You Walked In: An opposites-attract, sports-romance novella Read online

  You Walked In

  Twist of Fate Origin Story

  Tia Louise

  Contents

  You Walked In

  Books by Tia Louise

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Twist of Fate

  Prologue

  You Walked In

  By Tia Louise

  A Twist of Fate prequel story.

  Daisy’s just trying to finish high school.

  Scout’s just trying to escape.

  Neither is looking for love, until…

  Books by Tia Louise

  BOOKS IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

  STAND-ALONE ROMANCES

  Trouble, coming July 19, 2021!

  Twist of Fate, 2021*

  This Much is True, 2020*

  Reckless Kiss, 2020*

  Here with Me, 2020*

  Wait for Me, 2019*

  Boss of Me, 2019*

  Stay, 2019*

  Make Me Yours, 2019*

  Make You Mine, 2018

  When We Kiss, 2018

  Save Me, 2018

  The Right Stud, 2018

  When We Touch, 2017

  The Last Guy, 2017*

  (*Available on Audiobook.)

  THE DIRTY PLAYERS SERIES

  PRINCE (#1), 2016*

  PLAYER (#2), 2016*

  DEALER (#3), 2017

  THIEF (#4), 2017

  (*Available on Audiobook.)

  THE BRIGHT LIGHTS SERIES

  Under the Lights (#1), 2018

  Under the Stars (#2), 2018

  Hit Girl (#3), 2018

  PARANORMAL ROMANCES

  One Immortal (Derek & Melissa, vampires)

  One Insatiable (Stitch & Mercy, shifters)

  eBOOKS ON ALL RETAILERS

  THE ONE TO HOLD SERIES

  One to Hold (#1 - Derek & Melissa)*

  One to Keep (#2 - Patrick & Elaine)*

  One to Protect (#3 - Derek & Melissa)*

  One to Love (#4 - Kenny & Slayde)

  One to Leave (#5 - Stuart & Mariska)

  One to Save (#6 - Derek & Melissa)*

  One to Chase (#7 - Marcus & Amy)*

  One to Take (#8 - Stuart & Mariska)

  (*Available on Audiobook.)

  Descriptions, teasers, excerpts and more are on my website (link)!

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  About the Author

  Tia Louise is the USA TODAY bestselling, award-winning author of super hot and sexy romance.

  Whether billionaires, Marines, fighters, cowboys, single dads, or CEOs, all her heroes are alphas with hearts of gold, and all her heroines are strong, sassy ladies who love them.

  A former teacher, journalist, and book editor, Louise lives in the Midwest USA with her trophy husband and two teenage geniuses.

  Signed Copies of all books online at:

  http://smarturl.it/SignedPBs

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  [email protected]

  One

  Daisy

  “Mims Watson is a two-faced, backstabbing bitch.” My cousin Joslyn steps over a discarded tire making her way to a pile of twisted scrap metal.

  “Wow. Harsh words.”

  “Trust me, Daisy Sales.” She balances on the fat rubber tire. “She’ll smile and act like she’s so nice, but don’t turn your back on her.”

  I walk over to a shed with a stack of old wooden signs leaning against it. “I’m pretty sure Mims Watson doesn’t even know I’m alive.”

  Last month, I came to live with my aunt Regina in Fireside and her only daughter Joselyn, who we all call “Sly.” Aunt Regina is my dad’s younger sister, which makes Sly my first cousin, and it’s the second Sunday in a row she’s dragged me to the junk pile behind Owen Pepper’s taxidermy shop.

  She’s searching for metal objects she can use to form the base of a giant flower sculpture she’s building for the homecoming dance on Friday. My cousin wants to be a superstar florist and live in Manhattan or Las Vegas… or New Orleans.

  I didn’t even know you could make a career out of something like that.

  “She knows. She’s like one of those creepy androids, and Stephanie is her spy drone.”

  “I can’t think of a reason she’d ever be interested in me.” I slowly pull the signs towards me, one by one.

  My dad said as long as we’re sifting through old junk, I might as well see if I could find anything he might be able to sell in his antiques store in Greenville.

  “Either way, it’s important to know the mean girls.” Sly tries to lift one of the pieces of cast iron before letting it drop with a grunt, then she straightens, scanning the driveway with a frown. “Where is he?”

  “Where’s who?” I snap a photo of a sign with gold lettering that reads, Please Wash Your Hands Before Returning to Work, and text it to my dad.

  “Finally.” Her hands drop from her hips as an old, red Chevy step-side pickup truck pulls into the driveway. “Oh, yay!”

  She takes off in the direction of the truck, and I when I see who she’s waiting for, my stomach jumps to my throat. I tug on the strap of my denim overalls and try to smooth the flyaway hairs around my face.

  “Hey, girl. I brought a surprise.” Scout Dunne hops out of the passenger’s side of the car, leaning down to return my cousin’s hug.

