“Hell fucking no. That’s my girlfriend’s grandmother. She’s a perv enough as it is without willingly giving her something to look at.”

We both laughed.

“What are you doing tonight?” he asked. “Maya’s at her mom’s and Immy is working late at the store. Wanna grab a beer?”

Actually, I did.

“Sure. I need to get this stuff home, but I can meet you somewhere.”

“I need to grab some stuff anyway.” He cocked his thumb in the direction of the store. “Say an hour? At Pete’s?”

“The sports bar just off Main Street?”

He nodded. “That work?”

“Sounds good to me.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN – ISAAC

Boozy Book Club

The bar was hopping with people. I didn’t follow much American sport—baseball was about all I understood—so I had no idea what was happening in this hockey game that was on.

I did, however, like the beer.

The food was pretty good here, too.

I already felt better just for having gotten out of the house. Sometimes, it was lonely living here by myself. Friends were in short supply and my family was thousands of miles away, and all today had proven was that I had to make a concerted effort to settle here—properly.

Not half ass it.

“So how did you and Immy meet?” I asked.

Mason chuckled. “We met in college. We were… friends with benefits. I graduated before her and we lost touch because I never called her.”

“I bet that went down well.”

“If you like having bricks dropped on your head,” he said wryly. “I happened to move in next door and here we are. I won her over again.”

“You’re still making up for it, aren’t you?”

“Look at that. Some things are universal.” He smirked. “How did you end up here?”

“Here as in America or as in this town?”

“Either. Both.”

“My ex-girlfriend’s dad had a vet clinic in New York. We met when she was in England for university, and when she decided to move back home, she asked me if I was interested in going with her.”

“You did?”

I shrugged. “I was young, newly qualified, and struggling to find work as a vet where I lived. Her dad helped me sort all the paperwork and I moved over here.”

“Wow. That took some balls.”

“I’m still wondering if it was the right thing to do,” I admitted. “I ended up here because we broke up and honestly, I hated New York. I’m not a city person, so it was a big adjustment.”

“Yeah, but why here? Did you close your eyes and put a finger on a map?”

I laughed. “You’re not too far off, mate. I applied for jobs all over the country that were in smaller towns and waited to see who’d give me one.”

“That’s insane.”

“I know. But it worked out. I’ve been here a couple years now and I like it.”

“I haven’t been here long. I only moved to be closer to my daughter, but I feel the same. It’s a great place. One of my neighbors needs some work, though.” He grinned and picked up his beer. “Jen is a special one.”