Two Hearts One Love

TWO HEARTS ONE LOVE

SAVANNAH CHASE

Copyright © 2012 by Dare Empire
eMedia Productions

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.

This book is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, situations and incidents are
the

product of the author’s imaginations
or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual

events, locales, or persons, living
or dead, is purely coincidental.

Published in Australia

Dare Empire eMedia
Productions

Cover Art © 2012 Dare Empire eMedia
Productions

TWO HEARTS ONE LOVE

SAVANNAH CHASE

CHAPTER ONE

Class
finished late that evening, all because one student decided to
start a debate with the professor on something he'd said five
minutes before the lecture ended.

Looking
at her watch, Sarah knew she didn't have much time left before her
shift started at work. Time was not on her side tonight. Neither
was the fact that the last two taxis she'd hailed hadn't bothered
to stop for her. This was Toronto. Taxis were abundant, just not
tonight.

At this
rate, she'd end up getting home faster if she walked. Adjusting her
book bag, she looked out onto the street one last time for a
taxicab that might be headed her way. With none in sight, she began
to make the walk home. Every few moments, she glanced at her
watch—a nervous habit. She was a stickler for
punctuality.

Sarah had an hour to make her shift at Blue Zone.
She
’
d manage, just as long as no more
delays came up.

Working
at the bar was a temporary gig so she could make it through school.
The extra shifts, overtime and tips were just enough to pay the
bills and scrape by. Thankfully, this was her last semester so she
wouldn't have to worry much longer about having enough to pay for
her education. She'd managed to get through it all without taking
out any loans, even when her application for a bursary had been
denied. She knew the hard work would pay off one day, and she'd
graduate and get a job working at one of the papers as a
journalist.

Her
boss, Jane, had been so good to her. She'd accommodated her random
hours and did everything she could to help her juggle school and
work. Not many would be willing to go out of their way to do
something for their employees.

As luck
would have it, droplets of rain slowly started to come down. One by
one, they fell, each drop harder than the last.

Sarah
picked up her pace in a desperate attempt to get home before it
began raining even harder. Within seconds, she was running through
a downpour. Not an inch of her body wasn’t soaked. Water trickled
down her face, and her clothes felt heavy.

A few
steps ahead, she saw a bus stop with a shelter where she could stop
to escape from the rain; if even for a moment. Maybe the storm
would calm down a little during that time.

Just as
she neared the stop, the sound of a speeding car caught her
attention and she glanced up to see a taxi. In an attempt to hail
the cab, she stretched out her hand and waved at it hoping it would
stop. It had been the only one that had driven by for the last ten
minutes or so. At that speed, the car appeared as if it were
heading right for her, but it sped by without slowing down and
splashed a huge puddle of dirty street water right at
her.

As if
getting soaked in the rain wasn't enough, she now had to deal with
being covered in disgusting, petroleum-filled rain
water.

Can my day get any worse?

Her
brown jacket was covered with dirt and other things, courtesy of
the puddle. Droplets cascaded down her face, and her feet were
swimming and sliding in her running shoes.

She
hurried inside the booth and stopped for a moment under the
shelter. Thankfully, there weren't too many people on the
street.

Catching
her reflection in the store window, she wished she could hide. A
wet rat probably looked better than her in her current state.
Mascara ran down her cheeks leaving black lines on her face. Her
blonde hair was disheveled and untamed, covered in dirt and the
other contents of the puddle. She looked like something out of a
horror movie. All she wanted to do was hurry home and take a hot,
relaxing shower to wash it all away.

Removing
her book bag, she did a quick check to see if everything inside
remained dry. Thankfully it had. At least she didn't have to worry
about her school materials getting ruined by the rain. Shoving her
hand in one of the pockets, she pulled out a handkerchief to try to
wipe away some of the running make up and dirt.

She'd
been so focused on cleaning herself up a little that she hadn't
noticed a taxi pull up a few steps away until the door flew
open.

"You
look like you need a ride," someone called out.

Turning
around, she found a stranger leaning out of the back of the
cab.

"No,
thank you," she replied.

"Are you sure? It
’
s a lot better inside
this warm cab than it is out there," he called back.

"Thank
you, but I don't accept rides from strangers."

"My name
is Blake Gibson. Now we’re not strangers anymore," he stuck his
hand out into the pouring rain.