  My hands get sweaty, and my fingers tremble on the phone—which is so dumb. I’m not looking for a boyfriend in Fireside. I’m especially not looking for the quarterback for the high school football team—as if he’d even be looking at me. Guys like Scout Dunne only date head cheerleaders. Or supermodels.

  “I didn’t know you were in town!” Sly bounces on her toes, holding the arm of another guy, who looks college-aged. “We’ll get this done in no time. Daisy, have you met Scout’s brother John?”

  “John?” Scout’s nose wrinkles, and when he grins, a deep dimple in his cheek appears. “Try JR.”

  That grin is still on his lips when his blue eyes land on mine, sending a bolt of lightning through my stomach.

  “How do you do?” My voice breaks awkwardly as I nod at JR, doing my best to smile and not seem like a weirdo.

  JR’s ice blue eyes study me, and he gives me a brief smile. He’s a little darker than Scout, but there’s no denying they’re brothers. They’re just about the hottest guys I’ve ever seen in my life.

  “I’m alright,” he says. “What are we doing?”

  “Just… Looking for hidden gems.” I push the oversized, horn-rimmed glasses higher on my nose and shove a lock of stick straight blonde hair behind my ear. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

  “Okay.” He shrugs and turns to my cousin. “What are you doing?”

  “Come on.” She catches his arm and drags him off towards the pile of scrap.

  Scout looks after them, hesitating before walking over to where I’m digging through junk. His hands are in the pockets of his faded jeans, and my heart beats faster with every step he takes.

  What is wr
ong with me? I’m not “boy crazy,” as my dad would say. Nor am I looking to form any attachments to this Podunk little town.

  I’m only here because after twenty years of marriage, my mother decided she’d had enough of the antiques-dealing life and walked out on my dad and me.

  I tried to believe she’d come back for me like she said she would, but as one month turned into two, it became clearer she was done with both of us.

  First, she said her apartment wasn’t big enough, then she lost her waitressing job. Six months ago, we stopped hearing from her altogether.

  Dad said I should move in with Aunt Regina and finish my senior year here with Sly. We’d played together as kids, and we used to text each other all the time. Aunt Regina told my dad I’d get the love and support I need here with her and her daughter.

  Pushing the glasses up on my head, I go to the next pile of junk, thumbing through it on the chance I might find something of value.

  “Daisy, right?” Scout’s sunny voice is at my side.

  He puts his hands on his hips, and the maroon tee he’s wearing stretches tight across his chest. Lines of muscle run down his arms, and my throat goes dry. I can’t help wondering how it’s possible for him to look like that—like he stepped out of a superhero comic.

  “That’s my name. Don’t wear it out.” I try for casual, but I sound like a dork.

  He grins, looking down at me. His blond hair hangs around his face a little too long, and his blue eyes remind me of the ocean. He’s also ridiculously tall, at least six foot two, and the sun shines behind his head, creating a glow.

  I should take a photo of him, because it might be valuable one day.

  “You probably don’t remember this, but we met when you visited Sly ten years ago.”

  “Ten years ago.” I frown, like I’m doing math in my head. “When I was seven?”

  “Yeah.” He laughs, like he can do math, too.

  This guy.

  My eyebrow arches. “What were we doing ten years ago?”

  “Sly had a birthday party with Shetland ponies. Remember? You were scared because that brown one tried to bite you?”

  “Oh yes! I do remember that.” My brows rise. “Shetland ponies are known for being headstrong and temperamental, especially if they aren’t used to children.”

  He chuckles, and his blue eyes twinkle. I look away, refusing to be pulled in by his charm. I have a plan—I’m getting my high school diploma, and I’m getting out of here.

  “You were scared. It’s okay.”

  “I wasn’t scared.” I’m totally lying. I’ve never been a fan of horses. I always feel like they’re too big and unpredictable, and Shetland ponies are ornery little assholes. “Horses have brains the size of walnuts.”

  I return to my quest for hidden gems, doing my best to discourage any more of this conversation. It’s no use.

  “Whistle Britches.” Scout scratches his eyebrow with his thumb. “That little shit. I’m pretty sure he bit me the week before. Left a bruise on my shoulder the size of a quarter.”

  “So the Shetland pony is smarter than you?” I cut my eyes up at him.

  A sly grin curls his lips, and he gives me a hot look, as if I’m the hidden gem in this junkyard. It makes me super uncomfortable.

  “Oh, you’re funny.” He points a finger at me.

  “I’m not so funny.”

  “Yeah, you are. You’re cute, too. You know that?”

  “I am not.”

  I’m very clear-eyed about my looks. I’m skinny with stick straight blonde hair. I use the oversized glasses to be interesting, but a teacher once told me I had an insolent nose. I’m still not sure what that means, but it’s not cute.

  “Hey,” JR’s sharp voice cuts through our conversation. “I said I’d help, not do all the work.”

  He stomps past carrying several pieces of cast iron, his biceps bulging nicely.

  “I’m coming.” Scout winks at me, and heat flushes through my midsection. “I’ll see you around, Daisy Sales.”

