Page 65 of Second Chances

“Evening.” He leaned on the side of the van. “I didn’t know you were still around.”

“Just got back. Boss wanted me to hang around for a while,” Javan said.

“Oh?” Todd instantly grew worried.

“Nothing to worry about. He just has a hunch. My boss is never wrong, so I tend to listen to him,” Javan added.

“Well, you’re welcome to the room.” He motioned to the garage. “If you need it.”

“Thanks,” Javan said with a nod. “You won’t even know I’m here.”

“Do you have a family?” he asked the man out of the blue.

“No, mon,” Javan answered. “No woman has been able to tie me down.”

Todd chuckled. “Sometimes it’s nice to be tied down by a woman.”

Javan slapped him on the shoulder, almost knocking Todd over completely, as he laughed.

“You doing some yard work? The place sure looks nice.” Javan motioned to the house.

“Yeah, getting ready for a party here on the Fourth,” Todd answered, looking over the yard once more. It did look good. He’d trimmed the yard down and had the sprinklers going now, and the entire area smelled of summer and fresh cut grass.

“Fourth?” Javan frowned. “Oh, right, Independence Day.” Javan climbed out of the SUV. “I’ll just make myself at home again. I’ll park inside.” He walked over and punched the code on the garage door.

“Let me know if there’s anything I should be concerned about,” Todd said.

“Will do.” Javan waved and then climbed in the SUV and pulled it into the garage next to Todd’s own car.

When Todd stepped inside the house, he realized he’d forgotten his cell phone inside. There were a few messages from Ethan telling him that he was sending Javan back down to stay with him for the next week as a precaution.

He replied that Javan had made it there. Then he read the message from Olivia and, instead of replying, called her.

“Evening,” she answered on the second ring.

“Evening.” He sat on the sofa and put his feet up. He hadn’t realized how hard he’d worked, but now that he had stopped moving, his entire body ached. “Are you still at work?”

“Until ten. I only have a moment to talk.” He heard the sound of the bell that chimed every time the store door was opened, signaling customers had come in. “I wanted to tell you that Simona is staying with Crystal this weekend, so we’re all set for our shopping trip.”

“Wonderful,” he said, knowing that she had to go.

“Talk to you later tonight,” she said before hanging up.

An entire weekend together. Alone. He couldn’t wait. With all of his house and yard work done already, he figured he could spend the entire weekend building up enough nerve to tell her just how he felt about her.

Chapter 19

Thursday nights at work were some of the busiest nights. Especially after dark. A steady stream of customers came and went, which normally made the time fly by. But tonight seemed slower than normal.

When she’d tried to call Todd, it had gone to his voice mail and she figured he was out in his yard mowing and hadn’t heard it ring.

She was looking forward to spending an entire weekend with him, now that Crystal had agreed to take Simona out to the resort with her and Rory for the weekend.

It was so nice having people surrounding her that she trusted to care for her daughter. She may not have gotten the best deal with Brock but moving to Silver Cove had been the best decision of her life.

“Evening,” she said to a pretty blonde woman who had strolled in. Instantly, she could tell the woman had a lot of money. Years of working retail had honed Olivia’s skills at assessing people.

The cream-colored skirt and blouse were designer brand, as were the heeled cream sandals and matching bag. The outfit easily cost as much as Olivia’s new car, maybe more if you accounted for the jewelry.