Book Idea from Last Night

Sometimes when I'm asleep, I dream up the craziest book ideas you've ever heard of, but this one wasn't so bad.  Let me know what you think :)

"She had just returned home after a ten-year-long absence.  Her mother's health was failing, and her brother couldn't handle it on his own.  After being gone from Decatur, Wyoming for so long, she was more than a little apprehensive about seeing the ghosts of her past, living and breathing and walking around town.  The town that was filled with too many secrets..."

"What do you mean, I can't handle it on my own?" a voice on Evie's right boomed, startling her from her writing-induced trance.  Her brother, Brandon, was regarding her with one brow raised.

Evie looked back to her laptop screen, re-reading the paragraph she'd just finished typing.  "Well, why else would I be back here?" she asked, swatting him playfully on the arm.

The truth was, Evie had been in a slump.  She'd moved away from her suffocatingly small town after high school and never once looked back.  After completing as much college as she could handle, she sent her writing manuscripts out to multiple publishing companies.  A small start-up had picked up one of her series, propelling her into a world for which she was not prepared.

After the flashbulb fame had worn off from the sales immediately following the series' release, Evie expected to be able to crank another series out, no problem.  But after five years and many failed attempts, her creative juices, as well as her bank account, were almost completely dry.

So there she was, a failed writer, living the single life with all but the cat to go along with it, lonely and depressed.  Then she'd gotten the call from Brandon.  Her mother, Diane, was in the hospital undergoing heart surgery after an upset stomach and back pain had been surprisingly diagnosed as a heart attack.

Evie had packed her bags, turned in her apartment key, and taken the next flight out.  Even though she knew she was here because her family needed her, the truth was, Evie needed them just as much.  But she just wished it didn't have to be here, in this town, with all of the unwanted memories and feelings.

"Hello...earth to Evie?"  Brandon waved his hand in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts.  "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I just can't believe I'm back here.  It's been so long."  Evie took a moment to view her surroundings.  They were currently sitting in a booth in the back of "Mack's Place," one of the only restaurants in the downtown Decatur area.  Brandon had suggested it after pointing out the enormous bags forming under Evie's eyes from the stress of taking care of their mother post-surgery.  Right now, what Diane needed most was rest.  And what Evie needed was a break.

Evie had requested the darkest corner of the diner, wanting to be able to see everything without fear of being seen.  She just wasn't ready to face the questions that everyone in the town was sure to have about her return.  So far, the only patrons in the establishment were the daily regulars - Moe, Bill, and Tom - the retired vets who came to the diner every day to drink coffee and best each other at checkers.

"Aww, c'mon, it's not that bad, sis.  Everybody's missed you.  Especially Colton," Brandon said with a teasing smirk.

Before Evie could shoot off a sassy retort, the door to the diner opened, and a man materialized as if summoned by Brandon's words.

Colton Daniels, looking, if possible, more handsome than the last time Evie had seen him almost ten years ago.  His thick brown hair had her fingers itching to run through it.  His confident swagger was just as swoon-inducing as she remembered.  His 6 foot frame filled the doorway as his chocolate brown eyes scanned the diner, eventually landing on her.

Evie couldn't be completely sure, but she thought she may have audibly squealed.  Brandon, following her line of sight, chuckled.  "Well I'll be.  If it isn't the devil himself."

Instead of walking to their booth, Colton sauntered to the bar, sitting down with his back to Evie and her brother.  Evie warred with her feelings, torn between outrage at the obvious snub and relief at the extra time she'd been granted before the inevitable encounter she was faced with.  Tension was positively crackling in the restaurant, and unless she was mistaken, Evie could have sworn the other customers were viewing the two of them with marked interest.

Evie shook her head, trying to bring her focus back to her laptop and the story she was writing.

"Just when she thought things couldn't get any more stressful, he walked through the door, looking as yummy as a piece of apple pie a la mode.  One of the biggest heartbreaks of her life, come back to haunt her once again."

"Mmm, pie.  Sounds good.  I'll go get us a couple of slices," Brandon interjected, interrupting her train of thought.  Before she could protest, he slid out of their booth, heading straight for the bar and straight for Colton.

Evie snapped her computer shut, exhaling her frustration in a stream of air.  A piece of pie actually sounded heavenly, and she could really use some comfort food right about now.   However, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck raise in anticipation of what would happen when her brother led Colton over to their booth, as he was sure to do.

No more than three minutes later, Brandon was back with two hearty helpings of Mack's famous apple pie, and the ice cream was pooling deliciously on top.  But Colton was still at the bar.

She tried to ignore the stab of disappointment that shot through her.

"Something wrong?" Brandon asked, a knowing gleam in his eye.