Behind us, the sound of a ball clacking in opposition to one other rings by means of the air. Frederick calls Landon a dodgy bloke, and Landon laughs.

Glancing again at them, Jordan smiles and rolls his eyes. Then he brings his gaze again to the board. Adjusts his ball cap earlier than throwing his final dart. Simply left of heart.

However he doesn’t gloat, merely seems to be at me. “Your flip.”

Grunting, I transfer into place and throw. My first dart misses the board altogether. Disgusted with myself, I take one other drink of my soda. Shake it off. Strive once more. Identical factor.

“One thing bothering you?” Jordan asks. Grabbing up his soda once more, he sits on the again of the sofa subsequent to me, legs crossed on the ankles. “I discover I can by no means hit the board after I’ve acquired one thing else on my thoughts.” His voice is so informal, however I’m no dummy.

I give him severe facet eye. “Marilee instructed you about me and Lucy, didn’t she?”

“She could have talked about it.” He holds up his fingers. “However that’s not why I invited you over. We had been already getting collectively. You’re not the one one who wanted a distraction.”

I flip towards him, forgetting the darts for a second. “Why? What’s incorrect with you?”

He laughs. “You don’t beat across the bush, do you?” Then he rubs the again of his neck. “Nah, it’s simply Ryder. He’s had numerous bother sleeping these days. It’s been about six months since his mother handed. He’s been wetting the mattress once more each night time, eager to sleep with me. That type of factor.”

I blow out a breath. “Dang. That’s tough.”

“Yeah.”

“You and his mother…” I clear my throat. “Was her passing exhausting on you?”

He shrugs. “I imply, yeah, after all. However we had been by no means collectively. That’s, we had been by no means a pair. I’d prefer to say it was difficult, but it surely actually wasn’t. I didn’t have emotions for her past…” His cheeks flip purple. “However she was a superb co-parent. A great mother to Ryder. Seeing the way it’s affected him has been actually exhausting.”

I research him, this stable man who clearly stepped as much as the plate when Ryder got here alongside, doing proper by him and his mother. From what I do know of him, he’s sensible. His enterprise is at all times booming, and it looks like his schedule is full. I feel again to what he instructed me that day on the boardwalk, about why he got here again to Hallmark Seashore when he might have gone anyplace after enterprise faculty: “Guess you could possibly say that every part I needed was on this little city. It’s dwelling.”

The thought slams me straight within the coronary heart.

I cough. “I feel…I feel I need to keep in Hallmark Seashore.”

Jordan’s eyebrows go up, disappearing beneath the brim of his hat. “Yeah?” He takes the change of topic in stride. “That might be superior. However you don’t sound too certain. What in regards to the restaurant?”

“I do know. That’s the issue. I ought to need that, proper? It’s an incredible alternative. Plus, I’ve already dedicated to it.”

“I don’t assume there’s a proper or incorrect reply, essentially. And a chance could be superb and incorrect on the similar time.”

Whoa. My mind buzzes with the implications.

Jordan continues. “Have you ever signed paperwork?”

“No. My enterprise accomplice needs me to signal it later this week as soon as I’m again. His lawyer’s been drawing every part up.”

“Then you definitely haven’t truly dedicated. Although I perceive wanting your phrase to be your bond and all that.” He takes one other swig of Food plan Coke. “Or is there extra to it?”

“There’s extra.” I sigh, look again at Frederick and Landon. A lot as I like them, I don’t actually know them but. However Jordan’s greater than only a stable man. He’s my sister’s pal. Mine too.

Think about that. I’ve a pal. Huh.

I blink, rolling the dart between my thumb and forefinger. “You knew my dad. He had sure concepts about success. And I don’t assume—properly, I do know he wouldn’t have thought-about a meals truck enterprise in a small city to be ‘success.’ However a booming restaurant in Los Angeles that brings in stars and evaluations and celeb chef standing? That might be one thing.”

Nonetheless holding onto his drink, Jordan folds his arms over his chest, nodding alongside.

“So whereas I feel my coronary heart needs to be right here, I’m undecided my head will permit it. The considered giving up my dad’s dream for me—as a result of if I’m sincere, that’s what the restaurant is—doesn’t actually compute.” I pause. “Particularly if I give it up for Lucy. My dad led together with his coronary heart, after which his head was by no means proud of him later. I assume I simply want to determine which to take heed to.”

“I get that, man. And I don’t have all of the solutions by any means. Consider me, I’m nonetheless warring day by day with my coronary heart and my head.” He shifts, and I ponder as soon as once more what’s happening deeper inside him—possibly because it regards my sister. Jordan strikes on earlier than I can assume an excessive amount of about that. “However I assume you simply must ask your self what success means to you. Not your dad. You.”

“Isn’t there solely the one variety?” I joke, however there’s a severe query there too.

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