Kiss Me Again: a Stepbrother Romance (Second Chances) Read online

  “Well, with that kind of passion I can see you will fit in well here. Bring yourself and your portfolio over so we can swap ideas. What time can you get here?”

  “I could be with you in an hour?” I asked tentatively. It would give me time to get home and get my things and still get there without feeling under pressure – just.

  “I have a meeting. It may go on until about twelve, how about we say twelve-thirty?”

  “Perfect,” I agreed. She hung up and I realized I hadn’t even asked her name. Oh well, a quick internet search should sort that out pretty easily.

  Standing in the middle of the busy street I wanted to twirl and shout out to the world. I had just had my first client via recommendation. Damn, it felt good!

  I raced back to the flat and pulled out all my best pictures, making quick copies of everything. My full portfolio was still at college being graded, but I had duplicates of everything. I grabbed a binder and began to insert pages, showing my progress and finishing with the shots of the Trent’s Colonial. Considering it was a rush job, it looked okay.

  I picked up my laser measure and my tape measure, thrust them in my coat pockets, and quickly pulled on my interview suit. Glitch always looked like it was a pretty casual place, but I was a big believer in first impressions. I wanted to appear businesslike, someone they could trust with their beautiful building.

  I arrived five minutes early, and was told by the bubbly receptionist that Miss MacAllister was still in her meeting. Rather than waste time, I began to look around, taking in the crown molding and chandelier medallions, the stripped-bare fireplaces and the tacky plywood reception desk. I pulled out my sketchpad and began to draw. I was utterly engrossed in my work when I saw a pair of neat black ballet pumps coming my way.

  I looked up, and I do mean up, into the smiling face of a six-foot-tall Marilyn Monroe look-alike. She was intimidatingly gorgeous.

  “Hello, Lucy?”

  I giggled like a nervous idiot; this woman had me right on edge instantly. She was smart, gorgeous, and hyper successful. So much for my good first impression! I put my mechanical pencil down and stood up to shake her hand. “Yes, hi, sorry, you must be Callie MacAllister.”

  “Pleased to meet you. I have heard great things, and by the look of your sketchbook, all of them are true. I only saw that upside down, do you mind?” She indicated the sketch and I handed it to her. She was either very politely glossing over the fact I had just laughed in her face, or hadn’t even noticed it. I prayed it was the latter as she seemed utterly bowled over by the sketch I had been working on. “Wow, you really get this building. Do you really think you could deliver this for us?”

  “Sure, it wouldn’t be cheap but you can deliver pretty much anything if money is no problem,” I joked.

  I scolded myself as soon as the words were out of my mouth. I was blowing it, but god she was intimidating. Pull yourself together! This woman could make your career!

  “Well, money is no problem. Why don’t we have a little look around? I don’t expect sketches straight off, but just talk off the top of your head to me as we go. Tell me what you see.”

  I liked her a lot. Sure, she was super hot, and made me edgy as hell – but she was forthright and clearly excited by the prospect of making her workplace beautiful.

  We moved slowly. I would spend a few minutes just getting a feel for each space. She didn’t jabber and try to fill the silence. I found that very refreshing. She just let me think, let me create. The combination of her peaceful aura and enthusiasm helped me to relax, and I got more and more confident.

  I suggested types of furniture, mixtures of traditional and modern fixings to create a fusion of the old building and the new technology the company was all about. I proposed colors and floor coverings, and where rooms could be expanded, or where they should be returned to their original sizes. The building had seen so many changes over the years, but none of them matched or fitted with anything else. It had left a hodgepodge of vacant, functionless rooms with no real identity.

  When we reached her office, she pointed toward a big leather swivel chair, and I sat down.

  She pulled up a giant beanbag beside me. “So, how long before you can get me sketches for everything, and how much – ballpark – do you think this will cost?”

  “The whole thing?” My eyes must’ve been bulging.

  “Sure!”

  “Well, the hallway alone would probably take me three days to get sketches and estimates done, and then a few days if you wanted any changes, so say a month for each floor? To do it, you’re looking two to three months more per floor. Ballpark figure for my labor, and the painters and contractors I would need to hire, you would be talking a minimum of $50,000 a month plus whatever the materials cost. Fittings, fixtures, and finishes could be anywhere from bargain basement to, well, the sky’s the limit depending on how expensive your tastes are.”

  She nodded and chortled. “Depending on my mood I can be quite extravagant. So, let me see, we are talking anywhere from six figures and upwards, over maybe one or two years?”

  “Sounds more than probable.” I could only marvel at how nonchalantly she could discuss such a vast sum of money.

  “Okay. Let’s start with the foyer.”

  “Right now? Are you serious?” I shook my head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude, I’m just flabbergasted. This has all come out of the blue…”

  “That’s okay, I totally understand. When I, I mean we got our first break setting up our company, we were the same. But yes, I’d want you to start right away. I’ve left it too long already and this building deserves more than my attempts at decoration,” she said as she poked the beanbag beneath her. “Would that be a problem?”

  “Oh, no. I’m free as a bird,” I said almost singing with joy.

