Kristi’s heart sank. What had started out as a bad day just nose-dived. She caught his eye and he didn’t so much as smile, but he didn’t look away. The worst part of it was that the fates of aging had been more than kind to him. At six foot two inches, he was tall, fit, with a strong clean-shaven jaw and razor-thin lips. His light brown hair was longer than she remembered and uncombed, either because he didn’t care or because he was making a stab at being hip. Eyes somewhere between brown and gold met hers and she thought she caught the faintest narrowing at the corners. He had a new tiny scar that cleaved the top of one eyebrow, but other than that one slight imperfection, he looked none the worse for wear. In fact, he’d filled out slightly, his beard shadow darker than it once was, and there was a new air of confidence about him that increased his appeal.

Not that she cared.

She was over him. Had been for a long, long time.

She dropped into one of the few empty chairs and didn’t immediately realize that she’d taken a seat directly in front of Hiram Calloway.

This is just getting better and better, she thought without a drop of humor, then reminded herself it was no big deal. She was in college, not fourth grade. It’s not as if the seats were assigned.

It’s only about ten weeks, for God’s sake. Thirty-odd hours. You’ll live!

But tonight, staring at Jay McKnight, the first man she’d ever loved, she wasn’t so sure about that.

CHAPTER 8

J ay wasn’t going to let her distract him.

Of course he noticed Kristi the second she stepped into the room. How could he not? And he’d been primed, seeing her name on the class roster.

She was taller than he recalled, probably because her long legs were accentuated by slim jeans and boots with at least two-inch heels. She had an athletic build, her shoulders defined by years of swimming, her abdomen flat, breasts on the small side but still firm, hips slim.

Even dressed down in old jeans and a sweatshirt, she could turn some heads. Not because she had runway model beauty, but because she was a little bit more than pretty and she wore an air of confidence that was natural, easy, and compelling.