Second Chances (12 page)

“I don’t know.  He’s really important, runs the family business, and makes a lot of money.  I would expect him to be at the office… a lot.”

There was a pause as Amy considered the reality of what her friend had shared.  “Is that what you found so engaging about this man?”  Amy asked.  “Did you expect things to be as they were with Brett, because as I recall, things didn’t go so well there,” she reminded her gently.  “Change is good, Hannah.  Embrace it.”

Sighing some more, she began quietly, “I just don’t know how to be.  I don’t know what to do with him around.  I don’t know what’s expected of me.  I mean, I know it’s not a relationship, so I don’t have to…entertain him or anything.  Ugh.”  She felt incapable of explaining.

There was a pause as Amy reflected both on what Hannah had said and what she had left unsaid.  “He’ll let you know what he wants.  He’ll share with you his expectations.  It’s not as though this guy is setting you up for failure, right?”  Her voice gained a measure of confidence as she continued.  “I mean, he sought you out, hired an investigator, drew up a contract that seems mutually beneficial, which says something given the expert review I gave it.”  She laughed some.  “So relax.  It will all work out in the end.”

Biting her lip, Hannah knew Amy was right.  She just had to relax.  Inhaling deeply, she walked back into the kitchen and searched the cupboards for the perfect mug and her favorite evening tea.  Once the steamy sweet mug was prepared, she headed back out onto the patio.  She could see the moon shimmering off the waves on the lake.  And something about the clear warm evening was tugging at her to walk down to the shore.  That was precisely what she was contemplating when Gavin found her.

He had read the last paragraph no fewer than three times and he still had no idea what it said.  With a threatening growl, he rose from his chair and stalked from the room.  Where was she?  And why had she not come to see him at all?  The house was quiet.  He was used to quiet, but somehow, he expected…more noise, to feel more life in the house.  It was utterly unsettling.

When he reached the French doors from the kitchen to the patio, he found her sitting there, her legs curled up under her as she sipped from a steaming mug. 

“What are you doing?”  He snapped disturbed to be so aware of her.

Lazily turning toward his voice, Hannah found him staring at her coldly.  She took another sip of tea, her eyes never leaving his as she prepared to respond.  “It’s called relaxing,” she said seriously.  “You should try it some time.”  Her gaze returned to the lake and the brief expanse of yard between the fenced stone pool area and the water.

For the first time in a long time, Gavin had no idea how to react.  Everyone else in his employ would have snapped to attention in his presence, yet here she was sharing his home, his table…he could feel his body growing warmer at the realization of her nearness. 

Feeling the pressure of his constant gaze, she stood and stretched lazily to hide her nervousness, and noted the rapid beat of her heart.  “I’m going to walk down to the water,” she announced.

His jaw tightened.  “You can’t go wandering around at night.”

She arched an eyebrow at him defiantly.

“It’s just not safe,” he continued.

“We’re a good distance from our nearest neighbors and even farther from everything else.  What could be safer?”  Her free hand was on her hip.

He decided to try a new approach.  “The girls…”

“…sleep through the night,” she countered, completing his next complaint.  “And I’m not going to be gone for long.”  She sighed. 

He opened his mouth to further protest, but discovered that he had used up all his arguments.  He just stood there and scowled.

“For the love of God,” she moaned, “just come with me then.”

He stiffened as though that thought had never crossed his mind, as though he hadn’t been trying to find a way to throw them together, as if he hadn’t been wondering what it would take to get to spend some more time in her presence.  The nights, he had discovered after only one night, were going to be the hardest.  All night he had lain in bed, concentrating on the ceiling, wishing that just for one moment he had x-ray vision and could watch her in the room above him.  It hadn’t happened, of course.  In fact, all that had happened was that he fell asleep early in the morning, slept late, and missed seeing her until she returned from Lowe’s.  He sighed.  She was consuming far too much of his time, and even more of his thoughts.  So, despite his better judgment, he fell in step beside her and meandered down the cobbled path to the lake.

Inhaling deeply, Hannah soaked in the fresh cool spring air.  “Do you smell that?”  She asked. 

Preparing for the worst, he scrunched up his face and inhaled hesitantly.  “I don’t smell anything.”  He sniffed a few more times, trying to figure out what she was referring to.

Hannah giggled.  “Stop,” she said with a smile.  “I wanted you to smell spring.”  He looked completely puzzled, judging from the way his head cocked to the side.  “Close your eyes,” she urged.  He took a step back.  She shook her head and laughed some more.

