Second Chances Read online

  Hannah stared after him. He seemed really…nice. Rick seemed like the kind of guy she would have for a friend. She sighed. And yet, somehow, she knew that when he finally called, it wouldn’t be to offer her a place to live. She glanced at her watch. Her last chance would be arriving in just a matter of minutes. To keep from watching the clock, she swirled the ice in her glass, glanced at a menu, and perused the bar.

  Thirty minutes later, it was obvious he wasn’t coming. She signaled for her check, carefully paid by cash, and exited the bar. The tension was building. She was afraid, not for herself, but for the girls. Hugging her jacket around her, Hannah slowly made her way to her car.

  Gavin had continued to watch her. He hadn’t intended to stand her up. He had sat there for over five hours. The problem was…vulnerability. On both sides. Somehow he knew that if he spoke to her, took the time to get to know her, he would like her. He growled. He didn’t want to like her. He wanted to punish her. This plan of hers to find some rich man to take care of her and her children was…sickening. She’s just being practical, his heart argued. How desperate must she be?

  When she stood to leave, Gavin waited an appropriate time and left. He wanted to see what she drove, what direction she was heading. Who was he kidding? He was going to follow her and he knew it. Unable to fight it, he left a hundred dollar bill on the bar and walked purposefully out.

  The woman was just getting into a late model white SUV. She pulled on her seat belt and cautiously glanced about before backing out of her parking space. She even signaled. A smile softened Gavin’s face. She was making this entirely too easy. She turned left onto 51. And after a few short miles, she made another turn into an apartment complex. It was a nice enough place, not too old, the property was well maintained and with decent vehicles in the parking lot. She pulled up in front of a garage, parked the vehicle, and pulled down the visor. A lit vanity was opened and she swiped at her cheeks while she practiced smiling. He cocked his head to the side as he studied her.

  All too quickly, she leapt from the vehicle, locked it, and headed down the hall to the last apartment on the left. Once she was safely ensconced within, Gavin exited his own vehicle, grabbing a pen and napkin from the console. Jotting down the building and apartment numbers, he headed back to the Lexus to make the long drive to Lake Norman. He didn’t mind. It would give him time to think. And once he arrived, he would think some more. Time was of the essence, after all. And he knew he had to take a chance, make a decision, or lose out on this opportunity forever. He would treat it like business, weigh his options, and reach a logical conclusion. His analytical skills had never failed him.

  Hannah practiced looking cheerful and optimistic for a few moments before heading into the apartment. Everything will work out, she kept telling herself. And clinging to that thought, she walked determinedly into the apartment to face her inquisition.

  “Let the questions begin,” Hannah announced as she dropped her purse on the floor in front of her chair, kicked off her shoes, and sat, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them.

  Smirking at her dramatic friend, Amy stretched and studied her for a moment. “So, how’d it go?” Her eyes twinkled expectantly as she awaited the response.

  Hannah merely shook her head sadly. “The first guy was a complete dud,” she began. “Never. Never will I be that desperate.”

  Tipping her head in agreement, Amy shut the thick book before her to give Hannah her full attention. “That bad, huh?”

  “The worst. He was…gross.” It pained her to say that. She didn’t really have a mean bone in her body.

  “Gross?” Amy questioned, trying to picture him in her mind.

  “Over-weight…questionable hygiene,” Hannah swallowed, “and really sweaty. It could have been nerves, I suppose.” She shook her head. “Then the second guy arrived. He looked like a male model.” Amy frowned, knowing where this was going. Hannah never could find anything attractive about a pretty boy.

  “Then, Tad ended up being a tad too pushy. He wouldn’t leave, couldn’t take a hint,” Hannah complained. “The third guy rescued me.” She sighed and paused for a moment before continuing. “The third guy, Rick, seemed really nice, but…”

  “But what? No sparks? No potential?” Amy leaned in to hear the response.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t think that anything will come of it.”

  “You never know,” Amy said. “Since when are you the pessimist?” She frowned. “You have always been the most positive person I know. Look at everything you’ve come through, and with a smile on your face.” She reached over and rubbed Hannah’s knee. “Well, tell me about the fourth guy.”

  Hannah emitted a hollow laugh. “There was no fourth guy. He stood me up.” She laid her head down on her knees for a second when a thought occurred to her. “Hey, did anyone call while I was out?” Amy bit her lip and shook her head sadly. “Oh,” Hannah responded as she released her knees and slouched in the chair. “Well.” And she couldn’t think of another thing to say.

  Drinking alone was dangerously close to becoming a habit for him, Gavin noted as he found himself once more swirling a glass of amber liquid while he gazed into the fire. He needed a change. He needed to move on. He needed an outlet for his anger. And though he now had cause for some mixed feelings, this woman would do. She would serve as the target for his revenge quite nicely. She and her brood of no doubt rambunctious children could move in. He would be keeping her off the streets. She would be grateful…and pliable. He smiled as he sipped. Once she had a taste of this life, she’d probably do anything to keep it. He scowled. Not that. He wasn’t that much of a cad. He’d simply work her as he’d never worked anyone before. He’d find a way to humiliate her, break her down, and teach her entire gender a lesson.

