Guarded Hearts by Louisa Keller

“Nobody has ever made me feel like this.”
Blaise: I only took a summer job lifeguarding because I wanted something to do in the last few months before heading off to college. Cue Forest Ethridge–my prickly, defensive coworker. I’m drawn to him right off the bat…despite the fact that he seems to find me more of a nuisance than anything else.
I fall hard and fast, despite his warnings that I should guard my heart carefully. Just as he’s opening his own heart to me, Forest disappears without a trace, leaving me wondering what exactly went wrong. Ten years later I’m still grappling with the repercussions of my first devastating love…and that’s when he shows up again. Can I look past my own pain long enough to find out what happened? Or is it better to move on with my life?

“I have one rule: don’t let anybody in.”
Forest: As a teenager, I learned the hard way that nobody except my sister Faye can be trusted. Still reeling from our parents’ abandonment, we’ve figured out how to fly beneath the radar. For years I never let anybody in…until I met Blaise Lancaster. He’s kind and funny and full of hope. Making out with him is a mistake, and promising to take his virginity is an even bigger one. But before I can make good on my promise, Faye and I are thrust into chaos once more. It’s time to leave my hometown once and for all–and there’s no time for goodbyes.

A decade later I’m still wary and defensive. My solace at the end of each day is listening to Blaise’s award-winning podcast. When I find out that he’ll be visiting a local bookstore on a promotional tour, I decide to go and skulk in the back of the room. Then our eyes meet, and I realize that my feelings for Blaise have never truly flickered out. Is it too late to rekindle my first love? And will Blaise be able to forgive me?