“Just let me know if you need anything.” I held up my phone to Alex, the young guy heading up the painting crew.

“Absolutely. We should be good, though.” He waved me off with a smile. See, he was barely an adult and he didn’t call me ma’am or lady. I grinned to myself as I gripped Reggie’s leash and headed out to the main street for my morning walk. I’d settled on white for the cement-board siding, and a beautiful dove gray for the shutters, front door, and the wooden floor of the large front porch. It was going to be light, welcoming, and beautiful. Goodbye, darkness; hello, sunshine! There was no way the girls wouldn’t love it.

There was an extra spring in my step as I pushed my earbuds in and turned the volume up on my phone. Adam Levine serenaded me with “Girls Like You,” and it suddenly hit me that I had overlooked the entire hot rock-star genre of romance-novel heroes in my candidate search. Hmm. I’d have to ask Jill where I might find a sweaty tattooed rocker in Sunview. Musicians were notorious for no-strings-attached affairs, right? I would conveniently ignore the fact that most of those affairs were conducted with women half my age and twice my cup size. And, while I love Sunview, it’s not exactly a hotbed for rising stars, much less veteran rockers.

I was about halfway to the park when I noticed a blond woman standing next to a red compact car on the other side of the road. Not thinking anything of it, I moved on, but the unmistakable wail of a baby cut through even the music blaring from my earbuds. I glanced back and realized the woman was rocking a baby in one hand while holding a tire iron in the other. One look down confirmed what I already knew. This poor mother had a flat tire and a screaming baby on her hands.

I pulled out my earbuds and tucked them in my pocket with my phone. “Come on, Reggie.” My naughty dog and I crossed the street and approached. “Excuse me,” I called out, but the woman couldn’t hear me over the baby’s cries. “Excuse me, Miss!” I took secret pleasure in my choice of words.

She turned in surprise, and I saw that her baby wasn’t the only one shedding tears in the middle of Broad Street. An inconsolable infant was maddening enough—add in a flat tire and it was no wonder there were waterworks.

“Oh, hey.” I came closer. “Don’t worry. I know how to change a tire. We’ll get you back on the road in no time.” I silently thanked my father for teaching Jill and me basic car care and maintenance.

“Really?” The woman looked as if my news was too good to be true. Upon closer inspection, I saw that she was practically a child herself. She couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

“Really.” I had to raise my voice to be heard over the baby. “How old is your baby?”

She continued to rock as she sniffled and answered, “Eight weeks tomorrow.”

Reggie nosed the girl’s shoes and I silently commanded him not to gnaw on them. “Oh, I remember that age. I promise it will get easier. I’m Jenna, by the way.”

“Grace,” she said, finally able to manage a small smile. “And this is Serena.”

“That’s a beautiful name.” And I’m sure the baby was beautiful too when she wasn’t screaming like a banshee and driving her mother to tears. “Why don’t you go stand on the sidewalk and I’ll get this sorted.”

She nodded and we both stepped around the car. I tied Reggie’s leash to a tree and leaned into the trunk to unearth the spare tire. Just as I raised my head to ask Grace if she was sure she had one, a flash of white metal and chrome streaked past me on my left, and the compact car jolted violently at the impact of the other vehicle sideswiping it and taking out the driver’s-side mirror. Before I could even register what had happened, the white car sped off, not even pausing for an instant.

The only thought running through my head was that a mere minute earlier, Grace, Serena, Reggie, and I had all been standing in the very spot that was now littered with pieces of metal and broken glass. Had our actions been delayed one bit, we could all be dead and my girls motherless. That was my last thought before my vision began to tunnel and everything went black.

* * *

“We have got to stop meeting like this.”

Those were the first words I heard as I began my return to consciousness.

This is not real, Jenna. You’re having a bad dream, and the only reason Sam is in it is that Jill won’t stop talking about him. Go back to sleep.

“Jenna, I know you’re awake. Unconscious people don’t scowl.”

“I’m the exception to the rule,” I muttered.

“Okay, Martinez, step aside,” a female voice sounded above me. I preferred this one, so I finally blinked my eyes open a few times. A paramedic crouched over me and I realized I was on the pavement. How long had I been out?

“Grace! The baby!” My head snapped up but strong hands held me down by the shoulders.

“All safe. Don’t worry,” came Sam’s voice.

“Thank God.” I drew in a huge breath and let it out slowly, allowing my spine to settle back against the hard pavement.

“That’s good,” said the paramedic. “Slow breaths. I’m going to check you for signs of concussion. Your friend couldn’t say for sure if you hit your head.”

I took stock of my skull and didn’t feel pain in any particular spot. “I don’t think I did.” She chose not to take my word for it and gave me a complete once over. Apart from a sore spot on my arm and a skinned elbow, I appeared to be unscathed. I tried again to sit up and this time the paramedic pinned me with a stern gaze.

“Did you catch the person who hit Grace’s car?” I gave up and finally addressed Sam. He was kneeling on the street above my head, dressed in his dark blue uniform.

He shook his head, his expression turning dark. “We’ve got some guys canvassing the neighborhood to see if anyone witnessed the hit and run, but we don’t have much to go on. Unless you got a good look at the car …” He trailed off.

The memory of that flash of white and the crunching of metal sent a shiver through me. “No, sorry.”

