Chapter 1
“Dams break under intense pressure. So do I.”
—It’s science
Cora
Have you ever had a kiss that was so incredibly good, it ruined you for all other men?
For me, that was my high school crush, Jay Rainer.
He was the epitome of handsome, everything my teenage brain had imagined. That first kiss didn’t disappoint—it sailed past the usual cliches of stars and butterflies and landed somewhere deeper. I felt desired—truly wanted—in a way I had never felt before.
The only problem was he left two days after that kiss, never to speak to me again.
What was worse, his sister, Morgan, was my best friend, so I still heard everything about him through her, which only dug the knife in deeper. Just like I filled her in on what was happening with all my sisters, she did the same about her brother.
It wasn’t her fault. Morgan didn’t know that her brother and I had kissed. So how would she know that every time she brought him up, it was both information I craved and loathed at the same time?
Jay had left school right after graduating because he was drafted to play for a minor league baseball team in Texas.
He played for them for two years, and just before he got his big break, he suffered an ulnar collateral ligament tear and had Tommy John surgery.
According to Morgan, the surgery went well, but his baseball career was over.
He stayed in Texas, choosing to become a firefighter instead.
She mentioned about a year ago that the heat was getting to him, so he’d moved north to become a firefighter in Colorado.
She missed him and wished he would move back home, but she thought he was embarrassed because of how his career had turned out.
Especially because their dad pushed the major league dream so hard.
So, color me shocked when I was in Las Vegas at a training exercise and saw Jay across the room.
The same man who, even years later, still occupied an enormous amount of space in my mind.
My sister Iris’s voice cut into my thoughts. “What do you keep staring at?”
“Umm…nothing,” I lied to her, shaking my head to help clear my brain. “Did you get that thing to load yet?”
My sister was a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, and I was the Nevada state hydrologist, and we were here to do a fire and flood safety training event.
“Yeah, it just took a little magic, sweet talk, and a full reset of the program,” Iris’s coworker Christine responded. “PowerPoint is up and running—finally.”
The event included the three of us, plus some local firefighters, the fire marshal, EMTs, the Public Works Department, Nevada Highway Patrol, a Public Information Officer from the Las Vegas PD, emergency managers, and a few local TV meteorologists.
It was a large group to make sure everything went smoothly—prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
My hope, however, was dwindling that the man across the large conference room was just a Jay lookalike when he finally looked my way and our eyes connected.
Okay, be cool. He’s looking at you. Do not look nervous. Maybe he won’t recognize you.
That prayer went right out the window as he smiled and began walking my way.
“Oh, no,” I mumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Iris asked as she looked up to follow where my gaze was aimed. “Do you know that guy walking toward us?”
She mumbled that last part under her breath so only the three of us at our table could hear it.
“Who are we looking at?” Christine said, causing me to close my eyes and hope that this was just a dream I would wake up from.
“Hey, Cora,” the smooth, masculine voice said.
I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me, but no words came out of my mouth.
Cora, you’re an adult. Act like it.
At my lack of response, his attention turned to my sister. “Hey, Iris. Jay Rainer. We graduated from high school together.”
“Oh yes, Jay!” Iris exclaimed, nodding as she realized that she remembered him. “You were voted ‘most likely to become famous’.”
“Yeah, well, I have some disappointing news regarding that,” he replied with a somber tone but a smirk on his face.
“Oh, it’s okay,” Iris replied and pointed to me. “People voted Cora, most likely to own and operate the Scholastic book fair, and that never came true either.”
It was true. I was a book nerd in school. When I wasn’t studying, tutoring someone, or helping out on the family farm, I was at the library. It was my sanctuary. My escape.
“I think Morgan might have mentioned that,” Jay said, a small grin tugging at his mouth—a mouth that was just as sexy as the rest of his body. “It’s good to see you both.”
He’d always had an athletic build, but he looked even more handsome now.
He had short brown hair that was practically buzzed on the sides, sun-kissed skin, and muscles upon muscles built into his tall frame.
He also had stunning whiskey-colored eyes—eyes that were darkly romantic and boring into me.
Was it getting hot in here? It felt like it.
It was hotter than hell outside, so maybe the air conditioner had stopped working. That must be why I was sweating in places I had no right to be sweating.
“So, you both live in Vegas now?” he asked, but before I could respond, Iris chimed in first.
“I do, but Cora lives up near Reno. She travels all over the state for her job, so she’s here for this event. You live here too?”
His eyes flared a bit but then just as quickly went back to normal. If I hadn’t been staring at him, I likely would have missed it.
“I’m actually up in the Reno area as well,” he responded, a growing smile taking over his face. “Just took a job there. This event helps me complete my fire investigator certification.”
There was a lot to break down there, but I focused on one thing. He lived in Reno now? Why hadn’t Morgan told me?
“Oh, my gosh. That’s so cool,” Iris said, excitedly clapping her hands. “You and Cora should get lunch sometime.”
Oh. My. God. She did not just say that.
He stared at me for a second, his gaze burning a hole through me with its intensity. I knew there was no way my face was not turning fifty shades of pink.
“I’d actually like that,” he said to me as mischief lit his eyes. “I just moved there earlier this year, so I haven’t quite learned my way around. I’d love a tour guide.”
“Um…I’m not sure I would…umm…have the time,” I told him, stuttering my way through this bullshit made-up excuse.
“You just said you have next week off, so you should show him around,” Iris said, smiling slyly at me.
Oh, my God. I was going to kill her later.
“Great,” Jay said excitedly. “Let me get your phone number so we can connect.”
He pulled his phone out to type my number into it.
Oh, my God. He asked for my phone number. Breathe. Normal breathing.
I did my best to look casual as I rattled off my phone number and he typed it in.
“Perfect. I’ll send you a text so you have my number too,” he said to me. “I’ll let you go since I’m sure you ladies are busy. Good to see you both.”
“You too, Jay,” Iris said gleefully.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself,” he said to Christine, holding out his hand. “I’m Jay Rainer.”
“Nice to meet you,” she responded as she shook his hand.
“Have a great night, ladies,” he said.
I silently waved, like a moron, with a loopy grin on my face.
There went the last of my dignity and grace.
“See you next week,” he said to me and winked.
He winked. Winked.
My high school crush. The man I had thought about so many times, in many inappropriate ways, had just winked at me.
Why was it suddenly hard to get a full breath of air?
I blankly stared at him as he walked away, retreating back to his place on the other side of the room.
Then my view was blocked by my sister waving her hand in front of my face. “Yoo-hoo. Earth to Cora.”
I turned to my sister and angrily whispered to her, “Why would you tell him I could show him around?”
“Because you had the biggest crush on him in high school, and as your sister, and pseudo wingman…or woman…I’m here to help you,” Iris explained.
I turned to Christine, who was just watching us go back and forth. “Is murder illegal in all fifty states? Asking for a friend.”
She snorted and chuckled at my question. “I think he’s cute, and you should definitely meet up with him.”
Ugh. Now they were ganging up on me.
“You don’t want to murder me,” Iris said. “In fact, you’ll probably be thanking me later, so I will go ahead and just tell you you’re welcome right now. However, if he hurts you or treats you bad, then I will personally help you bury the body.”
I rolled my eyes at her just as my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I looked down to see a new message from a new number.
Unknown number:
This is Jay. I’m looking forward to our date next week ;)
Date?
Jay—the sexiest man I had ever met, and the one I’d had the biggest crush on since I was fifteen years old—just wrote that he was looking forward to a date…with me.
Oh, God.
Expect the unexpected.
That was what I was learning from Jay Rainer. And I didn’t like it one bit.