Twist of Fate

by Jill Shalvis

  Tyler came jogging up the stairs to them, looking wonderful in his tux. “Oh, baby,” he said, looking at Daisy’s dress. “It’s perfect. I need you to be my bridesmaid.”

  Rocco was right behind Tyler, looking like he was afraid to be too happy. “And I need my brother at my side. Are we all okay?”

  Daisy pulled Rocco in for a hug. “More than. Thank you,” she whispered fiercely. “For being such a sneaky bastard.”

  Rocco kissed her and looked at Diego over her head, clearly needing his brother’s reaction.

  Diego nodded. “You are a sneaky bastard. But…you’re the best sneaky bastard I know. We’re also all okay.”

  Rocco let out a breath, and with suspiciously shiny eyes, turned to Tyler. “Ready to make an honest man out of me?”

  Tyler’s smile lit up the day around them.

  They all headed down to the beach, but Diego pulled Daisy back, waiting until she looked up at him before he cupped her face to look at her very seriously. “I know I’ve made mistakes. Disappointed you. And I’d like to say I won’t ever do it again, but—”

  “But you’re only human.” She smiled. “Neither of us is perfect, Diego. It’s a safe bet to say we’re both going to make lots more mistakes.”

  “Maybe, but one I’ll never make again is hurting you,” Diego said fiercely. “You’re it for me, Daisy. You always were.” He turned to look at the waiting grooms, the glorious day behind them, and then back at Daisy. “There are times, like now, when all I have to do is look at you…” He sank his fingers into her hair. “And it feels like the only reason my heart is beating in my chest is because yours is beating. The only reason I can breathe is because you’re breathing.”

  She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him softly. “So, let’s keep breathing. Together.”

  “Now there’s a pact.”

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed this peek into my Heartbreaker Bay series. I made a quick mention of Sadie and Caleb. Their book is called Playing For Keeps and is out now wherever books and ebooks are sold, as well as the rest of the Heartbreaker Bay series, including the latest stand-alone, Wrapped Up In You.

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  It’s love. Trust me.

  After a lifetime on the move, Ivy Snow is an expert in all things temporary—schools, friends, and way too many Mr. Wrongs. Now that she owns a successful taco truck in San Francisco and an apartment to call home, Ivy’s reinvented life is on solid ground. And she’s guarded against anything that can rock it. Like the realities of a past she’s worked hard to cover up. And especially Kel O’Donnell. Too hot not to set off alarms, he screams temporary. If only his whispers weren’t so delightfully naughty and irresistible.

  Kel, an Idaho sheriff and ranch owner, is on vacay, but Ivy’s a spicy reason to give his short-terms plans a second thought. Best of all, she’s a tonic for his untrusting heart, burned once and still in repair. But when Ivy’s past intrudes on a perfect romance, Kel fears that everything she’s told him has been a perfect lie. Now, if only Ivy’s willing to share, Kel will fight for a true love story.

  Excerpt:

  Kel O’Donnell stood there in front of The Taco Truck, starving and aching like a son-of-a-bitch. Pushing his body on a five mile full out run hadn’t been the smartest of ideas after what he’d been through. But his more immediate problem was that if he didn’t get food and fast, his stomach was going to eat itself.

  The woman inside the truck looked to him for his order. “And you?” she asked, her voice slightly amused, as if life wasn’t to be taken too seriously, especially while ordering tacos.

  But he was taking this very seriously, as his hunger felt soul deep. “What do you suggest?”

  This caused twin groans from his cousin Caleb and their longtime friend Jake, which Kel ignored.

  Not his server though. She quirked a single brow, the small gesture making him feel more than he had in months. Certainly since his life had detonated several months ago when he’d chased after a suspect on foot, only to be hit by the getaway car, getting himself punted a good fifteen feet into the air. That had hurt. But what had hurt more was his perp turning out to be a dirty cop. And not any dirty cop, but a long time friend, which had nearly cost him life and career.

