Page 1 of Unearthed Dreams (Sable Point #3)

Chapter One

CHARLIE

“Son of a biscuit!”

Books spilled from the last box when I tripped over the threshold.

So graceful, Charlie.

The early June sun was sweltering as I gathered the books strewn across the sidewalk. I was nearly finished loading up my bright blue Kia Rio with the last of my belongings, and the boob sweat was very, very real.

“You okay? Looks like you nearly ate dirt there.”

Mortification, hello, old friend.

I didn’t bother looking up; I knew exactly who the voice belonged to. Instead, I kept my head ducked and muttered an awkward, “I’m fine.” Trevor knelt on the sidewalk beside me, helping gather my books.

“You must read a lot,” he said, stating the obvious.

“Yep.” It was all I could muster. Three years of stupidly crushing on my next-door neighbor and I’d never managed more than a few mumbled words in his presence .

Like that time my car battery died and he offered to jump start it? Barely choked out a “thank you.”

Or when he knocked on the apartment door to borrow some milk for his mac and cheese? Shoved the whole gallon into his chest and slammed the door as fast as humanly possible.

Fortunately, this was the last time I’d ever see him.

Now that I’d completed my last final, it was time to head back to Sable Point. Where else would I go? I had no job lined up and no clue what I wanted to do with my life besides chasing a dream only a few ever achieved.

Next weekend, I’d be back to walk for graduation with Mom and Dad. We’d grab the bigger items like my bed, dresser, and desk, then haul them back in the trailer Dad used on the orchard.

When all the books were stacked in the box, Trevor picked it up and carried it toward my car.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said, scrambling after him.

Trevor was attractive in that nerdy-boy-who-doesn’t-know-how-hot-he-is kind of way. His dark wavy hair fell across his brow above bright green eyes. He was tall and sort of lanky, but it worked for him. His dark-wash jeans, paired with Chucks and a faded band tee, made his butt look so good.

“It’s fine, Charlie,” he said, smiling at me over his shoulder. “I’m happy to help.”

“Thank you.”

Trevor crammed the box into my car and turned toward me. “So, this is it, then, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Well, thanks for being a great neighbor and not blasting music at two in the morning, or ya know, throwing keggers.” I snorted a laugh, and Trevor grinned. “I added you on Facebook, so keep in touch, yeah?”

“Sure.” My cheeks burned. “Bye, Trevor.”

He lifted a hand before returning to his apartment.

Just as the hatchback snicked shut, two sets of footsteps thundered my way before coming to a slow stop.

I spun around to find my roommate, Shelby, bent over with her hands braced on her knees.

Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that fell forward over her head.

She wore only a sports bra and tight black running shorts.

“I win,” Shelby panted beside her best friend, Simon.

They looked like Barbie and Ken standing on the sidewalk. Shelby had bemoaned the fact that Simon was gay more than once. “If he wasn’t, I would have climbed him like a tree freshman year,” she’d said.

Now, they swapped stories of their sexual exploits. It was a good thing Shelby had him to talk to about that kind of stuff, because anytime she brought up sex around me, I turned beet red and started sweating profusely.

“Please,” he retorted. “I let you.”

They laughed, catching their breath, as we made our way to the front door of apartment 2A.

“Are you sure you have to leave, like, today ?” Shelby asked—no, whined.

“Yeah, there’s a great party happening tonight,” Simon added. “You can leave in the morning.”

“You know that’s not my scene,” I said. “Plus, I have my brother’s opening tomorrow, so I need to get back.”

After months of hard work and endless family drama, Elliot and Tessa were celebrating the grand opening of EdenTree Cidery. The whole town would be there, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world—definitely not for a club party.

“Ugh, fine,” Shelbs groaned before perking up. “Hey, maybe we’ll drive up for the grand opening! It’s a cidery, right? So, there’ll be booze.”

“Yes.” I laughed. “There will be alcohol. My dad has the best hard cider recipe.”

“What do you think?” Shelby asked Simon.

“Let’s see how we feel in the morning after the party. No promises, C.”

I shrugged. Honestly, I didn’t want them to come. I wanted to celebrate this accomplishment with my family. “It’s no biggie. You can always come another time.”

Simon excused himself to run home and shower before the party, leaving me and Shelby alone.

“This place is going to be so lonely without you. Are you sure you won’t stay for the summer?”

