“No, I was just checking to make sure I had the right location. I’ll be there in a few hours. See you later.”

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard of his truck. It was barely noon, so he decided to go straight to his house and wait until a little later to announce his presence. If his sister found out he was back in town already, she’d expect him to come over and hang out with her and Trent.

He’d accepted Trent’s apology and understood where his friend was coming from, but it didn’t mean he was comfortable hanging out just yet. It was going to take him a little while before he could recapture the carefree, easy rapport they’d had before.

He pulled into his driveway and turned off the engine. The tension between him and Trent was a sober reminder of the power of words spoken in haste. He thought back to how he’d brushed off Penny’s concerns. She was only worried about him and he’d thrown her words back in her face.

Their rapport was undoubtedly ruined as well.

He turned on the lights as he stepped over the threshold into his house. He could tell his sister had been here keeping things clean because there wasn’t a speck of dust in sight. His mail was stacked on the counter in the kitchen. He dropped his duffel bag on the floor by his feet.

After standing in front of the refrigerator for a few minutes, he finally pulled out a canned soda. He sat on the couch in the living room and drank it while watching the sports channel. He should be happy to be back in his own space. It felt like ages since he’d been here, surrounded by his own stuff. He was just going to kick his feet up and relax.

It wasn’t even ten minutes before he got up. At least at Jackson’s house he could help set up for the party and distract himself with small talk.

Anything was better than torturing himself with thoughts of everything he’d done wrong lately.

*   *   *   *   *

PENNY WONDERED FOR the hundredth time that morning what the hell she was doing. She should have been spending her morning working out, cleaning her house, or doing some shopping. Anything but chasing a man a couple of hundred miles away. A man who was probably not going to be all that happy to see her when she showed up on his doorstep.

At least the drive itself was worth the trouble. She leaned forward to get a better view as she drove over yet another bridge that crossed a sparkling river. She was well acquainted with the Chesapeake Bay since it stretched all the way up through Northern Virginia and Maryland, but there were quite a few smaller rivers that she’d never heard of documented on the signs she drove past. She exited the highway and tried to pay attention to the directions coming from her GPS system.

“Turn left onto New Haven Drive in 1.4 miles,” the electronic voice said.

Penny followed the instructions and was sure to slow down when she noted the speed limit was only twenty-five miles per hour. The town wasn’t as small as she’d thought. There were several major chain stores in a shopping center she passed and the roads were wide and recently paved. However, there was a small-town feel to many of the businesses. The smaller shops lining the road all sported distinctive bright red awnings and the people on the sidewalks nodded to each other as they walked, enjoying the sunny day.

She passed a sign for a boardwalk and realized it must be the entrance to the beach. There were people walking that way even though it was only March. Matt had mentioned the town had a small local beach that was less commercial than the neighboring one in Virginia Beach.

“Turn right on Shoreline Avenue. You have reached your destination.”

Penny turned into the driveway of a cheerful one-story house with a small porch. The grass was slightly wild and there were no flowers in the tiny bed in the front. The driveway was empty.

“Great. He’s not even here.” She got out and knocked on the door anyway. She hadn’t wanted to call him because she suspected he wouldn’t answer, but she finally gave in and dialed his number. When it went straight to voicemail, she texted Mara. After a few minutes, she put her phone away. It looked like her grand plan to surprise Matt was a bust.

Then her phone rang. She snatched it up without even looking to see who it was. “Matt?”

“No, it’s me. Mara. I got your message.”

“Hi, Mara. I know this is weird, me showing up out of the blue like this. I was hoping to surprise Matt, but he isn’t even home.”

“He’s not at home but he’s in town. We’re at our friend Jackson’s house. It’s not far from where you are. I’ll text you the directions, okay? See you soon!”

After they hung up, Penny programmed the address Mara sent into her GPS. It took only ten minutes for her to reach the swanky community called Havensbrooke. She drove past the towering houses and pulled up to the white brick colonial that Mara had said belonged to Jackson Alexander.

She’d thought the name sounded familiar but hadn’t thought Mara’s friend could be the Jackson Alexander, the music producer. But judging by the size of the house, it must be.

There was no answer when she knocked, but she could hear music and laughter inside. Could they even hear her knocking? She twisted the doorknob and it turned easily under her hand. When she opened the door, she was stopped by two burly-looking men in black.

“Name, please.”

Taken aback, Penny stammered. “Penelope Lewis. I’m looking for Matt Simmons.”

They glanced at each other and then waved her in. “Go ahead.”

Penny scampered into the room, then stopped short at the huge collection of balloons and the massive “Happy Birthday, Mara” banner stretched across the wall.