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Kiera Ford—a woman who loved sex and appreciated hot guys—was now devoid of all senses.

Help me, God.

“I’m the coordinator, replacing Stephanie. She’s staying at the headquarters to work on another project. Nice to meet you.”

He offered me his hand. His handshake was firm, which suggested a skillful man both inside and outside the bedroom. If that was how I’d judge men, then I had a serious issue.

Of course, that wasn’t how I scaled the men I’d been with. I wasn’t that shallow. It was just that when I shook a handsome man’s hand, there was usually a tingle of acknowledgment, sort of like seeing a beautiful landscape. The body would react with a soft sigh or something.

With Bruno, I sensed nothing.

Stop looking for a replacement, Kiera! Why are you still trying to forget a man who’s out of your league?

I didn’t want to answer that question. To answer it would be to acknowledge something I wasn’t ready to face. Not only that, the answer would open up an insecurity I hadn’t experienced until recently. I hated feeling unworthy.

“We’re heading out for dinner in a few hours. Do you want to join us?”

“Who’s us?” I asked.

“Olivia and Nate just arrived. They came earlier than expected. Steven’s scheduled to come tomorrow morning. We’re all staying at the main lodge. I heard you checked in, so I wanted to introduce myself.” He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth.

Bruno reminded me of a man I knew—a gorgeous man who had been occupying my mind too much these days. A man I thought I saw pass me on the road earlier today. Though stunning, Bruno couldn’t compare to him. No one could.

I couldn’t even think of his name without sending my thoughts into a tailspin. Every photographer had to beware the bokeh effect. I didn’t want parts of my life to be out of focus. Any distortion—even if aesthetically beautiful—was bad for someone trying to live in reality.

Maybe if I surrounded myself with gorgeous guys, I’d slowly forget abouthim.Bruno was real, with no special effect, and standing in front of me.

“Sure. I’d love to join you,” I said, feeling hopeful.

“I can give you a tour of the campground. I checked in two days ago and have done some exploring. Lots of trails and streams.”

An attractive tour guide sounded like a wonderful idea that would keep my mind off a man whose name I couldn’t mention.

CHAPTERFOUR

FORREST

My body stiffened at the frustration and anger radiating from the woman. I rushed over and stood between her and my grandmother.

“Is something wrong?” I stared down at the woman, shielding my grandma from this awful woman who looked like she wanted to hurt someone.

She was testing the wrong person. I was in no mood to deal with her.

Grandma stepped away from my protection and greeted the woman with respect she didn’t deserve. “How can I help you?”

“Your herbs are fake—this shop is a fraud!” the lady fumed.

Grandma’s lips thinned, and the respect was gone. “You need anger management. Sorry, but we do not offer that kind of therapy here.”

Yolanda stood on the other side of my grandma, looking like she was ready to strangle the customer. This was why I loved my cousin.

Grandma didn’t tolerate people who abused customer service. She would rather lose the sale than see her employees endure that kind of ill treatment.

The woman tugged at her bag, pulling out a small jar and several sealed paper bags of herbs. I was surprised the jar didn’t crack from the way she tossed it on the counter.

“Your herbal concoction made me sick.” She shot a hand in the air. “I was in the hospital for two weeks!” She shook the jar. “This isn’t medicine. It’s poison. I didn’t take anything other than this herbal crap from your shop. I told my doctor, and he gave it to the police. You’ll be hearing from them and my lawyer very soon.”

My jaw tightened as a slew of questions flew out of me. “Are you taking any other medication? What are you allergic to? When was your last physical? What did you eat before and after taking the holistic medicine?”