“Okay,” began the paramedic. “Here’s the deal. You don’t seem to have suffered any injuries that require immediate medical attention. Having said that, I’m obligated to offer you a ride to the ER if you’d like to be checked out by a physician. I’m good either way, so it’s up to you.”

“I think I’d just like to go home.”

She nodded and stood. Sam’s brow creased. “I think you should go get checked out.” His brown eyes flickered with concern.

I shook my head gingerly. “I’m fine, Sam. Help me sit up?”

He reluctantly took my hand and assisted me to a seated position. I knew enough not to push it too quickly, so I was happy to sit for a few minutes before attempting to stand and find my way home. I looked around and didn’t see any sign of Grace. Sam must have noticed because he offered up an explanation without me asking.

“One of the guys gave her and the baby a ride home. She was a bit shaken up.”

“I can imagine.” I nodded and then checked to see if Reggie was still secured on his leash. Yup. Totally unfazed by the dramatic events that had just unfolded before his eyes, my mutt was rolling in the grass on his back, probably in a pile of his own poo. At least he was still wearing his collar.

I sighed and looked back at Sam, a thought suddenly occurring to me. “Sam?”

He looked back at me and raised his eyebrows. I noticed there was a scar running through one of them, creating a small bald patch. The fact that it made him even more attractive was most unfair.

“How is it that your territory or beat or whatever you call it encompasses both my neighborhood and that biker bar on the outskirts of town?”

His hand went to the back of his neck and his eyes seemed to be having trouble meeting mine. I remained silent, unwilling to do a thing to relieve his discomfort. He finally broke and threw his hands out.

“Fine. This isn’t my beat. I got off a night shift and happened to hear about the hit and run over the radio. Since the locale was the exact place I’d run into you before, I had a gut feeling that you and your propensity for disaster were involved.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“And I was right! Besides, it was on my way home,” he added hastily.

My skepticism was quickly communicated as I snorted in response.

“You don’t believe me?” He stood and withdrew his wallet from his back pocket, then unfolded it and removed his license. I snatched the card from his hand and saw that he did, indeed, live only a short distance from my neighborhood. I also learned that Samuel was actually his middle name. I nodded sheepishly as I handed the ID back.

“Fine. I believe you, Rodolpho.”

The look of shock on his face was gratifying.

“Wh …? Oh.” He glanced down at the license. Resigned, he put it back in his wallet and returned it to his pants. “Dammit,” he mumbled, bringing a smile to my lips. It felt much better than the panic.

“All right, hotshot. Let me drive you and the mutt home. Think you can stand?” He put a hand out to me.

I didn’t even try to protest. There was no way anyone was letting me hoof it home after passing out. I nodded again and used his help to leverage myself to a standing position. I waited, and when no dizziness surfaced, I followed Sam to retrieve Reggie.

Even though the ride was only a few short minutes, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, feeling the exhaustion kick in. I rattled my address off and we headed slowly back toward my neighborhood. When we pulled onto my street, I gave Reggie a tired pat and directed, “I’m the third house on the left.”

“Oh, I already know which one is yours.” Sam’s voice was tight. Before I could say a thing, he continued. “It’s literally crawling with men!”

I peered through the windshield and, yup, there were five or six guys surrounding my house, some on ladders, some crouching down. All around twenty years old, and most in low-slung jeans and snug t-shirts. In all the drama, I’d completely forgotten about the painters! A laugh bubbled up from my throat, and I couldn’t stop it from escaping. Sam parked at the curb and turned to look at me, his face the picture of tired resignation. My single chuckle grew into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, complete with tears and doubling over in my seat.

If he could only have seen me a couple weeks ago, he’d realize his impression of me was so completely off base. My life had been a man-free zone for ages, and here I was, projecting the vibe that I was some kind of indiscriminate sex fiend who collected men for sport—the naughtier and younger, the better.

It took a good five minutes for me to calm down enough to unbuckle my seatbelt. Sam waited silently for my hysteria to subside before getting out to open my door.

“I swear. It’s not what it looks like.” I bit my lip to keep from busting a gut again and guided Reggie out of the car.

Sam just shook his head and started for my front door. That wiped the smile right off my face.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

He didn’t even turn around as he responded, “You’re clearly unhinged. I’m going to sit with you until you can get your sister or somebody to come over.”

I was pretty sure he wasn’t allowed to just barge into my house, but I followed, confident I could cut him off if need be.

“Hey, Jenna!” Alex, the crew leader, waved a paintbrush at me with a curious smile. I suppose it was odd that I’d left on foot and returned by police cruiser. They had started working on the primer, and the difference was already remarkable.

I waved back but any comment I might have made was cut off.

“That’s Ms. Watson to you!” Sam pointed meaningfully to Alex and I rolled my eyes at the back of his head.

Alex wisely stayed silent.

I scurried to beat Sam to the door, blocking his way with a hand. “I believe you need to be invited into a person’s house or it violates some code.”

He halted and mounted his hands on his hips. “I’m not a goddamn vampire, Jenna.”

I stifled another laugh. “I’m talking about police policy, Sam, not sullen, glittery teenagers.”

He gestured as if to signal me to continue. When I just stood there, he released a long-suffering sigh and asked, “May I please come in?”

I gave it some thought. It would be awfully rude not to invite him in. And it wasn’t as if I wanted to sit out here in the heat arguing with him. He obviously wasn’t leaving until I brought in reinforcements.

“You may,” I finally said and turned to unlock the door.