Page 3 of Second Chance for the Grump

Tears quickly filled the corners of my eyes. Between the rush of emotion, losing Charlie, and now hearing his voice again, I couldn’t keep everything together.

“Rowan.” I choked back the first sob and lost my composure with the next breath. Now that I’d finally let myself cry, I struggled to get words out around the tears. “He took Charlie, and I don’t know what to do. I need help.”

He sucked in a breath. “I’ll be there by tomorrow.”

Click.

“No, I can’t ask that. I just need advice,” I said, but the line stayed quiet. The phone was back to my normal home screen when I pulled it from my ear.

My bedroom door cracked open, and River popped her head in. “What happened?”

“He hung up on me,” I said, lowering the phone.

“That bastard! And men wonder why we hate them.”

I tuned out the rest of her rant as she got ready to leave, promising me we’d start the hunt for Charlie again tomorrow.

What did Rowan mean when he said, “I’ll be there by tomorrow?”

And why did my stomach roll every time I thought about it?

2

ROWAN

My Uber, a brand-new Toyota, sped over a pile of leaves, blowing them into the road behind us.

“Is this your first time here?” my driver leaned back to ask. “You picked a great time. The fall fest is the best time of year to visit Maple Lane Falls.”

My hand tightened on my small duffel bag. “No, I’ve been here before.”

One year and eleven months ago, almost to the day. The small town of Maple Lane Falls had lived in my head ever since. Well, at least the woman I left here.

Muscles in my hand flexed. The woman I left here wasn’t the right language. It didn’t describe the situation correctly. I’d never forgotten how she chose this town over me. I offered Maisey a life with me in Alaska, and she turned me down. I lost to a small ass stupid town in Illinois where they threw an entire celebration for pumpkins once a year.

“Oh, so you already know the town highlights?” the driver continued, missing out on the way my face clearly displayed my lack of desire to chat.

Thankfully, the car slowed before I had to answer. I’d rather go back to active combat than reminisce with my Uber driver about how I lost the only woman I ever loved…to pumpkins.

“Thanks,” I said as he stopped along the curb in front of a brightly painted standalone building at the end of the busiest street in town—aptly named Maple Lane.

The whole place reminded me of a fictional town from one of those corny family television shows from the nineties. I hated it.

The car door slammed, and the driver raced out of his seat to his trunk.

“It’s all right here,” I said, holding up the single bag I brought with me on this trip. It was already snowing in Alaska, which meant I paid per pound for the flight out. Not that I would have packed much in any scenario.

He flinched. “Right, right. Sorry.”

I flicked a few buttons on my phone, leaving him a tip, and then tossed two fingers in the air as a signal for him to get the hell away from me before he finally took the hint and got back in his car.

Now what?

Maisey’s family owned the daycare to my right, but I hesitated before walking in. What would she say when she saw me? Why the hell was I here in the first place? I had no business being here, especially in October.

But then I remembered her tears and the way her voice broke on the phone as she told me he’d taken Charlie. My stomach rolled at the mention of the unknown male name. Whoever he was, he meant a lot to her.

Another reason I couldn’t tuck tail and get out of town. Maisey owed me a few answers, and I planned to get them.