A Fresh Restart

By Chelsea Falin

Josette Miller and Walker Anderson grew up together in small-town, Dade City, Florida. Inseparable during their youth, Josette dreamed of growing up and moving away. When she left ten years ago, Josette didn't know how Walker really felt about her.

But Dade City just wasn't the same with Josette, and Walker left shortly after, regretting he'd never told Josette how he felt. In a twist of fate, Josette and Walker find themselves moving home within months of each other. They aren't kids, anymore, and the attraction this time around is mutual. Maybe a "Fresh Restart" is just what they needed to get their happily ever after.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chelsea Falin
• Release date: Mar 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393916758

Book preview

A Fresh Restart

By: Chelsea Falin

This book is dedicated to my father, stepmother, sister, and children.

Chapter 1

T

he sharp smell of damp earth filled her nostrils as she sat against the trunk of an ancient oak tree. The tree’s long, outstretched limbs were thickly covered in gray Spanish moss she’d once believed were clumps of hair.

Had it been all that long ago she’d played at this park with her brothers and sister under the not-so-watchful eye of their mother? For Josette, it felt like only yesterday. But she’d been gone a decade already, so a lot of time had obviously passed.

Josette pushed strands of chestnut brown hair out of her face and squinted at the lake. As a child, she’d not realized how dingy and dirty the water appeared... and it had always seemed to hold many more alligators. Large, snapping dinosaurs ready to snatch her up if she went too close to the water.

Josette couldn’t see a single alligator in the park’s enormous pond right now, even if she knew there had to be a few lurking in the murky waters.

Hey! Josette! She turned towards the deep, masculine voice. A man who could have nearly been her twin if not for the extra foot of height came loping towards her.

What is it, Gunner? Josette felt a momentary surge of panic. "The kids alright?

Gunner reached his sister and nodded fervently, an impish grin forever plastered to his flawless face. Josette could see why the girls had always chased him in high school. Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You’ve been gone a long while.

Josette looked out at the large pond one last time before easing to her feet. Gunner grabbed her hand as she was halfway up and hoisted her the rest of the way. Sorry. I just needed some time to think and be alone. I don’t get much of that these days.

Gunner’s grin faded for only a moment, replaced with a sad half-smile. Yeah, I know, Sis. We don’t mind keeping an eye on the little monsters. You can have more time if you want, but... well, with everything that’s been going on, you know, just wanted to make sure everything was okay. We’re all hurting right now, but you’ve been hurting for a year or more.

Josette frowned, lips growing tight and brows furrowing. Gunner was right about that. The last fourteen months had been insane, and as much as she didn’t like admitting it, Josette was still hurting.

It had been fourteen months ago, almost to the day, that Dan had walked out on her and the kids with Josette’s supposed best friend of the last five years.

Dan hadn’t told her he’d been behind on the business mortgage payments, either, so it was only eight months ago she’d lost the business. Now, her reason for being back in her hometown was even worse.

After battling with her mental health for years, their mother had finally done what she’d always threatened to do. Those long years of threats didn’t lessen the pain her death left on her four children, however.

I’m fine, Gunner. Let’s go back to the house. I should be spending time with y’all, anyway, not out here mourning a lost childhood that wasn’t even all that great.

Our childhood wasn’t so bad once dad left. Gunner smiled sideways at her. We always had a lot of fun getting into trouble. Didn’t we? Watch out for those Miller kids! They’re trouble. Gunner punctuated his statement with a wink.

Despite her internal turmoil, Josette couldn’t help smiling at her goofy brother. Gunner had always been able to do that – turn her dark moods bright again. The two were only a year apart, and had always been best friends.

It didn’t take five minutes to reach the white picket fence outlining their old house. Josette studied the home a minute, wondering how such a happy-looking home could hide so many dark secrets. The picket fence was always clean and whitewashed to match the starkly white exterior of the home.

Josette knew that red brick lay underneath the white paneling, but it had been so long since it had showed it was a distant memory. The door was a bright red, and all the home’s accenting was bright green. Flowers still grew in the flower beds lining the house, and an oversized porch invited her to sit on the swing or one of the rocking chairs. Her siblings had obviously been keeping up on the place the last few days.

A young girl with pitch black hair hanging straight to her waist sat on the porch swing with a cup of coffee gripped in both hands. The girl’s large brown eyes were tired, but Josette was happy to see her little sister was no longer crying. Hey, Char. How long have you been up?

