Body and Soul (Twist of Fate 3)

“No, sorry,” he sighed before smiling back up at me. Jesus fuck–that smile. It was like staring straight into the Jedi Force. “My name is Oz. And you are?”

“Jake,” I said.

A tiny growl emanated from Oz’s ball of white fur.

“Oh, and this is Boo.”

I tried not to grimace. I’d never been a fan of tiny dogs that fit in people’s purses. With all the hair sticking up on the animal’s head, I hadn’t actually seen its face yet, but its pathetic little growl was definitely trying to convince me it was a force to be reckoned with.

I ignored the dog and tried to focus on the task at hand. “Oz, you do know that snow tires aren’t an option on the car, right? They’re an option for the car. As in, you buy a whole other set of tires designed for snow and have them put on the car for the winter season.”

Oz’s face fell, and a bright stain of color bloomed over his cheeks. The situation should have been humorous, but it felt like I’d just kicked his weird-looking little dog. “No, um, sorry. No,” he stammered. “It’s my first car. God,” he whispered before his voice dropped off completely.

I took pity on him and asked, “Where are you trying to go? This road only goes one place, and I know you’re not going there.”

He seemed to steel his spine a bit before he lifted his eyes. “I’m looking for a cabin owned by Xander Reed. My directions say it’s down this road.”

My heart rate began to speed up. “Why are you looking for Bennett and Xander’s place?”

“Well, because it’s my place now. At least for a while, anyway. Why? You know it?”

Yeah, I knew it. And if that’s where he was headed, I was in big fucking trouble.

Chapter 1

Oz

Three days after moving into my adorable little cabin, I was taking Boo out for some fresh air and realized I hadn’t seen my new neighbor all day. Not that I was bothered by that, since the guy was a rude jerk. I felt my cheeks heat as I remembered how he’d looked at me after I’d told him that I’d been trying to find the button for the snow tires in my car. Okay, yeah, it looked pretty bad that I hadn’t known how any of that shit worked, but I’d lived in New York since I was sixteen. Driving your own car was practically a sin in the big city, and once I’d been discovered, things like driving hadn’t even been on my radar. What would the holier-than-thou Jake think if he knew I’d only gotten my driver’s license a few weeks ago? Didn’t matter because the guy was just like all the designers and photographers in my life. He saw me as nothing more than an airhead.

After I’d told him I was headed to Xander Reed’s cabin, he’d stopped talking to me altogether unless it was to bark orders at me to stay out of the way while he got my car out of the snowbank. He’d used a winch on the front of his own truck to pull my car out. Before I could even thank him, he’d told me to be more careful and then he’d gotten in his car and waited impatiently for me to get in mine, since I’d been blocking him. I’d shot him glances through my rearview mirror as I’d carefully made my way up the road, and he’d looked pissed enough to spit nails. When I’d pulled into the short driveway leading up to the cabin, he’d shot past me and flown into the driveway of the cabin next to mine. When I’d gotten out of my car, I’d been about to make a polite comment about how we were neighbors, but he hadn’t even spared me a glance before he’d stalked into his cabin.

I forced myself to let the incident go. I was here to work, not make friends.

The air was crisp with a breeze pushing straight through my Dolce cardigan to the soft T-shirt underneath. I’d learned very quickly that I didn’t dare wear my Tod’s Gommino slippers outside. I still wanted to cry when I saw what the wet snow had done to the leather.

So, I was sliding around in an old pair of Vans, trying my best not to bust my ass, when I heard the familiar chime of a video call coming from my computer inside. I grabbed the closest section of railing along the front porch steps and used it to make my way toward the front door. How in the world had I not learned how to walk on ice when I lived in New York?

Oh yeah, because I spent most of the year in exotic locations on photo shoots.

I do not miss the beach, I do not miss being on location somewhere warm…