Never Alone

Chapter 1

    Flipping the handmade sign in the window from 'Open' to 'Closed', Annie sighed contentedly. The little brass bell tinkled cheerily as she opened the door. Breathing in one final whiff of pastries and fresh ground coffee, she stepped out onto the damp, cobblestone sidewalk and opened her black and white houndstooth patterned umbrella. The fall air was damp and cool, and she shivered as she drew the collar of her jacket tighter around her neck.

The heels of her boots clicked on the pavement as she walked the familiar sidewalks home. It was only a little after noon, but she was more than ready for a nap. One of the perks of owning a donut shop, she thought with an amused smile.

It was Saturday, and her roommate, Tracy had the day off. They made plans to go to the city later in the afternoon, and Annie couldn't wait. While she loved living in the small town of Geneva, Illinois, there was something exciting about the hustle and bustle of the city that brought her to life.

As she skipped up the steps of the vintage, brick apartment building lost in her own thoughts, she walked directly into something solid. Thrown off balance, she dropped her umbrella and fell backward down five steps and into a puddle.

"Oh, Annie! I'm so sorry!" Strong hands gripped her and pulled her to a standing position.

She didn't need to look up to know who was both the cause of her fall and the owner of the helping hands. The rich, voice belonged to a man she had known since childhood; someone she wished to never see again even though the sound of his voice made her heart race and her senses leave her completely. At one time she would have gladly thrown all her dreams to the wind and married him if he asked; not anymore. He broke her heart not long ago, though he probably didn't have any idea how badly he hurt her, and she wished with all her might he wasn't her roommate's brother.

Shaking free of his vice-like grasp, she finally forced her eyes upward to meet his dark, brown gaze. Her heart skipped a beat and a lump rose into her throat. Why did she still feel this way? Everything between them, even the friendship they once shared was completely over. She really needed to get control of herself.

"I'm sorry. Let me walk you inside." His hand rested on the small of her back, and she recoiled at the heat of his touch.

"No thank you, Trevor." She shot him a piercing look. "You've done quite enough." Her conscience pricked her. If she would have been paying attention, she would not be in the situation right now, but there was no time to argue trifling details with herself. Grabbing her umbrella from the third step, she walked back toward the glass double doors.

"Maybe we could get coffee sometime?" Hearing his voice again felt like coming home for Christmas, but she pushed the thought aside.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea," her tone was softer than she intended.

"I wish you didn't hate me. We used to be best friends, Annie, and now you will hardly look at me."

Not knowing what to say, she tore her gaze away from his handsome face and walked into the brick building she called home. What was there to say? She gave him years of her life she couldn't get back, and none of it mattered. How could she pretend nothing happened? She was good at hiding her feelings, but not that good.

Closing the apartment door behind her, she leaned her back against it and sighed. Her chest burned and her eyes stung as she recalled the man she had thought she would spend the rest of her life with. He was perfect...almost. His actions last winter proved he was not to be trusted, and a tear trickled down her cheek as she recalled the Facebook post that crushed her dreams once and for all.

She remembered it like yesterday. It was a cold, blustery morning last December...Christmas day to be exact. Waking up early in the morning, as was her habit, she decided to loaf around in bed and check Facebook for any new information her friends might be sharing. Of course, there were the usual 'Merry Christmas' posts, but then one very different missive caught her attention and brought her happy plans to a standstill. Trevor McAllister, the man she had loved since she was six years old when he comforted her after she fell off her bike, the man she wanted to spend a lifetime with, her first love...was engaged. He had led her on; she wasn't a fool, and she knew he had flirted with her. The picture of him with his new fiancé made her sick to her stomach. They looked so smiling...so happy. The full weight of reality struck her as she realized his world would go on turning merrily without her in it. That thought alone broke her heart in two. He had played her like a cheap fiddle, and she trusted him.

She remembered how he kissed her a few short months before his engagement. The feel of his lips against hers gave her a sense of belonging...of rightness. He threw away the love she offered him like you would throw out the trash, and she could never forgive him for that. It hadn't worked out with what's her name, and he was single once more. Even though he made more than one attempt to get back in her good graces, she knew that ship had sailed. He had his chance, and that chance was over.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes, and she brushed them away in frustration. Why did he still have this effect on her? Why did the skin on her back still burn from where his hand rested moments earlier? Why was she having such a difficult time getting past the heartache and living her life?

Pushing the offending thoughts aside, she set her handbag down on the dining room table and busied herself for the short trip she would be taking with her roommate in the next few hours.