Free Love's Fate (Love Trilogy #1) by Tracey Smith

the ocean began. It was peaceful there.
    I spent hours on that cliff trying to make sense of the feelings I had for a stranger. Because, if I was being honest with myself, that’s really all he was. We had never met. Never spoke. I’d only seen him twice. Or was it three times? Does a dream count?
    The strange familiarity of his eyes and the weird connection they had to my recurring nightmare left me more confused than ever. What did it mean? Was it just some weird trick of my subconscious? Why couldn’t I stop thinking of him? Why did seeing him affect me so strongly?
    That is how I spent my summer. Staring at the ocean. Trying to understand why he felt so connected to my life. Why I was so emotionally connected to him. It wasn’t like me to feel strong emotions for people I did know, let alone someone I didn’t.
    Never the less, the thought of him put butterflies in my stomach and the possibility that he might be married made me want to cry. I couldn’t explain it, but that first night when our eyes met it felt like our souls had connected. Something deep inside me recognized him, even if my conscious mind didn’t. For some reason I couldn’t explain I felt absolutely sure that he was the one I was meant to be with and at the same time complete and utter despair at the realization that it would never happen. None of it made any sense.
    Then after a long summer of pining, mourning and pondering I finally decided it didn’t matter. I needed to stop thinking about him. I wouldn’t allow myself to think about him, at least not while I was awake. Dreams were safely out of my control. But my waking hours would be devoted to diligently not thinking about him.
    I was so excited the day Amy finally came home. I decided to invite some friends over to surprise her. I figured it would be a perfect way to end my summer of solitude and welcome her into our apartment. I invited Jared and Dan over and a couple of girls from the catering company we used to work for. I was looking forward to seeing my friends again, especially Amy.
    “Oh, Katherine!” Amy exclaimed throwing her arms around me before she was even through the door. “I missed you so much!”
    “I missed you too.” I said hugging her as the truth of those words sank through me.
    “You haven’t done anything with the apartment!” she exclaimed as she looked around at our apartment taking in the bare walls and sparse furniture.
    “Just waiting for you.” I smiled at her disapproving smirk.
    The knowledge that she got to do the primary decorating of our new apartment instantly brightened her expression.
    “I can’t wait to show you everything I got this summer!” she said reaching for the extra suitcase that she hadn’t had when she left.
    I laughed again. It was so nice to have her energy back around me. I wasn’t sure if I’d laughed all summer.
    “We’ve got some company coming over soon.” I told her. “You’ve got enough time to shower and change. We’ll have to have show-and-tell later.”
    “Who’s coming over?” she asked excitedly.
    “Just a few friends. Samantha and Christy, I think Christy might be bringing her boyfriend, plus Jared….” I paused watching the tension grow on her face “and Dan of course.”
    Her face immediately lit into a huge smile.
    “Dan’s on his way over? Right now? Which one is my room?”  She asked eyeing the two doors along the far wall. I pointed to the door on the left and she ran for the bedroom pulling her new suitcase with her.
    While she changed, I went to the kitchen to start dinner. I had been marinating a pork tenderloin all day and so I slipped it into the oven while I made the au gratin potatoes and sautéed green beans to go with it. I was excited about my first dinner party. I had learned a lot working at the restaurant over the summer and I was ready to show off my new skills.
    Our friends started arriving just as I was finishing up in the kitchen. Christy was the first to arrive with her