Keep Tahoe Blue Read online

  Keep Tahoe Blue

  by

  NICOLE PYLAND

  Keep Tahoe Blue

  Tahoe Series Book #1

  Kellan Cobb had to get out of San Francisco. She’d just watched her ex-girlfriend meet the woman of her dreams. Her broken heart needed a break from it all, and Lake Tahoe was calling her name.

  Reese Lee has a secret. Only her twin sister knows the one thing Reese hasn’t even told the closest people around her. When she meets Kellan at a fun weekend game of beach football, she knows there’s something interesting about the tourist. She’s never had a problem wining, dining, and sometimes bedding the tourists that strolled into the lake town. But with Kellan, she might just see the possibility of more.

  Kellan is determined to address the loneliness in her heart. Reese is determined to keep her secret for fear it would change the way people see her. As the two women try to navigate their attraction, they each have to give up something their holding onto that could prevent them from finding what they’ve both been looking for all along.

  To contact the author or for any additional information visit: https://nicolepyland.com

  You can also subscribe to the reader’s newsletter to be the first to receive updates about upcoming books and more: https://nicolepyland.com/newsletter

  This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

  Copyright © 2019 Nicole Pyland

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-949308-12-9

  BY THE AUTHOR

  Stand-alone books:

  All the Love Songs

  The Fire

  The Moments

  The Disappeared

  Chicago Series:

  Introduction – Fresh Start

  Book #1 – The Best Lines

  Book #2 – Just Tell Her

  Book #3 – Love Walked into The Lantern

  Series Finale – What Happened After

  San Francisco Series:

  Book #1 – Checking the Right Box

  Tahoe Series:

  Book #1 – Keep Tahoe Blue

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  EPILOGUE

  COMING NEXT

  CHAPTER 1

  Her heart was broken. It had been shattered into a thousand pieces that she was now attempting to pick up and glue back together on an impromptu and much-needed trip away from the city. As she drove, it was as if each of those pieces was stuck to the wet pavement on the deserted highway, and she couldn’t pick them up fast enough. That was life though, Kellan reasoned. People leave pieces of themselves all over the roads they travel. She’d been through heartbreak before and was certain she’d left little pieces of her heart and soul with each of her former partners. Keira might have been the worst of all though.

  Keira had been a friend for only a short time before they’d started dating. While Kellan had fallen hard and fast for her, Keira hadn’t had the same experience. They’d become friends again after a time. Kellan had silently held onto the chance that they’d get back together one day. But when Keira met Emma not long after they’d ended their relationship, Kellan’s hope all but disappeared.

  Keira was in love. And Kellan couldn’t stand around and watch the two of them continue to fall deeper. She couldn’t join them at the Exploratorium After Dark each month or go to drinks with them each week at their local lesbian bar. It hurt too much right now to stay in San Francisco and have her heart hit by a wrecking ball every time they walked into a room together. Kellan packed up her things, and after telling Keira and their shared friends what she needed, she’d hit the road to Tahoe.

  She’d rented a cabin in South Lake but off the main drag. It was nearing autumn. Most tourists would be heading home until the winter ski season. She was looking forward to the peace and quiet of the tiny cabin that she’d been able to rent for two weeks. She’d spend that time hiking and staring out at the crystal-clear water. She’d go back to the city rejuvenated and with a fresh layer of glue holding her heart together.

  Tahoe was a faraway place to Kellan growing up, despite how close she was to it, living in the Bay Area. They couldn’t afford vacations of any kind when she was a kid. She couldn’t afford them all that much now either with her student loans still very much unpaid after veterinary school. She’d taken short weekend trips with friends or a girlfriend, and they’d shared a place and the expenses. This was her first solo trip to the lake after about ten with other people. It was the first one that she’d taken specifically to get away from those friends and former girlfriends.

  “Kellan Cobb?” A woman of about fifty with long snow-white hair stood outside the cabin when Kellan climbed out of her old Jeep.

  “That’s me,” Kellan replied and stretched. “Jane?”

  “I’ve got the keys here for you.” Jane climbed down from the porch of the cabin and toward Kellan, who had parked in the short driveway just off the main road that wrapped around the lake.

  “Thank you.” Kellan accepted the keys from the woman and ran her hand through her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair.

  “You can drop the keys at the main rental office on your way out of town,” Jane stated like she’d done this a hundred times before.

  “Okay,” Kellan replied and watched as Jane headed back toward the main road. “Nice welcoming committee.”

  It didn’t take her long to grab her two bags from the back and her backpack from the passenger’s seat. She’d packed light for a two-week trip, considering her hiking boots and outdoor equipment took up much of the space. She wasn’t certain she could trek as long and hard as she used to, when she’d go just outside the city and tackle the mountain trails, but at thirty-three and being a city dweller that walked most days, she could handle most of the intermediate trails in the area.

