Second Time's the Charm Read online

  Second Time's the Charm

  Vanessa M Knight

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  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

  Epilogue

  More Books by this Author

  About the Author

  Second Time’s the Charm

  Copyright © 2014 by Vanessa M. Knight

  Published by Inked Publishing

  Cover Art © 2019 by Qamber Designs & Media

  Edited by Erin Dunbar

  Copy edited by Nancy Canu

  All rights reserved. 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 permission in writing from the publisher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, or events, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  ISBN: 978-0-9971838-7-0

  To the men in my life—my husband and my son. Without you both, I never would have had the courage to write word one. You are my heart and soul.

  I love you both.

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank my editors Erin Dunbar and Nancy Canu. You made the story stronger and better, and I'm grateful for that.

  I also want to thank Nicole Leiren for the fabulous book title and for dedicating hours and hours to reading and rereading. You are an awesome critique partner.

  Thank you to Windy City RWA for the insight and friendship. And to all my critique partners who read the early drafts and didn't laugh: Cici Edwards, Jackie Powers, and Kathy Korbal.

  Last but not least, thank you, thank you, thank you to my mom, my family and my friends for your unrelenting support. Your encouragement and belief in me made all of this possible.

  Chapter One

  Loraine had asked her to attend. Herb would have wanted her here.

  Allison Southby’s stomach churned, and her hand grasped the gold Celtic knot necklace around her neck. Calm washed over her as the familiar texture of the rope design slid through her fingers. She stared at the entrance of Loraine’s massive house in the Chicago suburbs, where Allison had received the necklace so many Christmases ago. In fact, it was where she’d spent every Christmas for more than ten years.

  She could handle seeing him. She could handle anything.

  She drew in a deep breath and rang the bell next to the double wooden doors. A hay-like scent wafted from the fall Crocus lining the portico. Maybe it was cancelled and no one’s home, she hoped as she stood before the placid home, the music of finches and sparrows cutting through the tranquil morning.

  Hope faded as the house shot to life, noise erupting behind the door right before it swung open. Instead of the butler Allison expected, Adam Byrnes stood before her, his short, brown hair disheveled. His chiseled cheekbones and angular face were the perfect backdrop to his provocative green eyes.

  Her gaze moved down his strong neck to his form-fitting black sweater. The rolled sleeves gave her a perfect view of his bulging forearms. His dark straight-leg denim jeans hugged his hips, and, Heaven help me, other parts of his anatomy. Her mouth watered in appreciation. Apparently, a cop’s life agreed with the man. He looked amazing. Dammit.

  Was it too much to hope for a paunch and receding hairline?

  Her eyes held their position until she heard an amused, “See anything you like?” from the sex-on-a-stick trance-inducer before her.

  Damn. She blinked as the mortification crawled up her neck. “Not at all.” She prayed she said that with conviction. She might like what she saw, but she refused to admit that to him.

  A cleansing breath left her lungs as she raised her eyes, set her chin, and met his stare. “Do I…know you? You kind of look like Loraine’s son, but I haven’t seen him in years. Wait”—she snapped her fingers—“I know. You’re the new butler.”

  She could feel Adam’s amused eyes stare right through her. She hated that about him. He had this annoying way of seeing everything she was thinking, especially her main weakness—him. But this time, she was ready. She was not about to let him affect her. She was way too strong and smart for that now.

  That wayward sex-on-a-stick thought was a momentary lapse, but easily overcome. After all, it didn’t count since she didn’t say it out loud. Yeah. No matter how flimsy, that was the story she was sticking to.

  “How was your drive out?”

  “Fine.” She looked past his shoulders into the house. A strong desire to run far, far away overtook her. But her feet wouldn’t move. They were plastered to the ground, which was probably best. She needed to be here.

  She could handle it. After all, she was a successful businesswoman. She could do this. She could be an adult and have a civilized conversation. She managed to pull that off in spades as the Vice President of Byrnes and Company.

  “How’s your sister?”

  “Fine.” Why wouldn’t he just move out of the way and let her in? Just because she could have a civilized conversation didn’t mean she wanted to.

  His face fell as he reached for her arm. Sadness crept into his eyes as he asked. “How are you?”

  The muscles in her jaw ticced as she fought them down. The relaxed-no-worries smile would not leave her lips. She wouldn’t let it. She was fine… well… she would be fine. No one needed to know the extent of her sadness, especially him. She did not want, nor need his pity. “Fine.”

  “That’s a lot of ‘fine’.” His eyebrows furrowed in concern. She should have known that emotion was temporary, and sure enough, the concern left his eyes and a mischievous glint took its place. “Perhaps you know a different word?”

