A Second Chance (14 page)

Perhaps he felt
her eyes through the thin fabric of his
shirt,
because suddenly he turned
around
with a
wide
infectious
grin
.
‘
Would
you mind if we took a little detour, Jade? I know that Laura won’t mind, but
I
don’t want to drag you
along
if you have other plans.’

‘Nope.’ She smiled back, eager to appear cool
. ‘
Where
are we going?’

She didn’t know the city at all, her short few drives around Laura’s
neighborhood
the only opportunity she had so far to do any sight
-
seeing.
It was lovely
,
as far as she could tell.
The Marina
D
istrict
was absolutely charming with its white Mediterranean
-style
houses and parks that invited
one
to take a stroll and gaze on the stunningly blue water of the ocean.
She loved watching the forest of masts bo
bbing gently up and down as the
sleek, powerful
yachts waited
to leave for some exotic destination. The proximity of the financial district didn’t take away any of the almost magical beauty of the area, the picturesque views of the water balancing perfectly
with
the more
modern,
business
-
oriented vibe of the central location. 

Laura was living in one of those cute, narrow homes with tiled
,
sun
-
baked roofs and pastel
-
colored walls. Her one
-
bedroom studio cost
an
arm and
a
leg to rent,
but
she confessed to Jade she
would rather juggle two jobs tha
n lose her spectacular view of the Golden Gate
. Jade knew how much it meant to her friend to
be able
to support herself without any help from her mom.
Money
was never
lacking
in the Latimer family, Laura’s mom providing a lifestyle
of which
other children could only dream.

Still,
the money
had
n’t
compensate
d
for her constant absence when they were growing up
.
Laura’s grandmother
and aunt
had
practically
rais
ed
the kids
themselves
. Right now
,
Laura’s
mother was sharing her time between her studio in New York and the house she owned in
Sea Cliff,
the most prestigious are
a
of San Francisco.
Yet
Laura decided she would rather have her own place
th
a
n
share her mother’s five
-
bedroom
,
three
-
thousand
-
square
-
foot
home.

Jade loved every square inch of
Laura’s
eclectic, cheerful apartment. The earthy tones of the walls and vibrant tropic
al
pictures created a perfect backdrop to the rattan furniture and paper screens decorated with oriental scenes of countryside and misty mountains.
P
iles of books
were
everywhere
—
preca
riously balanced towers of numerous volumes that defied gravity and common sense. Laura had always been an avid reader and collector, and her
ever-expanding
library
had
spilled long ago from the constraints of bookcases and shelves.

‘We’ll see th
e
house I was talking about
.
’ Liam
’s
long
-
fingered, elegant hands
maneuvered
the wheel with ease as they wove their way up north. ‘I just had a brilliant idea. Aren’t you working as
a
n
interior designer
these
days
?’

She was surprised he
’d
remembered. She was pretty sure that she had long vanished from his radar of interest as he built up his career in the
Bay Area
.
‘Yes, I am.
Why?’

‘
Well
, maybe I could ask you for a personal consultation
.
’
H
e
smiled again, their eyes meeting in the mirror. His were friendly and warm,
and
her heart
tighten
ed
painfully when she thought about the ease with which he had slipped back into his role
as
her friend.
Maybe he
had
never really left it
.
The
thought
caused
a bitter taste at the back of her throat. He had always considered her a friend, the short interlude from twelve years ago
not
powerful enough to shake the way he saw her.

‘I
’
m just curious what you’ll think,’
h
e
continued, dark eyes still holding her gaze
in
the mirror. ‘
It
’
s in pretty bad shape
,
and I
’
m aware it will take a long time to restore it to its former glory, but I really like it. So if you can give me your professional opinion and some pointers to think about, I
would
be very grateful.’

‘No problem.’ She shrugged, pleased that he valued her opinion and considered her an expert. ‘What made you choose this particular house?’

‘
The
privacy, mostly
.
’
H
is
straightforward
answer
confirm
ed
what Laura
had told
her about
him
all along. Liam hated publicity and tried to avoid it whenever possible. He did attend all the right parties and gatherings
—
that couldn’t be avoided
—
but his private life was safely separated from the eyes of the public. It wasn’t a pose or a tease to make himself more interesting. He just liked his freedom and made sure that after all the hubbub of his work
,
he could disappear quietly from the scene, walking of
f
into the sunset like some old
-
fashioned movie star from an era long gone.

