Fated Read Free Page A

Nick asked Faith. “Because if you are, I have a plan.” One that would either win Kate over or finally put an end to his pursuit.
    Because if this didn’t work, he was all out of ideas and shit out of luck.

Three
    “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
    “What?” Surprised by the question, Kate glanced at the teenager she’d just finished tutoring. Tess needed help on an English paper on Romeo and Juliet , after which, Kate, Tess, and Faith were supposed to go to the mall for shopping and dinner.
    “You heard me. Do you believe in love at first sight?”
    Kate glanced at the clock on the classroom wall. “Umm, Faith is waiting for us outside,” Kate reminded Tess.
    Tess shrugged. “That’s okay. She won’t mind. She’s used to you being late. She says so all the time.” Tess looked up at Kate from a fringe of light brown hair.
    “Nice,” Kate muttered, even though her best friend only spoke the truth.
    “So can you answer me?” Tess asked. “Because Ethan says if he were smarter, he’d have known Faith was it for him back when he was in high school. But I can’t imagine taking one look at any guy and falling in love. But I hope it’s true for Ethan and Faith because they need to stay together.”
    Kate glanced at Tess, and her heart softened in understanding. She might not be the tough kid who’d arrived in Serendipity with a chip on her shoulder, but she still possessed a personality roughened by the life she had led before her older half brother had taken her in. Beneath the exterior lived a young girl afraid no one cared enough to stick around, and she was counting on Ethan and Faith and the home they provided.
    “You gonna answer me?” Tess asked, nudging Kate in the arm.
    “I’ll answer you.” As soon as Kate figured out how to reply without disillusioning the teenager further. “I do believe in love at first sight,” she said carefully. “The problem is both people have to feel it for it to work.” Something Kate had never had any luck with. Ever. “As for Ethan and Faith, I promise you they’re solid.”
    Tess blew out a breath and fiddled with the ragged hem of her tee shirt. “Yeah, since they came back from their honeymoon they’re still all lovey-dovey but what about when the sex stuff gets old?”
    Kate tried not to choke on her own saliva. “Umm . . . the sex stuff is none of your business and love has to do with a lot more than just . . . umm . . . sex.” Uncomfortable with the subject, she dug into her purse for gum, unwrapping it and popping the mint stick in her mouth. “Want some?” She offered some to the teen.
    “No. I want to know more about sex and love.”
    Ack! You had to adore Tess, her endless questions and the mouth with no filter. What could Kate tell her? Sex was easy. Love wasn’t.
    Love, when not reciprocated, hurt. Badly. Kate’s thoughts went to Nick and his sexy swagger, intense brown eyes, and easy charm. Too easy.
    In the months since the softball game, she’d run into him around town and he’d always been friendly. Always stopped to talk. And always asked her out. She was so tempted to give in but she still vividly remembered her college boyfriend, who she’d been in love with, telling her she’d been nothing more than a poor substitute for his girl back home. She’d do everything in her power to protect herself from feeling that kind of betrayal and pain ever again. No matter how much Nick Mancini tempted her.
    So if Tess wanted to know about sex and love . . . “I think you should ask Faith about that,” Kate said, carefully. “Or Kelly,” Kate said of Tess’s sister on her mother’s side.
    “Chicken,” Tess muttered.
    Kate groaned at the same time her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen. A reprieve, she thought gratefully.
    “Ready to go? Faith’s getting antsy,” Kate asked Tess.
    The girl nodded.
    “Did you get all the help you needed on Shakespeare?”
    “Yeah, thanks. I am so ready to hit the