Read the first chapter of Her Best Friend’s Secret.
***
Hunter McAllister had been in love with Olivia for more than half his life. A fact he’d been prepared to take to his grave. The trouble with love was that it couldn’t remain contained forever.
Following their disastrous first date, Meghann Headley challenged him to tell Olivia the truth.
Something he wouldn’t have considered if Olivia hadn’t been on a date with the man who was now Meghann’s boyfriend.
Seeing Olivia on a date with Levi made Hunter want to punch the guy for no reason. Hunter wasn’t a violent man or prone to attacking strangers—even if they provoked him.
The trouble was that Hunter didn’t know how to tell Olivia he loved her and break out of the friend zone he’d inhabited for the last eighteen years.
Considering the secret he’d kept from her for five years, he wasn’t sure he should. But it was worth a try.
He’d challenged Meghann to confess her feelings for Levi. Since she had, he must keep his part of their bargain and tell Olivia how he felt. He tapped the light package against his leg. This gift was the first step in his quest to confess his feelings to his best friend.
Please, God, don’t let this blow up in my face.
Hunter took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Olivia’s apartment.
“Liv?” He waited for a response. Silence. He banged on the door again.
The door across the hall from Olivia creaked open. Olivia’s neighbor, a middle-aged woman who reminded Hunter of a disgruntled librarian, poked her head out.
“Do you mind?” Her untidy eyebrows knitted above her thick, black glasses.
“Sorry.”
The woman huffed and shut the door with a click.
Hunter used his cell phone to call Olivia.
“Where are you?” He asked as soon as she answered.
“At home. Are you the one banging on the door?”
“I wouldn’t bang if you would open when I knocked like a regular person.”
Olivia groaned. “Use your key.”
Panic gripped his heart, squeezing tight. He and Olivia had keys to each other’s place, but never used them except in an emergency or the other person wasn’t home.
His hands trembled as he opened the door and entered her apartment. It smelled of peppermint—the scent further elevating his heartbeat. Olivia only used peppermint if she was ill or needed to concentrate.
“Liv?” His eyes scanned every inch of the small space. Usually, he’d linger in the emerald green and gold living room, but not today. Olivia was sick.
“In here.”
Hunter followed her voice toward the back of her apartment, stopping at her bedroom door.
“Why are you in bed?”
“I sprained my ankle.” Olivia gestured to her foot, which was propped on a pillow.
Quick strides brought him to her bedside.
“What happened?” His eyes scanned her for other visible signs of injury.
Olivia covered her face with her hands. “Let’s not discuss it.”
“Liv.” He sank onto the blue and green striped sheet and tugged her hands from her face. “What happened?”
“It was a Bridget Jones moment.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
Olivia smirked. “Wanna bet?”
No, he didn’t want to guess what had led to her sprained ankle. He wished he were braver. Brave enough to lean in and capture her lips with hers.
Brave enough to kiss her until her embarrassment faded.
Years of resisting Olivia made it possible for Hunter to keep his eyes locked on hers.
“Tell me.”
He and Olivia told each other everything and had since the first day they met when he was twelve, and she was ten. Well, everything except the ginormous secret he kept from her.
Olivia shifted on the bed, and Hunter helped her into a more comfortable sitting position.
“I was walking,” Olivia rolled her eyes, “on a level surface. I twisted my ankle and there was this awful pain. Who sprains their ankle on flat ground. Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing ever?”
Her eyes begged him to agree with her, so he forced a smile.
“It is. I thought you’d mastered walking before we met, but you need a refresher. After your ankle heals, I’ll remind you how to walk.”
“Ha-ha.”
Her lips twisted into a smile, and his gut tangled. She was beautiful, not in a supermodel way, but like the girl next door. Her enthusiasm for life shone in her every interaction.
“What’s this?” She snatched the package he dropped on the bed. “Ooh,” she ran her hands over the gaily wrapped package, her eyes lighting up, “it’s a book. Is this an early birthday present?”
Hunter’s heartbeat escalated. This was the moment he would finally tell her how he felt.
“Yes.”
“Oh, goody.”
Olivia ripped off the paper, and he winced. It had taken a long time for him to wrap it.
“Sorry.” She grimaced at his expression. “I’m always delighted to receive a gift. I forget how you hate when I rip the paper off.”
“It’s okay.” He’d forgive her for anything. “Do you like it?” He tipped his chin toward the gift.Her eyes rounded and Hunter forgot everything else.
“This is the latest HL Olivier novel.” She ran her hands reverently over the cover. “It doesn’t go on sale until next month.”
He wasn’t surprised she knew his release dates. Olivia fangirled over Olivier after they published his first book. Her obsession with his alter ego made him jealous, which was insane. Who got jealous of themselves?
Her eyes met his. “How did you get this?”
He had a boxful stashed in his office, but somehow this didn’t seem the time to admit that.
He cleared his throat. “Open it.”
Olivia cracked the book a sliver, careful not to break the spine. She ran her finger over the page, her lips moved as she read the inscription to herself.
