A Healing Heart by Melissa A. Hanson Page A

if you’re ready to go.”
    “ I’m ready, let’s go!”
    I followed Collin to his car and got into the front seat as he went around to the driver’s side. Collin started the car, and we pulled away from the curb.
    “ Nice car, by the way.”
    “ Thanks. I got a good deal on it but had to do some work to it to get it to run right. The previous owner was going through a divorce and didn’t want to deal with it.”
    “ Um-hmm. So isn’t the freeway the other direction? Where are we going?”
    “ Oh, sorry, I have one stop to make first. We need to pick up Bailey.”
    “ Bailey? Who’s Bailey?”
    “ I guess you could say she’s my girlfriend, although we’ve not officially called it that yet.”
    My heart stopped. “Your what?” I could barely spit the words out.
    Collin glanced sideways at me, “My girlfriend.”
    “ That’s what I thought you said. When did this happen? How come you haven’t mentioned her before?” I tried to keep my voice even, but inside I was seething. How and when could this have happened?
    He shrugged. “A few weeks ago. The topic just didn’t come up. She’s great. I’m sure you’ll really like her.” He flashed me a big grin that only made the matter a hundred times worse.
    Forcing a smile, I did the only thing I could right now, which was to agree. It was a good thing I hadn’t eaten breakfast or I would have probably needed to puke. This was a major setback, but not impossible to overcome. I would just have to change my tactics a bit and refocus. Failure was not an option.
     
    ~ Bailey ~
    I was finishing packing for the beach, mentally going through my checklist to make sure I didn’t forget anything. The food I was responsible for bringing was already downstairs waiting by the door. All I needed now was to grab my sunblock and baseball hat. My skin did not fare well in the sun and I didn’t want to come home looking like a red lobster. I could hear the faint rumble of Collin’s car coming up the street, so I grabbed my belongings by the front door and walked outside.
    Collin pulled his car up to the curb and I almost stopped on the sidewalk as I noticed a stunning blond girl sitting in the front seat. Savannah? It had to be. She was coming with us? Great. Somehow the excitement of the trip quickly evaporated. I couldn’t understand why Collin hadn’t mentioned that she was joining us today. I forced myself to plaster a smile on my face and continued walking toward the car. Collin jumped out and reached me quickly, grabbing my bags and carrying them to the back hatch.
    After he had finished loading the items, he leaned down and brushed a light kiss across my lips. “Morning.”
    “ Morning,” I replied, then without skipping a beat, I couldn’t help but ask, “So, is that Savannah?”
    “ Yeah, I asked her last night if she wanted to come with us. I thought she might have fun with everyone.”
    “ Oh. Okay.”
    Collin opened the passenger door, his other arm lightly wrapped around my waist. We stepped aside as Savannah got out.
    “ Bailey, this is my friend Savannah. Savannah, this is Bailey.”
    “ Hi,” we both said in unison.
    I knew we were each measuring the other one up. Savannah was absolutely gorgeous: a little shorter than me; long blond hair, perfectly brushed back; flawless face; deep, chocolate brown eyes; angelic features; and slight dimples in her cheeks. There was no way I could compare to her. Her perfect body was set off with very skimpy jean shorts and a tank top that fit her tightly, leaving little to the imagination.
    Savannah was the first to break the silence. “Here, let me move the seat up for you so you can climb in back.”
    I was not expecting that. I immediately knew I shouldn’t underestimate this angelic creature in the front seat. I got the distinct impression that she wasn’t much of an angel. I glanced quickly to Collin to see if he would correct her, but he said nothing, seemingly oblivious to the tension crackling