CHAPTER ONE

GWEN POV

It was just a few days until Christmas. I was out shopping for a Christmas gift for my roommate and best friend, April. I felt like a complete idiot for waiting until the last minute to get her a present.

How April and I were best friends was a puzzle. We were totally different—like fire and water.

April came from a very rich family. Her father spoiled her with everything. My dad might have spoiled me, too, if he had the money, but he didn’t.

Like me, April was raised mostly by a single dad after her parents split up.

I also had a single dad after my mom died. But April’s dad stayed single, while mine decided to get married again. That marriage was a disaster. My stepmom, Mira, left him after spending all the life insurance money he got when my mom passed away.

The biggest difference between April and me, though, was our outlook. April went through life like it was paved with rainbows. Me? If I wanted rainbows, I had to work hard to create them myself.

It was sometimes tough to be around someone to whom life came so easily. But I honestly thought April was great. She was lucky in life, yes, but she was also sweet and kind. Her sunny, happy energy was a good balance to my constant feeling of being under a cloud.

She was nice enough to invite me to her house for a few days during our Christmas break. I loved my dad, even with his terrible taste in women after mom died, but the holidays at home weren’t special anymore. Not since my mom died and the women he got himself involved with took his money and ran. His holiday plans usually meant drinking with his friends.

I didn’t need a fancy Christmas.

But like my dad, I hadn’t really looked forward to the holiday since my mother’s death. But I really needed to get away from my house and this town.

This feeling grew stronger as I walked through the bitter cold and the crowds of last-minute shoppers.

I finally reached the little paper shop I knew April would love. She always had pretty papers, pens, stickers, and envelopes everywhere. Inside, I picked up some different paper products I thought she’d like. I saw a pack of paper covered in hearts. I rolled my eyes because it was so girly, but since April loved hearts, I added it to my pile and headed to the cashier.

After paying, I put the paper products into my big purse to keep them safe from the wind and cold. Snow was supposed to fall tonight, even though it had been clear when I left home.

As I opened the door to leave, a huge man pushed past me and bumped me hard. I stumbled backward, couldn’t stop myself, and landed right on my butt.

“You should watch where you’re going.” His voice was deep and dark. It matched his large size and bad attitude.

Even so, he held out a hand to help me up.

I swatted it away.

“I’m trying to help you up,” he said.

“Why? So you can knock me down again?” I managed to stand up on my own and got a better look at this rude guy.

Money. That was the first thing I thought when I got a better look at him. He wore a suit that probably cost more than my dad’s mortgage payment for five months. He had almost silvery hair that looked too perfect to be real. His green eyes watched me, and I wondered if he was worried he’d caught germs from touching a person like me.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Do you really care?” I asked, fixing my purse strap on my shoulder.

His eyes showed a quick flash of annoyance. “Are you always this rude to people who try to help you?”

I stared at him with my mouth open. “You knocked me down, remember?”

He stared at me for a moment. I realized I should just leave. Why was I still standing here, looking at him?

Finally, he let out a big sigh. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“What? Why?” Was he trying to be nice? Or was it something else? It couldn’t be anything romantic. He had to be almost twice my age. Plus, with his smooth style and money, he could probably date any beautiful, rich woman he wanted.

“To make it up to you,” he said.

“You could just say sorry.”

His lips curved upward a little bit. It annoyed me that he found me funny. “I’m sorry. Can I buy you a drink?”

“That’s not necessary.” My phone buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out. It was a message from April.

‘Going over to visit Cole. Probably won’t be home tonight. Stay safe.’

Another evening alone. That was fine. I could get a head start on my reading assignments for next semester. Or I could start thinking about looking for a job after I graduate next year.

“Bad news?” the aggressive stranger asked.

“No. Just a message from my roommate.”

“So, about that drink?”

I looked at him. “You sure are thirsty for a drink.”

Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh and held his hands out to the side. “I get blamed for trying to help and for not trying to help.”

Now he was making me feel like the bad guy? “I, uh—”

“Nolan, darling, fancy seeing you here.” A woman who looked like she’d just walked out of a fashion magazine came up to him. She smelled strongly of expensive perfume.

“Just doing some last-minute shopping,” he replied.

“Oh, how lovely.” The woman looked at me, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow in a way I took as disgust, before turning back to the man. “We should get something to eat and catch up.”

“Sorry. I’m having a drink with . . . ?” He looked at me, waiting for my name.

“Gwen.” Why was I giving him my name?

“Gwen,” he repeated to the woman.

“Really?” The woman looked back and forth between us, clearly not believing him.

He put his arm around my shoulder. The touch felt warm and firm, a strange feeling from the cold air.

“Really. Shall we?” he asked me.

I must have been dreaming because I nodded and let him lead me out the door.