A Second Chance (2 page)

T
hat
night
would be a game
-
changer.
H
er body
buzz
ed
with energy as she reached the large patio
behind
the house.
The house itself filled her with awe each and every time she visited, the old world charm of the stately villa making it one of the
nicest buildings
in the Queen Ann
e
Hill area. She loved its
white walls and green shutters, the terracotta red tiles of the roof conjuring up images of someplace far away where
,
instead of Seattle’s rain and fog
,
there was heat and eternal sunshine. Her parents’ rather unassuming four
-
bedroom down the road paled in comparison to
this one’s
established opulence and effortless charm. Not that it ever bothered her, realizing early on that her parents had pulled off the nearly impossible, making their home in one of Seattle’s most affluent neighborhoods. They wanted her to have the very best, the allure of better schools and safer streets pushing them to work extra hard to achieve their dream. For that she was very grateful, appreciating what she had.

Alessandro di Davoli’s home was spectacular in the
daytime
, but as she looked around
she
could only stare with pure adoration. Hundreds of little lights in all the colors of the rainbow hung from invisible wires, casting an iridescent shine on the slate stones of the patio
and reflecting
in the shimmering water of the large, rectangular pool.
A
bar
with a buffet
on the
far
side
of the pool
offer
ed
guests a vast variety of snacks and drinks
;
the decorations on the tables
match
ed
the tropical theme of the party.
T
he catchy tune of
a
popular hit
played from strategically placed speakers, adding to the cheerful atmosphere.

Jade smiled, remembering that
this was Mr. di Davoli’s business
;
his large chain of party catering franchises
was
extremely successful and innovative. She remembered Laura telling her he
had
wanted Liam to work for the company
—
his artistic talent
would have been
a valuable addition to the family business
—
but Liam
had
rejected
the
offer
.
He
had
other
plans
, his
sights
set on projects more ambitious than coordinating parties for the
town’s
rich and famous.

Laura was talking
to her
, and
Jade made
a conscious effort to listen to her friend instead of searching the crowd with longing eyes.
She
would find Liam later. The night was
still young
,
and she would make sure to accomplish her mission before it was over.

‘So
,
what do you think?’
Laura’s b
rown
eyes, so much like her brother’s
,
looked at
Jade
expectantly
.

Jade
blushed guiltily, realizing her negligence. ‘I
’m
sorry, Laura
.
’
She
pray
ed
for some intervention before her friend
started
grilling her about the reason for her absentmindedness. ‘I… I just
—
’

‘
Here
you are, darling
,
’ Laura’s mom
inter
rupted
,
her timing so perfect
that
Jade had to fight
an
urge to hug her.

Instead,
she smiled sweetly and gestured to
ward
the patio
with admiration
.
‘Hello, Mrs.
Latimer
. It
’s
wonderful here, really
.
’

‘
Thank
you,
my pet.’ An elegant hand with a cluster
-
diamond ring patted her cheek briefly, blue eyes
looking
over her slim, dark blue sleeveless dress and high
-
heeled shoes. ‘You look very
lovel
y
, Jade. Very chic.’

To
be
compl
i
mented
by Laura’s mother
was definitely special
.
She
had
worked
in the fashion industry for years, her impeccable taste and
sharp eye
earning her a solid reputation in the business.

Jade loved her to pieces, starting with her British accent and ending with her
dyed
blue hair.
N
o one else could pull off her look
and
remain elegant and sophisticated, she
thought
as she watched the older woman talk
with
someone else. Tall, slim
,
and self
-
confident,
Mrs.
Latimer
chatted animatedly with
her
guests, her
short
hair shining in the muted light of the tiny
bulbs
.
Her tight black dress showed off her perfect figure
;
an eclectic necklace of blue and black beads
adorn
ed
her long, graceful neck. Emily
Latimer
turned heads wherever she
went
,
her haphazardly put
-
together wardrobe and accessories often mimicked by admiring fans.
N
o one looked as good as she did
;
her inborn
ability to choose
whatever she pleased and
mak
e
it work perfectly couldn’t be replicated.

