Twist of Fate: A Heartbreaker Bay Novella Read online

  She loved both cities, but…there was no place like home.

  She bussed her way to her apartment in the Pacific Pier Building of the Cow Hollow District. Not coincidentally, the same building that housed The Canvas Shop, the tattoo parlor that Rocco had taken over from his and Diego’s father.

  Diego… Seeing him today had thrown her. She’d known he would be there, of course, but nothing could have prepared her for coming face-to-face with him ten years after he’d broken her heart and then stomped on it for good measure.

  So why the hell he’d implied that it’d been her to destroy them was beyond her. Just thinking about it had her stewing all over again. She rubbed her aching chest, giving her heart a stern talking to. Stop getting involved, your job is to pump blood, and that’s it.

  It would have helped if Diego hadn’t looked so good. Say maybe having lost some of that thick, sinfully wavy dark hair of his so her fingers hadn’t itched to sink into it. Or even better, if he’d grown love handles.

  But neither of those things had happened. What had happened was that Diego had grown into all his long, lean, lanky inches and then some. The boy she’d once known and loved was long gone, not a trace of him left except for those whiskey-colored eyes. The man he’d become—tall, strong, and attitude-riddled—was a stranger to her.

  He would stay that way.

  And maybe if she repeated it enough to herself, she’d actually believe it.

  Getting off the bus, she walked through the cobblestoned courtyard of her building. Usually, she took her time here, enjoying the glorious old architecture, the corbeled brick and exposed iron trusses, the big windows. But the evening was chilly, and her feet hurt.

  She passed The Canvas Shop. Just inside the big picture window, she could see Rocco working on a client, as well as Sadie and Mini Moe, two of his best tattoo artists, as they did the same. Sadie’s better half, Caleb, was there too, making everyone laugh.

  Sadie had become a dear friend, and Daisy often stopped in at this time of night so they could all order in takeout and share.

  But tonight, she needed to be alone.

  She took the elevator to the fourth floor because her poor toes were screaming at her. It’d been a case of beauty versus comfort with her heels that morning, and she’d stupidly chosen style.

  Letting herself into her apartment, she immediately stripped, put on PJs, and…ate everything in her fridge. Then she put on Netflix and grabbed the ice cream from the freezer.

  Some days required more self-care than others.

  She’d just gotten comfy when a knock came at her door. Damn. Setting aside the carton of rocky road, she got up, leaned into the peephole and stilled. Oh shit.

  Diego.

  She stepped back and had a pep-talk with herself. Okay, remember…you are not the sweet, innocent little thing you once were. The one who fell head over heels for that crooked smile. You’re a grownup, a professional, and you don’t need no stinkin’ man—

  He knocked again, and she jumped a little. What is he doing here? He’d made it clear earlier what she’d already known, that he hadn’t missed her, probably hadn’t given her a single thought in all these years.

  It rankled that she couldn’t say the same, though it wasn’t from lack of trying. She’d done her best to get over him, but he’d been soul-deep. And that was hard to exhume.

  His voice came again, surprisingly low, but she could hear him clearly enough. “Daisy, I know you’re in there. I can smell the wheels burning.”

  Rolling her eyes at both of them, she opened the door to find him standing there, hands resting above him on the doorjamb, filling the space with that big, tough body that had once upon a time made hers sing the hallelujah chorus.

  He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. “Yeah, trust me, I’m not thrilled either,” he said. “What was that crack about me putting you second?”

  “Why do you care?”

  Looking surprised, he opened his mouth but then shut it again with a small shake of his head as if he couldn’t process her question. Instead of answering, he brushed past her to enter.

  “Gee,” she said dryly. “Come on in.”

  He looked around the small but cozy apartment she loved because it was home in a way no other place had ever been. She could tell that he didn’t miss anything, including the fact that her TV was paused on Netflix, there was a gallon of ice cream sitting open on the coffee table with a wooden spoon sticking out of it, and a slightly embarrassingly large glass of wine sat nearby. He turned to face her.

  Yes, she knew what he’d been up to. Her stalking skills were even better than her event planning skills, and she prided herself on being the best at that. He had an Instagram account that he was annoyingly stingy about posting on, but she’d managed to learn some things. Such as when she left for New York to take her scholarship, he’d stayed here in San Francisco, taking care of his dad after his debilitating stroke and running The Canvas Shop. After his dad’s death, Diego had left for San Diego, and as far as she could tell, he’d not been back since.

  Until now.

  “I care,” Diego said, startling her.

  “Huh.” She nodded. “You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”

  He stood still, watching her, his energy deceptively relaxed. Because he wasn’t. Relaxed. It’d been nearly a decade since she’d been wrapped around that gorgeous body, but she still knew it almost better than she knew her own.

  “I thought we should talk,” he said.

  “Okay, and here’s what I think,” she said carefully. “One, you’re the best man of your brother’s wedding. Two, I’m the wedding planner. Three, we’re doing this for Rocco. And none of those things are going to change, correct?”

  He nodded curtly.

  “So then, we have no choice,” she said. “We have to get through this. I suggest we make a pact.”

  “A pact.”

  “Yes,” she said.

  His eyes darkened, and just like that, she was thrown back in time to the way they’d been. Young. Sweet. Ridiculously in love. And competitive as hell. They’d made a lot of pacts in those days. Actually, more like dares. Who could outrun the other to the pier and back. Who could get their homework done the fastest. Who could make better cinnamon and sugar toast… Each bet had come with a prize—winner’s choice, of course. And since neither ever had a cent to their name, the bounty had almost always been sexual.

  She’d often counted on it.

  The memories in his gaze had her swallowing hard. “The pact is we avoid each other whenever possible,” she said.

  Now, he looked amused. “How do you suggest we do that when we’re going to be in the same room more often than not?”

  “We both know there are ways to avoid someone even if they’re standing right next to you.”

  This got her another long look from him, and she lifted her chin. “I suggest we start right now.”

  When he didn’t respond to that, she picked up her glass of wine and drank it all. Liquid courage and all that. “I’m going to take your silence as agreement.” She set down the now-empty glass. “So, let’s call this happy reunion over and done so you can let me get back to my life.”

  “It’s seven o’clock, and you’re in your PJs drinking wine and eating ice cream by the gallon. And your Netflix screen is flashing ‘do you want to keep watching’ messages.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe my social life is so full that this is the first night I’ve been alone in forever. Maybe I just want to Netflix and chill without talking.”

  He just looked at her for a long beat, not saying a word, but she could once again see a tiny smile lurking at the corners of his mouth. This time, the expression was devoid of sarcasm and far more genuine. Warm, even. Which led to other thoughts about that sexy mouth of his.

  Wait. Stop. Dammit. Note to self: no more wine while Diego’s in town!

  Instead of leaving, he took the few steps to close the space between them, making her suck