Never Say Never, Part Three (Second Chance Romance, Book 3) (7 page)

“Fortunately, I’m well aware of Brian’s issues, Emily. I’m not on the end of being screwed over.”
Chase gave a chilling smile. He was foreign to her.
 

“Then which side are you on?”
 

He didn’t give an answer, but sank down into the embrace of one of his leather sofas. Janet followed him, buzzing around, a bee around honey.
 

“I received a call from Brian’s ex-wife the other day. As it happens, he forced her to abort her baby.”
 

“Christ. Why do I need to know this?”
 

“You have to know what kind of character the man has.”

“This is totally inappropriate and irrelevant, Emily. It’s a thinly veiled attempt to win my favor and prove whatever innocence you think you have with regards to killing my parents.”
 

Emily spluttered helplessly. She choked a few times. Everything kept backfiring. How had she gotten this wrong as well?
 

“He broke her arm, okay? He broke his wife’s arm and he’s a danger to my children. If he’s a danger to them, he’s a danger to you too. Do you get that? Who knows what he’s capable of? What strings he can pull to get what he wants or to get rid of who he wants.”
 

“We appreciate your concern,”
said Janet, rolling the ‘r’s on the word ‘appreciate’, “but Chase can handle his business.”
 

“Thanks for the, uh, warning? But I’ll be fine. I suggest you focus on your children.”
 
He stood and motioned towards the exit, but she didn’t move.
 

“Chase. Chase, come on, please. This is …”
 

“What? What is it Emily, I’m dying to hear the opinion of a murderer. Do you have any idea what I lost because of your selfish, drunken stint?”
 

“Chase,”
she began, but the follow up sentiment failed her.
 

“Yeah, exactly. Now, get the fuck out my apartment.”
Chase pointed forcibly and Emily walked out into the hallway without another word.
 

Janet came to the door to close it behind her, then whispered after her into the hallway. “And don’t expect an invite to the wedding, darling.”
Then she swung it shut with force.
 

Emily walked back to the elevator. This was the last time she’d see him. It was clear he despised her that Janet was the one he wanted, but she couldn’t keep back the sobs. Her visit had been a cruel education in reality.
 

She just wanted to go home, sleep and start fresh the next morning.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I was hoping you’d give me a call about my offer, but when you didn’t, I figured you might still be down about the other day.”
Joseph sat on the steps of her apartment building, smiling and holding a bottle of wine.
 

“I’ve had a rough day, Joseph. Thanks for the visit.”
She entered the building. Hopefully he’d get the message and stay behind on the stairs, rather than follow her up. No such luck. He was with her all the way, even while she unlocked her front door.
 

“Mind if I come in?”
He pushed past her before she could grant him entrance. This was an irritation. She just wanted to curl up in bed with a cup of tea, then cry herself to sleep or something. But no, Mr. Lawyerman was insistent on ‘ruining’
her evening.
 

She followed him in, then went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water and downed it in one go.
 

“Thirsty, eh?”
Joseph’s grin twinkled with a mischievous edge. He twiddled the bottle of red under her nose. “I’ve got just the thing for that.”

“Not tonight thanks.”
Emily left her handbag on the kitchen counter and went to sit down on the sofa. She didn’t put on the TV. Joseph came to sit beside her seconds later.
 

He brought two glasses of red wine and forced one into her hand, then clinked them together and took a swig.
 

“How are you feeling?”
He asked, then fidgeted on the couch.
 

“I’m fine thanks.”
She’d been better, but she’d shared too much with the pushy stranger already.
 

“Good, good,”
he said, with an absent-minded wave. “So I’ve been thinking. We should go out on a date sometime. We had a lot of coffee, I mean a lot of fun at coffee the other day, right? Right? So, would you like to go out with me again?”
 

There wasn’t a polite answer which wouldn’t break him down. She wasn’t ready for anything with anyone. She had too much on her plate, her heart was broken and she was on the verge of a custody battle.
 

Balancing that and work was enough. But if she said no, would he still help her get her kids back?
 

Hell, she couldn’t let that sway her decision. She wasn’t some kind of ‘lawyer’
prostitute. He’d just have to accept her decision and if he didn’t like it, he could walk.
 

“Well? What do you say?”
 

Eager much?

“I’m sorry, Joseph, but I can’t go out with you. I can’t go out with anyone right now. I’m a bit messed up. You heard the story the other day. It’s just not the right time.”
 

Joseph wilted back into the couch cushions and drank deeply from his wine, disappointment radiating off him in waves.
 

“I’m really sorry. We can still be friends, if that’s okay.”
 

“I used to date Chastity,”
he blurted it out like she was the priest and her couch was a confessional.
 

“Oh my God. What?!”
That was all she needed. Another tie to Chase, another reason to irritate his family.
 

“Yeah, we used to date. It didn’t end well. It’s difficult because I still see her a lot, and I’m honestly not a fan of the friend zone.”
 

Emily finally drank some of the wine and coughed slightly. “How do you still see her?”
 

