Free Sample
Preview from chapter one
Matt Jones pulled into the driveway of his childhood home, killing the engine of his pickup truck with a weary sigh. Six months since Dad's funeral, and it was the first time he'd been back since that rain-soaked day when they'd lowered his father into the cold ground. The modest two-story suburban house looked smaller than he rememberedpaint peeling at the corners, gutters sagging from neglect.
He'd stayed away too long. His mother's increasingly strained phone calls had made that clear. Something about the tone in her voice when she'd called last weeka barely concealed desperationhad finally pulled him back.
"Just come home for a few days, Matthew," she'd said, her voice breaking slightly. "The house... it needs a man's touch for some repairs. And your sister... she's been struggling since your father passed."
Matt grabbed his duffel bag from the passenger seat and walked up the cracked concrete path to the front door. At thirty-two, he'd built a life for himself three towns overconstruction foreman with his own apartment and a decent salary. But the family ties had grown taut, then tenuous in the months since Dad's passing.
He knocked once, then used his old key. "Mom? Kaitlyn? I'm home," he called out, stepping into the familiar entryway.
The house was warmalmost uncomfortably so. The air felt thick, charged somehow. The living room lights were dimmed, and he could hear faint sounds from upstairs.
"Matt? Oh my god, Matt!" His sister Kaitlyn appeared at the top of the stairs, wearing loose gray sweatpants and a tank top that clung to her figure. At twenty-seven, she'd filled out since he'd last seen her, her curves more pronounced. Her dark hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her cheeks flushed as she rushed down the stairs.
"Hey, sis," he said, dropping his bag as she threw herself into his arms.
The hug lasted longer than he expected, her body pressing against his with unusual intensity. He felt her breaths coming quick against his neck.
"You actually came," she whispered, pulling back enough to look at his face, her hands lingering on his shoulders. "I wasn't sure you would."
"Said I would, didn't I?" Matt noticed her eyes were different somehowdilated, intense. She seemed to be studying his face, his body.
"Matthew? Is that you?" His mother's voice came from the kitchen.
Kaitlyn's hands slid down his arms before she reluctantly stepped back, her fingertips trailing along his forearm in a way that sent an unexpected shiver up his spine.