A Second Chance (29 page)

Without a bag, she’d worn his shirts
around the house. He’d had an extra toothbrush that he’d paid no
more than a dollar for that he gave her, and she’d kept. There was
no food in the house of the single man and he ordered pizza and
over tipped the driver. It was heaven.

Then she convinced him to run away
with her for a few weeks. Leave behind the responsibility and the
woes of saving lives. Make love to her on the French Riviera under
the stars. And so he did.

And that was where she’d left
him.

Simone crawled into bed and pulled the
sheets up to her chin as if to hide herself in the dark. She’d
never been in a situation where she didn’t know what to do or have
her daddy go fix all her problems. The last time she’d spoken to
her father, he’d turned her away. Taken away her trust fund, her
villa, everything. To him she was nothing, and he’d made that
perfectly clear.

It was hard for her to imagine. Her
mother had married, again, and lived in Spain. And now she couldn’t
even afford to go to her. Zach had been kind enough to fly her to
America and offer her a place to stay. She was sure even Regan
didn’t know he’d done as much.

He didn’t know why she was there, but
she’d tell him. And Zachary Benson would never turn her away. That
was what friends did for each other.

She’d hoped Curtis wouldn’t turn her
away either, but it didn’t look as though things were going her
way.

From the book she bought, she figured
she had a good two months before she needed to make her decisions
on matters at hand. Zach offered to help her find a job. Why would
she need a job, she supposed he wondered. Suddenly an apartment,
dark and dank like Curtis’s, seemed appealing.

It would all be okay.

She was nearing the end of her
thirties and she’d never taken care of herself. She could
learn.

The first tear rolled down her cheek
and she brushed it away.

People did it all the time.

She was good with math. A budget. She
could make a budget. Clothing. She and Regan had once been the same
size. Perhaps she could talk her into passing down some of the
clothes she had yet to work herself into after Tyler’s birth. That
would do for a little bit.

She blew out a breath and sucked up
the tears that continued. She’d learn to take care of another.
People did it all the time.

Simone ran her hands over her belly
and swallowed hard. Soon Curtis wouldn’t turn her away. At least
not completely. But she’d have to prove that she could take care of
herself before she told him she was carrying his baby.

Bernadette Marie grew up obsessed with pens
and notebooks, each one filled with lists and ideas for stories.
Not much has changed. This wife and mother of five sons has a
passion for writing stories about falling in love, finding love
where you left it, and strong families.

Bernadette Marie is an accomplished martial
artist who holds a Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and she is a chronic
entrepreneur. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and
Colorado Romance Writers.

Visit her website at
www.bernadettemarie.com
for
news on upcoming releases, signings, appearances, and
contests.

Photo: © 2009 Damon Kappell/Studio
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