Joseph wen the color of bricks. “It doesn’t matter. It’s a frustrating place to be, you know? When you care about someone, you can see a future with them, and they can’t see it with you.”
 

Emily didn’t let out the low whistle of astonishment which sat behind her two front teeth.
 

“How did you meet her?”
 

“Who?”
Joseph scratched his lined forehead.
 

“Chastity. Who else?”
This guy was on vibrate. He squirmed around, ready to jump up at a moment’s notice.
 

“It doesn’t matter. Forget her. She doesn’t matter. That’s all in the past. You don’t have to worry about her getting in the way.”
 

“God, in the way of what exactly?”
 

“Well, of us, of course.”
 

“Joseph, do you hear yourself right now? We met last week. I hardly know you.”
 

“And that’s exactly why we should get closer. Get to know each other. I sense a special connection, don’t you?”
 

Emily put the wine glass down on her stained wood coffee table and silenced Joseph’s nattering with a wave. “Joseph, I am not ready for anything. I just told you that.”
 

“And I made it clear I don’t like the friend zone.”
 

“Then you’d better leave.”
She folded her arms. His mysterious connection with Chastity was enough to put her off. Why was he so sketchy on the details, there?
 

“Why can’t we just try? I mean, there’s this heat between us. Don’t you feel it?”
 

“Honestly, I don’t feel anything but confusion and pain these days. You’re a great guy, Joseph, you’re just not the one for me.”
There were only so many ways she could let him down. He refused to get the picture.
 

“I’ll make you feel it.”
Joseph whipped his specs off and leaned in, sliding a hand around the back of her neck and bringing his lips in for the kill.

Fuck this.
 

“Get off me!”
Emily shoved him in the chest and he hopped backwards. “In what Universe do you think ‘no’
means ‘yes’?”
 

“Oh God, I’m such a fool.”
Joseph buried his face in his hands, spilling wine onto the white rug she’d bought a few weeks ago as a housewarming gift to herself.
 

She snatched the glass out of his hand and rammed it down on the coffee table.
 

“I’m sorry, Joseph, but it is time for you to leave. Now.”
 

“All right,”
he answered, standing and shrugging his shoulders. “I didn’t mean for it to go this way. I wasn’t trying to force you into anything. I really like you, that’s all. But I’ll leave.”
He lingered for a moment –
hoping she’d relent and ask him to stay? Dream on.
 

“Thank you. Have a good evening.”
She followed him to the door and locked it behind him.
 

Then she sank to the floor and cried until she had no tears left.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“But if daddy finds out, you’ll get in trouble.”
Becci looked from left to right, blonde pigtails bobbing.

“Don’t worry about it, darling. I’ll handle your father. Just be sure not to tell him when you get home, okay?”
Emily leaned out of the window and shifted her shades up her nose. She didn’t want any of the teachers at the school recognizing her by some surreal fluke.
 

She was done hanging around, mooning over Chase and trying to help other people who didn’t want her damn help. Now, she was focused on what she needed: her children.

“Come on kids, quickly now.”
She reached back and unlocked the door, and Jared opened it for his sister. She hopped in and he followed after her.

“How are you guys today?”

“Fine,”
Jared answered in a typical pre-teen monotone.
 

“We learned how to draw the kicking ‘k’
today. It was fun. And then, my teacher, Mrs. Ford, she told me that mine were the best in the whole class. It was the best day ever!”
Becci rambled on and Emily enjoyed each second of her daughter’s story.
 

It was as if she’d been in an emotional void without her kids, a drought, and the rains had finally come.
 

“So what do you guys feel like doing today? How about we go for some ice cream?”
 

“Yes please,”
they answered in unison, as they were wont to do.
 

She drove them to one of her old haunts which had been around since she was a little girl. Her father had brought her a few times, when her mother was too busy with embroidery or cooking or damn near anything except talking to Emily.
 

They sat in a booth and giggled together. Emily got chocolate, Jared got rum raisin and Becci insisted on a combination of three flavors: mint, caramel and strawberry.
 

“I miss you guys. It’s fun to hang out like this.”
 

“Yeah, pity we’ll never get to hang out anymore,”
Jared muttered. He was negative at the best of times, but this was clearly a motivated anecdote.
 

“Why do you say that?”
 

“Amanda told us that daddy is going to take out a regaining order,”
Becci answered promptly. “It means we won’t be able to see you anymore because you’re not good for us.”
 

Emily’s heart froze in her chest then turned to molten lava. How fucking dare Amanda discuss this with her children?! As if they didn’t have enough stress already.
 

“It’s restraining not regaining, Becci.”
Jared corrected his sister with a sour grunt.

“Don’t listen to Amanda, you two. She’s not a good source of information. I won’t let that happen and I’m certainly not going to give up fighting for you two.”

Jared perked up a bit at that and took a big bite out of his ice cream. He clutched his head a second later and groaned. “Brain freeze!”
 

Becci burst out laughing and Emily joined in, but she wasn’t amused. Inside, she seethed with rage at Amanda and Brian. She’d spent too long believing she wasn’t worthy of affection or of having the two people she’d brought into this world.