is living here?

Seriously, what in the world is going on? She goes from the tiny cottage at the retirement center to this?

It’s practically a mansion. I have no idea the square footage as I turn my car onto the half-moon drive and park. The all-white house with a black roof looks modern, plucked right from the pages of a home renovation magazine. A porch leads to a set of natural wood front doors, with two large picture windows on the right, one on top of the other. To the left, there’s a single door that matches the front, which looks like it could lead to an attached guest cottage of some kind. The landscaping is pristine—not a blade of grass out of place.

The front door opens, and finally I see a person I recognize.

“I thought I heard your car.” Nan has her arms out, ready to welcome me in for a hug.

“Where are we and what am I doing here?”

“Now, now.” She links her arm through mine when I don’t return her hug. “It’s too hot outside. Come in and we’ll tell you what’s going on.”

As if that isn’t ominous enough, a shrill cry rings out. “Is that…”

“A baby?” she interjects. “Yes. Stop dillydallying and get your rear inside.”

“Okay, what in the world is going on?” My purse falls off my shoulder and onto the floor with a clatter.

Stepping inside, I’m immediately met by the most gorgeous set of brown eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Same question. What in the world is going on?”