  But hell, at least neither were on the line this time. It was just a pretty woman giving him some cute, sexy ‘tude while waiting on him to decide between an avocado and bacon tacos, or spicy green eggs and ham tacos.

  “You’re going to have to excuse my dumbass cousin, Ivy,” Caleb said. “Kel hasn’t lived in San Francisco for a long time and doesn’t know that you’ve got the best food truck in all of Cow Hollow. Hell, in the whole bay area.”

  “It’s true,” Jake said and nudged Kel, and with Jake in the wheelchair, he got the nudge right in the back of the knee and just about went down.

  “Everything on the menu,” Jake said, “and I do mean everything is gold. Trust me, it’ll melt in your mouth and make you want to drop to your knees and beg Ivy here to marry you.”

  Ivy sent Jake the sweetest smile Kel had ever seen. Then those compelling eyes were bac
k on him, the sweet completely gone. She leaned out her serving window a little bit, bracing her weight on her elbows. Her hair was the color of fire, a stunning pile of red held back by an elf headband, which left a few strands falling around her face, framing it. Her apron read: I don’t wanna taco ‘bout it. “What do I suggest?” she repeated.

  “Yeah.” Just looking at her, he could feel himself relax for the first time in … way too long. Something about her did that to him. Instant chemistry. He hadn’t felt it often in his life and it always ended up a train wreck, so why the hell he felt relaxed, he had no idea. But it had him flashing another smile. “How about you pick for me.”

  Her lips quirked at that. “Fair warning -- I like things hot.”

  “I love things hot,” he said.

  Jake just grinned. “Aw man, she’s gonna eat you up and spit you out. I’m so happy.”

  “Shh,” Caleb said. “I don’t want to miss him getting his ass handed to him.”

  Ivy just cocked her head at Kel. “Think you can handle the heat?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Five minutes.” And she shut the window on them.

  They moved to one of the two picnic tables at the entrance to the courtyard in front of them, where they sat to wait for their food. Caleb looked at Kel and shook his head. “Man, as much as I enjoy seeing you get your ego squashed, I feel duty bound to warn you. Whatever’s making you smile, it’s never going to happen. Ivy’s not the girl you have fun with and walk away from. And plus, she hates cops.”

  “Agreed,” Jake said. “You’ve got a better shot at stealing Sadie away from Caleb. And good luck with that. Your cousin’s woman is batshit crazy over him, God knows why.”

  Caleb just smiled, apparently not feeling the need to defend his relationship.

  Kel was happy for him. Very happy. Caleb hadn’t given his heart away … ever. And for good reasons, which Kel had hated for him. “About time you found someone who deserves you.”

  Caleb was quiet a moment. “I like having you here,” he said, kind enough to leave out the tone of recrimination. It’d been a long time, too long, which had been all Kel’s doing. He’d spent the first ten years of his life here in the city, he and his sister and his parents. They’d lived next door to his aunt and her kids, including Caleb. Kel hadn’t realized at the time, but they’d all been poor as dirt, even though his parents had always managed to make it seem like they’d had everything they’d needed.

  Then his mom had destroyed that happy illusion with a single, shattering mistake, creating a huge rift none of them had recovered from. Two years later had come yet another blow. His dad had died, and Kel and his older sister Remy had gone to Idaho to be raised by their grandparents.

  It’d sucked.

  “You see Remy yet?” Caleb asked.

  Kel’s sister had moved back here to San Francisco after getting married last year. And no, he hadn’t seen her yet. And yes, he was stalling.

  “Okay … how about your mom?” Caleb asked.

  Kel slid him a look.

  Caleb raised his hands. “Hey, just asking.”

  “Uh huh. Do you ask all your employees such personal questions?”

  “No, just my brother.”

  “I’m your cousin.”

  “You’re my brother,” Caleb said with meaning.

  Kel sighed and looked over at Jake.

  Jake shrugged. “He likes to adjust facts to suit him. But you knew that already.”

  Ivy came out of the truck with three baskets. She served Jake first, then Caleb, and finally Kel. She handed him his basket and stood there at his side, a tiny pixie of a woman in that sassy apron, elf headband, and painted on jeans faded to a buttery softness. Her boots were serious and kickass, and because he was a very sick man, they turned him on.

