Chapter 1

      “Is this the runaway bride?”

      “Runaway fiancée! Get it right. We weren’t married yet,” Chey Rodgers said, snickering at her witty response to her sister’s greeting. Deanna was obviously amused. Chey cut into her fit of giggles. “How’s Mom and Dad, silly?” she said as she folded her legs under her bottom on the loveseat in her tiny living room.

      “Dad is Dad. Mom is...Mom. Same snarky old woman!” Deanna laughed but stopped abruptly. “Don’t tell her I said that.” She laughed again. Chey shook her head and smiled. Her sister always managed to lighten her mood.

      “I called her, but she didn’t answer.” Sometimes it was a relief when her mother didn’t answer. They were still at odds about Chey’s move.

      “She’s probably out with the church ladies.”

      Chey looked at the date on her laptop screen next to her on the loveseat. “You’re right. It’s Thursday. I’ll call her in the morning.”

      “You know she’s still upset about everything that happened. She can’t seem to understand why you broke off the engagement and ran off to New York so quickly, or ‘that big ole city,’ as she puts it.”

      “Deanna, I’ve tried to explain that to her so many times. You guys don’t know the Todd that I know. I couldn’t attach myself to him till death did us part.” Chey twisted her lips, mocking the twisted way people chose to see her big move. “I’ve been planning to go back to school for so long. I know this whole thing seems scary to Mom, but this was my chance and New York is where I need to be for what I want to do.”

      “So...” Deanna paused. “How’s the big city treating you?” she said.

      “New York has been great so far.”

      “Have you heard from him yet?” Deanna asked cautiously.

      “No.” Thank God.

      “I’m surprised. You left months ago.” She seemed disappointed.

      “Our relationship was over way before it was officially over. He’s so self-absorbed. He probably thinks he’s punishing me by staying away.” Chey rolled her eyes as she thought about her manipulative ex-fiancé. She hadn’t called to talk about Todd Coleman. He had finally been relocated to his rightful place in her life—the past. “I cut my hair.” She changed the subject and instinctively ran her fingers through her short crop.

      “Really!” Deanna squealed. “I can’t believe it. How much did you cut?”

      “All of it.”

      “Uh! Excuse me?”

      “I got one of those pixie cuts.”

      “Oh my goodness, Chey! I have to see it. Send me a picture.”

      “I will. Oh! And I can’t wait to start school.” Chey scrunched her shoulders in excitement.

      “When do your classes begin?”

      “End of January. I’m taking a little vacation to celebrate before I start.”

      “Wow. I can’t imagine going back to writing papers and attending classes again. You’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

      “I know, but what could I do? We simply ran out of money and since the shop wasn’t doing well, Mom and Dad couldn’t help. It was almost depressing, seeing my classmates graduate without me. Once the shop started doing better, I could finally afford to save enough to go back.

      “We have you to thank for that! It will all work out. You deserve this. Good luck! Where are you going for vacation?”

      “Near Salt Lake City, Utah.”

      Chey pulled the phone away from her ear when her sister screamed, “What the hell is in Utah?”

      “I booked an amazing villa. I plan to ski, snowboard, drink hot chocolate in front of a cozy fire and work on that book that I’ve wanted to write