So Good: A Ribbon Ridge Novel (Love on the Vine Book 1) by Darcy Burke Page A

years guarding himself from pain and heartbreak, but was that how he planned to spend his entire life? For the first time, he didn’t really know.

    B rooke crossed the finish line of the 10k two seconds before Jana. Naomi, who ran much faster than either of them and had likely finished at least five minutes ago, waved at them from just past the finish area.
    After collecting their medals and grabbing waters, Brooke and Jana joined Naomi, who appeared rested and beautiful.
    “You barely look like you ran a race,” Jana said, her face still red. “I hate you right now.”
    Naomi laughed. “I run at least five miles every day. This is like a walk in the park for me.”
    Jana glared at her. “You’re not helping defuse my hatred.”
    Naomi laughed harder. “Sorry.”
    Jana looked down at herself and made a face. “It’s not fair. You have the legs of a gazelle, while mine are like a rhino.”
    Brooke laughed. Naomi was blessed with long, athletic legs. Her form was built for running, whereas Jana was curvier, and yeah, her legs were kind of short. “Not a rhino. How about a miniature horse?” Brooke suggested.
    Jana transferred her glare to Brooke. “You’re not helping either.” She suddenly laughed. “Screw it. I need a beer. This after-party has beer, right?”
    “Yep, and rum.” Naomi rubbed her hands together. “And hot guys. I chatted with a trio who finished right behind me. They’re waiting for us in the beer garden.”
    Jana nearly choked on her water. “Ack! I look like hell!”
    “You look awesome!” Naomi said. “That shirt does amazing things for your boobs. Which are already amazing. You can envy my legs all you want, but your tits are, well, tits.”
    Brooke snorted. Saying things were “tits,” meaning “fantastic,” had become Naomi’s latest catchphrase.
    Jana tossed a bit of water at Naomi, and she jumped back, laughing. “Yeah, well you can buy tits if you want them so badly. I’ll never have your legs.”
    Naomi continued to laugh. “True.”
    With nothing more to contribute to this odd conversation, Brooke finished the last of her water. “I think I’m going to take off.”
    Both Naomi and Jana turned toward her. “No!” Jana said, her brows slanting over her eyes. “You always bail when we try to hook you up.”
    “Yes, because I don’t want to be hooked up.” Their incessant prodding was one of the reasons—maybe the primary reason—she’d moved out of Jana’s townhouse and stopped hanging out with them as much. She’d invited them to the salmon bake thinking they’d maybe just want to have a girls’ night. But no, they’d both been on the prowl as usual.
    “You’d be a lot happier if you just got laid,” Naomi said. “And these guys are hot.”
    She probably wasn’t wrong—Brooke hadn’t had sex in ages. But she also wasn’t interested in just having sex with some rando. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. See you guys.”
    She smiled and waved before she turned, hoping to take the sting out of her departure. She didn’t want them to think she was mad. At the same time, she couldn’t think of when she might call them to hang out again, which bummed her out. She’d latched on to Jana when she’d moved up here from Medford because she was the only person Brooke had known in the area. Then Jana had introduced her to Naomi, and it had seemed like she’d anchored herself with a couple of good friends. But now she realized that wasn’t really the case. Maybe she’d have better luck in Ribbon Ridge.
    She thought of Cam. Was he her friend? Maybe, but he was also a coworker. Neither was the same as having girlfriends. Hopefully she’d find some, or she was going to get very homesick. And she didn’t want to go back home. There were too many memories. Too many things she wanted to block from her mind, including her ex-husband.
    She drove back to Ribbon Ridge and decided to stop for a coffee. Her favorite brew was at a little place called Stella’s. It was a