Ready to Love Again (Sweet Romance #2) (4 page)

I thanked her for the coffee and returned to my office. To my surprise, I had a reply from Ms. Rayburn waiting for me and I sat down to read what she had written.

Shelly Rayburn turned out to be interested in what Emerging Butterfly had to offer. She was surprised to have been approached by a publisher and though she loved being indie, she was willing to sign with us.

I replied straight away.

We were offering indie authors that signed with us a pretty good deal but I knew from the industry that indies have their pride, as does anyone. Some were pretty adamant they would remain indie, and some were only too happy to sign with a publisher. The thing about this industry, in my opinion, is there are too many people that put up a divide between “indie authors” and “traditionally published authors.” I personally feel this is a very bad thing.

If you ask me, authors shouldn’t have to fight amongst themselves, indies shouldn’t have to fight to make themselves heard and readers shouldn’t ever overlook a book purely because it’s by an indie author. There is a stigma attached whereby some people feel that just because you write something doesn’t mean you should publish it. I don’t share this view. Okay, so if I were to write a book and it was absolutely awful, I shouldn’t publish it, but not because of any stigma, more so because it wouldn’t sell. But if you pour your heart and soul into a book, you love it and really want to share it with the world, then why shouldn’t you be able to?

This was my new job, to convince authors to publish with us and let us get their book out there, to convince them we can promote them and get their names on the lips of readers and reviewers. Emerging Butterfly helps promote books by using bloggers to do cover reveals and release day blitzes, as well as blog tours and reviews. EBPH even set up signings in bookstores where possible.

I was busy reading another book,
Desolate
by Sam Downing. It was a gripping dystopian novel and I was lost in the world Sam had created.

A knock on my door pulled me out of the book and at the same time, my tummy rumbled, signalling lunch time.

Lexi stood at my door with a smile on her face.

“I thought you might need showing to the canteen. I know it can be a bit daunting and easy to get lost around this building at first. I was the same when I started here last year.”

“Thanks. I’m starving.” I smiled her way before grabbing my bag from the bottom drawer of my desk.

“Well, I thought we could sit together if you like. I know you don’t really know anyone and I know how that feels. Not that I mean it to sound like I only offer out of pity, of course.”

I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped my lips. Lexi really was sweet and I thought we might just become good friends.

“I’d love to sit together,” I said cheerily.

***

My first day over and done with, I stood outside the office and pulled out my iPhone to call a cab.

“Can I give you a lift somewhere?” came a familiar voice.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to put you out. Thanks though,” I called back.

“I might just be headed your way, you don’t know yet,” came that voice, but from beside me this time.

I don’t know how he snuck up on me but it was eerie the way I hadn’t noticed him close the distance.

“It’s okay, I’m about to call a cab.” I began to dial the number on my phone before it was taken from my hand.

“You might not need them yet, just tell me where you’re going,” Chase said as he held my phone out of my reach.

I really didn’t want to admit to living in the shithole bedsit that my landlord Graham had lumbered me with.

“Umm…I’m going to the store. Don’t worry about me.”

I tried reaching for my phone but he backed off, making it harder to reach.

“Which store?”

He really was persistent and I don’t even know why. Maybe he was this friendly with everyone but I didn’t need anyone doing me favours. I could get by on my own. It would be so much better when the sale of my old house went through and I could buy myself a car. I don’t want anything special, just something to get me from A to B.

“It’s Dylan’s Hardware.”

“Oh, that’s actually right by my house. I live by the pub just up the road from Dylan’s.”

I wondered if he was telling the truth but if he was willing to give me a lift, it would save me paying for a cab.

“Well, if you can drop me off at Dylan’s, I’m meeting Clark after work.”

“Clark Dylan?” he asked, sounding a little surprised.

“Yeah, why? Do you know him?”

“I went to school with him. Nice guy. Still see him from time to time when I pop in the store or if he’s up for training.”

“Training for what?”

“Oh, I mean the gym. We get together sometimes to work-out.”

I don’t know how I’d missed it before but looking at Chase now, I could see a toned body and his work shirt fit snugly around the tops of his arms. He was well built from the looks of it and I could begrudgingly admit to his good looks. He had short brown hair that looked like he’d just run his fingers through it and green eyes that had these little flecks of gold. You could only see the latter by looking him over closely, which is what I was doing.

“Oh I see. Clark has never mentioned the gym, but then I’ve only lived here a few weeks.”

“We haven’t been in about six weeks. It’s time we started going again. I stopped because I went away for a while. My grandma was poorly and I went home to take care of her.”

“Oh I’m sorry to hear that. Where’s home? I hope your grandma is better now.”

“She’s much better, thank you. Home is Brazil.”

No wonder he had that perma-tan look. The accent was also explained. He was obviously good with his English, but he had a slight accent that said maybe he moved here some time ago.