  Her phone chimed after she sat her bags on the ground. She considered not pulling it out of her pocket to check the text from Keira. She knew it was from Keira without looking because Keira had her own text tone. Kellan pulled her phone out to read the message. She’d asked Keira for time away from their friendship to try to sort out her feelings and move on from their failed relationship. Keira had been respectful of that but had sent a text that morning requesting the Kellan let her know when she arrived so she knew she was safe. Kellan replied that she’d arrived, planned to get settled in, and was turning off her phone. Then, she did just that.

  The cabin was a standard log cabin, but she’d ensured it came with amenities. It rested over a hundred yards away from the lake itself and had a thin layer of trees and a small hill she’d have to climb down to
get to the beach, but that was one of the reasons she’d chosen it. It wasn’t too public but near a small market that was about half a mile away and across the street. The sky was gray and cloudless, and a slight drizzle had begun. She grabbed her bags and lifted them onto the wood-planked porch. A creak startled her for a moment before she realized it was only the age of the wood and her steps causing the only sound she could hear, outside of the birds in the trees surrounding the sides and back of the cabin. She unlocked the front door and pushed it open. Immediately, she was overtaken by the smell of wood and fire, and possibly a candle of some kind. No, it wasn’t a candle. It was pine. It was the smell of the trees through the open back windows.

  She breathed and tried to remember the last time she’d smelled nature like this. It had been with Keira, on their fourth date. Kellan had all but forced Keira, a self-proclaimed indoor girl, to go to Redwood State Park with her and spend the day amongst the tall trees. The trip had not gone well.

  Kellan’s cabin had one bedroom and one bathroom. She dropped her stuff onto the floor next to the queen-sized bed with a burgundy and white quilt and six matching pillows. The headboard was likely pine, as well as the matching dresser and bedside tables. There was a mirror attached to the dresser, and after dropping her bags down, she looked up and at herself. She let out a deep sigh. The bags under her blue eyes only proved how exhausted she was. She’d been working non-stop since she’d finally graduated from vet school.

  She hadn’t told any of her friends about the second job she’d taken to help pay off her loans. Rent in San Francisco was expensive. She was starting out behind everyone else because she’d taken so long to graduate. Her face and the exhaustion evident from working herself so hard turned away from the mirror and headed back out to the living room, where she recognized the television and a small movie collection she’d seen in the photo on the rental company’s site.

  She thought that she might buy some wine one day this week, or maybe something stronger, and have a movie night. She had plans for the days she’d be here. But as for the nights, she hadn’t thought through how to occupy herself beyond grabbing a solo bite to eat in town or watching something stream on her laptop. It seemed like it wasn’t that long ago when she’d had movie nights with Keira. And as she flopped onto the comfortable sofa, Kellan recalled what it had been like to watch a movie with her precocious ex.

  “Kell, you said this wasn’t a scary movie,” Keira had said as she snuggled into Kellan’s side on her sofa.

  “I said no such thing. I said it was a thriller.” Kellan had laughed when Keira closed her eyes away from the screen and into her side.

  “Thriller doesn’t mean scary.”

  “It’s not scary, Keira. You’re just scared of everything.” Kellan had laughed again and kissed the top of Keira’s head.

  This was their tenth date. Kellan had remembered every single one that had come before it, and she was more than excited that Keira was this close to her. She could breathe her in and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

  “I’m not scared of everything; just a lot of stuff,” Keira had commented and lifted her face to look up at Kellan, who smiled down at her. “Did you do this on purpose? Get me to cuddle up to you like this so you could take advantage of me?”

  “Maybe.” Kellan had laughed again.

  “I knew it.” Keira had shifted back. “If you want something, you should just ask for it, Kellan.”

  “Yeah?” Kellan’s eyebrows had lifted in unison. “So, if I wanted to skip the rest of the movie and go to the bedroom, you’d be for that idea?”

  “I have an early day tomorrow, Kell,” Keira had reminded her. “I wasn’t planning on staying over tonight.”

  “You don’t have to stay over. We can occupy ourselves for a while, and then you can head back to your place.” She had teased kisses along Keira’s collarbone.

  “We should probably just finish the movie. I’ll stay over Friday night or something.”

  “It’s not about you staying over, Keira.” Kellan had pulled back and removed her arm from around Keira. “You realize we haven’t had sex in like two weeks, right?”

  “Two weeks?” Keira had appeared to be considering this as if she’d been unsure.

  “We met at the wedding. You managed to seduce me into your bed, and we had one wild night together. Then – nothing.”

  “Because we just did the friend thing after that.”

