Free Seb by Cheryl Douglas

boyfriends after graduation. I couldn’t imagine doing that.”
    “Why not?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to be tied down. I was looking forward to traveling, seeing a bit of the world.”
    “Did you?”
    “No, I got a great job offer right out of school, so I took it.”
    “Any regrets?”
    I’d often wondered if I should have done things differently and focused on having some fun before settling into adult responsibilities like a mortgage, but I assumed things worked out the way they were supposed to. If I hadn’t had equity in a home, I wouldn’t have been able to help my uncle when he needed it most.
    “No, no regrets.” I propped my chin in my hand. “I know this may sound crazy since my life isn’t very stable at the moment, but I’m happy.”
    “That doesn’t sound crazy at all,” he said softly. “I like that you don’t need things to make you happy.”
    “If my uncle’s illness has taught me one thing, it’s to appreciate the little things. So that’s what I try to do. Sometimes I wake up before he does and watch the sunrise or go for a walk just to listen to a great piece of music and be by myself.” I laughed, feeling a little self-conscious. “The other day, I sat in the park for half an hour watching a kid throw a ball to her two little puppies. I wouldn’t have had time for those kinds of things when I was working sixty hours a week, trying to get ahead.”
    “I know what you mean,” Jarod said, shaking his head. “Sometimes I feel like I’m on a damn treadmill that just won’t stop.”
    “Simplifying your life, giving up all the stuff that you thought was important, forces you to get clear about what really does matter.” I thought about how unencumbered I’d felt when I sold my house furnished instead of putting everything in storage. For the first time in a long time, I’d felt free to start fresh whenever and wherever I chose to.
    “Yeah, my ex and I got into some nasty fights about stuff, dragging the divorce out and paying the lawyers a hell of a lot more than we should have just out of spite.”
    “I can see how that could happen. I’m sure you were hurting; you wanted her to hurt too.”
    “Yeah, that’s it exactly,” he said, looking at me as though he was surprised I’d been able to sum up his feelings so easily.
    “Well, I hate to cut this short, but I have a dinner party tonight and I promised to bring dessert, so I have to go home and bake a cake.”
    He stood to walk me out. “This was fun, Sky. You think we could do it again sometime?”
    “Sure.” I was confident I’d reiterated my point about establishing a friendship and nothing more, so I didn’t feel I had to continue driving the point home.
    “Great, I’ll give you a call next week.” He gave me a quick hug. “Enjoy your dinner party.”
    “Thanks, stay safe out there.”
    “I will.” He held up both hands, his fingers crossed. “I have a date tomorrow night. Wish me luck.”
    I laughed as I reached for the door handle. “How’d you find this one?”
    “One of the new guys on the force has a sister. She spotted me at the station when she stopped by to see him yesterday. We got to talking. One thing led to another…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes.”
    “Well, good luck. I can’t wait to hear about it.” I settled into my car with a smile as I watched him walk away. How about that? Looks as if I’d made a new friend.
     

 

Chapter Six
    Seb
     
    I was ready for a beer break when my brother Brody wandered into the garage. Brody was a world-class poker player who was always traveling, and he routinely won or lost millions in a single night. He loved living the high life and had the toys to prove it, including the ’66 Alfa Romeo Spider he’d had me restore for him a few years ago.
    “Hey, man,” I said, reaching into the mini fridge. “When’d you get back in town?”
    Brody caught the can of beer I tossed his way and