Jennie

It was fucking cold.

I shivered underneath my red parka, burrowing into my hood and quickening my steps. The snow crunched under my boots, the flakes dry and crusted with ice.

Walking across town was not how I'd planned to spend my Sunday morning, but I wanted my Jeep and I wanted to get away from my neighbor.

Couldn't Lisa have just called and apologized? What was she doing here? Messing with my life, that's what.

I was in a good place. I'd put Lisa behind me, Taehyung was a distant memory, and I was dating Ten. The last thing I needed was Lisa living next door.

The asshole had brought me carrots. So help me, if she'd ruined carrots for me, I'd burn her house down. I'd torch it, stand back and smile at the flames. My feet paused. Should I?

No. That was crazy. That person made me crazy. I shook off that ridiculous idea because tempting as it was, I was no arsonist.

Avoiding her home, the inside at least, would be simple. Under no circumstances would I set foot in that yellow house again, not until it was empty and fumigated. Walking into her house last night, being wrapped in her scent, was much too dangerous for my heart—my disloyal heart, which had leapt with one long inhale of Lisa.

Damn her.

I marched faster, practically jogging. My breaths clouded above my head like the puffs of a racing steam locomotive. The blocks disappeared quickly as I hurried down the deserted streets, too angry and confused and annoyed to pay much attention to the few cars passing by.

I'd be an icicle by the time I reached Jisoo and Sehun's house, but I had my fury to keep me warm. Sehun would have come and picked me up, but this walk was good. I needed the movement to get my head on straight and think through a plan.

First, if Lisa hadn't figured it out last night, I'd spell it out for her. We. Were. Over. No number of apologies would change my mind. We'd been over the moment she'd called me from California. If I repeated the message enough times, eventually she'd go back to her world and leave me to mine.

Second, I was dating Ten. I liked Ten. He was a good kisser and a sweet man. He was honest and true. Ten would come over and we'd take our relationship to the next level. Ten and me. Me and Ten.

That was happening.

Tonight.

It didn't matter who was living next door. It didn't matter whose bedroom was outside mine.

Maybe Ten and me should happen at his house instead.

The crunch of tires on snow at my back startled me and I jumped to the far edge of the sidewalk. A large, gray truck pulled up beside me, its tires crushing the berm of snow that edged the streets this time of year, made from the snowplows clearing the streets.

Kai. He must have recognized my coat. Not many wore cherry-red parkas. He rolled down the passenger-side window. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"You scared me."

"Get inside before you freeze, damn it."

"I'm not cold," I lied.

"Hurry up." He rolled his eyes and up went the window. Then the locks clicked open.

I opened the door and hopped inside, buckling my seat belt and sliding off my gloves. My fingers wiggled over the warm air coming from the dashboard vents.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I was walking to Jisoo's to get the Jeep."

He scowled as he pulled away from the curb. "That's miles."

"I needed some air."

There was no way I'd tell Kai about Lisa. No one knew about my fling with the movie star, not even Jisoo or Nayeon.

When Lisa and I had started our tryst, I'd been scared about how everyone would react given the movie and her short-term outlook on Montana. As my feelings for Lisa had changed, grown, I'd been scared to slap us with a label, mostly because location hookup sounded so . . . cheap.

I'd almost told them when that picture of Lisa and me on her bike had come out, but then it had turned into nothing. Why? Because Jennie Kim wasn't news. I was a nobody. If that photo'd had Tzuyu Chou in my place, it would have gone viral.

When Lisa had left, I'd been grateful for my foresight not to tell anyone. It meant that I could wallow in heartbreak alone without worried glances or pitiful hugs. Since we were over, there was no point in dragging Kai into the mess.

Lisa would be gone soon, lost to California for good.

"Want a coffee?" Kai asked, already slowing for the parking lot of the country and feed supply store. There was a coffee hut in one corner of the lot. Kai rolled down his window, leaning out, as the barista opened her sliding window.

The blonde's cheeks flushed when she saw Kai. Her tongue darted out and licked her lower lip. "Oh, hey. Again. Did you, um . . . forget something at my place last night?"

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward. "Could I get a vanilla chai with skim milk, please?"

Her eyes flashed to me and her smile flattened. "Sure. Kai?"

"Triple mocha."

