HEART OF STONE 111

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Hope Grahams sat at the bar looking around. No potential men for her to date. They were not her type nor her style. She didn't think she knew what her type was any longer. It had been way too long since she was in any sort of relationship. Hope decided after Nathan Stone that she would give herself a break. No more men, no more nothing in her life.

She was now back at her old job as an events manager. It was okay, the money was good and it gave her something to do. She was now fully divorced and no longer carried Carl's name. It was game over.

She bumped into Carl a few months after her very short lived relationship with Nathan. Hope was grocery shopping and he was there, it was like he followed her. "Hey..."

"Carl? Um... Hi..."

"Can we talk?" No...

"I'm busy."

"Still with Declan?"

"Still with Declan? No... Why do you ask?"

"So why can't we talk then?"

"Why? Really? Really you are asking me why I don't want to talk to you?"

"Give me five minutes."

"No." Nope. No way in hell. Hope was so done with men. She left it at that.

A few months on and Hope was still very much alone. She would get her weekly visit from none other than Declan Stone himself. Every week like clockwork he would show up to her place and ask her if she has come to her senses.

Hope no longer fought it. She allowed him in, kept as calm as possible. She was not going to let him fuck her up again. Seriously enough was enough. "Let's go Hope. You don't belong here."

"Go where Declan? Ha? Back to you and your fiancé?"

"Back with me. That's all you need."

"Don't you get it? I told you, I love your brother, yet here you are... You've lost Declan, lost the game..." His eyes darkened at her comment. Hope sat there waiting for him to lose his head.

"It's over when I say it is."

"Go home to Lydia... She doesn't deserve this."

"Lydia? You make me laugh..."

"Yes Lydia... What the hell Declan?"

"Leave Lydia to me. You need to come home. That's all you need to do."

"I'm over this Declan, really I am. I'm not going anywhere with you."

And so it was to be the same conversation time and time again. Hope would just let him have his say so he could fuck off. She was not going to let him get the better of her. She was no longer in love with him problem with that was Declan Stone was not the accepting type.

Hope was jolted back to reality when a young man tapped her on the shoulder and asked her to dance. Yeah... No... She declined the offer and headed home. Another lost Saturday night.

Life was repetitive. She found she really did miss Nathan. She didn't know why she missed him, or why she believed herself to be in love with him, maybe she was just a sucker for punishment. But whatever the reason... She wished she could have one more chance with Nathan.

Declan was proving to be a pain in the ass. He was not getting it, not willing to believe she no longer wanted him, or had that drive and urge to be with him. He was getting desperate, he used Lydia as a way to lure her back in.