Ever Green Sneak Peak – Opening Scene

After the rigorous leg workout her personal trainer had put her through that morning, Andi Buchanan had just enough time to change and get to the band’s television interview in a few hours. She turned into her driveway and headed toward her garage at the backside of the house. Her gaze snagged on the dead hedge she still hadn’t requested her landscaping company remove.

She spotted the metallic gleam too late and jerked the steering wheel to the left, while slamming on the brakes and squeezing her eyes closed. Holding her breath, she waited for the crunch of the collision. When her truck came to a complete stop without the sensation of an impact and no sounds of a crash reached her ears, she squinted her eyes open and stared at the black minivan only inches from her front bumper. Who in the world had parked in the driveway at the side of her house on a Tuesday?

Had someone in the media or an over-eager fan gotten past the security at the entrance of her gated community? Unwanted visitors had shown up a handful of times before, but the last unexpected guest was months ago.

With her heart pounding a staccato, she grabbed her cell phone. She could call one of the guys to come scare off whoever this was, but Jake, who lived closest, would take at least twenty minutes to get here. What a bother. She’d deal with this herself.

She snatched her keys from the console, opened the door, and jumped to the ground before taking a quick survey of her property. The leaves in the trees were just starting to turn colors. Ugh, raking season was around the corner.

No one got out of the minivan. Her pulse eased a fraction. She tightened her grip on her keys and marched toward her back door, her ponytail swinging behind her. Hopefully, her visitor had only parked here to hide the vehicle and was waiting at the front of the house. She could slip inside and wait for them to leave. However, when she reached the edge of the deck, a man with military-cut blond hair wearing a suit and tie stood from one of the cushioned patio chairs.

Ice flowed through her veins. Bo Mitchell. The man who had promised her she could have everything—career, family, love—then dashed all of her dreams for their future with his hurtful words.

Of course, he’d show up when she was make-up free and sweaty, but what was he doing here?

He held his palms out and took a hesitant step closer. “Sorry to show up like this.”

Yeah, right. About as sorry as a boa constrictor squeezing its prey to death. She hadn’t talked to him since the week after he’d broken off their engagement. For him to show up at her house five years later meant he had an agenda. Determined to ignore his presence, she lifted her chin and pushed past him to unlock her door.

He sighed and followed her. “Can’t you at least give me two minutes, Andi?”

Um, no. Her life was complicated enough without adding whatever Bo wanted. She was doing just fine without him and without—

“Kelsey’s pregnant.” His words hit her like a kick to the stomach, and she dropped the keys. “The baby’s due the first of December, and all she wants is to spend the holidays with her family. All of you.”

Not going to happen. If her younger sister really cared about family, she wouldn’t have started dating Bo a year after he’d broken Andi’s heart. The worst part was how Andi found out about their relationship. She’d read all about it in the tabloids. Her sister hadn’t even called to warn her.

She pressed her lips together and gave a quick shake of her head.

“Come on.” His hand landed on her shoulder, and she jerked away from the touch. “Kelsey misses you. Your parents do, too. Just the other day, your mom mentioned that Horse of Another Color has nothing scheduled at the end of the year. She would love to have both of her daughters home for Christmas.”

The cleared calendar was not her idea. Now that the other members of the band had fallen in love, Seth wanted to spend the holiday with Cassidy and her family, which would likely include Scarlett and Jake’s growing family. Mia and Levi hoped to use the time to finalize plans for their January wedding. So, Andi had resigned herself to another lonely Christmas where she spent the day attempting not to cry over her shattered dreams or eat too much of her favorite dark chocolate gourmet ice cream.

She picked up her keys and, when she straightened, eyed the dark, low-hanging line of clouds to the west. The early October storms the meteorologist had predicted would arrive soon, but no way would she invite Bo inside, especially since he’d already delivered his message. This house held no tainted memories of him, and she intended to keep it that way.

Bo’s shoulders fell. “It’s been three years since Kelsey and I got married, Andi. Past time to forgive us.”

As if either of them had ever apologized for their betrayal. Her spine stiffened, and she glared at him. How dare he insinuate she was the person in the wrong here? “You should go before I call the police.”

“Fine. I’m leaving.” He stepped off the porch, then spun back around. “Someday, you are going to regret all the time you missed with Kelsey and your parents. At least think about Christmas. You’ve got a couple months to decide. When’s the last time you visited your mom and dad, anyway?”

She turned her back on him and stuck her key into the lock as she blinked back tears. He was the reason she avoided her parents. Him and Kelsey. She bit into her bottom lip to stop the tremble. She would not let him see her cry ever again.

After stepping inside, she closed the door and leaned against it as she pulled the home security app up on her phone. She smirked at his creative maneuvers to get around her truck.

Her legs shook. Not from the Tuesday-morning squats and lunges, but from the anger surging through her veins. Bo did not get to come to her home and make demands of her. She owed him nothing.

A tiny twinge of remorse pricked her conscience as she thought of her sister.

She glanced toward the kitchen beyond the living room. Did she have any chocolate stashed away in the pantry? No, she did not need to chase away her guilt with food. She took several deep breaths and straightened.

The band had that showcase for a local television talk show, and Andi needed to shower and get ready. She walked through the living room and down the hallway leading to the master bedroom. Once inside, she set her keys on the dresser then plugged her phone into her stereo system, found her favorite playlist, and shuffled the songs.

The familiar opening riff of the first one to play made her huff out a humorless laugh. How appropriate.

Her own voice rang through the speakers with an edge of indignation. “I gave you every piece of my heart when you promised me forever and set me apart. But you lied to me and shattered my trust when you called an end to us. All my dreams of happily ever after turned into nightmares and disasters.”

The single had dropped almost two years ago, and judging from the sound, she’d still been furious over Bo’s betrayal when the band had recorded their last album with Jake.

Today, her anger was back in full force. As she joined in and belted out the chorus, she entered the bathroom. She removed the elastic band from around her ponytail and shook out her hair. “Promises, promises, easily spoken. You made your pledges and quickly broke them.” She crossed the white-tile floor to the walk-in shower and cranked on the hot water. “You’re nothing more than a liar, but your duplicity made me wiser. Every word you utter is dishonest, and I will never believe another thing you promise.”

If only she could wash away the memories as easily as the sweat from her workout. Bo may not have loved her enough, but she’d loved him with everything in her. And when he’d callously rejected her, she vowed to never let anyone hurt her like that again.

 

Read more of Andi and Noah’s story in Ever Green on April 23, 2024 (link coming soon)