He found the sound of her laughter to be therapeutic and intoxicating.  She was so free with her emotions in a way he never was.  She could transition from them so quickly and embrace them.  She was so unlike him.  And she never seemed afraid of being silly or making a complete and utter fool of herself.  It was endearing, really.  Naturally, the same could not be said for himself.  The moment she asked him to close his eyes, he worried about what she was asking of him, worried she’d ridicule him, even though they were alone.  And so he hesitated.

“Nope,” Hannah took a step closer, slowly, as though he were a wild beast to be tamed.  “It won’t hurt.  I promise.”

And if Gavin had felt slightly concerned and foolish before, being handled with kid gloves completely irked him.  He bristled.  “I’m not…afraid.”

She smirked.  “I never would suggest it.”  And yet her tone was completely mocking.  She took another step closer.  She was so close that he could feel the heat of her body radiating towards him.  It left him feeling…hell, what did naming the feeling matter?  How long had it been since he had felt at all.  “Just trust me, Gavin,” she murmured. 

He swallowed.  He wanted to trust her.  It went against everything he intended, but something in him wanted to bend to her, just a little.

“I’ve had to place my trust in you,” she said quietly.  “I have entrusted you with my entire life, with everything I hold dear.  I moved in here, barely knowing you, hoping that you wouldn’t expect more of me than I could give, that I wouldn’t be trapping myself in a worse existence than I currently had.  I had to expose my children to you, uproot my entire life, and maintain a level of secrecy from my friends and family so that you could maintain your pride and privacy.”

His heart rose up in his throat as he considered all the changes she had just endured.  All that she had said rang of a deeper truth than he cared to ponder.  He swallowed, feeling a measure of guilt, knowing what he intended.  “Why did you?”  He asked hoarsely. 

“Why did I what?”  She asked in a low voice, afraid to break the spell.  He wasn’t answering.  She stared up at his face, barely discernable in the limited light.  “I saw something in you,” she admitted.  “I saw someone who might just be hurting as much as I was, someone who might understand me, and who might benefit from having us here.”  She looked down suddenly, embarrassed about her honesty.

“You trust me,” he acknowledged hoarsely.  And then, before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her close against him.  He could feel how rapidly her heart was thumping against her chest and wondered if he had the power to make it go even faster.  She was gazing at him in wonder.  It was more than he could take.  He did not have feelings for her.  He would fight them.  And just to prove it to himself, he bent his head to her face.

Hannah hesitated.  She had seen that look come over him, had watched him do that thing where the guy studied the girl’s lips to measure the distance, the last step before giving in to temptation and actually possessing them.  And she couldn’t help but wonder for a moment what it would be like.  She hadn’t been kissed in oh so long.  Brett had stopped kissing her long before he ever left. Even when he did kiss her, she felt nothing.  Maybe he didn’t either.  Maybe that’s why they were getting divorced.  Maybe she really wasn’t desirable.  She wanted to be wrong.  She saw how Gavin was looking at her.  She felt desired.  Despite the wrongness of it, she wanted to know how it would feel to be good and kissed.  She wanted a taste of passion. 
Just a small taste.  More of a nibble, really.

Gavin’s lips closed the distance to hers.  She could feel the heat of him drawing nearer, a prickle of anticipation grew, and there was a ripple down her spine.  She had never felt like this before and he hadn’t even made contact.  Her body was actually quivering in anticipation.  He must have thought she was cold since he drew her even closer, so that not even a hint of moonlight could have passed between them. 

His lips touched hers, gently, tenderly, and ever so slowly he urged her to open to him, teasing her with his tongue.  He nibbled and sucked, pressed her closer to him, until she had completely melted into him.  Hannah could feel the hard planes of his chest, his pelvis, his most intimate parts pressing against her.  And God help her, she liked it, craved it even.  When he finally broke away, pulled back, she found herself missing him, desperately trying not to reach for him, resisting the urge to cling to him.  Slowly, she exhaled, still feeling his warmth on her lips, even as her womb throbbed for him.

That was some kiss.  He had set out to prove he felt nothing for her and had instead outdone himself.  She was a little rusty, or maybe no one had cared enough to kiss her properly, but by the time he broke off the kiss, he knew it was already too late.  She had responded.  And his body, in turn, had responded to her.  Gavin knew he could make a feeble argument that it was just because he had been without female companionship for so long, but he knew better.  He had never responded to India like he had to Hannah, whom he barely knew.  And that didn’t bode well at all.  It didn’t fit with his plan for revenge, and it most certainly didn’t fit with his vision for his future.  Tomorrow they would be reporting to the office, stuck together all day, without escape.  He wouldn’t last a week before making a complete fool of himself over her.  Of that he was certain.  Taking a step back, Gavin said quickly, “Goodnight.”  Then he raced, yes, raced back up the hill to the house, leaving her alone in the dark, which he believed to be a safer scenario than alone in the dark with him.

