Needles and Nightshade

Six years ago, Tiffany Monroe thought she knew exactly what her life would look like.

But when a secret relationship ends in heartbreak, she leaves Emerald Bay behind for good.

Now twenty-nine and living in Solano Beach, Tiffany is focused on one thing: starting over. Between waitressing at a small waterfront restaurant and training to become a phlebotomist, she’s determined to build a future that has nothing to do with the mistakes she left behind.

Then she meets Ruby Abrams.

Ruby is everything Tiffany isn’t—quiet, observant, and effortlessly confident. With her curly red hair, sharp wit, and camera always slung over her shoulder, Ruby seems to see straight through Tiffany’s carefully rebuilt walls.

Working side by side in the lab, their connection grows from teasing banter to something far more dangerous. Because the closer Tiffany gets to Ruby, the harder it becomes to ignore the feelings she’s spent years trying not to face.

But some wounds don’t fade with distance, and the past Tiffany ran from might be closer than she thinks.

Sometimes the hardest thing to draw isn’t blood.

It’s the courage to follow your heart.