Page 9 of Second Chances

Todd nodded. “I don’t think there’s anything that difficult that would require more than one set of hands. But I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’d be surprised. We purchased a classic beauty a few years back and had to spend an entire year with renovations.” He shook his head. “I was thankful for the help, and the beer, since I was so sore most nights I could barely move.”

“Are you still working at the resort?” he asked Sarah.

“Yes and no. I hired my best friend Lilly to run the place,” Sarah answered, motioning to another blonde woman sitting at the end of the table, trying to corral three young kids. “Then she went and had three kids on me. Now I’ve got Calvin Winters to watch the place.”

“And your mother? Does she still own…”

“Serenity’s Attic?” Sarah smiled. “Yes, actually, that’s where Olivia and Kayla, work.” She motioned to the other blonde woman who had come back with a boy of about eight years old in tow. Todd had no doubt that this was the famous Conner James that Simona had been talking about, because the boy looked like he’d had a stern talking to. He sat quietly at the table, watching the adults.

“So, what actually brings you to Silver Cove?” Olivia asked, gaining his attention. “I mean, do you have a job?”

“No,” he answered. He knew he was being short but was curious to see how far in this line of questioning she’d go.

“Married?” she asked, her eyes scanning his hands.

“No.” Again he remained vague.

“So, what? Your family owns a home here and you move in, with plans of fixing it up but not selling it? Without a job prospect?” she asked.

“Yup.” He smiled. “That’s about it.” He shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable talking about himself. After all, for the past ten years, he’d spent a lot of his time lying to others about who he was, what he did for a living.

He could tell instantly that Olivia wasn’t satisfied with the answers he was giving. She bit her bottom lip, as if to stop herself from asking more questions. It was a move much like Simona had done, but on her it was sexy as hell. Her silver eyes assessed him closely while he ran his eyes over her.

She had a natural beauty about her. Anyone who looked at her would instantly be drawn in. Those full lips deserved as much attention as her sexy eyes.

While Olivia had been asking him questions, Sarah had pulled her youngest daughter into her lap. Now, she stood up.

“Well, it’s way past these two little ones’ bedtimes.” Sarah shifted her sleepy daughter in her arms as she picked up a large bag from the floor. “It was nice catching up with you, Todd. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you around town.”

He stood up as well, taking his to-go box with him.

“Be sure to reach out to us if you need any help.” Ben handed him a business card, which Todd tucked into the back pocket of his jeans before shaking the man’s hand.

“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.” He watched the couple disappear and then turned back to the table. He had planned on just saying a quick goodbye, but then Simona surprised him by waking up in her mother’s arms. The little girl took one look at him and then yelled his name and held out her arms for him. He couldn’t help it, his heart completely melted seeing the little girl’s sleepy silver eyes look up at him with complete trust and affection.

Chapter 3

For the past hour, Olivia had tried to peg Todd O’Brien. She prided herself on being able to read people. Maybe it had something to do with working retail or maybe she was just observant. Or maybe Crystal had rubbed off on her.

As he’d talked to Sarah, she’d listened to every word he said, and the ones he didn’t. She’d picked up on his distress when Sarah had talked about his mother and instantly understood that, whatever had been between mother and son, he was not comfortable talking about it. She could totally understand.

She understood from his silence that he had enough money that he wasn’t going to be out job hunting anytime soon. She itched to ask him some more questions, but since she’d just met the man, and one of the first things he’d done was berate her as a mother, she kept her mouth shut.

He was single, that much was obvious. He didn’t have any kids of his own but liked kids, which might translate to wanting his own. Some men you could tell instantly that they didn’t want to deal with kids. Brock had been like that initially. He had struggled with Simona at first. Their daughter had been almost two before he even took an interest in her.

Brock had made the excuse that he only liked kids when they were big enough that they could communicate what they wanted. Even then, Brock hadn’t really known how to talk to Simona or any other kids he’d been around. He’d always seemed awkward and slightly annoyed.

Todd seemed genuinely happy to converse with her daughter. When Simona had opened her eyes, called out, and reached for Todd, he’d sat back down and let her sleepy daughter climb into his lap.

“You’re still here,” Simona had said with a yawn. “I thought you left.”

“Nope, not yet. I got stuck talking to the boring adults.”

Simona had giggled and reached up to touch his chin. “I like you. Will you come to my house and play with me sometime?”

Olivia gasped slightly. “Simona, you shouldn’t invite someone you just met to our house.”