Chapters (36)
I roll my eyes, but I don’t deny it. I just finished telling them the story. “There wasn’t anything to drop. I had a feeling about this place.”
What I don’t say is that I was desperate for a trace of home—anything that felt steady. Atlanta had stopped feeling that way long before I left, and DC wasn’t much better. Orion had been great, but I knew he worried about me, hovering like an overprotective mother hen. He meant well, but I needed space. I needed a place where I wasn’t constantly reminded of everything I’d lost.
Bennett’s lips quirk up at the corner like he’s amused. “So you packed up your life on a gut feeling?”
“Pretty much.” I take a sip of my coffee. “And so far, no regrets.”
“Well,” he says, leaning back, “I respect the spontaneity. You just up and moved here all alone?”
“Not exactly.” I grin. “I’ve got Valkyrie.”
“Who is Valkyrie?” Morgan asks, tilting her head.
I glance at Bennett, whose brow raises in curiosity. “She’s my dog,” I explain. “A red Doberman. Trained guard dog.”
Aubrey arches a brow. “Trained, huh?”
I nod, keeping my expression neutral. Technically, I’m not lying. Valkyrie did go through training—she just… didn’t exactly pass. TSA deemed her too easily distracted by shiny objects, which, honestly, is one of my favorite aspects of her personality. But Orion doesn’t need to know she flunked out. As far as he’s concerned, she’s a certified protector, and that’s all that matters.
Bennett chuckles. “So, you’ve got a security detail. Smart.”
“Gotta be prepared,” I say, half-joking. “You never know what kind of trouble lurks in a small mountain town like this.”
Morgan leans in conspiratorially. “Oh, trust me. This town has its fair share of secrets.”
Aubrey smirks. “That’s putting it lightly.”
He watches us closely like he’s cataloging every word. “Secrets, huh?” Bennett drums his fingers against the table. “Now that sounds like a story worth telling.”
The words hang in the air, heavier than they should.
I swirl the ice in my cup, the clink louder than it should be in the quiet that follows. He’s not just collecting quotes. He’s studying us with the kind of focus that doesn’t belong to a man chasing a deadline.
I take another sip of my coffee, studying him right back.
Shadow Grove might have been my fresh start.
But there’s a weight to Bennett’s gaze that makes me feel like he’s not just here for his article.