  Since she was clearly going nowhere until he tried her food, he took a bite of what looked like the most amazing breakfast taco he’d ever seen and … almost died. Spicy was an understatement. Holy hell hot was an understatement. But it was also the best thing he’d ever tasted, even if his tongue was numb.

  Ivy smiled at him. “Still think you can handle the heat?”

  Jake and Caleb were doubled over laughing, the asses. “I’m not a cop,” he managed to wheeze, holding her gaze while he took another bite. And another. No doubt, he was going to eat her food the entire three weeks he was here. If he lived that long.

  “He’s a sheriff and ranch owner in Idaho,” Caleb said. “So … kind of a cop.”

  “Also kind of a cowboy,” Jake added ever so helpfully.

  Kel rolled his still watering eyes. His grandparents had left him and Remy their ranch, which he oversaw, but had employees handling the day to day operations since his day job was more like a 24/7 job. “I’m just a guy on vacay,” he croaked out. The more accurate term would have been assigned slash medical leave, but hell if he was going to share that. Or the fact that his still healing broken ribs ached like a bitch, as did the deep bone bruising he’d suffered down the entire right side of his body from being pitched into the air by a moving vehicle.

  Caleb snorted. “You don’t do vacay. As evidenced by the fact you agreed to work for me for the entire two weeks you’re here. I needed him,” he said to Ivy. “He’s got serious skills. He’s going to manage security on several large projects, including my most recently acquired building, the one being renovated into condos.” He looked at Kel. “Ivy’s going to buy one with her brother, who’s an antiquities specialist. It’s a great investment,” he said like a proud parent, even though at thirty-two, he couldn’t have been more than five years or so older than Ivy.

  “Actually, it might just be me investing,” Ivy said. “Brandon just got into a deal on the east coast I was telling you about.”

  “The auction house job.”

  “Yes, and it’s going to keep him busy for a while, so…” She shrugged. “I told him I’d go after this myself.”

  “That’s too bad,” Caleb said. “Was looking forward to meeting him.”

  Kel stopped chewing because something in Ivy’s tone had just set off his bullshit radar. She was either lying or stretching the truth, but his eyes were still watering and his throat was burning or he might’ve joined the conversation.

  Ivy reached out as if to take away his basket, but he held firm to it and kept eating. He was starting to sweat and he couldn’t feel his lips, but he also couldn’t get enough.

  “Okay, Cowboy, it’s your funeral,” she said, and he couldn’t tell if she was impressed or horrified.

  A few more people were milling around her truck now, and she eyed her watch.

  “They start lining up earlier every day,” Caleb said.

  “Hey, Ivy,” one of the guys who was waiting called out. “The fuzz! They’re coming around the corner!”

  “Crap!” Ivy ran towards her truck, yelling to the people standing in line, “I’ll be back in ten minutes. If you wait and save my spot, I’ll give you a discount!” And then she slapped the window and door closed and roared off down the street.

  A minute later a cop drove by slowly, but didn’t stop. When he was gone, the group of people who’d been lining up for tacos stepped into the empty parking spot Ivy had left.

  Not ten seconds later, a car came along and honked at the people standing in the spot. “Get out of my way,” the driver yelled.

  No one budged.

  The car window lowered and a hand emerged, flipping everyone the bird.

  This didn’t make anyone move either, and finally the guy swore and drove off in a huff.

  “What the hell?” Kel asked.

  “She’s not supposed to be on the street before seven,” Jake said.

  “I’m working on getting her a city permit,” Caleb said. “They’re extremely hard to get.”

  Kel was boggled. “But … those people are blocking the street. They could get a ticket.”

  “Thought you weren’t a cop,” Caleb said, looking amused.

 
Kel shook his head and went back to his tacos, and for a guy who believed in the law, when the incredible burst of flavors once again hit his tongue, he thought maybe he could understand the flagrant disregard of it in this one case.

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