Looking
up, she saw the sky had continued to darken, the storm showing no
signs of abating. The downpour continued with vengeance. Seconds
later, she found herself jumping inside the cab and shutting the
door behind her. The cab idled for a moment as she removed her bag
and placed it at her feet. He was right. The cab was warm and a lot
better than outside.

"Here
you go," he said, as he handed her a handkerchief.

"Thank
you," she said, and took it from him. Gently, she wiped away the
dirt and water from her face. The subtle scent of musk and cologne
caught her nose.

"So,
does the mysterious lady I saved from the rain have a
name?"

"My name
is Sarah …"she held out her hand.

“
Well, Sarah, do you have a last name or are you like those
music artists who go by their first name?” he said as he smiled.
The touch of his soft, warm hand sent a subtle shiver down her
back. His gentle smile and green gaze put her at ease.

“
Sarah Wats”

“
Sarah Wats, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

They
spent the cab ride talking about everything from classes, his work
as a graphic artist to the music they both listened to. She found
it so simple to speak to him even though they'd just met. The
conversation just flowed. Something about Blake drew her to him.
She didn't know why, but it felt like they'd known one another for
a long time.

Just as
the cab pulled up to her building, she reached for her wallet to
pay for her part of the ride.

Blake lifted his hand and
stopped her. “
What kind of guy would I be
if I let you pay for the ride home?"

Sarah
smiled. "I can't let you pay."

"I
insist."

Just as
she was about to thank him and exit the cab, his phone
rang.

“
Excuse me for a moment," he said and reached into his jacket
pocket for his mobile phone. "Hi, honey," he said as he answered
it.

Sarah
’
s smile faded. The perfect
gentleman whose company she'd enjoyed during the cab ride home was
taken. At least the phone call had saved her from making a complete
fool of herself.

She
would have asked him for his number and he would have turned her
down. He seemed like a really nice guy with a good head on his
shoulders from what she could tell. Someone she would like to go on
a date with. But that was wishful thinking.

She
opened the cab door. It was still raining hard and the water began
falling into the car, wetting the seat.

"Thank
you for the ride home and the pleasant conversation," Sarah said
before shutting the door and disappearing inside the lobby of her
building.

Every
part of her wanted to turn around and catch one last glance of him
before he pulled away and out of her world, but she didn't. It hurt
to know the man who’d come into her life through a cab ride wasn't
one she would see ever again.

* *
*

Tonight, the bar was full of patrons. They sat around talking
and having a good time. Glasses clinked as one of the waitresses
brought a tray of freshly washed mugs to the bar. On one end, a
bunch of guys sat cheering and hollering at the television as they
enjoyed the hockey game.
Take Me to
Mars
blared on the radio. Sarah hummed to
herself as their latest single,
Two
Hearts
, played.

"Waitress, another round for me and my boys," a young male
called out as she approached their table.

"Anything else with that round?" Sarah said as she reached
for the notepad and pencil from her black apron pocket.

"I'll
have a side of you, if that's on the menu tonight," a blonde-haired
male in his twenties stood up and made his way to where she
stood.

Sarah
rolled her eyes and politely smiled. "Sorry tonight's menu doesn't
include me getting hit on by a cheesy pick up line."

The rest
of the guys began to laugh.

"Burn,"
someone at the table yelled, and the blonde backed off.

"We'll
take a side of hot barbeque wings and an extra beer," said a
black-haired guy across the table.

"Anything else?"

"That's
it."

"Coming
right up," she turned to make her way toward the front of the
bar.

The
place continued to fill up with customers. Not a single free table
tonight. A full bar meant more tips.

Five
minutes later, she was headed back to the guys’ table with five
mugs of cold beer. Someone who hadn’t been there before had joined
them. Probably the person they'd ordered the extra beer for. As she
approached, she could hear them laughing and chatting about the
save that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goalie just made.

"Here
are your drinks, gentlemen, and the wings will be here in about
five minutes," she said as she began to remove the mugs from her
tray and place them on the table.

"Sarah,"
a voice called her from the other side of the table.

Looking
up, she saw the person who'd joined them. He was dressed in a
v-neck t-shirt and blue jeans. His identity was partially hidden by
a dark blue Toronto Maple Leafs baseball cap, but she recognized
him right away. There was no mistaking it. There, just a few steps
away, stood Rick—her ex. The last person she’d ever expect to run
into at the bar. Last she'd heard, he was living in Los Angeles
pursuing a movie career with some blonde he’d met. But who knew if
that were true since nothing that came out of his mouth was
truthful.