Always Sunny

Always Sunny Isabel Jolie Copyright © 2023 by Isabel Jolie. All rights reserved. Editor: Lori Whitwam Proofreading: Karen Cimms Cover Design: Qamber 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. Isabel Jolie asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Isabel Jolie has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. 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. Created with Vellum Contents Chapter 1 Ian Chapter 2 Sandra The Christmas Before Last Christmas Chapter 3 Sandra The New Year’s Eve before last New Year’s Eve Chapter 4 Ian Chapter 5 Sandra Chapter 6 Ian March Last Year Chapter 7 Sandra April - Last Year Chapter 8 Sunny My Fortieth Birthday Surprise Chapter 9 Ian Last Year in May Chapter 10 Ian Last Year in May Chapter 11 Sandra Last Year in June Chapter 12 Ian Last Year in June Chapter 13 Sandra Last Year in June Chapter 14 Ian Last Year in June Chapter 15 Ian Last Year in early July Chapter 16 Sandra Last July Chapter 17 Ian Last Year in July Chapter 18 Ian Last Year in July Chapter 19 Sunny Last Year in July Chapter 20 Ian Last August Chapter 21 Ian Last September Chapter 22 Sandra Last Christmas Eve Chapter 23 Ian Last Christmas Chapter 24 Ian Mid-February Chapter 25 Sandra Chapter 26 Ian Last Valentine’s Chapter 27 Ian February, Paradise Undone Chapter 28 Sandra The Valentine’s Hangover Chapter 29 Ian The Worst March of My Life Chapter 30 Sandra March, This Spring Chapter 31 Sandra Oliver and Kate’s Engagement Weekend Chapter 32 Ian The Weekend of Oliver and Kate’s Engagement Chapter 33 Sandra Tuesday after the most magical weekend Epilogue From the Author…aka Izzy Also by Isabel Jolie Notes & Gratitude About the Author Chapter One Ian “I’m here. Let me in.” I could pull a pillow over my head to drown out the noise but don’t particularly feel like making the effort. The banging gets louder. Fuck, is he kicking the door? Damnit. He’s going to piss off my neighbors. Whoever is working the shift downstairs and let him up without ringing is getting a shit Christmas tip. Bang. Bang. Bang. With a resigned exhale, my feet thud down the hall. The door opens, and Harrison’s fist plunges through air. His nose crinkles and his head jerks back. “Dude, when did you last shower?” His brow furrows with his critical assessment. It’s the look he gives every patient needing a diagnosis. He steps past me and down the hallway. “Man. This place is a shit hole. Did you fire your cleaning service?” Harrison is a Type A clean freak. A stack of three pizza boxes rests on the kitchen counter, empty beer bottles are neatly lined up beside it, and there’s an array of take-out bags. The coffee table is cluttered, but I didn’t expect company. I don’t want company. “Cleaning service comes Tuesday.” Tuesday, because there was a time when I had a house guest Saturday through Monday. I need to remember to reschedule them for Friday so my apartment bears the distinct aroma of cleaning detergent on the weekend. “How many days have you been wallowing in your own filth?” The answer doesn’t matter, so I don’t respond. I needed a few days off. I got a nasty cold, and no one wants a surgeon slicing into them while coughing uncontrollably. “All right. I’m getting a trash bag. You are getting a shower.” Harrison is a good friend, something I remind myself to avoid throwing a fist into his well-moisturized jaw. I glance down the hall, and my stomach freefalls. The guest room door is ajar. How? “This is all over that girl, Sunny.” Harrison hunts beneath my sink, presumably searching for garbage bags. “I warned you.” I cross my arms and lean against the wall, centering my gaze on Harrison, my vision perimeter gray and dark, matching my mental state. “Get your shower. You called in sick all week.” “I’ve been sick.” “The steam will do you good. You’ve spent long enough mourning this girl.” “She’s not dead.” “She is to you.” His counter slices with greater precision than a scalpel. Truth. “Come on. Hop to it.” He stands in front of me, an arm’s length away, and places his hand on my shoulder. “You are a surgeon. Women love to fuck surgeons. But not when they’re ripe. Go. Shower. Then we’re going out, and you are putting all the bullshit behind you. I’ve been where you are, and trust me, this is what you’ve got to do. Move forward, my friend.” He forcibly turns my shoulders and pushes me down the hallway, past the vacant guest room. “I’m not going to Jack’s.” “Well, that goes without saying.” He turns his attention to my kitchen counter, and the bottles crash against each other as he unceremoniously drops them one by one. “No need to revisit the place of the crime.” He acts like it’s