Free The Trouble With Love by Beth Ciotta

beauty of Vermont this time of year. Walking among nature with a girl from his hometown, a girl from his past, filled Jayce with an unsettling mix of contentment and longing.
    “I’d love to jog through here.”
    “Bad idea.”
    “Why? The park’s like an oasis in a desert. A serene bit of nature amidst steel and chaos.”
    “Do you know how many rapes, muggings, and murders occur in Central Park each year?”
    “No. But it can’t be that dangerous, especially if you stick to populated areas and stay aware. Look at all these people. Families, couples, loners. It’s not like I’d go running in the dark.”
    Jayce wished he could see the dense wooded areas, lush grounds, and multiple trails through Rocky’s naïve eyes, but headlines, statistics, and personal experience tainted his perception. Instead of expanding on his dark thoughts, he held silent. Why spoil one of the “must-dos” on Rocky’s wish list? It was not as if he was going to let her out of his sight.
    Rocky glanced his way, then focused back on the path. “Must be tough. Living day after day surrounded by crime. It’s either develop a thick skin or live in fear.”
    “Or make a difference.”
    “Which is why you pursued a career in law enforcement. Only you left the NYPD after just a few years. You never said why.”
    “You never asked.” She’d spent years shutting him out, obsessing on a grudge he didn’t fully understand.
    Rocky’s cheeks flushed. “I should’ve said Dev never said why.”
    “Did you ask him?” Jayce watched as her flush deepened. Of course she hadn’t asked. Her way of dealing with their one-night affair and the morning after was to build a wall around herself where Jayce was concerned.
    “Fair enough.” She licked her lips and stared straight ahead. “If I ask you now, will you tell me?”
    Fortunately, her cell rang, saving Jayce from expanding on a conversation he didn’t want to have. Not now anyway. His reason for leaving the force was complicated and could be construed as either selfish or indolent. He didn’t want to spend the afternoon defending his actions, nor did he want to look like a pompous ass in Rocky’s eyes. Bottom line, he didn’t feel comfortable enough with the woman to share intimate details of his life. Navigating their complex relationship was like navigating a minefield.
    “It’s Dev returning my call,” Rocky said, jolting Jayce out of his thoughts. He watched as she stared at the screen for another two rings.
    “Get it over with, Dash.”
    She blew out a breath, connected. “Hey, big brother. You got my message?”
    Jayce slid on his sunglasses and pretended not to listen. Meanwhile he stayed aware of their surroundings, unlike Rocky, who kept walking while talking.
    “Yep. The meeting went great. Our cupcakes were a hit. Tasha’s Death by Maple won the honors. Like she needed a bigger head. Overall, Tasha focused more on herself than she should have, but you know Tasha. Anyway, please pass this on to Gram and Chloe so they can keep the club in the loop. In a nutshell,” she rushed on, “we met with our editor and publicist and discussed the proposal the club submitted and how they wanted us to expand on that. Also touched on marketing, publicity, and deadlines. It was interesting, I suppose. I just hope it doesn’t interfere with our charity efforts. I could see…” She shook her head. “Never mind. Don’t get me started.… No, we didn’t sign anything. We told them to send the contracts to our business advisor—which would be you. Speaking of you and business…”
    Rocky veered off the path and started pacing along the edge. “You might be hearing from my credit-card people. No, I didn’t overspend! That’s the least of your worries. Hard to spend without the plastic. No, I didn’t lose my purse. I … It…”
    Standing on the sidelines, Jayce geared up for the impending meltdown. He didn’t have to hear to know Dev had switched into overbearing-caretaker