  Slowly he glanced at the mantle clock. It wasn’t too late. And with what he paid the man, he could damn well call him whenever his fingers itched to dial. Too lazy to cradle the phone against his ear, he simply placed the man on speakerphone. The detective sounded groggy as he answered. “Ron, you weren’t sleeping, were you?” He asked languidly. Without waiting for a response, he continued. “Grab a pen and paper because I have a job for you.”

  The sound of crinkling paper answered him. “How can I help you?” Ron asked. He was old and crusty, past the age of retirement, and the years of smoking in a car had taken their toll on him. He coughed for a moment before he cleared his throat and said, “Go ahead.”

  “I need to know everything there is to know about this woman. And I need it yesterday,” Gavin added after revealing her address.

  “No name, huh?” Ron commented.

  “Speak to the leasing office. How hard can it be to get a name? Christ,” he cursed irritated.

  The old man grumbled a moment. “I’ll take care of it, Mr. Meyers.”

  Gavin smiled icily. He knew the man resented having to defer to him. His father had first employed him some thirty years ago, and when the business was inherited, the employees were also. “So, I’ll have everything I need by ten, I expect?”

  After uttering a barely audible sigh, the detective responded, “Certainly, sir.”

  Smugly, Gavin didn’t even respond before he pressed the button to disconnect. He reclined in his chair contentedly. It was good to be king. And he most definitely ruled his corner of the world.

  The next morning at 9:55, Gavin sat glaring out his window overlooking center city, scowling. Ron was cutting it awfully close and he hated being toyed with. How difficult could it be to get the information he sought? He turned, stared at the fax machine across the room on the horizontal filing cabinets and began to drum his fingers angrily on the desk. He swore that if Ron didn’t come through for him this time, he would fire him. Forget about all those years of faithful service. The one time he truly needed him, he was being let down. And then the fax finally sprang to life and began to spit out page after page of information.

  Without caring who might b
e looking into his office, he vaulted from his chair and began to snatch the pages before they could even come to rest on the tray. Hannah Matthews. The name had a nice ring to it. He rolled it around his tongue once more. Hannah Matthews. Suddenly he was flooded with warmth. He studied her credit report. Ah, so that’s why she didn’t just find a cheaper place. Chances were every community in town had turned her down. He glanced at the page with the inquiries. Yup. Her family lived in Wilmington. It’s amazing she even got out of that town. It was one of those sleepy little places where no one had the ambition to even go to college, let alone move across the state. Good lord, he wasn’t going to admire her. He frowned. Maybe she truly had no one here. No options. His brow furrowed. He couldn’t develop a conscience now. He needed this to change his life. Grasping the last of the papers, he moved back to his desk to finalize his plan.

  A mere two hours later, he reviewed what he had constructed. It could work. It had to work. He smiled.

  It had to work. Hannah once again examined all of her options. There really weren’t any others. She swallowed. Her only other option was to sell the rest of the furniture and move the kids into an extended stay hotel. They could pay by the week. Of course they’d all be living in essentially one room. And she’d spend more on food, but nothing on utilities or local phone calls. She calculated and scowled. She’d have to rent a space for all of her goods that she sold at the flea market. She wouldn’t have a garage anymore. No matter how she crunched, tallied, and coerced the numbers, she couldn’t make them add up. Hannah sighed in disgust and threw her pen down on the desk.

  She leaned forward and rubbed her temples while her elbows balanced on the desk. She heard footsteps approaching, but since everyone had been walking on eggshells around her at the office ever since Brett left, she figured that in her state she would most definitely be left to her own devices. Instead the feet stopped before her desk, but she refused to acknowledge them.

  “Hannah Matthews?” A deep voice asked determinedly.

  Leaning back and looking up warily she nodded. “Can I help you?”

  The sunlight streaming through the window behind him created a luminous quality to his image. For the briefest moment, Hannah’s gut clenched and she actually thought he might be the man she’d been waiting for. Almost immediately, she dismissed the ridiculous idea. He was far too perfect, wholly masculine with his angular jaw, straight nose, and spectacularly black hair. The blazer struggled to contain his broad shoulders and healthy biceps. Tall, dark, and handsome, this man was everything that Brett wasn‘t.

  “Actually, I rather think that I can help you,” he responded, smiling widely as he stared down at her. Seeing she was even more attractive in the light of day and up close, he knew that he was in over his head and knots formed in his stomach. Hannah Matthews was a vision in chocolate, from her cropped chestnut locks, to her deep brown eyes, to the varying shades of taupe cloaking her figure. It was obvious that she was trying to downplay her features and strike a professional look, but for him, it only created an even more sensual appeal. Here was a woman who was oblivious to her charms. It nearly sucked the breath right out of him.

  Arching an eyebrow, she crossed her arms over her chest. “And you are?” She asked seriously, desperate to create an air of detachment and disinterest.

  “I’m the man you’ve been looking for,” he responded cockily.