"Give me a minute." She nodded and slid her window closed.

"The barista?" I shot Kai a look. "She's probably going to spit in my coffee."

"Nah. She's nice."

"Have you even been home since last night?"

He chuckled. "Not yet."

"Do you remember her name?"

"Yeah. Of course. It's, uh . . . Carrie."

"Carleigh, according to her nametag."

"Damn. Carleigh."

I shook my head. "You're horrible."

"The women love me. What can I say?"

"The women?" I teased. "Do you hear yourself?"

He laughed, digging a twenty from his wallet.

Kai wasn't wrong. Women did love him. They loved his bad-boy look with his beefy, tattooed arms and the shoulder-length brown hair that he was constantly tying up or brushing out of his face. He wasn't as quick to laugh or flirt like Chanyeol, but Kai had a smolder that drove the women crazy.

Would he ever settle down? Would he find a woman who caught his attention for more than one night? I hoped so. What I wanted most for the people in my life was that they found love, even if it seemed to elude me.

Kai paid for our coffees and winked goodbye to Carleigh, then he pulled away and aimed the truck toward Sehun's neighborhood. "So why'd you leave your Jeep at Jisoo's?"

"I went over yesterday to see the baby and spend some time with them. Ten came over too and we went to a movie. He drove me home."

"How's that going, you and Ten?"

I sighed. "Great."

"Doesn't sound great."

"No, it is. He's a really good man, and I like him a lot."

"But . . ."

"There's no but."

"Jen." Kai shot me a look. "Who are you talking to?"

"You," I muttered. "Why couldn't Chanyeol have been the one to find me? He doesn't ask as many questions."

"Not today. What's wrong? Why are you stomping across Black Point like you're on a mission to show Jack Frost he isn't going to get the best of you?"

"It's a long story."

"Does it have anything to do with a certain movie star? The one you were seen riding on the back of a bike with?"

My mouth dropped. "You knew?"

"Please." He scoffed. "You might be good at hiding your emotions from some people, but you've never been good at fooling me."

This was true. Whenever I was sad and forcing happy, there were two men who saw past the brave face: Drake and Kai. Drake would badger me until I talked, ripping the truth from my lips. But not Kai. He'd pull me into one of his bear hugs and not let go until some of the pain had seeped away.

"We were . . . well, I don't know what we were. Something." Something special.

"Has she been in touch since she left?"

"No. She came back last night."

He looked over, taking a drink of his mocha. "What happened last night?"

"I'm pretty sure she moved here."

Kai choked. "No shit?"

"When Lisa was here for the movie, she bought the house next door to mine. Not because it was the house next door, it was just a coincidence. During the movie, that was where she stayed. We started talking and things happened."

Then she'd crushed me, something I wouldn't tell Kai because it would mean a U-turn and an awkward—likely violent—confrontation on my street.

"Lisa left," I said. "Now she's back."

"You still have feelings for her?"

"I don't know," I whispered. "I don't know how I feel. And the truth is, I don't trust my judgment."

"Jen." Kai reached over and put his hand on my shoulder. "What happened with Taehyung—"

"Was my fault."

"I was at the wedding, babe. Didn't seem like your fault."

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have stayed with him in the first place."

"You loved him."

"Maybe," I muttered. Maybe not. I didn't have the energy to delve any deeper this morning. Because of Lisa, I'd barely slept. And we were nearly to Sehun's. "New subject, please. How is your mom?"

Kai shot me a look, one that said he wasn't leaving this alone, but answered, "She's good. I'm going over there later."

"Please, for her sake, shower first. You still smell like The Betsy."

"I'll shower." He grinned as he turned down Jisoo and Sehun's block.

When he parked behind my Jeep, I unbuckled and gave him a smile. "Thanks for picking me up."

"Always. See you tomorrow."

"Bye." I raised my coffee mug in a silent thanks and climbed out of the truck, juggling my drink and my gloves as I dug keys from my coat pocket.

I got in my Jeep, shivering as I hit the ignition and cranked up the heat. My gaze zeroed in on Ten's house as I drove down the sleepy street. His truck wasn't in the driveway where he normally parked—his garage was reserved for his boat—and the lights were off.

Should I tell him about Lisa? Should I pretend it was no big deal that she was in town?

