After the Rain
Nowhere but Here
Keep reading for a preview of
Swear on This Life
by
Renée Carlino
Chapter One
He Found Me
In class we sayThat’s too on the nosewhen someone has written a story or a scene where exactly what you thinkshouldhappendoeshappen. Or when the events are too perfect or precise. But in real life we have a hard time recognizing serendipitous moments because we’re not making the story up as we go along. It’s not a lie—it’s really happening to us, and we have no idea how it will end. Some of us will look back at our lives and recall events that were a bit too perfect, but until you know the whole story, it’s impossible to see the universe at work, or even admit that there is something bigger than us, making sure everything thatshouldhappendoeshappen. If you can surrender to the idea that there might be a plan, instead of reducing every magical moment to a coincidence, then love will find you. He found me.
***
“Wow, the seagulls are going crazy. I think there’s a tsunami headed this way,” I said, staring out the window of my second-story apartment as I watched the marine layer thicken over La Jolla Cove. The fog was moving fast toward my building as the storm clouds swirled in the distance.
Trevor laughed. “Such a San Diegan, overreacting about the weather.” He was sitting on the floor with his back against the overpriced leather couch that my aunts Cyndi and Sharon had bought for me when I first moved in.
“Do you think we need sandbags?”
“No, you’re being crazy,” he said.
“Crazy or cautious?”
“More like neurotic. It’s drizzling. California is still technically in a drought.”
I noticed that Trevor had put down the short story I had written so he could continue playing Angry Birds on his phone.
“Trevor . . .” I warned.
“Emiline . . .” he teased back without looking up.
I plopped onto his lap and threw my arms around his neck. “I really want you to read it.”
“I did. I read it fast.”
“What’s it about, then?”
“It’s about a girl who discovers an ancient formula for cold fusion.”
“So you got the gist. But did you actually like it?”
“Emi...” He paused. His eyes darted around the room. When his gaze met mine again, I saw pity in his face. “I liked it a lot.”
“But . . . ?”