  “Good. I’ll give you an advance of $5,000 now so you can draw up the sketches, and source contractors and materials. If you let me know if you prefer to deal with payroll for your contractors and yourself, or want me to do it, then we can arrange for that. Do a good job on this, and the rest of the building is all yours, Lucy.”

  I was trying so hard to keep cool and under control but this was so massively exciting. I loved this building and if I did a good job on the easiest part of it, I would get to renovate and do the entire thing. Dollar signs were flashing before my eyes, and the idea that my first fully professional job would be for such a high-profile company and would take at least a year was utterly unbelievable.

  “I’ll take some measurements now, if that’s okay, and I’ll get those sketches over to you right away. I’ll also need to arrange a meeting with you so we can talk colors, swatches, and all things decoration.”

  “Great! Just ask Lesley at the desk to set us up for something by the end of the week if that works for you. I think I have a slot on Friday afternoon.”

  “Thank you so much, Miss MacAllister,” I said genuinely and stuck out my hand again.

  “Not at all, and call me Callie,” she said as we shook hands. “I’ll leave you to do the measuring and I’ll get back to work. I’m sure there are some fires that need to be put out.”

  After taking my time in the hallway, getting the measurements, and making the appointment with the receptionist, I still felt like I was caught in a whirlwind once I finally walked out of the building. I looked back up at the five floors that would soon be my domain in disbelief and actually skipped down the road to the bus stop.

  11

  Cole

  “Thanks so much Callie, Lucy was bouncing all over the place when she called to tell me the news,” I said with a huge grin on my face. Finally it felt like I’d done something right and things were going both mine and Lucy’s way.

  “Hey, I think you may have sent an absolute gem my way Kent, no thanks needed. Did she tell you that in fifteen minutes, she completely redesigned the foyer, sketched what she wanted to do with it freehand, and it was absolutely breathtaking. She is an absolute genius. I have a feel
ing that I am getting a bargain if I grab her now. That girl is going places. Have you seen her portfolio? Insane doesn’t come close to covering it! The building is going to look amazing.”

  “Well, thanks for even giving her a meeting. This has been what she’s always wanted to do, and to hear her talk about your building, well, it’s infectious! Anyway, I also called to tell you I’m not going to be able to make drinks as usual on Thursday, though I’m sure that you and Jake will fill the time somehow without me.”

  “Too right,” she said with a snort, but added quickly, “but we’ll miss you.”

  “I have to go home for Mom’s birthday party. Don’t know how I’m going to get around it with Luce, but I’m hoping that she is going to be so busy with your pitch that she will barely even notice me being gone. Remember, I did not mention her to you – her clients the Trents did. I don’t need the hassle right now that would come out of her thinking I had set this up.”

  “My lips are sealed sugar, but you know I think the both of you are crazy. There is just too much history between you two, to try and live in a bubble. Be careful Cole.”

  The grin that had been there only moments ago started to whither and die on my face. “I know, I know. I will be, but it’s worth it, Callie. She’s totally worth it, even if does only last a few weeks.”

  Fuck, weeks? I wanted it to last for years…

  I hung up the phone, and threw myself back into my work. I knew my friends were only being cautious about my relationship with Lucy because they loved me and didn’t want me to get hurt, but I wanted them to be as happy for me as I was for the two of them. I groaned. Why did everything have to be so complicated? And I didn’t have time to think about any of it now. I had a mountain of paperwork to get done so I could take the afternoon off on Thursday, to guarantee I got down to Newton on time.

  I was still trying to decide whether or not to tell Mom and Tom about finding Lucy, but knew they would want to come up here straight away and my perfect bubble would be burst all over again. I would mull it over, and leave it until I got down there to decide. Tom did after all have a right to know she was okay.

  * * *

  My day was crazy as usual, but I had never been more glad to be heading home. Lucy would be waiting for me, and we could spend a night together celebrating her new job, and just enjoy being together at last.

  She said she was going to cook for me, and I’d promised to bring home a bottle of wine. It felt like we were already an old married couple, and I grinned at the thought – I couldn’t think of anything more perfect after waiting so long to have her, let alone see her again. I’d left her a key so she could lock up after herself when she went out this morning, and told her to hang onto it. I liked knowing that she could come and go whenever she wanted, like we were just a normal couple without any past baggage hanging over our heads to worry about.

  I thought back to the morning. She’d looked adorable, all curled up in the covers, her mane of hair in tousled disarray like a halo round her lovely face. I hadn’t wanted to wake her up, but didn’t want to just run out of the house and have her think I was just another asshole who would treat her badly. I had made her breakfast to ease the pain of being roused and she had emerged from the blankets when I took it in. She had seemed really happy. It was so perfect getting to kiss her goodbye and to say that I would see her later on. It was a dream that I wished could go on forever.

  I picked up a bottle of a Californian rose that Callie had recommended. I wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but if Lucy was going to the trouble of cooking a fancy meal, we should at least have a fancy wine. I also grabbed a box of Belgian chocolate seashells. Lucy had always adored them when we were kids, and had hated flowers. I hoped her tastes hadn’t changed too much as I ran up the stairs and opened the door.