Charlene shrugged. Half an hour, maybe. I’m just happy to of gotten some sleep.

Josette said nothing but smiled warmly at her sister. She hoped her face didn’t give away the pity she had for her youngest sibling and only sister. Charlene had been the last one left at home. She was six years Josette’s junior, and she’d been the one to find their mother that afternoon. Josette’s spine tingled and her eyes moistened when she thought of the pitiful, frantic tone in Char’s voice when she called nearly a week ago now.

Jo...Josette. The voice on the other end was breaking, sobbing with an almost inhuman grief. Still, Josette knew the voice to be Charlene’s.

Charlene? What’s the matter, honey? Are you okay? Josette tried to keep the panic from her voice. She didn’t want to upset her sister more than she already was.

No... no... no... Intense sobbing filled the other end of the phone for a full minute before Charlene spoke again. It’s momma. She... she... Intense sobbing took over again and a feeling of weight pressed down on Josette’s chest. Charlene didn’t even have to finish her sentence. Josette already knew what happened.

As much as she wanted to make her sister feel better, Josette knew any effort would be wasted. Only time cured grief, and even then it wasn’t so much a cure as learning how to bear it without crumbling.

Josette walked inside the large living room and glanced around to see if Colt was inside. Her eyes fell on her grandmother’s old recliner, still in it’s usual place, and an overstuffed couch and loveseat set in a pale blue. Her eyes saw the smiling family pictures on every wall, and the Native American figurines spaced evenly on the shelves against one wall. But she didn’t see her younger brother.

Crossing the living room, Josette passed through the dining room and past the massive wood-carved table with no more than a glance.  She passed into the small nook holding a large freezer chest and peeked into the spacious kitchen.

Colt sat at the corner table with his feet propped on the children’s bench. He, like Charlene, nursed a cup of coffee.

Colt had taken the situation much better than Charlene, but he still wasn’t doing great. He’d arrived yesterday from Arizona, where he was going to college to become a doctor. He had two more years to go before his schooling was finished, and Josette couldn’t be prouder of him. He was the only one of the four who’d managed to go to college. In fact, he was the first person in their direct line to ever even attempt it unless you counted adult education classes.

Hey, Colt. Josette walked to the coffee pot to get her own cup to nurse. Where are the kids? Colt never looked up, but instead lifted his arm to point out the window.

Josette walked to the backdoor, opened to just the screen, and glanced outside. A large swing set took center stage in the massive backyard. A trampoline sat nearby, and an inground swimming pool (courtesy of when their grandmother owned the house) sat encircled in a netted enclosure off to the side.

Six children ranging from age five to eleven played together, enjoying the time they got with their cousins. Josette’s two children had been sad at the death of their grandmother, but more excited they’d get to play with Gunner’s four children.

It was likely these would be all the children of the next generation, unless Colt decided to settle down after he finished med school. Charlene had always insisted she didn’t want children. Forever the perfect aunt, but never wanting to be a mom. 

Josette sighed. She was happy to be home, but emotionally exhausted. Her sibling’s pain was her own, and the pain she’d already had was nearly too much to bear already. She really needed a nap, but there was just too much to do.

WALKER STRETCHED HIS back. As his arms reached high up over his head and slightly back, he let out a great sigh. It’d been a long day already, and the sun was only reaching it’s noon zenith. He sighed.

Son? Where are you at? Walker could hear his father’s voice from near the front of the old home. He walked towards the sound slowly, ready to sit a minute. He only needed a minute.

Here, Daddy. What’s up? His father shook his head and his gray hair reflected sunlight.

Do you ever stop working? Walker smirked as he father chuckled. I know there’s a lot to do, but it doesn’t all have to be done in a week.

Yeah, I know it doesn’t. I just want to get it done. It’ll be hanging over my head if I don’t. Walker sighed as he looked at the property and house. He shook his head in a way he knew was an exact imitation of his father. Still so much to do... The house hadn’t even been touched yet. After half a week of ten-hour days, the yard only looked slightly better.

Yeah, I know. Walker watched his Daddy’s face grimace. It’s a damn shame, really. This place used to be so nice. You remember?

Walker smiled. Yeah, Daddy, I do.

Walker thought about the many weekends he’d spent here growing up. His grandparents had always kept the property maintained and the home sparkling, no matter that it had always been no more than a small two-room shack they’d built on over the years. Walker snorted as he thought about how he and his little brother Dusty had snuck over that dilapidated fence in the back to go play with the Miller