Holy crap.
“Hello?” I heard Chad’s voice before I saw him. Hiding behind Matt, who was behind the cop, I didn’t think that Chad noticed us at first. Until we stepped into the house right on the heels of the cop.
“Shit…okay officer, yes, I understand.” Chad continued. I watched as he gave Matt a weird look but then nodded in my direction. “Hey, Carly.”
“Chad? What’s going on?” Christy’s whiny voice came from around the corner.
Anxiety began to rear its ugly head. My head was pounding and the overwhelming feeling of nausea was beginning to wash over me. I stayed quiet as the cop made his way out.
“Stay safe now, folks!” He called as the door closed behind him.
I looked out the window pane to see him disappear into the snow. It was falling so hard that he disappeared within seconds.
Chapter 36
MATT
Everyone stood and stared. It was one of the most awkward moments that I’d ever witnessed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Carly shaking with nerves. I needed to take charge of this craziness.
“Okay, then.” I began as I took off my coat and started shaking the snow off myself. “Looks like this will be different than any of us expected.”
“No shit, Sherlock!” Christy barked. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Tears filled my girl’s eyes. “Please, Christy!” Carly began.
“Step down, Christy.” I growled, watching her eyes dilate as she took a literal step back. “Let me tell you how this will go.”
Carly looked at me tentatively.
“Fuck what that cop said. We aren’t staying. We came to discuss the will with you both in person and then we’re heading over to my place for the weekend.”
Chad touched Christy’s arm and whispered in her ear. I watched as her expression changed into something different, something unreadable. My glance turned to Carly for clarification, but she just rolled her eyes.
Christy spoke, her voice softer this time. “Okay then…come sit down. Matt…it’s uh…it’s nice to see you. Come and sit. We’re listening.”
We all made our way into a living room that was just a few steps from the front door. As we did, Christy called out. “Rob? Rob? Come and join us, please!”
Carly had told me about Rob. The notary turned fiancée that had come on the scene at Thanksgiving. I was wary of the guy, too. He seemed out of place and up to no good. But I suppose I might have come off that way as well.
I held Carly’s hand in mine as we sat down.
“So, you guys really together then?” Chad asked, not even bothering to raise his head from his phone. “I seriously thought that was a joke.”
Carly nodded. “We’re engaged.”
A wall of silence hit the room. Icy and bone-chilling like the weather, it filled every corner and filled me with dread.
“Well then…” Drawled Christy in a nauseating tone. “Isn’t this sweet.”
“Holy fuck! CARLY!?” Came a woman’s voice from the hallway. “You’re engaged?? Is that why you never came back to New York? Why you’ve been avoiding my questions? Why…”
The woman came charging into the living room like a tornado.
“Bryanna?” Carly screeched, jumping up immediately. “What the hell are you doing here?” She was shaking with emotion, the tears now running freely down her face.
It was a circle of chaos. Emotions were swirling around like the wind. Carly and her friend, Bryanna, faced off before me. Christy and Rob stood arm in arm as smug as could be. And Chad, once my friend but now a stranger, nervously scrolled through his phone.
We could hear the wind howling as it came off the lake. Turning my gaze to look outside, my heart sank. The view outside was completely white. This was more than a blizzard, it was a goddamn white out. As much as I hated to admit it, the cop was right. We weren’t going anywhere. At least not tonight.
The End
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Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for picking up this book, it truly means the world to me. If you enjoyed Carly and Matt’s story, I know that you will love Chad and Bryanna’s! A sneak peek of SNOWED IN (Maple Cove Book 2) is included at the end of this book.
Keep scrolling to read or CLICK HERE to pre-order it now.
Cassidy xo
Other Books by CASSIDY LONDON
SMALL TOWN ROMANCE
MAPLE COVE SERIES
Falling In (#1) -Fake Fiancée/Second Chance
Snowed In (#2) -Forced Proximity/Best Friend’s Brother *Coming January 2021
NEW ADULT ROMANCE TRILOGY
INTERNATIONAL LOVE SERIES
Freefall (#1) -Forbidden Love
Layover (#2) -Second Chance
Heatwave (#3) -Secret Billionaire
ENEMIES TO LOVERS STAND ALONE
INKED LOVE
SWINGERS ROMANCE NOVELLAS
SUBURBAN SECRETS SERIES
Couples Night Out (#1)
Weekend Getaway (#2)
Island Resort (#3)
Join my Reader’s Group on FB Cassidy’s Confidantes
Website: www.cassidylondon.com
Facebook: Cassidy London Author
Instagram: cassidy_london_books
SNOWED IN (Maple Cove Book 2) -SNEAK PEEK
Chapter 1
CHAD
“Well, isn’t this a fun little scene?” I joked, to the frantic crowd in my living room.
My younger sister Carly and her boyfriend or apparently now, her fiancé, as she had just announced, both looked like deer in the headlights as they stared at everyone. I could feel the steam rising off my older sister Christy, who was standing off to the side. When I stole a quick glance, a cheerful smile was plastered across her face. But it was the white-knuckle grip on her fiancé’s arm that told a different story. Rob was the only one who seemed at ease. Not that he had much to do with this. I wasn’t even sure if Christy had been a hundred percent truthful with him.
And then there was Bryanna, Carly’s best friend. Prior to that very moment, I hadn’t seen her since she was in junior high and as it turned out, time had been very good to her. Petite but athletic, dressed in skintight leggings that showed every curve of her ass. The only thing left to my imagination was what she looked like under her baggy sweatshirt. It was no surprise that I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off of her since she had barged through our front door not less than ten minutes before Carly and Matt. Wild eyed and crazy despite a long drive from New York, she was now all up in Carly’s face, and on the edge of losing it as she demanded answers. And watching her was fucking hot.