Head down.
Don’t look up.
Never make eye contact.
Those were the words I lived by growing up, the words that protected me in a house where men frequented, but did not stay. But, even with all the rules and warnings, I couldn’t keep them all away.
I couldn’t keep him away.
Hoping to leave behind the shattered life of my past, I find myself in a small town, with an aunt I’ve never met and at a school I loathe.
But soon I learn, not everything in this world is as black and white as I’ve determined. Sometimes those we are so quick to judge need a second or third time to make a first impression.
And often, there are friendships and even love—real love, waiting just around the corner, if we are brave enough to take that first step.
Am I brave?
Or will I hide behind these tattered gloves of mine forever?
J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready Series and has written over a dozen other novels in the past decade. She is a California native but currently calls Virginia home. When she's not writing, you will likely find her spending time with her family or watching Doctor Who. J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC. Learn more at http://www.jlberg.com