Chapter 1

ONE

JASPER

I squinted at the time on my phone, hoping it was the middle of the night still so I could get back to sleep. Disappointment threaded its way through me. In its typical fashion, my internal clock was out of whack, and I only had forty-five minutes left before my alarm would blare at me. That meant there was no chance of me sleeping.

Frustrated, I hauled ass out of bed and stumbled to the main bathroom, making sure I avoided the squeaky floorboard that would surely wake up Mom.

I'd stayed up far too late playing Overwatch online with my friend Ian. We'd talked into the night while we'd kicked ass and battled.

Ian had been struggling to sleep, as he'd had five night shifts on the bounce. Me, well, I had no struggle sleeping but felt sorry for the guy. Plus, spending time chatting with him wasn't exactly a hardship.

After a long shower, since I wouldn't be in a rush to get to work this morning, I checked the refrigerator, making sure we were stocked up. Seeing we were out of a few of the basics, I left Mom a note.

It was one of the small tasks she was managing. Anything beyond that, and she still struggled. Grief was a screwed-up thing. I'd quickly learned, after dealing with the loss of my dad my own way and studying my ass off to understand Mom's grief better, that there was no right or wrong reaction.

That didn't mean I wasn't frustrated. Or lost. Or wondering if and hoping like hell she'd somehow snap out of it. And every time I battled with my own confusion, I came out the loser and feeling lousy for even considering that "snapping out" of grief was possible.

My phone vibrated with a call.

Collecting it from the kitchen table, I grinned when I saw the ID. "Why the hell aren't you sleeping?" I said in greeting.

Ian yawned loudly, then grunted before saying, "I managed a couple of hours, then the neighbor's dog started yapping."

I winced, aware he was exhausted. He'd told me he'd had a rough week in the ER, and from some of the stories he'd shared over the past few months since we'd become friends, I had a good idea of the exhaustion and daily dramas he dealt with as a nurse in such a busy city hospital.

"Any chance of you getting back to sleep soon?" I said as I stuck a magnet to the list for Mom and poured myself a cup of coffee. A quick glance at the clock told me I had some time to kill.

"Maybe." I heard him shuffling around and water running. "Hopefully the dog will shut up soon so I can try again."

"You're not working tonight, right?"

"No, which means I should make sure I'm up at ten this morning, I suppose, so I can get some stuff done and try and sleep tonight." The sound of him moving around fed through the line. "Damn, that's hot."

I snorted in response. "A hot bath will do that to a guy." Ian's routines were pretty easy to get a grip on. A hot bath with some sort of oil that he apparently swore helped him relax enough to head back to bed.

He grumbled as the phone was muffled for a moment as I made my way outside to the veranda.

"No turning wrinkly or scorching places that should never be burned," I jested.

"Thanks for that." I could visualize him shaking his head at me. "Okay, I'm out. Survive your day. You online tonight?"

"Yeah. Catch you later."

"Will do."

The line went dead, and I repositioned myself on the outside furniture.

One good thing about Kirkby at this hour in the morning was its absolute peace and quiet. Not that Kirkby was a busy metropolis or anything. Nothing like that, in fact. But once the birds started singing in the morning light, the town woke, and a gentle bustle followed.

With just fifteen minutes before I had to leave, I finished the dregs of my coffee and decided I may as well head on in early. It wouldn't be a hardship to get on top of things.

Once the door was locked behind me, I headed to Split Bean, where I worked.

Everything was closed up tight when I arrived. It didn't take long to start preparing the place for the morning rush.

My job here was good, honest work. And while it didn't exactly challenge me, I appreciated Davis, the owner, giving me a chance about a year or so ago. Taking on an unemployed teacher with no barista or café experience was something pretty brave of him, or possibly disastrous. Fortunately for the both of us, I'd picked up quickly how to make a mean cup of coffee and had figured out how to keep the till ringing and the customers happy.

But it wasn't a classroom.

I was all too aware my degree was going to waste, and while I wasn't earning enough to start paying off my loan yet, I was anxious about the amount I owed.

Luckily, living with Mom meant I only had personal expenses. Dad's insurance had paid off the mortgage, and provided a lump sum paid to her so she could live day-to-day, but it wouldn't last forever. But not having to worry too much about helping out at the moment meant I was able to start saving so come the time, I'd be able to get a place of my own without worrying about cash.

The ding of the bell drew my attention to the opening door and Davis.

I smiled in greeting. "Morning."

He yawned in answer, covered his mouth, and followed with "Morning." As he edged further into the room, he cast a glance around the place. "You get in early?"

"Yeah." I bobbed my head. "Woke early, so thought I'd head on in." I continued piling bottles of milk in the counter fridge.

"Not sleeping well?" Concern lit his words .

"No, I am, usually. I had a late night with Ian. My own fault. Meant I was restless." I closed the fridge door, stood, and stretched. I looked at Davis, who'd paused rather than heading directly into the kitchen like he usually did. His brows were high, expectancy written all over his face. I didn't even need to ask what the look was for. Instead, I shook my head and said, "No."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head again. He clamped his mouth closed, and I sighed in relief.

"But he's such a nice guy."

I groaned. I should have known better than to have thought he would let this go. Since I'd dragged Ian to his and Scott's Thanksgiving get-together last year, Davis hadn't let up about Ian and me being more than just friends.