  A different word. There were so many words she would have liked to call this man, share with this man over the years, and yet there were so few appropriate places to say them out loud. In fact, the day his father’s will was read was definitely not the place to share those words. Jerk, joker, jackass… and those were just the Js. There were so many more letters in the alphabet.

  “Since you’re not going to answer me, would you like to come in, or should I have everyone move outside?” He motioned her into the foyer. Despite her annoyance, Allison found herself following him through the ornate hallways to the Byrnes’ family library. She could practically taste the blood from biting her tongue. The man drove her crazy.

  Allison now remembered why she’d managed to evade Adam over the years, which wasn’t easy since she worked for his father. But, somehow, she’d done it. She’d avoided dealing with the arrogant, pompous, annoying, cocky assh… oops. She was thinking all of those non-sharable words, again.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t act like those non-sharables all the time. Sometimes, he was sweet and kind and caring. Of course, those momentary lapses in assholism had led her to drop her guard, and ultimately her panties, before he ran away screaming for the hills. She’d known he wasn’t the staying kind, yet she fell for his charm. The man exemplified her idiocy.

  She hated reliving
that painful betrayal over and over again. So anytime she’d been faced with an opportunity to see him, to dredge all that up, she’d find something—anything—more important to do, which usually included her sister and ice cream.

  It helped that he lived in Phoenix.

  She pulled her attention away from the broad-shouldered man walking in front of her. She reminded herself, yet again, that she was not here for him; she was here for his mother.

  That fact hit home as she walked into the library and melancholy lodged in her throat. Herb’s desk was empty. Desolate. Adam moved into the room, and his brother, Dale, and Dale’s girlfriend, Nadia, huddled together and whispered. Their mother, Loraine, sat on the other side of the dark mahogany conference table.

  Allison walked past the small seating area, adorned with a loveseat, chair, and coffee table, to where Loraine was hunched down in her leather seat. Her designer suit looked too big on her small, delicate frame.

  When had she lost so much weight? Allison’s thoughts played back the last few days, to the funeral and the times she’d sat with the woman as she cried following Herb’s death. Had Allison been so out of sorts that she hadn’t noticed the woman fading away? No. That couldn’t be it. All of her attention had been focused on Loraine when she was with her. This weight loss was new, and it needed to be rectified immediately. She refused to let her wither away.

  A demure smile lit up Loraine’s face, warming Allison’s heart. Yes. She belonged here. Loraine had asked her to be here, and Allison refused to let the woman down, no matter how much she wanted to throttle her son.

  Edward Connolly, Herb’s longtime friend and lawyer, cleared his throat. “We should begin.”

  He shuffled the papers in front of him, his voice booming as he began. “First of all, I must request there be no interruptions. Please mute all cell phones. Observe silence. I will answer all your questions at the end. I am here to address the high points of Herb’s last will and testament. I will not read it word for word. I’m presupposing you all are capable of reading” —Edward’s eyes landed on Dale and Nadia— “and therefore, you may read the rest of the will on your own. I have a copy for each of you to take home. I’ll begin with the condo at Braelind Towers in Chicago. Herb states that the Chicago condo and all of its contents are hereby bequeathed to Allison Southby, in recognition of all of her hard work over the years. He also asked me to deliver this note.”

  Allison lifted the satiny, white envelope from the table, shifting in her seat as she checked the faces in the room. Dale leaned his head on Nadia’s shoulder while the woman twirled her long, red fingernails through his blond curls. Adam and Loraine smiled, and Allison breathed a sigh of relief. No one appeared to feel shafted at the generous gift. Despite that, discomfort tickled her neck as she forced her fingers to open the sealed laid linen envelope.

  She knew this was too much. The condo must have cost a few million dollars. Yes, million. There was no way she could accept it. Maybe she could talk Loraine into taking it back. She could do that. There were so many things Herb’s widow could do with the property—rent it out, keep it for trips to Chicago, or sell it and use the money for the animal shelter in the barn behind their home. Loraine wouldn’t turn down such a charitable offer.

  Although she loved the condo, Allison didn’t need anything so extravagant. What would she do with five thousand square feet? Over half the condo would go to waste.

  She managed to slide her finger under the envelope flap, and pulled out a handwritten note.

  Ally-gator, you have always been like a daughter to me. Over the years you talked constantly about leaving your ghastly apartment. However, you spent so many hours working, you never had a chance to find a suitable place. I hope you will enjoy the condo as much as I did. Redecorate it. Enjoy it. It’s yours.

  Love,

  Herb Byrnes

  P.S. Please throw out all the chocolate mints before you invite Loraine over. There is a stash in the hall closet and in the safe. I don’t want her to know I ate that crap when she wasn’t around.