I didn’t want to turn down the offer of a lift. Not because I was attracted to Chase, but because money was really tight and having to pay for a cab to and from work every day was dipping into my ever-decreasing savings. I really needed the house to sell. I could put a down payment on a nicer place to live and buy a little car to get around. Life would be so much easier. But for now, cabs would have to be my transport. Buses are infrequent around these parts and there isn’t one that goes past Emerging Butterfly. The closest would still leave me with a walk to work.

“Brazil? Wow. That’s one place I have always wanted to visit,” I said as I looked into Chase’s eyes.

“Well, I’ll tell you about it if you agree to that lift,” he said as he lifted one corner of his mouth, causing a dimple to appear.

“Okay, thank you.”

I smiled as he handed me my phone. I felt a little jolt as he touched my hand, his skin was just as smooth to the touch as it looked. I shouldn’t be looking, but it’s hard when someone is as undeniably attractive as Chase.

Thoughts of attraction squashed to the back of my mind, I got into Chase’s convertible and let him take me to Dylan’s Hardware so that I could meet up with Clark.

***

Chase pulled up, cut the engine and came round to open my door. Who said men can’t be chivalrous in this day and age?

He opened the door and offered a hand to help me exit the car. I took his outstretched hand and stood up. Chase hadn’t backed away and the vibe I was getting from being this close to his body suggested there could be something between us, if only I would allow it.

I shook my head to clear those thoughts away. Thoughts like that had no place in my mind right now.

“Thanks for the lift, Chase.”

“You’re welcome, Alyssa.”

I stepped away from the car and onto the kerb in front of the store.

“Say hey to Clark for me.”

“Why don’t you come in and say hi?”

I didn’t know why I was inviting him in. It wasn’t like Clark and I had plans to do anything after work, but it wasn’t like I could tell Chase the real reason I had him drop me off here instead of home.

“I thought you two had plans?

“We do but the store doesn’t shut for another twenty minutes.”

Chase followed behind me into Clark’s store and the bell chimed over our heads as I opened the door.

“Hey Clark!” I greeted as I walked in and saw him sitting on a stool behind the counter.

“Hey Alyssa, wasn’t expecting to see you today,” he greeted, dropping me right in it with Chase.

“We’re going out when you shut up shop, Clark. How could you forget? We only talked about it yesterday?” I winked at him slyly, hoping he’d get the silent message to back me up.

“Oh…umm…sorry, it slipped my mind. Hey Chase, my man!” he said as he stood and offered Chase a hand to shake.

“Oh Clark, what are you like?” I flashed him a grateful smile for covering for me and hopped up on the counter.

“So how do you guys know each other?” Clark asked as he went about his routine of cashing the register ready to leave for the night.

“We work together,” Chase said with that scintillating hint of an accent.

“Oh really?” Clark asked in obvious surprise.

In my defence, it was my first day at the office, so it wasn’t as if I’d had a chance to tell Clark anything yet.

“Yes, Chase saw me about to call for a cab, but it turned out he was coming this way so he offered me a lift.”

“Cool. It’s good seeing you, Chase. How’s your grandma?”

“She’s doing better, man. She was really poorly there for a while, we weren’t sure if she would make it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, man, but at least she’s on the mend now, right?”

“Yeah, she’s much stronger.”

I silently watched the exchange between the two and smiled to myself. The two seemed at ease with each other and it was good to see Clark interacting with people other than me. In my relatively short time here, I hadn’t seen many of Clark’s other friends.

Chapter Five

After Chase left the store, Clark and I went back to mine for take-out. He said we had to celebrate my first day at work and I was paying because he had covered for me with Chase.

“So why did I need to cover for you with Chase back there?” Clark asked in what I had come to think of as his prying without wanting to seem like prying tone.

“I just didn’t want to admit where I lived.” I sighed as I tucked into my third slice of pizza.

“Oh!” I could tell he was disappointed by the tone of his voice and the wistful sigh that followed.

“Why? Were you hoping it was something else?” I didn’t know why I was allowing myself to get into this with him.

“Well, you know, I just thought…Never mind.”

“No, come on. Tell me what’s on your mind?”

“Well, you’ve been here a while now and you haven’t met anyone.”

“I’ve met you!”

“That’s not what I mean. You don’t want to date me.”

“How do you know that?” I laughed and nearly choked on my pizza.

“Well, your reaction there for a start. But, you know, we’re friends…”

“I guess I haven’t really been anywhere to meet anyone other than you.”

I picked at the anchovies on the next slice of pizza. I wasn’t sure what to say to Clark. He was becoming a close friend but I didn’t want to discuss Ethan. Yet without discussing Ethan, I couldn’t clearly explain why I didn’t want to date.