But there was no way that would ever be happening.

What Davis didn't know was that Ian and I had made out once. Albeit a sloppy, drunken version of lips mashing together. We'd ended up pulling away, noses scrunched, and laughing. The connection simply hadn't been there. Open and honest, we'd agreed the chemistry wasn't there and the last thing we wanted was to put our friendship at risk. That night, we drank a couple of shots and decided to stick to being friends.

And I was more than happy with that. He had become one of my best friends, and while he was a hot guy, my attraction didn't go any further than simple admiration. And I knew him well enough to know my feelings were reciprocated.

Davis had other ideas.

"He is a nice guy. A good friend too. We don't need pushing together." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Hey," he said with a smile, lifting his hands up and out before him, "You were the one a while back saying you'd like someone to snuggle up with at night." He stepped around the counter and through the doorway into the kitchen. "And a dildo, a teddy bear, and hitting Private on your phone's search engine is not the same thing." He laughed his ass off as he disappeared from sight.

"If you weren't my boss, you know I'd tell you to go screw yourself, right?" I threw over my shoulder, amused.

"It's a good thing I'm your boss and don't believe in interfering in employee's lives then, huh?" His words reached me, followed by his snort.

"Yeah, good thing," I jibed, turning to the cash register and checking the cash and making sure the card reader was set to go.

It was amazing how quickly time flew on by when you had a pretty awesome, down-to-earth boss and a job that relied on routine. The morning rush was long over, and we were getting things ready for the lunchtime crowd. It had been hectic, but we'd managed like we usually did.

I'd just restocked the muffins when my phone buzzed in my pocket. A quick glance around showed no customers waiting, so I pulled it out, expecting to see Mom's name. A local number lit up the screen. I hovered my finger over Accept as I called out to Davis. "You okay out here a minute? I need to grab this call."

"Yeah. Sure thing."

I smiled my thanks as I hit the button. "Hello."

"Good morning. Is that Jasper Taylor, please?"

I scrunched my brows, wondering who could be calling as I answered, "Yes, speaking."

"Oh, wonderful. Hi, Jasper. It's Barb here from Crescent High, Principal Harrison's PA. I was hoping we could arrange some time for an interview, please."

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my stomach lurched. Crescent High was only thirty miles away. I also knew it was a good school. Crescent was a slightly bigger town than Kirkby and was an easy commute. "Yeah, sure." I paused for breath, trying like hell to control the high-pitched eagerness pouring forth. "What date were you looking at?"

I concentrated hard as Barb spoke, the pounding of my overeager heartbeat making it difficult. "Is tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. too soon? Principal Harrison is keen to get you in and start the process."

I nodded enthusiastically, following up with "Absolutely, I can make that time." Tomorrow was my day off, so it worked perfectly.

"Superb," she said. "Just head to the visitors' reception to sign in, and they'll point you in the right direction."

"Will do. Thanks. I'll see you then."

The line went dead, and I pulled it from my ear, staring at the device wide-eyed. For over a year I'd been looking for a position as a teacher, and there had been absolutely nothing. Crescent High was one of the first places I'd checked out. Admittedly, I bugged them at the beginning and the end of every term, letting them know my availability, but I was desperate to return to the classroom. I only had a year's experience under my belt, having been unable to carry on with my position due to Dad's heart attack and passing.

"Hey, everything all right?"

Davis's voice made me jump. I recovered quickly as I bobbed my head, a grin forming on my face. "I have an interview at Crescent High tomorrow."

His grin was immediate. "That's great. What's the position?"

I snapped my mouth shut, then shrugged, realizing I had zero idea what the position was or how long it was for. I'd been too excited at being called for specifics. They had my details on file and, as far as I was aware, hadn't advertised for a position.

Davis laughed. "Don't stress it. I'm sure you'll find out tomorrow." He opened the refrigerator door, turning away from me. "Whatever it is, they'll be lucky to have you."

A knot formed in my gut. "Shit, if I get a position, I don't know when it will start or anything. Will you be okay?" Worry gnawed at me, despite Davis's smile and obvious happiness for me. The last thing I wanted was to let Davis down. Not only was he a great boss, but he'd also become a good friend. It didn't matter that he was in a completely different stage of his life; he was someone I trusted and counted on. And he'd made my return to Kirkby a damn sight easier.

Kirkby had changed a lot from when I'd left at eighteen, just five years ago. And admittedly, in ways I hadn't even dared hoped for.

In my wildest dreams, I'd never have imagined this little white-picket-fenced town had begun to be so open and accepting. Hell, one of the local bars even had a legit rainbow flag in the window.

"Absolutely," he answered.

"You sure?" I asked. Hope carried my words. I wanted nothing more than to return to teaching, but I didn't want to let anyone down.

"Hey." Davis turned to face me. His kind eyes, filled with what I could only describe as genuine happiness, focused my way. "This is great news. You'll nail the interview, and while we'll all miss you around here, this is a great thing, right?"

I grinned, my shoulders losing some of their tension. "It is, right?"

"It sure is," he agreed. A ring from the small bell on the counter sounded, and I looked at the door, seeing one of the regulars.

"I'll go get that." I left the kitchen, a wide grin on my face and desperate for the day to be over so I could nail this job and feel like I was finally living again.