Heightened Assurance

What happens when you spend more time in the past than the present? You lose sight of the present as well as those in it. Oden West is damaged, carrying around guilt and demons from a past that never quite fit him. He wasn’t aware of that though, not until it was too late and he couldn’t change what happened. All he could do was forge forward, but even that was too much as he deserted the one person who meant the world to him. Now he’s back, putting together the life it only took him seconds to dismantle.

Of course he isn’t looking for love, but in the blink of an eye, in a crowded restaurant, he locks eyes with home. Home is not a person but instead a location inside a woman he’s encountered before.

Jade has seemingly given up on love. Every single time she has given it a chance, she ends up losing. If there was a picture of heartbreak in the dictionary, there would be Jade standing, holding up the deuces. Love has just never been her game, so instead she put her passion into her business, finding it much easier than planning a family she probably wouldn’t get. That is, until the date from hell lands her in the sight of a wounded chef carrying his guilt as an appetizer. Jade has her own baggage though, and despite a couple of brothers who believe they know what’s best for her, she catches quite a few eyes.

Can a chef hell bent on carrying the past finally find his future with a soul so beautiful she’s being stalked? Can he make amends and repair his relationship with the person he loves the most or will stepping into the present be too much for him?

Universe Book 3: Oden’s story.