“Well, we could change that. We could go out on the town.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Clark, but I’m a little old for that kind of scene now.”

“Old? Don’t be daft!” he snorted.

“I’m twenty-seven years old, for goodness sake, Clark. I’m too old for clubbing or whatever.”

“I never said it had to be clubbing. But if you don’t want to, Grandma, that’s fine by me.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed as I threw an anchovy his way.

“Hey yourself!” He threw my anchovy back, followed by a piece of mushroom.

From there, it devolved into a food fight and it looked like we were both wearing more than we had eaten.

After clearing up after our impromptu food fight, Clark crashed on the couch that night. I draped a blanket over him and then I got into bed. I lay there thinking I had dodged the bullet this time, but I would need to come clean soon. If Clark really was becoming a close friend, he might be mad that I felt unable to confide in him.

***

After a good night’s sleep, I got up early to get ready to go to work. Clark was still fast asleep as I tip-toed around trying to be as quiet as I could.

“Hey sleepyhead, I don’t know about you, but I have to get to work,” I whispered as I kneeled next to the couch.

“Oh, hey, yeah…” Clark trailed off sleepily.

“Well, my cab will be here any second, just get yourself ready, help yourself to a coffee or whatever and make sure to shut up tight when you leave.”

“Sure…thanks.” He was clearly still half asleep and I wasn’t sure what time that meant he’d be opening the store, but I didn’t have time for any of that to matter, I didn’t want to be late to work myself.

The morning flew by as I read the rest of
Desolate
, a dystopian novel that I was in the process of trying to acquire.

A knock at the door had me slightly startled as I lifted my vision from the book. I looked up expecting to see Lexi, but was shocked to see those gorgeous eyes I had been looking into yesterday.

“Hey, Alyssa, I thought maybe you would like to grab lunch?” Chase asked, smiling at me as he leant against the doorjamb.

“Umm...” I wasn’t sure how to say no to that beautiful gaze. I didn’t want him to take me saying yes as me being interested in him, but I also didn’t want to turn his offer down and seem unsociable. I realised he was still waiting patiently for my answer and I smiled at him as I placed a bookmark in the manuscript and stood from my desk.

“That would be nice,” I said, smiling at him as I strode across the office.

“Great. There’s a lovely little place just around the corner from here.”

His smile was disarming. I sighed quietly, taking in his handsome features.

“Great,” I said, coming to join him in the doorway.

He made a sweeping motion with his arm for me to exit my office first. I couldn’t help but be pleased someone was so considerate. I knew next to nothing about Chase, but from what I gathered, he was chivalrous and kind. He was obviously very close to his family too if he had flown back to Brazil to be was his grandma while she was ill.

We made our way out of the office and across the car park to Chase’s convertible. I knew next to nothing about cars but this one was a beauty. It was dark red and gleamed in the glorious sunshine.

Chase stood and held the passenger door open for me.

“Thank you,” I said as I buckled myself in.

“You’re welcome.”

Chase got in the car and started the engine. It purred like a kitten and I imagined myself behind the wheel of such a vehicle. I didn’t think it was the right fit for me but it suited Chase down to the ground.

“So, where is it we’re going for lunch?” I asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“It’s a surprise.”

Chase’s eyes flashed at me before looking back to the road. I looked at his profile for a moment, thinking that he looked good behind the wheel.

“A surprise? Okay.”

We drove in relative silence, but surprisingly not an uncomfortable one. After a few minutes, we arrived in front of a beautiful little pub. Ivy grew up and around the front door, framing it beautifully.

“Here we are,” Chase’s voice broke into my thoughts.

He got out of the car and came to open my door. I exited the car and stood, smoothing my skirt and running a hand through my long red hair. The top had been down on the journey and my hair probably resembled a bird’s nest for all I knew.

Chase led the way to the door of the pub and held the door open for me to pass.

I walked into the dim passageway that led to the bar. There were pictures on the wall and it looked like a family run place from what I saw in the photos.

The passageway opened up into a light and airy space that was cosy and welcoming. One wall held the bar and I could see a petite blonde with a smile on her face. She radiated friendliness and I could see she was familiar with Chase with the way she greeted him.

“Chase!” she exclaimed as she pulled up the end of the bar and ran to his arms.

I felt a pang of jealousy before I sternly reminded myself that he wasn’t mine and I had no right to feel anything. Disappointment followed the jealousy and I struggled to maintain the smile on my face as Chase introduced me to Emily.

“Hi,” I said, outstretching my hand for her to shake.

She shook my hand and beamed a gorgeous smile my way as she breezed back over to the bar. “What can I get you guys?”

Even her voice was beautiful. Looking her over, her flowing blonde hair and startling blue eyes made her look innocent and sweet. The smile she gave Chase indicated something else under the sweetness, but I couldn’t place what.