  To which she nearly choked. Instead she let out a hollow chuckle. “Really? What makes you think so?” And before he could respond she added, “And when I said ‘and you are?,’ I was hoping for something more concrete, an introduction of sorts. Start with your name.”

  Gavin’s eyebrows arched involuntarily. Every step of the way he was discovering this woman was not who he expected her to be. “My name is Gavin Meyers.” He studied her for a moment; waiting to see if the weight his name usually carried meant anything to her. Clearly it didn’t, even more clearly he could tell that she knew it was supposed to, and at that moment seemed to be racking her brain for a connection. He smirked. “I can tell you are unimpressed,” he commented dryly. “Have you found what you’re looking for, yet, Ms. Matthews?” Her eyebrows knit together. “What I mean to say is…have you found yourself a sugar daddy?”

  At that, Hannah glanced nervously about the room. “This isn’t really the time or the place,” she began; ready to boot him out the door. She sat ramrod straight at her desk and moved to stand and escort him out.

  Understanding her intention, he paused and lowered his voice. “Answer the question, please.”

  It was a definite command, cloaked as a request in that he had the sense to soften it with a ‘please.’ Still, it didn’t appease Hannah. She was humiliated. This could prove to be the final blow to her ego. Several of the women in nearby cubicles were glancing around anxiously, trying to catch the eyes of the other gossipy co-workers, prepared to reveal the latest dirt the moment the coast was clear.

  Sighing, she grabbed her coat off the back of her chair, observed that it was very nearly lunch time and she needed the air anyway, and nudging him in front of her, moved to leave the office. Hannah paused for a brief moment at the door and made a general announcement. “I’ll make it easier on you,” she began loudly; “I’ll leave so you can talk about me.” And shaking her head, she pulled the door closed behind her and headed to the elevator.

  “I hate those women,” she muttered, trying to ignore his presence as she pushed the button that would drop them to the ground floor. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she needed a moment to escape. While she waited, she struggled to pull her jacket on, but as flustered as she was it seemed to tangle up around her shoulders.

  “Here,” Gavin said in a low soothing voice, turning her to face him as he reached around her to right the twisted garment and pull it into its proper position. He followed the line of the jacket to the collar and grabbed the lapels to draw them around her neck. Realizing what an intimate gesture his simple act had become, he cleared his throat, dropped his hands, and said lightly, “There.”

  Studying him, Hannah worked to try to figure him out. Her marriage had created in her an extreme distrust of all men. And this one had the short hairs on her neck standing at attention. But what did it mean? Was it a warning? Was it a sign of a romantic spark? Or was it merely the chill in the air? She shook her head as though to clear away any confusion and immediately folded her arms across her chest.

  One side of his face lifted into a smile. “I see I have caused you to raise your guard,” Gavin began, almost apologetically. Almost. He had to win her over, just long enough to trap her into a commitment.

  “Only since you first arrived uninvited,” Hannah said grimly. A thought suddenly occurred to her and her eyes narrowed. “How did you find me, Mr. Meyers? How did you know where I worked, my name…anything about me at all?”

  He straightened. She was tough. She was bright. She was a more than worthy adversary. Taking a breath, he shrugged. “I have a really great detective that I keep on retainer for unforeseen circumstances.”

  “And I am such a scenario?” She questioned. “How is it you even came across my ad? You don’t strike me as the kind of man to even read the personals, let alone respond to them.”

  She was challenging him and he loved it. “Well, Ms. Matthews, I find myself newly divorced…”

  “And in need of some companionship?” Hannah asked in disbelief. “Come on now.” She shook her head and scowled.

  “My mother is in town, desperate to see me happily married, and when I returned home the other night, she had left the personals on my desk in the study with a plea.” That much was true at least. “And I thought that if I could just show her I was willing to try again then she might be content and leave me alone, fly back to Florida.” That part was a little flimsy.

  Her head cocked to the side as she listened to his explanation. Enough of it rang true to appease her. He really did want his mother to go back to Florida. And maybe he reall
y didn’t want anything from her. Uh, oh. “Then why respond to my particular ad? Wouldn’t your mother be suspicious of some woman you move into your home, a woman who comes with children? Wouldn’t the red flags go up? Wouldn’t she be screaming ‘gold digger‘?”

  Sighing, Gavin continued, “My mother is desperate for grandchildren. I think even step ones would appease her for the time. She has a daughter, but she has turned out to be a bit of a disappointment of late.” He was uncomfortable with the fact that he had revealed more than a grain of truth to this stranger, a stranger that he planned to use and abuse to his liking.

  They had been walking aimlessly down the street through the entire discussion and suddenly found themselves in front of Fuel Pizza. He nodded toward the entrance. “I’m starving. What if we finish this discussion over a slice?” She hesitated. “Come on.” He placed a hand on her lower back that just wrapped around her side as he directed her through the entrance. It was disconcerting how natural that felt, touching her. And he could just imagine how silky smooth her skin was under those layers of clothing. Gavin frowned. It would have to remain a mystery, since romance did not figure into his plan at all. Love and sex were complications he couldn’t afford at this juncture of his life. He squared his shoulders and followed her through the door.