  With that he jogs off to where Sly stands holding a crowbar in the middle of a pile of empty paint cans in front of the broken fence. I’ve made it to the pile of junk that was here the last time my cousin dragged me to this place, and I’m ready to go home.

  Shielding my eyes with my hand, I call to her. “Do you need my help with anything?”

  Her shoulders drop, and she shakes her head. “None of this is light enough for you to carry. It’s okay.”

  “I’m heading on back. I’ve got homework.”

  She waves and returns to separating the cast iron components. “I’ll catch a ride with the guys.”

  Nodding, I walk with purpose to Sly’s waiting Kia. Scout glances at me from where he’s helping his brother collect the heavy pieces of iron. I pretend not to notice, but I pause in the driver’s seat to watch the lines in his stomach when he lifts the metal onto his shoulder.

  His tee rises, and those two lines drop into his jeans, forming that V that makes me forget what I’m doing.

  I’m driving away is what I’m doing.

  Fireside is not my home, and I have plans that do not involve befriending the senior class heartthrob, captain of the football team, starting quarterback.

  I have never been that girl, and I’m not about to start now.

  That’s a recipe for trouble, and I don’t do trouble.

  I do work.

  Two

  Daisy

  Kansas state quarters…

  Green glass hen dishes…

  Pokemon cards…

  Reclaimed iron roosters…

  The massive, hardcover Miller’s Antiques Encyclopedia is open on the table in front of me, and I’m taking photos with my phone of the items my dad listed. They all seem like things I should be able to find in Fireside.

  It’s Wednesday, and I retreated to the library as soon as school let out, partly to do the research for my dad and partly to hide. Nobody comes to the library anymore.

  Scout Dunne has been saying hello to me in the halls, and it’s turned me into some kind of curiosity… Which everyone knows nobody wants to be.

  God, I wish he’d just leave me alone. It’s like he knows my eyes have been rebelliously drawn to him every day since our exchange on Sunday. Sitting in the lunchroom, I’m thinking about my plans, leaving this shitty little town, opening my own antiques store, and next thing I realize, I’m staring at him sitting across the room at a tableful of jocks.

  And it’s like he’s got radar or something. He instantly meets my eyes and gives me that cocky grin that almost makes me drop my tray.

  Blinking away fast, I spear a tater tot with my fork and shove it in my mouth. I’m not hungry, and I can’t eat with my insides all tight and tingly. Still, I force it down.

  Glancing to my right, then my left, I catch Mims and Stephanie glaring at me like I’m a black cockroach on the porcelain throne of their celebrity at Fireside High.

  “Bradley Scout, what in the world?” Ms. Alice, the ancient librarian, makes my heart stop.

  Tell me he’s not…

  “Hey, Gran! How’s it hanging?” Scout enters the library like a rockstar, and Ms. Alice holds out her arms for a hug.

  He rushes forward and grabs her around the waist, lifting her off her feet and shaking her side to side, which makes her shriek and fuss.

  “Put me down this instant! You’ll break my back!” She slaps him on his broad shoulders, but he only laughs and hugs her more.

  They’re totally breaking the silence in the library rule, and I slide lower in my chair, hoping he doesn’t notice me.

  Too late. His eyes hit mine and he puts his grandmother down, walking to me. “Whatcha reading, Einstein?”

  “Einstein was a physicist.” I close the book.

  “Antiques encyclopedia. Seriously?”

  “He also had ADD. Are you saying I’m hyper-focused?”

  “Absolutely.” Blue eyes laser on mine, and it’s like a small fish is fli
pping around in my stomach.

  “I have never been diagnosed with a cognitive disorder.”

  He blinks at me, fighting a grin, then shakes his head.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re shaking your head. Why?”

  “You don’t care.”

  My lips tighten. I’m annoyed I really do care what he thinks. “If you have something to say, you’d better say it.”

  “You are too damn cute.”

  Ugh. Blowing air through my lips, I collect my things, shoving my phone in my backpack and flipping it onto my shoulder.

  “Why does that make you mad?” He jogs alongside me, and just when we reach the door, Mims and Stephanie burst through.

  They’re like twins dressed in shredded jeans and crop tops that show off their midriffs.

  “Scout!” Mims does a little shriek, flipping her glossy brown hair over her shoulder. “We were just coming to find you!”

  He pulls up short. “Hey, sorry, Mims, I was just—”

  She doesn’t stop. “Stephanie said you still don’t have a date to homecoming. That’s impossible!”

  I walk faster, leaving them inside the door and doing my best not to care about their topic of conversation.

  Who cares if he has a date or not. I have no intention of getting involved in school social events. I am only passing through.

  I’m halfway down the block when he catches up to me. “Damn, girl, you sure walk fast.”

  “Why are you following me?” I look back to where Mims and Stephanie are standing outside the library with their arms crossed, slaughtering me with their eyes. “Don’t you have things to do?”