No Egrets by Susan Renee

I’m just the guy with the goat.

I keep to myself and have ever since I moved to Tuft Swallow. I have no interest in making friends. I came here to escape my life, not fill it with nosy neighbors who want to know everything about me.
Is it lonely? Yeah. It is.
But after more than ten years, I’m used this punishment.
I get by just fine.
That is, until a complete stranger shows up at my front door, soaking wet and lost.
Paige Starling.
She’s like a feral pigeon. Docile. Curious. And not afraid of a stranger.
The more I see her, or spend time in her presence, the more I’m attracted to her. Her sense of humor, her compassion for others, her genuine smile, and her proclivity for finding herself in compromising situations reminds me of the life I once had. The life I’ve grieved for years.
Paige is the breath of fresh air I’ve been longing for.
She’s my pigeon. I know it in my soul.
But she’s only in town for the summer, which means if I have any hope of a future with her,
I have to let her in. I have to share my past, forgive myself, and be willing to let go and move forward.

I can’t lose her.
I won’t.
No Egrets.
I can do this.
I think…