Chapter one

 Chapter One :Cole pov

 I hated him before I even sat down.

 Maya texted me his name that afternoon Jay Menisa and my jaw clenched. Not because I knew anything about him. Because I knew Maya. She falls fast. She falls hard. And I’m the one who scrapes her off the pavement every time.

 So when I walked into Salt & Ember, I already had my guard up.

 He was already there.

 Early. Confident. Leaning back in his chair like he owned the restaurant. Dark jeans, gray sweater, sleeves pushed up. No designer tags. Just a regular guy who didn’t seem to care that my family owned half the street.

 His hands were resting on the table. Calloused. Strong. Not gym hands work hands.

 I noticed them immediately. I hated that I noticed.

 “Cole! Over here.” Maya waved like she was flagging down a rescue helicopter.

 Jay turned. Our eyes met. Brown, warm, but with something sharp underneath. Like he was already laughing at a joke I hadn’t heard.

 He didn’t look away first.

 “So you’re the famous brother,” he said. No handshake. No nervous smile. Just a slow once-over that felt like a weigh-in.

 “Famous?” I dropped into the seat across from him. The chair scraped. “That’s a strong word.”

 “Maya talks about you a lot.” He picked up his water glass but didn’t drink. “Hockey this, captain that. Thought you’d be taller.”

 Maya choked on her sparkling water.

 I didn’t laugh. “Thought you’d be funnier.”

 Jay’s eyebrows went up. The corner of his mouth twitched. Not a smile. A scoreboard.

 “Okay,” he said. “I like you. You’re mean.”

 “I’m not trying to be liked.”

 “I noticed.”

 That was the first exchange. By the end of dinner, I had watched him do three things that made me want to punch a wall.

 First: He made Maya laugh. A real laugh. The kind that made her snort and cover her mouth. She hadn’t laughed like that since our mom died. I hated him for it because I hadn’t been able to do that in years.

 Second: When the bill came, Maya reached for her card. Jay reached over, took it out of her hand, and slid his across the table. “My treat. You got the last one.”

 Maya blushed. Jay didn’t even look at the total.

 Third: He called me out.

 We were talking about hockey or rather, Maya was talking while I stared at his hands. Then Jay looked at me and said, “You know, most people just say ‘nice to meet you’ instead of doing the whole rich‑boy intimidation thing.”

 The table went dead quiet.

 “I’m not doing anything,” I said.

 “You’re leaning back with your arms crossed like you’re about to fire me.” He tilted his head. “Relax, Ashford. I’m not applying for a job at your dad’s company.”

 Maya looked between us. “Jay…”

 “What? I’m just saying. He’s been staring at me like I’m a problem to solve.”

 I uncrossed my arms. Then crossed them again. “Maybe you are a problem.”

 Jay smiled. Actually smiled. It changed his whole face. Softer. Younger. Almost pretty.

 “Fair enough,” he said.

 Maya went to the bathroom. The silence stretched. I could hear forks on plates, wine pouring, a woman laughing too loud. But at our table, nothing moved.

 Jay spoke first. “You don’t have to hate me just because I’m dating your sister.”

 “I don’t hate you.”

 “Could’ve fooled me.”

 I leaned forward. “I don’t trust you. There’s a difference.”

 Jay didn’t lean back. His eyes stayed on mine. “What’s not to trust? I’m a barista. I design logos. I work two jobs so I can afford rent. I don’t want your money, Cole. I just want her.”

 Something in my chest went tight.

 It wasn’t jealousy for Maya.

 It was jealousy of her.

 I didn’t say that. I just stared at his hands again. The callouses. The way one knuckle was bruised like he’d punched a wall.

 “You work construction too?” I asked.

 Jay looked down at his hand. Laughed quietly. “No. Fell off my bike last week. Graceful, right?”

 “No,” I said. “Not graceful at all.”

 He looked up. Something flickered across his face. Surprise, maybe.

 Maya came back. The moment broke.

 We walked out together. Cold air hit my face. Jay put his arm around Maya’s shoulders. She leaned into him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

 He looked at me one more time over her head. “See you around, captain.”

 “Hope not,” I said.

 He laughed. Actually laughed. Like I was the funny one.

 I watched him walk away with my sister. Watched the way his hand stayed on her lower back. Watched until they turned the corner.

 Then I stood alone on the sidewalk and realized:

 I was already in trouble.