After I shower, I grab my cell to check the time and notice I have a missed call from Ken. Hoping he has good news for me, I dial his number then put the call on speaker as I open my makeup bag.

“Mia.”

“Hey, Ken. How’s it going?” I ask, dotting my face with concealer.

“I have some good news.”

“Well, I need some good news.” I smile at the phone when he laughs.

“I know you do, which means I’m happy to make this call. We got approval and will be opening our doors on Saturday.”

“Really?” My nose stings and my eyes water.

“Really.”

“Is it weird that I want to cry right now?”

“Please don’t. I can’t do tears, not even over the phone,” he says, and I start to laugh.

“So I’ll see you Saturday?” he asks.

“You’ll definitely see me Saturday.”

“Good, see you then,” he replies, and the line goes dead.

After a few deep breaths, I finish my makeup and get dressed for work in a pair of jeans, a deep-blue tee with Winston’s Bar and Grille across the chest in white writing, and my Converse. If I were going into work anywhere else to give my notice, I would feel bad, but Cece’s boss Winston gave me a job as a favor to my sister, who I’m pretty sure he has a crush on—at least that’s my guess, since he’s always asking about her when I’m working.

Thinking about it now, I wonder why Cece never mentions him. Then again, maybe she’s still so heartbroken that she’s oblivious to the forty-year-old seriously attractive man who signs her paychecks. Knowing I might never have the answer to that question, especially given my sister’s history with secrecy, I go downstairs to take my girls out one last time. After I toss the ball for them for thirty minutes, I head back inside and scribble a quick note to Cece, letting her know about Ken’s call, and then I get in my car and head to work, feeling happier than I’ve felt in weeks.

CHAPTER 3

Mia

I PASS OVER the contract in my hand along with a pen to Annie, who is smiling like she just won the lotto. Then I glance at her husband and press my lips together to keep from laughing, something I know would be completely unprofessional. As I watch Annie sign for her brand-new van, her husband watches her with a crestfallen expression.

I can’t say I was surprised when I saw them come into the dealership today for our grand reopening, but I was shocked when Annie marched up to me with her little boy on her hip and announced they were buying her van today and that they didn’t want another test drive. I’m proud of her for taking control and love that, even though her husband doesn’t like it, he’s still here.

Maybe he knows the old saying “Happy wife, happy life.”

“I’m so excited.” Annie grins, handing me back the paperwork once she’s completed it.

“I’m excited for you.” I smile, resting my hand on my desk phone. “If you’re ready, I’m going to call Judy to make sure she’s ready for you in her office.”

“We’re ready.” Annie nods while Sam sighs.

Ignoring him with my smile still in place, I press 7, and when Judy answers, I confirm with her that she’s free. I walk Annie, Sam, and the kids back to her office and leave Annie with a hug and Sam with a pat on his stiff shoulder as their girls run circles around us. Knowing they’re in good hands, I head back to my desk to wait for Mandy to let me know when I have a client.

Unlike what I watched in movies, we don’t aggressively pursue potential clients; we work on rotation. I know some of the employees don’t like it, but I do. I don’t want to feel like I have to be overly assertive with the people coming in, just to get a sale. As I wait, I grab my cell and find a text from my mom waiting for me.

Mom: How are my girls?

Me: We’re fine, just missing you. I hope you can come visit soon.

I press Send, thinking it’s so strange how time seems to change your perspective. Growing up, my mother placed me and Cece smack-dab in the middle of hers and my dad’s problems, using us as a sounding board and pawns when needed. At the age of nine, the same age as Kate and Lola, I knew my father cheated, knew how many times, and with who, and Cece knew even more than I did. She was fourteen at the time, and my mom leaned on her for emotional support, thinking of her as a best friend instead of her child she should’ve been protecting. Because of that, my mom’s and my relationship was strained, and I resented her for not being strong enough to leave my dad, even after he kept doing things that were making her unhappy.

It wasn’t until I was older that I understood she would have left if she could’ve, but she was financially dependent on him and afraid of what life might be like without him in the picture. When my dad asked my mom for a divorce so he could marry another woman, she didn’t have a choice but to face life head-on. She moved us into a small two-bedroom apartment, got a job as a secretary at a law firm in our town, and after a year, she started dating Chaz, her now husband.

That’s when things changed for us. Chaz gave her someone else to share her pain with while she figured out how to be happy and trust again. Things at the beginning of their relationship weren’t easy for me or Cece. It took a long time for us to figure out we could trust the man my mom was falling in love with, while dealing with the loss of our father, who was starting a new life that didn’t involve the two girls he already created.

Although I can still acutely remember the pain I felt during that time in my life, I don’t wish things turned out differently. My mom grew and became a better mother, and Chaz showed me with understanding, love, and support what I should expect from any man I get involved with.

Thinking about my stepdad, I send him a quick I love you text. I don’t speak to my biological father—not because I haven’t tried to have a relationship with him, but because he’s a self-centered asshole who only cares about himself.

Okay, so I might still hold a little resentment toward my father, but I figure that’s normal, given what I went through as a kid.

“Mia speaking,” I answer my desk phone when it rings and drop my cell back in my bag.

“You have a client,” Mandy snaps, then before I even have a chance to thank her, she hangs up. I’m not surprised by her shortness. It’s been crazy today, crazier than normal. It seems everyone was waiting for us to reopen, and I’m sure she’s been on her heels all day instead of lounging like she normally does.

I stand and straighten out my cream blouse and smooth my hands down the front of my high-waisted navy-blue slacks. Ken doesn’t care what we wear to work, but the guys who work here dress in slacks and button-downs, and the other women dress up, so I always try to appear as put together as them, hoping customers will take me a little more seriously.

I leave my cubical with my eyes on my feet, refusing to look at the boarded-up wall of windows to my left. We might have been able to open, but there is still work to do, and those wooden panels blocking out the light only remind me of the fear I experienced weeks ago.

“Mia.”

I lift my head when Mandy calls my name and stumble when I see the man who’s been haunting me standing near the front podium with his eyes on me. My heart pounds as he takes a step toward me. Good Lord, he’s even more handsome than I remember. And with the sun shining through the doors, he looks like some kind of modern-day Greek god with his black boots, jeans, and tight white T-shirt accentuating his muscular torso. His dirty-blond hair is mussed like he’s ran his fingers through it, and the tattoos on his arms seem more vibrant against his tan skin. As I watch him get closer, I feel overwhelmed—with fear, thankfulness, regret, and longing. The mix of emotions makes me want to run, only I don’t know if I want to run away or into his arms.