Begin Reading
Table of Contents
About the Author
Copyright Page
Thank you for buying this Swerve ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content, and info on new releases and other great reads, sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author's copyright, please notify the publisher at: http://us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.
UNSAFE HAVEN
Bella Jewel
Chapter 1
“Just talk to him already!”
I stop midway through sipping my coffee and stare over the counter at my best friend, Erin. She’s looking at me in a way that screams excitement. Her blue eyes bright, her blond hair bobbing around her chin, her mouth spread into a big grin. She raises her hands, claps them together, and then wiggles her brows at me.
“I can’t,” I murmur, staring down at the creamy liquid in my cup. “He doesn’t really look like he enjoys being spoken to.”
“All men enjoy being spoken to!”
I huff. “Maybe so, but he seems . . . shy. Broody, even. He isn’t like most happy-go-lucky men. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“You start with hello, Jade, and you go from there.”
I purse my lips, and take another sip of coffee. “I mean, I have said hello, and he murmurs a reply but then just gets back to work. Marlie said he’s going to be at Sanctuary the next two days to help with all the decorations for the Halloween party. Maybe I can try and talk to him then.”
“Don’t try, just do it, Jade.”
I stare at Erin. She’s right, I should just talk to the mysterious, gorgeous, broody handyman who helps out at my job, but I’m far too shy to bring myself to do it. He started only a few months back, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off him when I’m there. There’s something that draws me to him. There aren’t many men that show up at my job, so having him there, and even finding the courage to speak to him, is huge.
I don’t have the best history with men. My ex, Terry, made my life miserable for a few solid years. When I tried to leave, he wasn’t happy about it. I guess you could say I’m an abuse survivor, and because of that, I became slightly withdrawn when it came to the male species. My work has definitely helped with that.
Working at Sanctuary has been a dream come true. It’s run by two amazing women, Kaity and Marlie, as a safe place for men and women who’ve been through something awful, like abuse or a traumatic event, and want support without judgment. After all, I was one of those people not so long ago.
Marlie, my boss, is an extraordinary woman. She escaped the hands of a serial killer and lived to tell the tale. She wanted to do something incredible for other people who’ve experienced such terror, so she opened a place where people can escape for a little while. I’ll never forget how kind she was to me when I showed up on the doorstep six months ago, looking for a place to just feel okay, like I wasn’t so alone in the world.
Marlie, her boyfriend Kenai, and her sister Kaity all made me feel right at home, and I found myself spending every day there, talking to other people, helping them through, and just giving any advice I could think of, so they could feel a little better. I think in doing that, I helped myself. Talking to others, seeing that some people had it so much worse, made me realize I wasn’t alone, and slowly I started to heal. I started to make friends, and I started to find a passion in helping the people who walked through those doors.
So, after a few months, Marlie offered me a job. She liked the way I interacted with people, and felt I was beneficial, not only to Sanctuary, but also to the people who walked in the doors. It’s only part time, but I go in and help out wherever I’m needed. Showing people around Sanctuary, making them feel comfortable. I also clean and help with some bookkeeping and whatever administrative tasks they need help with. I was working as a waitress before, a somewhat empty job, and I didn’t feel like my life was taking any course of its own. Now, I feel like I’m finally giving back, finally doing something to help others.
It gives me purpose. I love it.
Until Kenai brought his very attractive friend in to do some maintenance work around the place. Oliver. Gorgeous. Quiet. And someone I can’t keep my eyes off. Every time I go to work and he’s there, I find myself watching him, curious, wondering about him and why he’s so quiet and withdrawn. My nurturing instinct wants to go over, to see if he’s okay, to make friends with him and start a conversation—after all, it shouldn’t be just women I help—but every time I go to do it, I chicken out.
I’m shy.
Horribly shy.
I can’t say I’ve always been that way; I haven’t. I’m like this because the last time I found my voice, I regretted it very quickly. The one and only time I stuck up for myself to Terry, it backfired and I ended up in hospital with a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and a black eye. It was enough to weaken me. So I stay mostly silent, only talking to the people who come in, and Marlie or Kaity. When it comes to men, I have major trust issues. But Oliver . . . he speaks to me without saying anything. Something about him makes me want to talk to him.
“I have to go in there now, maybe I’ll try,” I say. Erin is staring at me with a scowl, obviously