  “Honey, I’m home,” I called out in jest. And though I knew we were in the insanely early stages of our new relationship, the words rang true. Coming home to Lucy would forever be the highlight of my days. “Holy shit! Am I in the right apartment?” I asked in shock as I looked around.

  My apartment had been completely transformed. Lucy had worked her magic; it was filled with tiny flickering candles, and a small table and chairs were set up with a perfect white tablecloth, some fabulously expensive looking wine glasses, and a set of heavy cutlery that certainly hadn’t come from my cupboards.

  “Of course you are, silly,” Lucy said, giggling from the kitchen. She appeared with creased napkins, dressed in a delicate summer dress that made her look dreamy and young. “I found pretty much everything from a thrift shop on the way back from Glitch this afternoon. Aren’t they fantastic? I saw them and just thought they would all be perfect for here.”

  “You bought all these for me?” I was really touched. They were such lovely items, and they really did fit in the apartment perfectly.

  “The table, and chairs, and everything!”

  “You’re amazing… come here,” I said and reached for her.

  “How was your day?”

  “Hell, let’s not talk about it.”

  She drifted toward me, and I took her in my arms. The jolt of pure desire I always got whenever I was anywhere near her shot through me, and I wondered if it would ever disappear. I hoped not. She stood up on tiptoe and kissed me warmly.

  “Welcome home Cole.”

  I kissed her back, and would have been more than happy to forget dinner, forget the wine, and just whisk her off to bed there and then. But the buzzer on the oven interrupted us and she unwrapped herself from my embrace and moved swiftly to the small kitchen area where she pulled on oven mitts and bent down provocatively to remove her handiwork.

  My cock responded in exactly the way I think she had intended, springing to life at the sight of her pert ass wiggling at me from across the room. She brought the dish over to the table, revealing a perfect Beef Wellington, my absolute favorite dish. When we were kids it had been the dinner my Mom always made on birthdays as an extra special treat.

  “I already said you were amazing, didn’t I?” I said, feasting my eyes upon the meal before us.

  I opened the wine, and presented her with the chocolates. She grinned. “So we both wanted to prove how much we remembered about each other then!”

  “Looks like it. Question is, are we both still right? This is still my favorite, and if you have made brownies for dessert then I am putty in your hands!”

  “Yup, these are still my favorites, and you got the tea and toast exactly right this morning. Maybe neither of us has changed that much at all.”

  I kissed her, so glad I finally had the chance to do so whenever I liked. The meal was delicious, and it was fun remembering some of the wonderful moments we had enjoyed as kids. We were both careful not to mention anything that involved anyone else, but it was good to know we had more than enough memories to be able to do so.

  She rhapsodized about her new boss, and I had to try really hard not to reveal that I completely agreed with her. Callie really was someone very special. But I decided to just not say anything just yet and instead I told her all about what I was doing in my final week at the DA’s office. It would be back to the grind at law school in just ten days, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Too many alumni talked about how tough the final year was, and I knew I was going to have to work harder than ever before.

  “Are you going home on Thursday?” Lucy suddenly asked, completely out of the blue.

  My mouth dropped open and I stammered to think of anything to say.

  “I didn’t forget when any of your birthdays were Cole, no need to look so surprised.”

  “I wasn’t…. okay I wasn’t expecting you to just blurt it out like that. I thought we weren’t talking about them after all.”

  “I think we both know how unrealistic that is. I don’t want make you feel you have to either avoid topics or even worse, lie to me, just so you don’t tell me if you are going home for things.”

  I leaned across the table and too
k her chin in my hand, and gently pulled her toward me for a kiss.

  “Thank you,” I said with feeling.

  It meant a lot to me that she was thinking of my needs, but even more that my loving Lucy was still there, even if she was still too angry to deal with everything. It did at least give me hope for the future. I couldn’t help but want my family to be back together one day. I wouldn’t push it, but Lucy seemed to be heading that way on her own.

  Lucy reached for my hand and laced her fingers in between mine.

  “I don’t want to make any of this any more difficult than it has to be for us, Cole. But we need our second chance. I know we have something special, and I promise I won’t ever make you feel bad for spending time with them. You love them, and you need them.”

  She looked unspeakably sad as she said it, and I moved to her side. I took her in my arms, and held her tightly. She loved and needed them too, I thought. I just hoped she would realize it soon for her own sake.

  * * *

  The party was great, and Mom enjoyed herself a lot. I decided not to tell them about finding Lucy until just before I went back to Providence. I wasn’t looking forward to it if the lead weight in my stomach was any indication, but felt it was only fair that they know I had found her. Tom still looked so haunted and I knew it would help him to put his mind at rest a little at least.

  “Cole, will you read my story tonight?” Morgan asked sweetly, coming down the stairs in her onesie pajamas, her thumb in her mouth. She only ever did that when she was really sleepy. Mom tried so hard to stop her, but I thought it was kind of cute.

  “Sure kiddo, shall we read The Cat in the Hat, or Cinderella?”

  I picked her up, and headed up the stairs to her room, glad for the chance to put off my big reveal a little longer. Mom had painted murals of castles, clouds, rainbows, and unicorns everywhere. It was every little girl’s dream.