Hunter remembered what he had written. To Olivia, the best friend a guy could ask for.
“You had it autographed.”
Joy radiated from her and, as he did several times a day, Hunter wished she were his.
She clutched the book to her chest and squealed. “I have an autographed HL Olivier book.”
He’d autograph them all for a chance to hold her.
“Thank you.” She launched herself at him and Hunter caught her, savoring the seconds she remained in his embrace.
“Come on.” She released him and patted the bed beside her. “Let’s start it together.”
“What about your foot?” Hunter’s gaze dropped to her swollen ankle. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t bump my ankle.”
His lips twitched at the exasperation in her voice.
“Come. Here.”
Hunter climbed onto the bed beside Olivia with a sigh. They had read to each other for years. Somehow, when he gifted her the first copy of HL Olivier’s work, it became a tradition for them to read the books together.
Olivia fell in love with the worlds he created. She formulated various theories about the man until Hunter was convinced revealing his identity as the writer would disappoint her.
“Let our adventure begin,” Olivia intoned, her voice full of drama. “Oh, he changed his dedication.”
After the first book, Hunter dedicated them to his fans—until this one.
“For the woman I love. May I one day be worthy of you.”
Hunter’s heart palpitated. That was his cue. The sign for him to go into his speech telling Olivia why he loved her and asking her to give them a chance.
He turned to her. “O—”
Tears filled her eyes. Hunter froze. Olivia cried if her favorite characters died or watched a sad scene, yet her tears gutted him every time.
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s sad. How could a man who writes such beautiful romances be unlucky in love?”
Hunter’s eyes dropped to her mouth before returning to her gaze. “Maybe he writes what he desires to be true instead of what is.”
“We’re changing that.” Olivia’s chin jutted out in determination. “We will find HL’s mystery woman and make her fall in love with him.”
Hunter gaped at her. “How do you plan to do that?”
“Easy.” She rolled her eyes. “All we have to do is let her read his books. It’s obvious he wrote every love story for her.”
“The man has a secret pen name. Why not use his real name if he wanted her to know who he was?”
Why was he perpetuating this inane conversation? This was the opportunity to tell Olivia he was HL Olivier, and she was the woman he loved.
Olivia waved a hand. “I’m sure there are hundreds of reasons writers use a pen name. We can’t assume this has to do with Mystery Woman.”
Hunter pursed his lips. She was half right. He had several reasons for using a pen name, but she was definitely a factor.
Olivia mock-swooned. “I bet he’s pined after her for years. I know,” Olivia snapped her fingers. “Their parents are on opposite sides of an important issue. Or she’s someone he notices in passing, but doesn’t know her name.
“I bet they’re meant for each other and the second they stare into each other’s eyes, they’ll fall in love.”
Hunter snorted.
Olivia glared at him. “Do you have a better theory for why HL is not with the woman he loves?”
“I do.” This was it. Hunter took a deep breath. “Maybe he and this woman are friends and he doesn’t want to ruin their relationship if she doesn’t feel the same.”
“No.” Olivia was shaking her head before he stopped speaking. “Friends to lovers is HL’s most used trope.”
“And?” He missed the connection between the two things.
“HL believes it’s possible for friends to become more, silly. He would know if his friend loved him too.” Olivia tapped him on the nose. “HL wouldn’t be dumb enough to let something as trite the friend zone keep him from true love.”
“Oh.”
Hunter’s hopes shrank. Staying in the friend zone was dumb? Or was this her subtle way of telling him their relationship wouldn’t evolve beyond friendship?
He was glad he had said nothing.
“It doesn’t solve the problem of uncovering the man’s identity.”
Thank heavens he used a pen name. Otherwise, this conversation would be even more embarrassing.
She mock-frowned. “I am an excellent detective.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Besides,” she studied her nails, “every successful detective has a sidekick.”
Uh-oh. He knew where this was going, but he played along.
“You have a sidekick?”
“Of course, Hunter. That’s where you come in.” She beamed at him. “You’ll help me figure out who HL is in real life.”
Oh, no.
“Olivia—”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “This is not optional, Hunter. My birthday’s tomorrow and I need you to do this with me.”
Her Best Friend’s Secret (Sweet Haven Book 4)
Table of Contents
He’s loved his best friend for years, but will his secret identity prove insurmountable?
Olivia Wright believes in true love, even if her prince remains elusive. When her favorite author dedicates his latest book to the woman he loves, she’s determined to play matchmaker. Maybe then she’ll find the courage to seek her own happy ending.
Hunter McAllister has loved Olivia for years. She’s the reason he became a fantasy author, even if she doesn’t know it. His latest dedication sparks Olivia’s desire to play matchmaker for her favorite author, and she enlists his help. Now Hunter is torn between assisting her and revealing the truth.
Will Hunter risk their bond by confessing his secret? Or will Olivia decide that risking their friendship is too great a price to pay for love?
Her Best Friend’s Secret is a Christian contemporary romance with strong faith themes.