**Dexter Truitt ruined my life.** His impossibly improbable act set off a chain of events I couldn't make up if I tried, each one stealing a little more from me. My relationship. My business. *My reputation*. But even bad times have to come to an end. I thought that was the case when Valerie slid onto the barstool next to mine and asked me to buy her a drink. She was gorgeous. Driven. Smart. *And didn't know who in the hell I was.* **Didn't know why every other woman in town avoided me like the plague.** Valerie was a ray of light when I needed it most, and I couldn't get enough of her. Being with her made me think I could have it all again. Showed me I could have more. *All I had to do was reach out and take it.* Except all good things must come to an end, too. **And our ending was one I didn't see coming.**