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interested but she has trust issues.”
    He nodded slowly, understanding what Faith was saying. Whatever Kate’s hang-ups, he’d help her through them, but he didn’t want to hear what they were from Faith anymore than she wanted to reveal her friend’s secrets.
    â€œGuess I need to step up my game.” Which meant Kate needed to understand he wasn’t giving up.
    â€œShe won’t be able to resist you when you’re determined.” Faith grinned.
    Nick didn’t remind her that she’d been able to do that very thing. Kate wasn’t Faith and Nick was a hell of a lot more invested in the outcome. She’d grown on him to the point where he wanted to know her inside and out. And he refused to let her get away without seeing what could happen between them. He had high hopes for himself and Kate, and he wasn’t talking about a short-term fling.
    â€œAre you really willing to help me?” 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
    â€œDo you believe in love at first sight?”
    â€œWhat?” 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.
    â€œYou 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.
    â€œNice,” Kate muttered, even though her best friend only spoke the truth.
    â€œSo 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.
    â€œYou gonna answer me?” Tess asked, nudging Kate in the arm.
    â€œI’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.
    â€œNo. 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