Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 430

“Only a real daughter would get spoiled like that, huh?”

Sarah shot her friend an exasperated look, her mind drifting to that jerk, Jordan Smith. Even Mr. Adams was better than that guy!

Just thinking about her ex made Sarah’s blood boil.

“Ugh, will you shut up already?”

Camila Davis quickly covered Sarah’s mouth. “Hey, watch what you say! Come on, keep up! I don’t think Mr. Adams has recovered yet—you’re the one who has to deal with him now!”

Mentioning Larry Adams again, Sarah rolled her eyes. “He’s probably wiped out because he never works out. Honestly, for a grown man, he’s kind of a wimp.”

Camila laughed out loud. “Look who’s talking! Weren’t you the one who almost made him puke this morning?”

They chatted as they hurried to catch up with the group ahead.

The hill they were climbing wasn’t exactly Everest, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. To reach the top, you needed to set aside a whole morning.

Since they’d started out late, lunchtime rolled around before they even got close to the summit.

A few hours of hiking was about Camila’s limit. She was obviously flagging, her pace slowing by the minute.

Sarah was out of breath, too. The two girls leaned on each other as they trudged upward.

Ironically, the one who’d looked ready to keel over at the start—Larry Adams—was now striding ahead like he’d just downed three espressos.

He still hadn’t forgotten this morning’s “grudge.” With a mischievous smirk, he sauntered over to Sarah. “Ms. Brown, looks like you’re slowing down. Need a hand? Or should I call a rescue team to carry you up? You’ve been looking after me all morning—guess it’s my turn to help you out.”

He was clearly enjoying himself, and it made Sarah want to smack him right there.

“No, thanks!” Sarah gritted her teeth, realizing what it meant to dig your own grave. “I’m fine. I can walk.”

Larry probed further, “So, you’re gonna stick around until she’s better?”

Dennis pressed his lips together, not answering.

Larry plowed on, “You know, if you do go back to Cabinda, you’ll probably lose touch with everyone here. The world over there’s a whole different ballgame. Ms. Davis, Lillian… they’ll all be out of your orbit. Where do you and Camila stand, anyway? If you’re not interested, fine, but if you are… what, you’re gonna try long-distance?”

He gave a sympathetic shrug. “No offense, but long-distance is the number one killer of relationships. If you want something real, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Dennis looked at him, curious. “Why is long-distance so tough?”

Larry replied, “Easy. You can’t be there for her when she needs you. If she’s sick, sad, or gets into trouble, someone else nearby is going to help out. And after a while, feelings start to shift. Imagine your girlfriend has a problem and you’re halfway across the world. Another guy steps in at just the right moment… well, you do the math.”

He glanced over at Camila. “Just a heads up—Ms. Davis has a lot of guys buzzing around her, and not all of them are angels. Plus, there’s Walter Wilson. Those two are pretty close, and the Wilson family’s desperate to get him married. If he decides he wants to settle down, trust me, his family will be over the moon…”

He let his words hang in the air, certain Dennis got the message.