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Chapter1
GOLDIE
The reliefof being pain free was…well, to be honest, I’m still trying to get used to it. Even the twinge of discomfort I feel almost a month after my surgery has nothing on the years long grip endometriosis had on me, keeping me from so many life events—or myself, but especially for my daughter, Lily Ann.
The saying “New Year, New You,” couldn’t be more apt for me. At almost four weeks out from a hysterectomy and at forty-one years old, I was ready for the next chapter in my life. Better health, a new career, and now finally my own home. No more renting.
This new year was going to be our best yet. Even if I couldn’t give my daughter the one thing she’s asked Santa for year after year since she could talk—a sibling. She’d been forced to grow up too fast after having and beating childhood cancer and growing up without her real father in the picture.
Sighing, I didn’t want to go down that particular part memory lane; I pushed all thoughts of what I couldn’t give my daughter, preferring to focus on the positive as I waited for Kiersten, one of my closest friends, to arrive for lunch. Although it was my first official day back to work at Carter Security, I felt no guilt in taking a longer lunch. Typically, I brought my lunch. The company I worked for had a nice break room and, as a scheduling operator, I had my own caseload of clients. We specialized in all forms of protection for high-profile athletes, multi-million-dollar businesses or wealthy clients who required various forms of personal security, on-site protection services or system-wide technical expertise.
I felt like I’d found my place with this company. It provided the best life possible for me and Lily Ann.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. I offered to drop off a last-minute order not far from here.” Kiersten sat down and grinned at me, then reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Hey, I know that look. What’s up? I seem to remember you telling me that brooding over things you couldn’t change was behind you now that you’ve had the surgery.” Leaning back, she scanned the menu just as the waiter arrived.
Giving him our orders, we declined his offer of a bottle of wine. “Maybe next time, we have to go back to work after this.” He gave me an unexpected once-over before leaving me in shock. When was the last time a man checked me out? I mean, he was at least twenty years younger, but still he was cute. My heart sped up at his attention.
“Look at you. You’re practically glowing over there, getting lingering looks from young, hot guys. I’m telling you, Goldie, this is your year. I’m so happy you’re healthy. Lily’s happy and healthy too, and you have an awesome new job. Now you just need a man.”
Head spinning from Kiersten’s sudden arrival and optimistic words, I laughed at her last statement. Scanning the restaurant, I watched the waiter walk away, stop at the bar, and enter our order onto a tablet. Definitely too young. He glanced over his shoulder and caught me checking him out. I felt my cheeks warm as I quickly glanced away. Unfortunately, my gaze landed on a table full of men. The owners of the company I worked for were sitting with who I presumed were a couple of clients. But the one man who would have been at the top of my list, had I made a list of men I was interested in, was the boss I considered totally out of my league. And was staring at me. And I couldn’t look away. Then, in a sexy as sin move, one of his eyebrows lifted, his full lips lifting in a brilliant smile.
I wanted to melt into the floor. I’d been caught and, knowing Ford Carter, he’d find a way to tease me. He was the easy going of the two owners who happened to be cousins. But I knew how dangerous workplace relationships could be and that’s why I had locked down my attraction to him from day one.
I’d met Lily Ann’s father at work almost eleven years ago and swore I’d never go through that nightmare again. It didn’t matter how nice, sexy, and smart he was. Ford was off limits. I not only needed this job, I wanted this job, and that was a first for me. I could see myself working there for a long time, unlike past jobs I took only to pay the bills.
Gathering my wits, I shrugged my shoulders and broke eye contact. Ford’s look not only ignited a full body flush but unleashed a swarm of butterflies in my lower belly. The waiter’s attention had been nice, and it gave my ego a much-needed boost, but the look from Ford, heck any look from him, often produced dangerous feelings within me. Okay, every time he looked my way. I also gave in to “if only” daydreams where he was concerned. The “if only we’d met when I was younger, healthier, etcetera, etcetera,” kind of dreams that left me frustrated.
“Wait, what’d I miss? Why are you all red?” Kiersten’s voice and look held concern and confusion. She looked around the restaurant, and I knew the moment she spotted the reason for my reaction. Ford was no longer looking at me, but that didn’t really matter. Somehow, she’d picked up on my attraction to him without me ever saying a word. It’s what good friends inherently knew about each other. Like how I knew she was holding tight onto her feelings for Dr. Jack Monroe without ever telling me what was going on between the two of them. It made me think perhaps I should find out what was really going on between the two of them.
“Tell me again why you’re not going after that tall drink of water?” Kiersten smirked.
Rolling my eyes, I wiggled in my seat. I couldn’t shake the brief look from Ford. Any attention from him always took me a while to shake off. “I really don’t know what you mean. He’s basically my boss, so he’s off limits, even if he was interested in me. Which he’s not.”
A different person delivered our lunch, thank goodness. I really didn’t want to deal with whatever situation the first waiter had started.
We smiled at the server, then waited until we were alone again to continue our conversation. I kept my eyes forward, fighting the urge to look back at Ford’s table.
“Goldie, you’re a beautiful woman. There’s no reason to write off finding a man to share your life with. You’ve been fighting to become healthy again for so long, you deserve to let loose, have fun. So why not him?”
Not wanting to argue, I ignored her question and dug into my meal. Twenty minutes later, after taking the not-so-subtle hint to change the subject, Kiersten was telling me about Holly’s, her boss at Just Desserts, whirlwind romance and upcoming marriage to Zane Snow. He was the brother of Noel Snow-Scott, a friend and wife of TS Scott, an owner of the United States Baseball League team, the Idaho Outlaws, and was one of Carter Security’s biggest clients. In fact, I’d been working with a player before I took time off for my surgery.
“So, you up for going out on New Year’s Eve? Harlowe told me she invited you.” Harlowe worked for the Idaho Outlaws and was married to Zak, and that meant Ford would probably be there. I wasn’t sure I could handle being in a social situation where he’d probably have a date and I didn’t.
“Maybe your sitter, Ms. Baker, can watch Lily?”
Kiersten was seven years younger than me with the drive and energy to still party, but I was more than happy curled up on the couch with my daughter, watching movies or reading one of my cozy mysteries.
“C’mon. All the cool kids are doing it. I bet Ford will be there.” Grinning, she reached for the check before I could grab it.
“Where am I supposed to be? Hi Goldie.” Ford had somehow magically appeared at our table without my noticing. How’d he do that? Even at work, he had a way of sneaking up on me.
“I hope you don’t mind the interruption. Zak and I were having lunch with the team from RJ Imports and I didn’t want to leave without stopping by.”
His dark brown eyes twinkled, and his smile…darn it, it should be certified dangerous. Another round of fluttering erupted in my belly and even though I no longer had a uterus, the way he was looking at me had me envisioning a baby boy with Ford’s dark eyes and dimples and that was not only more dangerous but crazy. I could never give him a child and I had no business setting myself up that way. He was not the man for me.
“Not at all. Ford, this is my friend Kiersten Stafford. She manages Just Desserts.”
He took Kiersten’s hand and a rush of jealousy overtook me. I had no claims on him, but it took me a minute to calm my heartbeat.
