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Excerpt:
Last
night, a friend of mine rose from the dead—and I was the one who brought her
back. So I guess . . . I’m an angel. Or, at least most of my friends think I
am.
Even wrapped
tightly in the arms of my favorite oversized PINK hoodie, I shivered. It was
chilly for mid-April while I sat on my front porch with the sun just coming
over the horizon, but that wasn’t where the tremor had come from.
I glanced up, startled by the high-pitched squealing of truck
brakes that rang above the music playing from my iPod. The truck turned into
the cul-de-sac and careened straight into the next-door neighbors’ driveway.
What made it really strange was the house had been empty since last October. I
could still see the top of the “For Sale” sign on the manicured front lawn. I
pulled out my cell phone to text my boyfriend, Shay.
Me: Good morning!
As I
waited for a response, a gray-uniformed driver opened his door and climbed
down. He walked to the back of the truck; then multiple doors slammed.
“This
furniture goes into the living room on the main level,” a man said.
I didn’t
particularly want to be a nosy neighbor, but I couldn’t help myself. I eased
higher on the top step, hoping to get a look at the man who seemed to be in
charge. His back was to me, so all I could tell was he had short blond hair. He
glanced down at something then looked back up, turned, and pointed toward a
number of other, smaller trucks in the cul-de-sac parking. More uniformed men
jumped out of the smaller trucks and gathered around their boss, waiting for
instructions. I had no interest in watching a bunch of people move boxes, so I
just stayed on the step and waited for my best friend, Kieran, and Shay.
A shadow
moved into my vision. I lifted my head and spotted someone standing on the
street in front of my gate. From this angle and with the sun directly behind
the person’s head, I couldn’t see the face, but I knew the body. Then he
cleared his throat, and I smiled. I stood and lifted my hand to shield my eyes.
No wonder he never texted me back. He probably thought an in-person hello was
better.
“Hi,” I
said to Shay. “Why are you just standing there? You can let yourself in.”
He
stepped forward and opened the gate, and as he came into view, my eyes traveled
up his body, over the usual black boots and black jeans. A blood-red T-shirt
hugged his upper torso, which was odd. When had Shay added color to his
wardrobe? The sleeves barely contained a notable set of muscles and the rest of
the material was unsuccessfully hiding what I knew to be an impressive
six-pack. In contrast to his dark clothes, Shay had blond hair, unlike my own
long brown hair. Now that he was coming out of the direct sunlight, I was able
to admire his strong chin and soft lips. Last week I’d kissed those lips on a
number of occasions.
But by
the time I reached his eyes, which were the most startling aqua color, an
intense shiver ran through my body. The sensation was nothing new, but it felt
off.
My mouth
opened, ready to speak, but he beat me to it. “Name’s Aiden,” he said.
Aiden?
The
person standing in front of me looked so similar to Shay. He could have passed
as Shay’s older brother. He was going to be my next-door neighbor?Whoa.
“Hey, Aiden!” a shrill female voice shouted from an open window.
“You still have unpacking to do! If I have to tell you one more time, I’ll
raise holy hell . . .”
I couldn’t speak. Maybe the saying “we all have a twin in the
world” was true. Aiden turned and briskly walked back toward his house. I
gawked at his retreating back.
Book One (click on image for Goodreads link):
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