Olivia Graham was twenty-two when she started a whirlwind romance with charismatic Jakob overseas.
By age twenty-five, Liv was back home and checking off the widowed box on paperwork. With zero plans, Olivia and beloved dog Snuggles find themselves...
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Life after death is a blur; dealing with life insurance and memorial preparation. More than once, I've absentmindedly attempted to get into Jake's phone unsuccessfully, but it's low on the list for me at this point.
Lindsey is a freelance food blogger and has the freedom to assist me with some of the rough parts. Linds also has the reputation of a badass who gets things accomplished, and I'm happy to have her in my corner.
My sister-in-law Joanie is a fitness instructor at one of the gyms she and Will own and freed up her schedule to be with me.
JoJo has a kind heart and a delightful laugh. Her long, muscular limbs complement her slim torso and the ashy blonde hair she almost always wears in a ponytail. Will often calls her angel face, because her golden skin and eyes are usually bright with cheer.
Our trio sits in a café as we wait for our order, and I'm profusely expressing my gratitude again, and they're waving it away like it's nothing. But it's definitively not nothing; it's everything.
"Are you set with what you're wearing tonight?" Lindsey inquires as I return with our coffee order.
"Yeah, I don't know, " I say, waving my hand, "I know I have black clothes, so I'm sure I'm set."
"Is it wrong that I want you to be a hot widow?" Linds asks with a pleased-with-herself smile.
Joanie giggles, teasing, "That won't be hard!"
Scoffing, but still smiling at my two closest girl friends, I admit, Yeah, it's a little wrong, and yet, it's very Lindsey.
"You just wait, little miss, your door is going to be pounded on soon. Then it's not the only thing that will be pounded."
I close my eyes briefly and shake my head once—this girl.
"You and Jakob haven't seemed happy in a while," Joanie says softly, touching the hair that hangs in front of my shoulder.
I turn to her, looking back into her brown eyes dead-on, quirking up my left eyebrow, "You're astute, we weren't, but we were attempting to work through those issues."
I hold up my hands in surrender, "I'm certainly not ready to move to another relationship."
"Not even if it was..." Linds begins, trailing off.
"No!" I hiss; I don't want Joanie telling Will about my lifelong crush on Chris.
"Officer Rollins?" Lindsey finishes without hesitation, and I close my eyes, willing myself not to burst into tears over this.
Joanie's eyes are wide, and her mouth is in the shape of an oval as she looks between us. "Chris Rollins?!" She squeaks out.
"Yup," Lindsey answers with a smug grin, "Our girl here has been into him since I can remember." Into him -- Is that what we call the connection between Chris and me? Linds leans forward to Joanie, and JoJo follows suit while I cover my face with my hands.
