Chapter One

Valerie Tanner tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as she stared up at the apartment building. He really expects me to live here? The whole thing could collapse at any moment. The structure held an ancient air to it, as if someone had forgotten it needed demolished decades ago. The red brick building held a rusty fire escape on the east side, which seemed to be barely hanging on, and it appeared as if no one had washed several of the windows since they first erected the building, probably in the 1800s by the style of it. Time had stained the concrete steps leading up to the front door with mildew and cigarette butts, and what landscape existed around the building seemed withered or completely dead. The entire framework seemed depressing, too depressing for a new start to her life.

She glanced over at her brother, Jake, forcing a smile onto her face. “Seems cozy.”

He stared at the building for a moment longer before turning to her and making a weak shrug. “Damien made it seem…nicer…during our calls. I had never actually seen the place. We usually play poker at Ethan’s place.” He twisted his lips into an apologetic frown. “It won’t be for long. I promise. Just as soon as you get settled into your new job, you can start looking for someplace a little more… Stable.”

The look on his face revealed he knew he had failed her, and it pulled at her heartstrings. She slid closer, wrapping an arm around his waist as she pulled him tight against her. “I’m sure the inside looks much better,” she told him, trying to make him feel better about the apartment he found for her on such short notice. “Besides, beggars can’t be choosers. There isn’t any place I can’t turn into a home, and after the bullshit that jerk-off of a husband of mine pulled, I’m simply glad to be anywhere except near him.” She laid her head on Jake’s shoulder. “Thank you for finding it for me. It’s a splendid start to a new life.”

She felt him wrap an arm around her shoulders, returning her hug. “Thanks. I know it sucks. You can say it. But, you’re right. You’ll make it work for however long you have to live here, and I’ll do whatever I can to help. We can consider it your motivation to succeed at Hampton University.”

“Right,” she assured him. And a whole lot of disinfectant. She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. “Well, shall we go see what the apartment looks like?” Hopefully, it’s not as bad as the exterior of this place.

Jake was about to say yes when a loud clatter to the east side of the building jerked their attention around. A gray-haired old man appeared from some stairs that must have led down to a basement apartment, a bag of trash in one hand while he scratched his ass through a ratty old pair of sweatpants with the other. He was thin and walked with a slight stoop of his shoulders and possessed a scraggly beard which covered his cheeks and chin in splotches. However, those weren’t the oddest things about him that Valerie could detect so far. No, that would be how the man mumbled to himself as he walked to some garbage cans lining the alley beside the building, dumped his trash inside, and turned back to his apartment. Just as he turned around, he spotted the two of them standing there, gawking at him, and snarled, his lips turned upward.

Valerie took a step back, her eyes widening as she clutched onto Jake tighter.

“What are you looking at?” the man snapped. Then he waved them off and continued toward his apartment. “Damn nosy-ass people.” As he walked, he continued muttering, his voice lower now, but Valerie was sure he grumbled about her and Jake.

“Well, um, you have at least one other neighbor,” Jake said, trying to laugh off the old man’s behavior.

“I’m not sure that makes me feel better.” Valerie pushed herself off Jake’s side as she took another deep breath. “Yeah, let’s go inside, shall we?”

Jake reached out, taking her hand in his and holding it tight. With a quick nod, he smiled and then led her toward the concrete steps that rose upward to her future. She just hoped it was a future she was ready for. So far, it didn’t look as bright as she had hoped, but dismal instead. Still, she knew Jake was trying his best. It wasn’t like she had given him a whole lot of notice that she needed to move. She couldn’t expect miracles in just under a week. She stiffened her fortitude to see this through. Anything was better than returning to Brent Tanner.

Jake opened the front door of the apartment building for her, stepping aside so she could enter first. “Damien said we had the apartment on the second floor. He has the one on the top, which he shares with his girlfriend, Holly. We should probably pop up to see them first, let them know we’re here.” He dug around in his pocket as they headed for the stairs. As they reached the first step, he pulled out a grungy-looking key, holding it up for Valerie to see. “However, he did mail me the key already, saying the apartment was ours the minute we arrived.” He shrugged. “At least, we have one thing taken care of, right?”

She smiled at him, taking his hand again and squeezing it. “That we do.” She wasn’t sure how to make Jake calm down. It wasn’t the best-looking place, of course, but it was hers for the time being. He was insecure, that was obvious, and somehow, she needed to get him past those feelings of doubt to be the brother she needed by her side to see her through this separation and onward to a divorce. This was her fresh start into a world where she would make her own rules, live life on her terms. She had spent too much of her life pushing past the barrier between herself and the men who thought she should be quiet and do as she was told, including her husband. She was no one’s doormat, and Brent Tanner found that out last week when she packed her bags and walked out the door, slamming it in her wake of freedom. Jake had given her the courage to stand up for herself, but now he seemed to be second guessing everything, especially his choice in apartments. Hell, it wasn’t like he was the one who had to live here.

Together, they walked up the stairs to the door on the third floor. Each level had their own apartment, and there were three altogether plus access to the roof, which was set up like some sort of patio from what Jake told her. Apparently, as they discovered just a few short minutes ago, there was also an apartment in the basement, which she assumed belonged to the old man who snarled at them. Damien and Holly had the top floor, Valerie would live on the second, which left only the first-floor residents who Valerie didn’t know. Well, that wasn’t true. She didn’t know anyone, to be honest. However, Jake knew Damien from their time in college, so at least there was some connection there. Hopefully, she would make friends quickly. She hated the idea of being in a new town and not knowing anyone, and she didn’t need Jake hovering over her, worried that she wasn’t making it on her own. That big-brother syndrome of his ran pretty deep at the most awkward of times.

Once they reached the door to Damien’s apartment, Jake knocked and then turned to Valerie, smiling. “You’re just going to love Damien, I know it. We’ve hung out little since college outside of our monthly poker nights, but fraternity brothers are always there for each other, so I knew I could count on him when I called. He’s a pretty active guy, so you might not see much of him around the place.”

She smiled over at him, her nerves on edge. “I’m sure I’ll like him. And, I appreciate you using your friendship to help me out. It means a lot.” She reached out, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. “Here’s to new beginnings.”

Just then the door opened, and a dark-haired man called out Jake’s name. “It’s about time you got here.” He reached out, grabbing Jake’s hand, and shaking it vigorously. “Come in. Come in. Holly’s in the kitchen fixing dinner. I hope you’re hungry.” He dragged Jake inside the apartment, Valerie following along quickly in his wake. “How was the trip? Did you have any problem finding the place?”

“None at all,” Jake said, extracting his hand from Damien’s grip. “We took our time, enjoying the sights along the way. Valerie wasn’t in any hurry to do anything but get out of town, so to speak, so once we did that, it was a leisurely drive. If you haven’t made the journey, you really should, especially the back roads. There is some gorgeous land between Live Oak and Sebastian.” Turning to the side, he gestured to Valerie. “I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Valerie. I’m not sure if you remember her from her visits to the college back then.”

Damien turned to Valerie, reaching out and taking her hand in his. “I do seem to remember a cute girl tagging along with you everywhere around campus,” he said, smiling at Valerie.

She took his hand as he shook it, the touch lingering just a little as she stared into his dark emerald eyes. The heat between her legs immediately began to burn as his smile made her breath catch in her throat. This is the man who's going to be living above me? Oh, god, am I in trouble.