When Hannah reached the kitchen the next morning, she found a woman she could only assume to be Madge, puttering around the room.  “Hello,” she said tentatively.  “We haven’t been introduced.  I’m Hannah.”  She smiled as brightly as she could muster without the aid of caffeine or nourishment.  She waited a few moments for the woman to stop scowling at her, but it didn’t look as though it was going to happen.  She smirked.  “You must be Madge.”  Still there was no response from the elderly woman wiping so violently at the counter that Hannah’s brow shot up.

“Would you care to share a pot of tea?”  Hannah asked
, refusing to have her mood dampened this early in the morning.  Clearly she was being ignored, but she carried on as though unaware.  “I’ll be getting the girls up soon to drop them off at pre-school on the way to work.  Rory and Zoe can be a handful, so I like to self-medicate with a little tea and a whole lot of sugar before I get them moving.”  She chattered happily as she filled the kettle with water and started the gas burner. 

Moving to the pantry, she opened it and found what she was looking for: muffin mix.  “Would you rather have blueberry with crumb topping, or the cinnamon streusel coffee cake ones?”  She paused a moment, even though she knew she wouldn’t get a response.  Smiling to herself, Hannah grabbed at the cinnamon mix.  “Yeah, I think this the way to go.  Good idea.”  She moved to the other side of the island and began to gather the baking pans and ingredients she required. 

It was more than Madge could take.  “I didn’t say anything,” she spluttered angrily.  She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Hannah with all her might.

Smiling warmly at her opponent, Hannah completely disarmed her.  “I know.  I use the same tactic with the girls when they are determined to give me the silent treatment.”  She chuckled a little.

The glare momentarily intensified then eased.  “So, you’re saying I was being a bit childish?”  She scowled.  “I guess I can see that.”  Feeling somewhat defeated, she slumped onto the couch in the keeping room.

“Hey,” Hannah began gently, “I’m not trying to be insulting.” 

Madge looked up at her sadly.  “I’ve worked for this family my whole life.”  She shook her head.  “And all of a sudden he moves you in.”

Sitting across from her, Hannah leaned over the coffee table and tried to make eye contact.  “So, are you concerned that I’m trying to take over?  What did Gavin tell you?”  She prodded gently, hoping to ease Madge’s concerns. 

“Mr. Meyers told me nothin’.” She complained.  “All of a sudden, he asked me to work on Saturday morning.  Just announced he had a woman and her kids moving in.”  She fingered her tightly wound gray bun nervously then wiped her hands on the apron she wore over her simple black dress.

“I’m not here to take over, I promise,” Hannah announced in the most soothing voice she could muster.  “It was wrong of Gavin to drop this on you so unexpectedly.”  She glanced about the room.  “And I can’t think of a single way I would improve upon the job you do around here.  The housekeeping is perfection.  Now the décor…”  Her voice trailed off.

Madge looked at her, a hint of a smile tugging up the corners of her careworn face.  “It’s awful isn’t it?”  She said leaning in conspiratorially.  “The former Mrs. Meyers had lousy taste.”  She scowled quickly.  “I shouldn’t have said that.”  She quickly wiped her hands as though feeling unclean and stood.

Even Hannah was doing a mental head slap.  Great.  He hadn’t hired a decorator.  It had been done by his wife.  She sighed.  Once again she had stuck her foot in her mouth.  Maybe there was something to be said for thinking before speaking.  Determined to strike up a friendship with the other woman sharing the house, she also stood.  “So, Madge,” she said slowly, “I don’t suppose we can start fresh?”

Once again, Gavin had not slept well.  All he could think about was Hannah up there alone in his enormous bed.  His part of the plan was not working out well at all.  He smirked.  At least he could count on Madge to make her life hell.  He had known that woman all of his life and she could be mighty unpleasant when she had her heart set on it.  And he had made sure she would be in a foul mood, planting a seed of doubt where Hannah was concerned.

After showering and dressing, Gavin gingerly opened his door, unsure of what to expect.  He envisioned flying crockery in the kitchen, or at the very least, the slamming of pots and pans as she demonstrated her displeasure.  The closer he came to the kitchen, however, the more worried he became.  Well down the hall, the scent of fresh baked goods and cinnamon in particular, tickled his taste buds.  He stood in the doorway and surveyed the sight before him.  The girls were sitting on the stools at the island drinking juice and eating fresh baked muffins while Madge stood there smiling at them.  Hannah was next to her, chattering like they were old friends.  He scowled.  Hannah had somehow managed to charm her, too.  He rolled his eyes to the heavens.  If he couldn’t count on Madge and his spirit had already proven to be too weak, his plan was doomed.