  “Until you told me you wanted to go out. We did. And now, here we are. We’ve had sex after two of our dates, and you never stay over. And I don’t stay over at your place.”

  “We’re not there yet,” Keira had defended.

  “We’re not where yet?” Kellan had questioned.

  “We’re not a couple or anything, Kell. We’re just dating.”

  “I’m aware of that, Keira. Trust me, I am more than aware that I am way ahead of you in this thing.” Kellan had stood then and grabbed at the two wine glasses on her coffee table.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that I’m ready for things that you aren’t.” Kellan had dropped the half-finished glasses off at her counter and turned back to see Keira staring at her. “It’s fine.” She’d deflated at the look on Keira’s face. “I had a long day at work, and I probably should have canceled this date.”

  “Kell, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing, Keira.”

  Kellan had lied that night. Something was going on with her. She was already in love with Keira. She knew that Keira wasn’t in love with her. She’d seen Keira’s face that night, staring at her with a look of horror; like she was ready to end whatever they were doing and run out the door. And Kellan hadn’t been ready for that, so she’d lied.

  CHAPTER 2

  “Reese, you have to take better care of yourself.”

  “I know, Doc,” Reese replied and slid her jacket back on over her long-sleeved t-shirt. “I’ve taken precautions and done the best I can.”

  “I know, dear.” The doctor that Reese had known since birth finished writing on Reese’s chart. “You just have to watch out.”

  “I tried. But they’re four, Doc. There are more of them than there are of me. Sometimes, I have to chase one of them down. I ran into the corner of the desk.”

  “And you almost broke a rib, Reese,” the doctor reminded her and sat the chart down on the counter next to the exam table. “You’re lucky it’s just a bad bruise and nothing more. How about I call that specialist at Stanford?”

  “I don’t need a specialist.” Reese zipped up the jacket, remembering it was raining when she’d made her way into the clinic. “I’m fine.”

  “So you keep saying.”

  “I am. I’m careful. Remy moved in with me. She’s helpful.” She stuck her hands in her pockets. “I need to get to the store. I’m cooking dinner for her tonight as a thank you.”

  “One of these days, you might actually listen to me.”

  “I do listen to you. I came in today, didn’t I?” She smiled and gave her favorite doctor a wink.

  “Three days later than you should have,” the doctor chastised.

  “Better late than never?”

  “In your case – yes, but still better on time than late, Reese Lee.”

  “Yes, Doc.” Reese laughed.

  She’d known she should have checked in with the doc sooner, but the bruise hadn’t appeared that bad at first. And it was only Remy’s not so gentle push that she visit the doctor earlier than usual that made her go. She normally only saw the doctor once a month.

  “All good?” Remy asked once Reese arrived home two hours later. “Anything we need to worry about?”

  “God, you’re worse than mom and dad!” Reese placed two reusable grocery bags on the counter. “I’m fine. Bruised ribs. That’s all.”

  “Mom and dad aren’t here to do this anymore, which means the big sister has to step in.” Remy approached and tussled Reese’s short brown hair.

&nbs
p; “You’re four minutes older than me,” she said to her twin.

  “Still older.” Remy lifted herself onto the counter next to the bags while she watched Reese unzip her jacket. “Did she recommend the specialist again?”

  “Doesn’t she always?” Reese hung the jacket on the coat hanger by the door.

  “Maybe you should listen this time,” she suggested.

  “Rem, we’ve talked about this.”

  “I know.” Remy began pulling items from the grocery bag.

  “I’ve seen a hundred doctors.”

  “Not recently. Mom used to make you go, and she’s been gone for over a year now.”

  “You don’t need to remind me how long mom’s been gone, Rem. I remember.”

  “I know.” She jumped off the counter and handed Reese the bag of potatoes to put away. “I also know you’re tired of hearing about this.”

  “I am, yes.”

  “Why didn’t I get it?” Remy asked.

  Reese moved to the refrigerator to open it so Remy could put the milk away, but she closed it at that serious question from her sister and best friend.

  “Rem, come on.”

  “It’s just a question, Reese. We’re identical twins. Shouldn’t we have identical diseases?”

  “I don’t think that’s how it works, Rem.” Reese gave her sister a straight-lipped smile.

  “I wish it was me.”

  “No, you don’t. I don’t either.”

  “I do, actually.” She passed Reese the milk. “Because at least I’d listen to my fucking doctor.” She squinted at Reese before giving her a playful smile. “What’s for dinner?”

  ◆◆◆

  Reese had wrapped up the PM session of her class and made her way to the South Lake Tahoe visitor’s center of which she was an employee. She’d had a particularly long day with her combined preschool and kindergarten class. Half of her students did not want a nap. There was a crayon theft that left Joey in timeout and Anthony telling little Joey that they weren’t friends anymore.