‘Yes, Jade, you do look great.’ Laura
smiled
, her short dark hair and pale face very different from
that of
her breathtaking mother. She
had
told Jade how
Emily
had
hoped to channel her artistic creativity through
her daughter using
a series of dramatic steps.
She
had
started
by
painting
Laura’s
bedroom red. Not the muted, understated kind
;
it was very red and very vivid, the energy it
project
ed
expected to make the girl who slept there anything but average
. Only it
hadn’t been successful,
according to
Laura.
Maybe all the creativity in the family
had gone
to Liam, she
had
joked, her laughter covering up her pain.
He
hadn’t needed
his walls to be painted red to fly through the art program at the university with
almost offensive
ease.

‘
Any particular reason you
’re
looking so hot today?’ Laura
asked
, her dark eyes teasing. ‘
Who
’
s the lucky one, Jade? You know, you can tell me. We
are
best friends
,
after all
,
and it
is
my birthday
.
’

‘There
’s
no one, Laurie
.
’
She prayed
her blush was invisible in the darkness, as she tried to sound normal. ‘I just thought I would try out all the stuff we bought together last week, that’s all. After all
,
I spent all my money
at that
store.’

‘
Ha
! T
ell it
to
someone else, you little
sneak
.
’ Laura giggled and shook her
head of
spiky dark hair, her brown eyes
mischievous
.
‘I know you too well, my friend. This is a
”
see how great I
am
”
look
,
and I
’
m pretty sure you have your eye set on someone here
.
I’m
just not sure who
.
I
’
ll be watching you.’

‘Good luck.’ It was better to play along,
Jade
thought, vowing to be very careful with her plan for the evening.
Laura would get distracted soon enough, her hostess duties keeping her at bay
.

H
er wishful thinking
found
an attentive ear in
the
heavens, as
Laura
excused herself and went to greet more guests, leaving her at the buffet.

J
ade realized
she was starving
as she
surveyed
the beautifully displayed food. Her mouth watered just looking at it,
and
her stomach growled. She picked up one of the pretty,
costly
paper plates provided at the table and filled it with
a
few tasty tidbits.

‘
That
looks delicious
.
’
T
he
amused voice behind her almost made her drop her plate,
and
her body
tingl
ed
as she
slowly
turned around.

Liam
stood
right behind her, his dark eyes teasing as he pointed to the heavily
laden
table.

‘Wow,
it
looks like nobody will
be
go
ing
swimming anytime soon. I wonder if we
’ve
cleaned out all the grocery stores in town
.
’

She giggled in response,
instantly
biting her lip as she realized how childish she sounded. He was talking to her, and all she
could do
was to laugh like a maniac at his jokes. Pathetic
.

‘Are you staying for the whole party?’
She
cringed, realizing how needy
that
sounded.

He didn’t seem to
notice. Instead,
he nodded as he came to stand next to her and
began to
load his plate.
‘
Yes
, I couldn’t leave Laura hanging
.
Do you want some
,
too?’

S
he
nodded and
watched,
mesmerized
,
as he poured two glasses of the sparkly lemonade, his long lean fingers
deftly
dealing with the pitcher. She hadn’t seen him in three months, and her eyes feasted on his masculine beauty as he stood close enough for her to touch. In his white shirt and jeans, he looked casual and relaxed, his tan almost exotic. She recalled Laura telling her about his surfing vacation in Hawaii with some
friends
the
month
before
, and
a
swift pang of jealousy
took her by surprise
.

His
jet-black
hair was longer now, almost touching the collar of his mandarin
-
style shirt,
and
a few blue beads on a string
rest
ed
in the hollow of his smooth neck. She swallowed, trying to fight the sudden attack of shyness that threatened to overcome her as they stood together. For a moment, she almost regretted having a crush on him, missing the familiar easiness that
had
made being with him so pleasurable. He might have been six years older, but he was also one of her favorite people to talk
to,
and she
desperately wanted that back.