“Coffee,” he said curtly at the women as he walked in.

Smirking, Hannah pointed at the carafe on the end of the island.  “We’ve got it right there for you, chief.”  She saw that Madge was ready to walk over and pour it for him, but Hannah stopped her with a quick grab at the woman’s forearm.

Gavin raised an eyebrow angrily.  This was no way to start a Monday.  He looked at Madge who looked down guiltily.  He folded his arms in front of him.  They were at an impasse.

A chuckle broke the silence.  “Okay, ladies, head upstairs and get into the outfits I laid out for you.  I’ll help you with your teeth in a few minutes before we leave.”

The girls scampered off the stools and paraded past Gavin.  “Good morning,” one of them said shyly.  He couldn’t be sure which one since they seemed to be as identical as twins could get.  He softened slightly and nodded as they passed.

“Wow,” Hannah said smartly.  “Hope you didn’t hurt yourself being too friendly this morning.”

He stiffened.  “I need coffee,” he retorted angrily.

As they seemed embroiled in a discussion, Madge took that as her cue to exit the room.  Folding her arms across her chest, Hannah remarked, “I think it may take more than some coffee to fix you.”  She cocked her head to the side.  She pushed the pot and a mug towards him.  She thought about saying more, but stopped herself.

He knew she was holding back.  And for some reason, Gavin was desperate to uncover all her secrets.  He stared at her a moment.

“I can’t wait on you,” she murmured and shook her head.  “I can’t do it.”  She turned away from him and inhaled deeply to calm her frazzled nerves.

He stood and moved to her side.  “Did I offend you, Hannah?”

Shaking her head once more, she conceded, “It’s not that.”  Her voice scarcely rose above a whisper.

“Then what?  Did you already forget you work for me?”  He knew he shouldn’t have said that even as the words tumbled from his lips.

Drawing herself to her full height, Hannah immediately turned to stone and her eyes darkened.  “How could I forget?”  She asked dully.  “We have it in writing.”  She raised an eyebrow.  “Although I don’t recall ‘personal slave’ in the agreement I signed.”  She turned on her heels and walked away purposefully.

The coffee forgotten, Gavin dropped onto the nearest stool.  At that moment, Madge decided to make an appearance.  The instant she saw him, she tried to duck back out of the room, but he stopped her.  “Am I a total ass?”  He asked her, confident she wouldn’t sugar coat her opinion.

“Yes,” she said simply and walked back out of the room.

“That’s what I thought,” he mumbled morosely to himself.

With an even longer commute than she was used to, Hannah had to be more organized to leave the house in ample time.  Traffic grew denser the closer she came to center city.  She deposited the girls at pre-school and promised to pick them up again on the way home, warning it would be later than they were used to since she was working a different job from now on.  At last, she pulled into the parking garage and slipped easily into the spot Gavin had assigned her.  She breathed a deep calming breath before exiting the vehicle.

Standing, Hannah brushed her long black skirt and straightened her beige two-piece top.  Flinging her purse over her shoulder, she marched to the elevator and headed to the office.  People filed on after her and soon she was crushed in the back corner, watching with some trepidation as they drew nearer to her floor.  Finally they stopped and everyone piled out, heading to their offices or cubicles, as was the case.  And Hannah wasn’t sure where to go from here.

Reporting to the front desk, she spoke in low tones to the receptionist.  “I’m Hannah Matthews, a new hire of Mr. Meyers’.  And to be perfectly honest, I have no idea where to go.”  She smiled shyly as she waited for a response.

“Mr. Meyers is expecting you,” the receptionist said in her most professional voice.  “Follow me, please.”

Together they traipsed past all the cubicles to the glass encased office at the end of the room.  The receptionist knocked tentatively, although it was apparent through the open shades that he was merely sitting behind his desk reading through one of his many files. 

“Come in,” Gavin said seriously.  It was several long seconds before he bothered to look up, waiting until the receptionist had left to reclaim her desk, waiting until he was certain that Hannah would be standing there shifting nervously in the doorway while all eyes devoured her.  He knew the women would be jealous.  Several had applied for the opportunity to act as his personal assistant.  He would remind Hannah
that
was her title,
not
personal slave.  Yet none of them had pleased him enough that he wanted to work so closely with them.  Hannah was a different story all together.