Guilt had clawed its way into my heart last night as I'd lain restlessly in bed. I'd spent the midnight hours thinking of Lisa, not the one I was actually dating. It wasn't like I'd done anything wrong. I'd gone into Lisa's home and listened to her speak. I'd answered a phone call. So why did I feel like I'd betrayed Ten?

The last place I wanted to go was home, where Lisa would be waiting. The stubborn ass wasn't going to leave me alone. So I steered my Jeep to a place in Black Point I had never been.

The police station.

"Hi," I said, greeting the officer stationed inside the front door. He sat behind a glass partition so I leaned in and spoke to the metal speaker between us. "I was wondering if I could see Ten—uh, Chief Lee."

"I'll check to see if he's available." He collected my driver's license and scanned a copy. Then he pointed to a row of chairs along the wall.

Less than a minute later, Ten came through an interior door. "Jennie?"

"Hey." I smiled, hurrying toward him. "Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to say hi."

"Hi." He grinned and dropped a kiss on my cheek. "Come on in."

Ten took my hand and led me through the station, past rows of desks and empty chairs to a door embossed with Chief of Police in gold letters. He held it for me, closing it behind us.

His stately chair sat on the other side of the desk, but instead of sitting there, Ten held out one of the guest chairs for me, then sat at my side.

Because that's who he was. He was the guy who sat beside the woman he was dating, even in his own office. The guy who brought his neighbor yellow flowers twice after she'd had a baby. The guy who'd been patiently waiting for me to be ready to do more than kiss for a month.

"How did it go last night?" I asked.

"What a cluster." He groaned, running a hand over his square jaw. He had more stubble this morning than normal and he was even more handsome this way, a little rough around the edges.

I put my hand over his, rubbing my thumb across his knuckles. "You look tired."

"It was a long night."

"Anything I can do?"

"No." He gave me a smile. "I'm finishing up some paperwork and then I'm going home to take a nap."

"If you want to reschedule tonight, we can—"

"Never."

I smiled, despite the anxious knot forming in my stomach. I wanted this. I wanted to be with Ten. So why was I dreading tonight? Why was I hoping for any reason to delay a day or two?

Lisa.

Damn her. She didn't get to show up here and ruin everything I had going for me. Ten and I were new, but there might be a future here. A real future, not some Hollywood fantasy.

"Six o'clock?" I asked, doing my best to hide the nerves in my voice. "I'll make dinner."

"Sure."

"How do you feel about frozen lasagna?"

He laughed. "Seems fitting."

"Then I'll get out of here so you can finish." We both stood and I raised onto my toes to brush a kiss to his lips.

He deepened it, slanting his mouth over mine.

A tingle ran down my spine and my heart thumped. It didn't burst into a wild sprint, but the thump was good. The thump meant we had the promise of passion.

Ten broke away and grinned. "I'll escort you out."

"Thanks." I followed him to the door, letting him kiss my cheek once more before I braved the cold and scurried to my Jeep. Then I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon avoiding my home.

I went to the grocery store, wandering up and down every aisle. I stopped at my favorite sandwich place for lunch. I gassed up my Jeep and went to get some cash from the bank because for a woman who didn't use cash, having some in her wallet suddenly seemed important. I drove by the garage to see if Chanyeol or Kyungsoo had randomly decided to work on a Sunday—it was deserted.

Finally, when it couldn't be avoided any longer, I drove home.

Lisa's white truck was in her driveway, and I cursed myself for missing it last night. I'd been too anxious about inviting Ten to spend the night, and I'd trained myself for months not to look at that yellow house.

As I parked, I kept one eye on Lisa's. There was movement at the living room window.

Ugh.

I really wished I had a garage to park inside, but only two of the homes on this street had them. The homes on the cul-de-sac had all been built before garages were a must-have.

Maybe it was time to move.

The apartment above the garage had been empty for years. The last people who'd lived there were Jisoo and Sehun.

If Lisa wouldn't accept we were over and stayed in Montana for more than two weeks, I was moving. Decision made.

I parked and sent up a muted prayer that I could haul my groceries inside in one trip.

My arms were overloaded with bags when I felt the crackle of her presence behind me. Lisa's spicy scent drifted across the cold air. How had she managed to sneak up on me? The rustle of my bags and thundering, panicked heartbeat must have drowned out the crunch of her footsteps on the snow.