‘It
’
s the last house before the trail on the coast starts
.
’
H
is voice
was
calm and pleasant. ‘It
has amazing views of the ocean
,
and the Land’s End path starts right outside my
gate.’

He looked up into the mirror, their eyes meeting. He must have noticed her confusion, because he smiled and explained patiently
.
‘
It
’
s a famous trail that goes miles and miles along the coast. It
’
s absolutely spectacular and wild, something you don’t get to see too often in the city. I go mountain biking there sometimes
,
and
that’s how
I
found
the house
.
It
’
s run down and requires tons of renovations
,
but I just love the way it hides in the old pines and perches on the cliff, as if ready to take off and fly to some faraway islands over the horizon.’

‘There, no one can say men aren’t romantic.’ Laura’s amused voice interrupted
,
and Jade blushed guiltily, aware that she had completely forgotten her friend’s presence in the front seat. ‘Liam was smitten with this house right from the start. He even caved in and decided to move into a
neighborhood
where you can rub shoulders with the rich and famous. Something he had vowed never to do, as I remember.’ The playful jibe didn’t seem to trouble him
,
for he laughed
good-naturedly
and shook his dark head, his hair glistening in the sun pouring through the window.

‘I’ve had many bad ideas over the years,
S
is
.
’
H
e
smiled, yet Jade had the
sense
he meant every word he said. ‘
But
I got it in the end, didn’t I?
Mom
will be
ecstatic
since it’s just a stone
’s
throw from her place, but I
’
m not telling her any detail
s
just yet. Otherwise she
’
ll be there tomorrow picking the paint swatches and fighting with me over the use of color.’

They
had
left the city a while ago, the road
winding
,
almost hidden
,
between the white houses and lush gardens.
The homes were getting larger and
statelier
by the minute, the elegantly designed gardens and immaculate lawns a testament to the affluence of the area. Yet at the same time nothing seemed cheesy or tacky, as it often was with
neighborhoods
that
had risen
to their status in
a
short, dramatic time span. Here
,
everything seemed to fit together like pieces of a puzzle, the beauty of the landscape perfectly complementing the elegant estates that sparkled
like jewels
in the sunlight.

Jade watched the fringes of palm
trees
waving gently in the breeze, colorful splashes of bougainvillea and oleanders adding to the almost surreal beauty of the surroundings. She sniffed the air as the windows of the car were rolled down, appreciating the fresh salty breeze coming to ruffle her hair and cool her heated cheeks. She looked ahead, her eyes widening in surprise as she took in the intense blue of the ocean that
gently
rolled, beating against the cliff they were now riding along. In the distance she could make out the graceful shape of the Golden Gate, elegant arches seeming to hover over the white
-
capped breakers sparkling in the sun.
I
t
was absolutely beautiful
,
and she stared in awe, her eyes wide.

‘Do you like it?’ Liam’s voice reached her
,
and she noticed he was watching her
in
the mirror
again
.

‘
It
is breathtakingly gorgeous.
I could
look
forever
.
’ She grinned
as she noticed
Laura rolling her eyes in playful despair.

‘Not you too
,
’ she giggled, watching Jade
.
‘Don’t get too enthusiastic, otherwise Liam will keep you up here as his ego booster. He was seriously disappointed with my lack of proper
attitude, but I can’t imagine living so hidden from all the things worth living for
.
T
here
aren’t even any Starbucks here
.
I
magine that
!
’

Jade couldn’t help laughing as she remembered how important city life was for her friend. Laura thrived on people and action, her studio perched over a gallery and
withi
n walking distance from bars, shops
,
and restaurants.

‘OK, next time we’ll bring some coffee with us,
S
is
.
’ Liam took the last curve, his strong hands handling the wheel with almost sensual ease. ‘For now, you are
sentenced
to spend half an hour in this wilderness before we rejoin civilization
.
A
greed
?’