BooksBarbecue
Back Love Fast Save as PDF
Chapters (85)
  1. BOOKS BY LOUISE BAY
  2. ONE
  3. Rosey
  4. TWO
  5. Byron
  6. THREE
  7. Rosey
  8. FOUR
  9. Byron
  10. FIVE
  11. Rosey
  12. SIX
  13. Byron
  14. SEVEN
  15. Rosey
  16. EIGHT
  17. Rosey
  18. NINE
  19. Byron
  20. TEN
  21. Rosey
  22. ELEVEN
  23. Byron
  24. TWELVE
  25. Rosey
  26. THIRTEEN
  27. Byron
  28. FOURTEEN
  29. Rosey
  30. FIFTEEN
  31. Rosey
  32. SIXTEEN
  33. Byron
  34. SEVENTEEN
  35. Rosey
  36. EIGHTEEN
  37. Byron
  38. NINETEEN
  39. Rosey
  40. TWENTY
  41. Rosey
  42. TWENTY-ONE
  43. Byron
  44. TWENTY-TWO
  45. Byron
  46. TWENTY-THREE
  47. Rosey
  48. TWENTY-FOUR
  49. Rosey
  50. TWENTY-FIVE
  51. Byron
  52. TWENTY-SIX
  53. Rosey
  54. TWENTY-SEVEN
  55. Byron
  56. TWENTY-EIGHT
  57. Rosey
  58. TWENTY-NINE
  59. Byron
  60. THIRTY
  61. Rosey
  62. THIRTY-ONE
  63. Rosey
  64. THIRTY-TWO
  65. Byron
  66. THIRTY-THREE
  67. Rosey
  68. THIRTY-FOUR
  69. Rosey
  70. THIRTY-FIVE
  71. Byron
  72. THIRTY-SIX
  73. Rosey
  74. THIRTY-SEVEN
  75. Byron
  76. THIRTY-EIGHT
  77. Byron
  78. EPILOGUE
  79. A month later – New York City
  80. 14 months later - Star Falls
  81. MR. MAYFAIR
  82. Beck
  83. Beck
  84. Stella
  85. BOOKS BY LOUISE BAY

There’s no such thing as a secret in Star Falls. If anyone knows every skeleton in every closet, it’s Sue. “Recruitment was a real issue for us a few weeks ago. Luckily, we’ve seen an increase in the number of applicants. From people in Star Falls, but also, from surrounding towns. I think word has spread, and I have you to thank for that. At the moment, recruitment isn’t a problem. I want to maintain a great relationship between the town of Star Falls and the Colorado Club. I want us to coexist and work together to ensure the survival of… of our town.” New York will always be in my blood, but Star Falls is who I am. I don’t know how I’ve denied it for as long as I have.

“Yeah, well. We want that too,” Sue says. “I like your idea about the orchard.”

The air in the room shifts. Around our circle, shoulders drop and jaws unclench. Even I sit back in my seat.

“I presume access to the land doesn’t include the slopes?” Nancy asks. She’s grinning, like she knows the answer I’m going to give, but she has to ask anyway.

I chuckle. “I’d be very happy to receive a membership application from you,” I say. “If you meet the criteria, I’ll personally approve it and we’ll welcome you to the slopes.”

She shrugs. “It was worth a try.”

I answer a couple of questions about job security, and whether or not members will use the shuttle bus. After that the meeting breaks up. Jim and Sue are the last to leave.

“You know, it’s not like I’m going to be lining up every first Saturday of the month to cross into Colorado Club land and walk Jenkins,” Jim says. “But it sure is nice to know that I can.” He slaps me on the back. “You did good, son. Keep it up.”

I try to swallow past the lump in my throat. The people of Star Falls don’t care that my father was a drunk who gambled away my family’s farm. They just care about me—because I’m one of their own.

THIRTY-THREE

Rosey

As the Uber pulls into the trailer park, the urge to run is far greater than it ever was when I was stuck here. I know for certain there’s nothing my mom can do to make me stay, but that doesn’t stop the panic rising in my chest. I can’t catch a breath and my palms are slick with sweat—sensations I only realize were familiar now that I’ve been away from this place. I lived my whole life here in a state of anxiety. Now that I know what it feels like to live in Star Falls without those feelings, I can’t fathom how I coped all these years.