Sweet Pleasures (Appleshore #1)

C2: Brown-Eyed Mess

Chapter Two || Brown-Eyed Mess

Appleshore was a contrast of greens, red orange and purple hues. Compared to New York, this place looked picturesque, with all its nature richness and the calm feeling that washed over her as she walked her way to the town.

From where she walked leisurely, she could hear the melodic sound of birds chirping and the rustle of leaves as the wind tickled them. It felt like God was the conductor of this wonderful orchestra of all things natural, and she was the spectator.

Kendall shuddered. She rubbed her arms over her cardigan, trying to clear the gooseflesh.

It was the fifteenth of October, the month where she and Henry were supposed to be celebrating their seventh anniversary. Her heart felt heavy inside her chest. She missed him like crazy; every living breath of her missed him so bad.

He is gorgeous, with his light brown hair that he always crop short because he doesn't have the patience to style it. It works for him all the same. And she used to love running her fingers through his short hair.

And God, his eyes, the color of the Pacific Ocean, so blue and so deep she could have drowned in it. Maybe she was drowning and until now she hadn't felt the need to gasp for air. That was her mistake. She was so deep into him she failed to see when he stopped looking at her the way he did when they first met at NYU cafeteria, or the way he looked at her during their wedding — as if the sun shone and set in her eyes.

She felt the familiar heaviness in her eyes that had been a constant reminder of what ugliness was running rampant through her head. How could love just disappear? It was impossible, right? Or maybe...

Henry wasted all those years they spent together, all those times they laughed together and... "Stop, Kendall. My God! You have to stop thinking about him!" She slapped her cheeks with her numbing fingers, her breath coming out as puffs of white mist. When did it get this cold?

"Whoa, should I restrain you to prevent anymore self-harm?" Kendall jumped out of her skin as she whirled around, her hands clutching her chest trying to suppress her overly panicked heart.

"Can you at least give the woman a warning?" She exclaimed, staring wide-eyed to the guy she owed a beer from.

He wasn't wearing his sheriff's uniform, just a red Henley and jeans, then some serious kickass cowboy boots. Those boots had never looked so good before.

He grinned, raising both of his hands in the universal 'I surrender' gesture. "So that bottle of beer?" She looked around and realized she was already at the town square. She mentally shook her head at her own absentmindedness.

"I don't drink with strangers," she breezed, smiling lopsidedly. She knew she wouldn't shake him off that easily but a girl could try. She started to walk.

He jogged to keep at her pace, doing it backwards, still wearing his charming smile. "Well, I am Gavin Lanherth, the town's sheriff, though I think you are quite acquainted with that fact already." He waited for her to respond, dragging a smile out of her so she stopped walking and he did, too.

"Kendall Avery, the Sweet Pleasures Inn new owner," she offered her hand for a formal handshake, "I guess," she added as an after thought.

Gavin only stared at her, "Hello, Gavin to Earth?" She waved her offered hand at his face, smiling despite herself.

He took her hand, not shaking it, just holding it and he smiled slowly, "Yeah I thought you looked familiar, of course, because you are Katty's daughter. The girl she was so proud of." Her insides turned cold.