To Whatever End

praise for harper b conway Coffee. Check! Caramel Rolls. Check! A brilliant, tension-building plot with relatable characters? Check! V.B. EMANUELE ~ AUTHOR OF “TRYST” With a blend of wit and charm, Harper B Conway is a modern-day Jane Austen. YOUR #1 FAN This is the first book I read by Harper and I absolutely love it! I couldn’t stop reading. I can’t wait for more! AYANA I love reading books by Harper B. Conway. She Never Disappoints. L. N. WHITE ~ AUTHOR OF “BEFORE US” Copyright © 2023 by Harper B Conway All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book. Ebook: ASIN: B0BN2BB2GC Print: ISBN: 9798374901962 to whatever end HARPER B CONWAY contents 1. Arborwood, Population Five 2. The Sexy Neighbor 3. The New Boss 4. Dinner for Many 5. It’s Complicated 6. Sink or Float 7. A little Overheard 8. A Surplus of Time 9. Something Sticky, Something Sweet 10. Desperation 11. A New Normal 12. Come with Me 13. That’s Not What I See 14. Delusional? 15. Let’s Talk 16. High Tide 17. I Sleep Alone 18. Complicated 19. Say Yes 20. Hate Him, Please? 21. Spoiling for a Fight 22. I Quit Dead Dead Dead 23. Come Swim with Me 24. Normal is For the Weak 25. To Whatever End Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Harper B Conway Jailbird ~ For my family CHAPTER 1 arborwood, population five I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when Dr. Richter died, but this certainly wasn’t it. Downing the last bit of ice-cold coffee I brewed at five this morning; I entered the exam room where a mother and daughter waited. The mother, looking worse for wear, wept at her daughter’s side. The girl hissed in pain, though otherwise seemed fine, as far as I could tell. “Good morning,” I greeted with a lighthearted smile, hopeful in my pursuit of reassuring the mother. They still considered eleven in the morning, morning, right? “Are you the doctor?” The mother, easily middle-aged with whispers of grey in her honey-blonde hair, asked. Her mascara fell victim to her hysteria, leaving her a little Alice Cooper-esque. She should invest in waterproof. I couldn’t seem to repress the smile it put on my face as I started singing Schools Out in my head as I shook my head. “No, I’m the nurse. With any luck, we won’t need to call a doctor in from the hospital today.” Brightening my smile further in assurance, I plucked the chart off the counter and began reviewing the medical form. With a lick of my thumb, I flipped through the papers, scanning over the history and reports. The mother’s concern prickled the side of my face, still gaping at the comment. “So, snake bite?” The little girl, much like goldilocks in a pair of ripped jeans, nodded, revealing the bite on her ankle. A faint smearing of blood covered her palm as she lifted it away, catching her attention and scrunching her little rosy nose. “And swelling?” Based on the phone call from the mother and the description of the slithering perpetrator, I knew she was in no immediate danger. Thankfully, the little girl had run across one of the few non-venomous snakes in the area. From what I understood, she had been playing in their back shed when she encountered it amongst the piled-up hoses. A fairly common occurrence around here. “Nope. Just stings.” Setting down the chart after scribbling some notes that only I could read later, I flashed my cheek-aching smile again and approached the girl. “May I see?” I asked out of formality as I reached for her ankle and began inspecting the bite. A baby bullsnake. Easily spooked, and not so good at latching on yet. Still, a constrictor. “Whelp!” I set her ankle back onto the exam bed gently and slapped my purple, scrub-covered thighs. “We’ll flush it, bandage it, and send you with some antibiotics.” “What about an anti-venom!? We’ve wasted—” Snapping my gaze to the mother, I giggled a little. Hoping it would lighten the nervousness, to no avail. “No need. As I assumed from the call, this was a non-venomous bite. We will clean it up and keep it clean, but otherwise, she will be just fine.” Turning back to the girl, I patted her knee, causing her to giggle. Her bright blue eyes sparkled under the fluorescent light. “What’s your name?” I asked, already knowing from the chart her name was Grace Vance. “Gracie.” she chirped, the pain in her ankle pushed aside for a moment. “Well, Gracie, I would say you are lucky it wasn’t a rattlesnake, but you know the odds.” I gave a shrug as she cocked her head to the side in question. The furrow of her brows creased her freckled forehead. “More rattlesnake bites occur in men ages eighteen to twenty-five and usually alcohol is involved.” Her brow continued to furrow, though the sniffling to my right faded. “And as far as I can tell, you aren’t a grown man, and I have seen no drunk snakes lately.” That one