Page 1 of Knot Guaranteed

Prologue

Tinley

“You’re looking considerably rougher than I expected,” Shanna says, tossing herself down on my bed. Her Scottish accent is so watered down, it really only shines through on certain words, likerougher.

My eyes catch in the mirror across the room.

Damn, she’s right.

My bedhead is a little ridiculous, but it’s been a tough few days.

My best friend is always well put together, but she’s seen me looking much worse. If you can’t look a mess in front of friends, then who can you?

I’m fully embracing the breakup aesthetic. My long-sleeve pajama dress is oversized and kind of hideous, but I’m wallowing in the sadness.

Okay, I’m really not all that sad about the breakup. It’s just hard ignoring the constant calls and texts. We were only together for a little over six months, but he was a lot more upset than I expected.

Shanna grabs the front of my dress, pulling it close to her nose. “At least you don’t smell as bad as you look.” She chuckles, releasing the material. “Now tell me, are you heartbroken?”

“No, it was time. He asked me to move in with him.” My eyes widen to indicate exactly how much that conversation shocked me.

The hardest part is that Harvey is a great guy. He’s just not the right one for me. It wouldn’t have been fair to let things go on any longer. I thought we were more casual than he did, but once I realized the disconnect, I knew I couldn’t put it off.

“Wow, yeah, that’s nuts.” Shanna pats my thigh. “You’ll be all right. These things happen.”

“Great pep talk,” I groan, falling back against my pillows.

“We could all tell you weren’t going to end up together. He’s a bit bland, isn’t he?”

I don’t like that anyone could think I was leading him on. I’ve got a fondness for Harvey, just maybe closer to friends than a romantic relationship.

“He’s a very sweet guy,” I say a little defensively.

“Very sweet. Yeah, of course.” She laughs and her hazel eyes sparkle. “Ohmigod, let me tell you…” She swipes long dark-brown hair away from her face, leaning in conspiratorially. “Your neighbor is mowing the lawn shirtless. I drooled. Like a lot. Is my shirt stained?” She looks down, and I snort a laugh. She always knows just how to cheer me up. “I watched until it got creepy. Oh, by the way, Fitz is here. He needs to talk to you about something important, and I need to go back to perving on the guy next door.”

My jaw falls.

Fitz is Shanna’s older brother.

Technically, Fitzpatrick is both of their last names, but Fitz hates his first name with a passion. The guys he played sports with in high school gave him the nickname, and eventually, it spread to all of us using it.

My cheeks heat.

I’ve done my best to keep my small crush a secret over the years, and making a big deal about how I look seems like a great way to out that fact. He’s a musician and extremely attractive. Having him see me in full pouty-omega mode doesn’t seem like the way to put my best foot forward. Also, did she just say she was creeping on my neighbor?

My brain finally catches up and…

Gross.

I stick my tongue out, pretending to gag.

“Eww, all my neighbors are way too old for you.” One or two of the guys next door might be in their early forties, but I think the others are closer to forty-five.

“He’s still hot.” She giggles, rolling over and pushing herself off the bed. Good God, I wish I had that much grace. If I tried that, I would likely land on my face. “Major Daddy vibes. He told me to be careful walking on the sidewalk because the grass clippings could make it slippery.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

Well, I can see the appeal of Daddy vibes, but a twenty-year age difference is a bit much for me, personally. Ten sounds good. Maybe twelve to fourteen years, like the difference between my mom and dads.

“Are you going to make me stand in the hall forever?” Fitz calls out in his Scottish accent. His is slightly thicker than Shanna’s, likely because he was a few years older when they moved.