I loved her. For three years, Shelby had dragged me out of my comfort zone, insisting I join her for coffee dates and movie nights when she could have been hanging out with the other girls from her sorority—the ones who didn’t hide behind books and actually knew how to do their makeup.

The ones who didn’t stumble over small talk or panic at the thought of going to a club.

She’d been the first person to really try with me, to push past my awkward silences and one-word answers.

But watching her now, all confidence and grace, I couldn’t help but think she’d wasted her time trying to transform her bookworm roommate into someone who could keep up with her world. Someone worth the effort .

The friendship meant everything to me, but once I left, she’d probably feel relieved. No more explaining why her roommate never showed up to parties or having to interpret my social anxiety as something other than rudeness to her friends.

I shook my head. My rent was paid through the end of August, so Shelby would have our apartment to herself for the next three months. Then, she and Simon were moving into a place together a little further off campus, closer to the jobs they’d both secured for after graduation.

“No, it’s time.”

Shelby pulled me into a hug. “I’m going to miss you so much. Promise you’ll come visit?”

“Promise.”

But I wasn’t sure she’d hold me to it. I had a feeling we’d drift apart quickly. I didn’t see myself being lifelong friends with anyone.

I was lucky I had my family and my sisters-in-law. They had to like me, even if I was a little awkward. A little boring.

I meandered back to my room across the hall from Shelby’s. I spun in a slow circle, taking in the sparse space, when my phone buzzed.

ELLIOT

Excited to see you tonight, kiddo.

BTW, Mrs. Henderson said there’s a cashier opening at the store. It’s no McDonald’s, but she said it’s yours if you want it.

I groaned. Since the day I declared English Literature as my major, Elliot had teased me about ending up at McDonald’s.

It wasn’t malicious—just his way of showing concern.

Unlike me, he had never questioned his path in life.

From the moment he could walk and talk, Elliot knew his place was running Ever Eden Orchard after Dad took a step back.

ELLIOT

Or you could always work at the cidery. We’d be happy to have you.

CHARLIE

Thanks, but I think I’d like to find something I enjoy.

ELLIOT

I hear that, but ya gotta make money somehow.

Easy for him to say. Elliot never had any other dreams other than carrying on the family legacy.

Meanwhile, I was the baby of the family, encouraged to focus on school and books while my brothers learned the business.

Mom and Dad never pushed me toward the orchard like they had Elliot, Chase, and Jasper—probably thinking they were doing me a favor, giving me the freedom to choose my own path.

But sometimes, I wondered if that freedom was just another way of saying they didn’t see a place for me there.

Everyone had a role on the orchard—except Chase, but that had more to do with living in Elliot’s shadow. Maybe that’s why I always felt closest to him. We were both the family outliers, trying to find our place in a world where everyone else seemed to know exactly where they belonged.

But here I was—four years away from home and a degree under my belt, yet still adrift. Unmoored with a destination in mind, but no clear path to get there.

Shaking away those thoughts, I peeked into the bathroom to give Shelby one last goodbye hug while she was straightening her hair, then climbed into my Kia to hit the road.

On the passenger seat beside me sat all my hopes and dreams: a red pen and 439 printed pages.

“Honey! I’m home!”

The words had barely left my mouth when Elliot lifted me clean off my feet in a bear hug, the manuscript in my bag crushed between us.

“Hey, Squirt.” His familiar apple-orchard scent mixed with something spicier—probably Tessa’s influence. Speaking of...

“Hi Charlie.” Tessa appeared behind him, grinning. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to seeing her in our house. But the way she softened my brother’s rough edges? That, I could definitely get used to.

The kitchen hit me like a wall of competing aromas—Mom’s beef bourguignon, Natalie’s vanilla perfume, Dad’s earthy orchard smell. Multiple conversations crashed into each other like waves.

“—absolutely crushed our profit projections this quarter—” Natalie’s voice carried from where she and Jasper sat tangled together at the island, apparently unable to maintain personal space even after two months of marriage.

“Charlie!” Mom abandoned her cooking long enough to wrap me in a hug that smelled like herbs and home. “How were finals? Have you thought about what’s next? Mrs. Henderson mentioned?—”

“Mom,” Jasper cut in, finally detaching himself from Natalie. “Let her breathe. She just got here.”

My manuscript felt heavy in my bag. If they only knew what I’d really been doing this past year instead of planning my future…

“I’m just asking…”