  Allison shook her head and smiled. He‘d loved those sweets. The harder Loraine had pushed to feed him healthy, low-fat food, the harder he‘d pushed to eat the high- fat, low-nutrition alternative. It had been a fight built on love. Loraine loved Herb and wanted him to be around for a while. He’d loved her, but couldn’t get over his mistress, chocolate mints.

  Allison read the beginning of the note again. A suitable home. Ha! She’d made the mistake of inviting Herb and Loraine to her apartment once. Once was one time too many. They had been astonished at the small size and lack of modern amenities. She hadn’t thought twice about having only one bathroom or not having a dishwasher. She lived by herself. It was all she needed.

  The couple had been appalled at her living conditions. “Appalled” had been the word used. You would’ve thought she lived in a hut with dirt floors in the real Ukraine, not a third floor walk-up in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. The barrage of real estate information had flown from that point forward. Loraine had printed out information weekly on neighborhoods and housing costs.

  They always had worried about her. Worried too much. But she couldn’t complain. Wouldn’t complain. When she had first met Herb, she was at a low point in her life. Her parents were gone, she’d quit school to care for her sister, Brook, and the bank had been foreclosing on the family home. She thought she’d never recover financially, socially, emotionally, but with Herb’s help, she’d managed to get through. He’d always been a wonderful friend and father figure.

  She closed her eyes and saw the faces of the two great men of her life. Her mentor, Herb Byrnes, and her father, David Southby. A longing ache grabbed hold of her chest as she realized they were both gone. Gone. Her breath stuttered as the past played in a movie reel across the inside of her eyelids.

  Herb’s blue eyes sparkling when he’d watched her finally graduate from college, and her father’s smile when she’d run for high school class president. Gone.

  Her strangled heart throbbed. Herb’s faith that she could run the company in six months, and her father’s love that never had wavered. Gone.

  Tears sprang to her traitorous eyes, and she barely felt the gentle weight of Loraine’s hand on her arm.

  “Are you okay, dear?” Loraine sounded so very far away, as if the whole room was underwater.

  Allison struggled to control overzealous tear ducts. “I’m fine. I just need a minute.”

  “Edward, can we take a break?” Loraine handed Allison a tissue.

  The lawyer scowled in annoyance, but replaced the frown with a thin grin. “Of course. I need to check in with my office, anyway.” He reached for his cell phone and headed out into the hallway.

  Allison rubbed her temples, her elbows resting on the table. Get a grip. What the hell was wrong with her? Loraine needed her to be strong. Today was about helping this woman who was always there for her, not dwelling on her own issues of loss.

  Allison gave one final exhalation and drew her shoulders back. She found strength as she wrapped her fingers around the necklace at her throat. She could do this. Her eyes scanned the room. The distraught look darkening Adam’s face almost sent her back into despair. Instead, she turned to Loraine and smiled. “I’m sorry. I got a little choked up. It was nice to be remembered.”

  “Of course he remembered you. The daughter we always wanted.” Loraine took the tissue from Allison’s trembling hand and reached over to wipe a tear from her cheek. “Now, no more crying. This is a happy day. I’m finally getting you out of that horrible apartment. I hope you’re ready to shop. You’ll need some new furniture, linens, decor. We’ll design a color palette, and maybe add a cornice to the dining area. I’ve always wanted to do that.”

  The genuine smile that snuck onto Loraine’s lips as she talked about the condo told Allison the older woman would never let her return the gift. If only talking about the redecoration made Loraine this happy, the actual shopping and designing would keep
her mind off the loss of her husband for months. Allison refused to take that joy away from her. She deserved a little happiness right now. She needed a little happiness right now.

  As Allison wrapped her fingers around the woman’s comfortingly maternal hand, she knew she’d be living in that monstrosity soon. But somehow, looking at the small spark lighting Loraine’s eyes, she found she didn’t mind. She didn’t even mind that she had no idea what a cornice was.

  She squeezed Loraine’s hand and focused her attention on the impending move. Although the thought of packing up all her worldly possessions and lugging them across town was as appealing as a root canal, it was much easier to dwell on that than think about how much she would miss Herb.

  Chapter Two

  Adam shifted in his seat as he stared at Allison, and his throat tightened at the sadness in her eyes. He would give anything to take away that haunted look. The misery. The grief. He would give anything to wrap his arms around her. But given the way she was avoiding eye contact, he knew that would go over like a Drug Enforcement Agent in a crack house.

  He leaned back in his father's leather armchair, and studied the warm sun glistening in Allison’s dark-blonde hair. The rays brought out the golden shades of the strands, making her appear practically angelic. It almost made him feel guilty for giving her such a hard time outside. Almost. It was way too much fun to watch her indignation when he pushed all the right buttons. She made it so satisfyingly easy.