“I’ll take a bottle of Desperados please, Em,” Chase said as he looked at me, waiting for me to decide on a drink.

“Just a diet Coke for me, thanks,” I said politely as I looked around the room for a sign to indicate where the restrooms were.

“They’re just over there, sweetie,” Emily said, pointing to the side of the room.

“Oh, thank you.”

I made my way in the direction she pointed and found the restrooms nestled to the far side of the room. I walked down the short corridor and found the ladies on my left.

I walked into a stall and put the lid down, taking a seat for a moment. I locked the door, even though there were no more patrons in the bar that would come in and disturb my peace.

I sat and took a few deep breaths. What was it that was bothering me? How could I be so flustered around Chase? Why did Emily’s friendliness towards him bother me so? I had no right to feel the slight burn in my chest that I had felt upon seeing the way they were interacting.

I stood and unlocked the door. I made my way to the mirror and ran my hands through my hair. It didn’t look as dishevelled as I had imagined. I opened my bag and took out my brush and lip-gloss. After brushing my hair and applying a fresh coat of gloss, I looked at myself once more and resolved to feel nothing. I would walk back out to that bar, take a seat with Chase, and not let anything affect me.

A couple more deep breaths and I was ready to go.

“…the most amazing green eyes I have ever seen,” I heard as I walked back to the bar.

Emily cleared her throat and Chase was instantly silent. Had they been talking about me? Why my brain immediately skipped to that conclusion, I couldn’t say. All I knew was I had green eyes and they had shut up pretty fast at my approach. Should I be intrigued about what they had been saying? Intrigued, or maybe a little annoyed that they couldn’t say things in front of me—waiting until someone’s back is turned is a sure sign of saying things you wouldn’t be comfortable with them hearing.

Chase turned toward me and smiled.

“Ready to look at the menu?” he asked as he carried our drinks to a nearby table.

“Sure,” I said as I followed him and took a seat.

We ordered our food and Emily brought it out to us not too long later. I made sure to order something I couldn’t make a mess with. I have always been uncomfortable eating in front of strangers.

“That salad looks nice,” Chase said before taking a bite of the bacon cheeseburger he had ordered.

“It’s very good,” I said as I reached for my drink.

I took a sip of my diet coke and went back to my chicken salad.

“So, Emily’s nice, huh?” Chase asked as he sipped his lager.

“Very. She’s beautiful too. I can see why you’d like her.”

Why on Earth did I say that? It made me sound pathetic.

“I have to like her, she’s engaged to my cousin, Parker. But I do like her anyway, she has a very amiable nature.”

“Oh!” I couldn’t disguise the happy lilt in my voice.

“Yeah, Parker is the landlord here. My parents helped him buy The Mermaid Inn a few years ago. It was very run down when he acquired it at auction. He got it at a good price, gutted it, and remodelled it. He wasn’t sure if he would end up keeping it or flipping it for a good price.”

“Parker is your cousin, you say?”

“Yeah. He’s my mother’s sister’s son. My aunt and uncle died in a car accident when we were young and so my parents took him in. He’s more like a brother to me really, even changed his surname when my mother married my step-father.”

“Wow.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Chase was very forthcoming and it seemed that what I had detected from Emily earlier was wrong.

“It’s okay, not many people know what to say when I tell them,” Chase said as he reached for another swig of his lager.

“It’s not that, I was just thinking how sad it must have been,” I answered while internally chastising myself for making assumptions.

“It was. Their death hit him really hard. He was only eight. I was twelve. We’d always been close, always will be. I sort of took him under my wing and my parents very nearly adopted him but he didn’t want them to officially adopt him because he felt it would erase all trace of his parents. But when we moved over here, he changed his surname legally to Williams to be like us because he didn’t want to stand out at school.”

“That’s so…” I didn’t know what to say so I took another sip of my drink and left the sentence unfinished.

“Parker eventually moved out a few years after I did, got himself a job, and found Em. It was that kind of insta-love that had them quickly moving in together and getting engaged. She’s actually twelve weeks pregnant with their first child,” Chase said before taking a big bite of his burger.

“Wow. That’s great.” I smiled as I took another bite of my salad, clearing my plate.

Chase smiled at me and waved Emily over to order another drink.

“Hi, guys, what can I get you?” Emily asked as she picked up my empty plate.

“A Coke for me, please, Em. Would you like another drink, Alyssa?”

“Another diet Coke, please.” I smiled widely at Emily, my earlier feelings forgotten.

“Sure thing,” she said as she walked back to the bar.

Chase finished his lunch and Emily cleared his plate when she returned with our drinks.

We spent another half an hour in the pub, talking more about Chase’s family.

The good thing about working for emerging Butterfly was that your lunch hour wasn’t necessarily confined to an hour, they weren’t that strict as long as you made up any extra time at the end of the day.