"Let me help." She moved to my side and started taking bags off my wrists.

The heat of her shoulder hit mine and I sidestepped away. "I can do it."

"We've been here before. Let's skip to the end where we both know I'll help carry these inside." She grinned at me, daring me to argue.

Stubborn, arrogant ass. She was not going to leave me alone and I didn't want a standoff in freezing temperatures.

"Fine," I muttered, shoving five bags into her gut.

"Was that so hard?"

I shot her a glare and marched inside. The minute my grocery bags were on the counter, I gave her a tight smile and pointed to the exit. "Thanks for your help."

Shw chuckled and strode out of the kitchen to the living room, her gait full of grace and sin.

I forced my eyes away from her long legs and thick thighs, not letting myself remember how it felt to have those hips flush with mine. "Keep going until you hit the door."

She ignored me. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Great," I lied.

"I didn't." She sat down on my couch and cast her eyes down the hallway toward my room. "I kept wishing for a different bed."

My cheeks flushed, not because the mental image of her naked in my bed flashed through my mind. I still had my parka on and it was a warm coat.

"Goodbye, Lisa."

"What are you doing today? You had a busy morning."

"Stalking is illegal," I snapped.

"So I've heard." She leaned back, lifting her arms and lacing her fingers behind her head. "What are you doing for dinner tonight? Want to share a pizza?"

"Ten is coming over. I'm dating him, remember?"

"I remember." Her cocky grin soured.

"Then what are you doing here? Go home." And by home, I meant Los Angeles.

"How serious is this thing with Ten?"

It wasn't serious yet, but there was the promise of serious. Ten and I had potential. "We're dating."

"You said that already but it doesn't really answer my question."

"I don't owe you any answers." I stomped past the living room and down the entryway to the door. "Are you going to make me throw you out?" I called.

Her laughter filled the hall as she emerged, a sexy grin on her face. Lisa moved into my space, crowding me beside the door. "Answer me. How serious?"

"Does it matter? I'm dating Ten. That won't change just because you're vacationing next door."

"This isn't a vacation, Jennie."

I gulped, refusing to let myself believe she'd come to Montana for me. "I think you'd better leave."

She put her palm flat on the door, holding it closed. "How have you been?"

"You're on the wrong side of the door."

Lisa's grin spread into a slow, mouthwatering smile. She leaned closer, her breath whispering across my cheek. "How are things at the garage?"

"Super. Now go." My knees were weak and that smile was melting my resolve. I fixed my gaze on her broad chest and the green sweater that smelled like soap and sandalwood. "Please."

"Why? We're just talking. Unless there's something about me being here that makes you uncomfortable."

Hell, yes, I was uncomfortable. This woman put me on edge and made me squirm under that golden gaze. "I have groceries to unload and I need to cook dinner. I don't have time to talk."

"Jennie, look at me."

"Lisa." I squeezed my eyes shut and fisted my hands. "Please. Leave."

She was still standing there when I opened my eyes, pure regret etched on her face. "I'm sorry. I never should have doubted you."

I nodded.

If she kept apologizing, I might forgive her, and until I had my feelings sorted, forgiveness was not an option. I yanked the doorknob, forcing her to step away. The cold air rushed past us. "Goodbye, Lisa."

She sighed. "See you tomorrow."

No, she would not. Thankfully, tomorrow was Monday and I was spending it at work. Unless . . . My stomach dropped. Lisa would just come to the garage.

Maybe after tonight, after Ten's truck spent the night in my driveway, Lisa would get the hint. Did she think Ten and I had been intimate already? Did that bother her?

Because the idea of her with another woman made me sick. How many women had she been with these past five months? How many women had slept curled into her warm side and woken up to her soft lips on their temple?

That idea stiffened my spine, freezing any desire that had crept through my veins.

Lisa stepped through the door, her shoulders falling as she crossed the porch, but she paused at the top stair when beyond her on the street, a yellow cab parked beside my curb.

"Expecting company?" Lisa asked.

"No." I walked out and stood by her side as the cab's door opened.

I gasped as the woman in the backseat stepped onto the snow.

A face I hadn't seen in ten years looked up.

A face I saw each day in the mirror.

Irene.