Harris
Malone is a man with few commitments. He keeps a low profile most days while he
cares for his young daughter and helps run his dad’s hardware store.

But when
he and Dory run into each other at the local gas station, all either can think
about is the searing kiss they shared many years ago.

Can a
woman who only wants to rekindle her career and a man who enjoys a no-strings
attached lifestyle find everlasting love?

Dory

I
still had a key to the house. It never left my keychain after all these years.
I found it on my Jason Segel keychain and steadied it in my hand. Ever since How
I Met Your Mother I fell in love with Jason Segel’s quirkiness. The second I
passed my driver’s test I ran to the novelty store and found the keychain. I
adored the romance between him and Alyson Hannigan, and I hoped one day to find
a Marshall to my Lily. I thought I had that in Dylan.

I gripped
the chain in my hand. This had been a part of me for so long, one of the only
things left from home.

The
first few steps up the porch proved difficult. How could I even ask my
grandmother to live there? The news of my split with Dylan cluttered social
media, but my grandma stayed away from all electronics. She probably hadn’t
even heard. I hoped seeing me surprised her in a good way.

I
pulled open the screen door and put my hand on the knob. I turned it, but
nothing happened. My hand shook as I slid the key into the lock and turned,
releasing a breath. She didn’t change the locks on me. I took that as a
positive.

I
stepped inside to the foyer, pine and lemon filling my nose. My grandmother
loved to clean, a complete opposite of my messy tendencies. The slate floor
brought a sense of peace, its various colors of maroon, blue, and green
bringing back memories of when I would play with matchbox cars, pretending the
grout lines were the streets.

The
blanket on the back of the couch wasn’t folded, and when I reached the kitchen,
dishes filled the sink. This wasn’t like her, to leave such a mess. Though once
I moved out, possibly she changed her ways. Either way, I folded the blanket
and started in on the dishes. If I planned to ask her to allow me to live here,
I had to show I could hold my own.

Fifteen
minutes later, after the last dish was washed, dried, and put away, I walked into
my old bedroom.

Nothing
had changed. The polka dotted comforter was still on my bed, my old white desk
against the wall. My closet was still covered in photos of Jason Segel, The
Rock, and Ryan Reynolds. Even the bright green shag rug sat in the center of my
room, next to the bed.

I
fell back onto my bed. The bed where Harris Malone first kissed me. And the
last time. They were the same exact time. One and the same. He was the only boy
I ever kissed besides Dylan Booth. After Harris kissed me, he made up with his
girlfriend, Jody. They got married after graduation, and she got pregnant right
away. They probably moved out of town and had two or three more kids, a happily
ever after I would never see.

I
shook thoughts of Harris out of my mind. Why did I think of him after all these
years? One man I cared for broke my heart by choosing another, and the other
took everything away from me.

What
did everyone think of me? I was the one to break out from the town. I left this
place and made a better life for myself, if only temporarily. In all my
interviews, I never talked about Sycamore Bay. I wasn’t ashamed. Not at all.
There just wasn’t a lot here, nothing to discuss.

I
turned my head toward my bulletin board, pictures tacked up, leaving no empty
spaces. Most of the smiles looking back at me were of me and Tammy. I missed
her so much. My best friend since I started school and now I couldn’t feel more
distant from her. Our calls to one another started off daily, then weekly, and
monthly, until they eventually disappeared. I couldn’t say who made the last
phone call, but a day didn’t pass when I thought of her.

Best
friends are supposed to be forever. That’s what our necklace claimed, anyway.
My half that held the -st from best, and the -nds from friends, still hung on
the corner of my bulletin board. Did she keep her half? Did she live in
Sycamore Bay? She never talked about leaving like I did, but her dreams weren’t
as quite as big as mine, either. I wanted to see her, though if I did, I didn’t
know what I would even say. At this point, she was a stranger.

I
laid back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. The stars my grandma stuck up
there when I was nine remained. Whenever I turned off my light, they glowed,
and I’d stare at them for hours. So many stars in the sky, each unique and full
of destiny. I wanted more than anything to be part of those stars.

            I
never realized becoming one would destroy me.

Tracy’s
love of writing began at nine years old. She wrote stories about aliens at
school, machines that did homework for you, and penguins. Now she pens books
and short stories about romance. She loves to read a great book, whether it be
romance or science fiction, or any genre in between, or pop popcorn and catch
up on her favorite TV shows or movies. She’s been known to crush a candy or two
as well. Her loves include fitness, reading, coffee, dogs, and naps (not in
that order), and her dislikes are blue cheese, cold weather, and burpees.

For more
information about Tracy Krimmer please visit her website. Or visit her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub. Or sign up for
her newsletter.

This Book Blitz was organized by Lola’s Blog Tours.