When best friends Jamie Eckert and Derek Duran realized they were in love, they took their relationship to the next level. But then Derek's budding music career took off, and so did Derek. Twenty years later, Jamie still lives in the small town of Ashbury, Virginia, where he grew up. He's grown up and moved on -- now he owns the family funeral home business and is raising Riley, his precocious six-year-old adopted daughter. But emotions Jamie thought long buried are stirred up again when he gets an early morning removal call. The deceased is Derek's mother and Riley's babysitter, Mrs. Duran. Now Derek's back in town for the funeral, and he turns to Jamie for support ... in more ways than one. Angry at Derek for not keeping in touch, and angrier at himself for still loving the man who left him behind, Jamie is torn between his professional duty and his feelings for Derek. Will he be able to put aside his past with Derek to carry out Mrs. Duran's final wishes? Or is Derek interested in rekindling their relationship after all this time?

Not Another One Hit Wonder

“Why, Jamie!” she cries, opening the door to invite me in. “I should’ve known you’d come out here yourself. Such a shame, isn’t it? And who’s this strapping young lad?”


I’m embarrassed I almost forgot about my intern for a minute. “Taylor Smithson.”


“Smithson, Smithson…” Mrs. Stewart narrows her eyes as she looks him over. “Any relation to a Bradley Smithson? Altar boy at the church, used to mow my lawn a few years back. You kind of look like him—”


“Taylor’s not from Ashbury,” I tell her before he can reply. “What happened to Mrs. Duran, do you know? I was just here Friday and she seemed fine.”


Mrs. Stewart patted down her hair absently, more from nerves than anything else. “Oh, dear, I’m not sure. Dr. Tench is with her right now, so you might ask him.”


Chapter 8