Free Walking on Sunshine by Luann McLane

breakfast. As a friend, of course. She still had her sights solidly set on Colby Campbell.

5
    Holding Out for a Hero
    G ARRET’S EARLY-EVENING RUN TOO K HIM INTO THE PATH in the woods up toward the lake. He told himself it was so cool in the shade of the trees, but he knew it was an effort to head toward Mattie’s cabin. He also told himself that simple curiosity caused his feet to have a mind of their own, but in truth he knew better. He liked her. Liking her felt . . . odd. In the past chatting up a woman was for selfish reasons. Either he wanted to get laid or there was something in it for him. Liking Mattie felt innocent and pure, leaving him feeling shitty about the way he’d conducted himself in the past and yet somehow a bit cleansed with this new attitude.
    Garret took the bend in the path and headed uphill. Random twigs snapped beneath his shoes, sounding loud in the silence. At first he was pissed that he’d forgotten his earbuds, but the quiet filled him with a peacefulness that seemed to give him extra endurance. He felt as if he could run forever in these woods.
    Long fingers of sunshine reached through the tree branches, touching everything like a warm caress. Garret breathed deep the scent of pine and damp soil. Althoughhe loved the energy of the city, Garret also deeply appreciated nature. Those who knew him would be surprised, and then the thought gave him pause.
    Who actually knew him?
    The answer was simple and rather sad:
no one
. Not even his mum, really. How could anyone know him? Because he sure as hell didn’t know himself. Since his breakup with Addison Monroe, Garret had been on a mission to improve the sorry-ass thing he called his life. His goal, if you could call it that, had always been to piss his father off in a misguided cry for attention. He got that now. But for many years rocker Rick Ruleman had only been concerned with himself. So Garret’s antics went pretty much unnoticed except for the eager public who ate it up with a spoon so much so that he was offered a reality show about his engagement to Addison Monroe, daughter of the famous finance guru Melinda Monroe.
    The breakup was his wake-up call. Garret had been a total wanker, trampling on hearts and not giving a damn. But when he realized that he had been turning into everything he hated about his father, he came to a screeching halt and took a long, hard look at himself. And he pretty much sucked.
    Thinking about his over-the-top past, he shook his head and muttered, “Classic.” There should be a damn reality show about him traveling around the country, no, make that the world, apologizing to every girl he’d been a jerk to. “Might be the longest-running reality show ever,” he muttered, pushing harder. He had to laugh, though, when he pictured how many times they would open the door, see it was him, and give him a much deserved slap across his face.
    When Garret came to a clearing he spotted the lake glistening in the waning sunlight. Basic brown cabins hugged the shoreline on the opposite side of the lake, each with its own small dock. A lovely stone and cedar cabin sat in the clearing apart from the rest. Wondering ifthe larger dwelling could be Mattie’s home, he jogged closer. Sure enough, he spotted her sitting on the back deck, leaning back in a lounge chair. Upon closer inspection he noticed that she clutched a book in her hand. Grinning, Garret cupped his hands around his mouth and was about to shout out to her but then hesitated. There was a spark of attraction between them and he needed to tread softly. The last thing he wanted was to break another heart, especially someone who seemed as sweet as Mattie Mayfield. But he liked her.
    As he was just about to jog away, a sudden notion hit him. Perhaps they could be friends, nothing more. “What a novel idea,” he muttered with a sense of wonder, but one that appealed to him.
    With that in mind, intruding upon her