Prologue
OLIVER
There was something about summer nights in Portland that I absolutely loved. Maybe it was because this was the best time of year weather wise in the Pacific Northwest, when the sun shined and there wasn’t a single raincloud in sight. It also didn’t help that at golden hour, the golden yellow hues streaking across the sky were the most stunning thing I’d ever seen.
Or maybe it was the fact that this summer, I got to spend time with my cousin, Noelle. We’d grown apart after she’d moved to New York to work in publishing, but now that she was back, we’d started doing things again. We were both only children, and had spent a lot of time together growing up because of our moms.
I was glad to have her back. In a lot of ways, she was the sister I’d never had. My parents had wanted another child, but it had never happened for them.
Getting out of my car, I walked up to the small house that Noelle shared with her boyfriend, Matthew. They’d met during her last semester of graduate school, since he worked on the same campus as a professor.
“Oliver,” my cousin’s voice called as she opened the door.Noelle was dressed in a cream colored sundress, looking happier and more confident then I thought I’d ever seen her.
“Hey, Noelle.” I wrapped my arms around her, giving her a hug. She was a lot shorter than me, though that wasn’t hard, considering I’d gotten my dad’s height. We both shared the same ginger hair and freckles, so we’d often been mistaken for siblings growing up. Noelle been there for all of it—including my gangly, skinny phase.
“Hi.” She smiled. “Thanks for coming.”
“Any time.” I handed her the bottle of wine I’d brought with me. “It’s always good to see you.”
“You didn’t have to bring anything. Come on in.” She opened the door wider, and I followed her into the house, towards the kitchen. The sound of other voices drifted towards us, and my cousin turned to look back at me, her long hair swishing over her shoulder. “Matthew’s sister just moved back from New York.”
And time stopped. Maybe just for a moment, but it felt like my entire world had shifted.
Standing in the kitchen, leaned against one of the cabinets, was a beautiful blonde. Tall, with long as fuck legs, wearing a short yellow dress and a pair of sandals. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders in loose waves, and there was a pair of sunglasses perched on her head, pushing her hair back.
And those eyes, as she turned to look at me—beautiful blue, just like the summer sky. Crystal clear and endlessly captivating. And then shesmiled.
She was beautiful. Like a Hollywood star in her own right. I’d never felt such a visceral reaction to anyone before, never felt my heart race like this, my palms sweaty, my mouth dry, and I?—
“Oliver?” Noelle’s voice cut through the fog.
I blinked. “Huh?”
“You were staring off into space.” She nudged me in the side. “What’s up with you these days? Have you been spending too much time in a dark room working on your computers?”
Maybe. “Something like that,” I responded, pulling my eyesaway from the blonde bombshell. Noelle gave me a knowing smile.
“Hey, Oliver,” Matthew said, reaching out to greet me like usual. “Glad you could make it. This is Tess. My sister.”
Right.His sister. Fuck, what was I doing, leering at her?
From what I knew about her, she was twenty two, had just graduated from college, and was moving to LA to pursue acting. Which meant not only was she off-limits, she was also leaving.
“Tessa,” she said, holding out her hand for me to shake it.
Clasping her hand in mine, I ignored the attraction I felt to her. “It’s nice to meet you, Tessa,” I offered. “I’m Oliver. Noelle’s cousin.”
Matthew picked up a plate of meat, heading outside towards the barbecue. My cousin followed him, as did their fluffy white dog, like none of them could bear to be apart.
Tessa nodded. “I know. She’s told me all about you.”
“Oh.” I tugged at the collar of my t-shirt. Was it hot in here, or was it just me? I didn’t know why knowing that Noelle talked about me affected me, but it did.
“Only good things, of course.” She fiddled with the golden ring on her pointer finger.
I chuckled. “Right. So not that I’m a computer geek who still lives in my mother’s basement?”
Her eyes went wide. “Do you?”
