Unexpected Chances (Fairshore Series Book 2)

by Christina Butrum

  Unexpected Chances

  A Fairshore Series Book Two

  Christina Butrum

  Unexpected Chances

  Copyright 2015 by Christina Butrum

  ISBN-13: 978-1511455497

  ISBN-10: 1511455497

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and events used in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and are not to be considered as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, spirits, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  For more information:

  www.facebook.com/authorcbutrum

  Cover Design by

  Amanda Walker PA & Design Services

  Created with Vellum

  Also by Christina Butrum

  Second Chances

  Unexpected Chances

  To my family, friends, and readers!

  Acknowledgments

  Once again, I owe a huge thanks to my family and friends for the encouragement and support. To Nate and Alaina especially a huge thanks for supporting me and allowing me to write and chase my dreams.

  A huge thank you to my beta readers. I appreciate each and every one of you.

  And to my readers, a big thanks to you! Without you, I wouldn’t have anyone to share my stories with. Thank you for taking the time to read Unexpected Chances. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  Chapter One

  Amelia tossed her keys and the mail on the kitchen counter. She glanced around. The kitchen was spotless. “Zach must have cleaned.”

  “That I did,” Zach said as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Amelia smiled as she nestled herself into his chest. “That was very nice of you.”

  She sighed in relief at the comfort of being in his arms. The smell of his cologne relaxed her.

  “How’d today go?” His voice boomed in his chest.

  Amelia closed her eyes and let out an exhausted breath. “I’m happy to be home with you.”

  They had decided a few months ago to have Zach move in with her. Zach had moved everything he owned into her house at the beginning of January. They had agreed to never move in the winter again.

  “I’m happy you’re home, too,” he agreed. “You don’t know how much I appreciate you going to her doctor appointments with her.”

  Amelia nodded. “I know.”

  She had volunteered to go along with Anna to her appointments since Anna’s Deli had closed for the winter. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she had accepted the challenge. The real challenge would come later. They just didn’t know when. Anna’s doctor had given her six months to live. They were in month six and counting.

  Zach squeezed her tight. “I’m sorry I can’t go instead of you.”

  Amelia looked up at him. He looked down with a somber expression. “Don’t be silly. I love your grandma.”

  He rubbed his hand up and down her back. Amelia could tell he fought to hold in his emotions. She had learned so much about him in the last six months – more than she had expected to know. His parents were drug addicts who abandoned him and left him in the care of his grandparents. His grandfather died from lung cancer last year, and now he was losing his grandmother, too. It pained Amelia to witness the devastation take place in his life, but she hoped to provide him enough comfort to help him through it.

  “How was your day?” Amelia asked as she stepped out of his embrace. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with milk.

  Zach proudly owned Gallagher’s Furniture, which is how they had met. “Business is slow, but I think it’ll pick up here in a week or so with everyone getting tax returns.”

  It amazed Amelia how smart Zach was. It took a lot to own a business, let alone run it. She was proud of how far he had come in life, even with crap for parents. She supposed a special thanks was due to his grandparents.

  Amelia glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. “Have you eaten?”

  Zach shook his head. “No, I just got home not too long ago.”

  “What would you like for supper?” she asked as she looked into the fridge. The freezer was bare, with a slim selection of frozen foods. “Frozen pizza okay?”

  Zach chuckled and said, “Yes, that sounds fine. I’m starving and couldn’t care less what I eat.”

  Amelia grabbed a pizza from the top rack of the freezer and unwrapped it. She preheated the oven and placed the pizza on a pizza pan. She looked at Zach, who watched her contentedly. “What are you thinking?”

  “Who, me?” He smirked and pointed to himself. “I’m thinking about how much hotter you are than the oven right now.”

  She playfully shoved him and said, “Get out of here.”

  He grabbed a hold of her waist and pulled her close to his body. “Where are we going?”

  She slid out of his hold and walked to the oven. “In your dreams, buddy. I’m not going anywhere.”

  She opened the oven door and carefully placed the pizza pan on the top rack. She set the timer for twenty minutes.

  Zach walked up behind her and kissed the side of her neck. “We have twenty minutes.” He spun her around to face him. Between kisses he said, “There’s a lot we can do in twenty minutes.”

  He kissed her as she smiled. His lips landed softly upon her lips. A moan escaped her as she yearned for him. He lifted her and carried her to the bedroom upstairs.

  “Look how strong you are, my macho man,” she said and giggled.

  “I’ll show you macho man.” He laughed as he placed her on the bed.

  “Don’t get too carried away, you might hurt yourself.”

  He stripped her clothes off and positioned himself over her. “Don’t you worry about that, I know what I’m doing.”

  She tried to laugh, but a moan escaped her lips instead. She shifted her hips to invite him in and he guided himself inside of her. She moaned and arched her back as he thrusted deep inside her. He whispered in her ear the things she wanted to hear. She loved how he talked to her while they made love. He allowed her to finish before him. She clung to him for a moment. Her legs intertwined with his and both of them were tangled in the sheets. He collapsed beside her and ran a hand through his hair.

  “That was amazing,” he stated. He ran his fingers through her hair as she crawled closer to him.

  “As always,” she said as she nestled into his chest. She curled his chest hairs around her finger. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  A shrill beeping sounded from the kitchen. Amelia tried to get off the bed, but her feet were tangled in the blanket. She fell to the floor. As she scrambled to untangle her legs, she shouted, “I can’t believe we forgot about the pizza!”

  Zach laughed as he hurried down the stairs. Over his shoulder he hollered, “I got it!”

  Amelia rushed into the kitchen after him to find a cloud of smoke. “Anything on fire?” she shouted over the alarm. She fanned her arms through the smoke to clear a path.

  “Nope, just smoke!” Zach hollered as he reached for the alarm and disconnected the batteries. Silence surrounded them. “My ears are ringing.”

  Amelia opened the kitchen windows and turned on the fan in the hallway. “What’d you say?” she asked when she returned to the kitchen.

  Zach chuckled. “Are your ears ringing, too?”

  Amelia shook her head. “No, are yours?” She walked to the oven and opened the door. The pizza was charcoal black. “I don’t think it’s salvageable.”

  “Let’s eat out,” Zach suggested. “You pick the place.”

  “Let’s go to Pizzaria. I’ll grab my purse,” she said
.

  “No need to grab your money. I can cover dinner,” Zach assured her.

  Amelia smiled. “Let me make sure the oven is off.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Zach stated as he slid his coat on.

  He grabbed her coat from the coat hanger and waited for her. She walked into the living room and stopped in front of him. He kissed her gently on the forehead. She shook into her coat and smiled at him. He opened the door and asked, “Are you ready?”

  She nodded as she tucked her hands into her pockets. The cold nipped against her face. Amelia covered her face with her scarf and her hands. She shouted through her gloves, “Why does it have to be so cold?”

  Zach pulled her close to him as they walked to the car in the driveway. The warmth of his body protected her against the chill of the wind. She buried her face into the nook of his chest and arm. He guided her to the car safely and opened the passenger door for her. She carefully sat in the seat and allowed him to close the door.

  She watched him as he jogged in slow motion around the front of the car. He opened the door and a gust of wind shoved him into the seat. He smiled as he put the key into the ignition.

  “What’re you all smiles about?” Amelia quizzed him.

  “Just how cute you are,” he said as he winked at her. “I can’t believe we burnt dinner. How hard is it to cook a frozen pizza?”

  “Ahem, if you wouldn’t have been so insistent about distracting me, we wouldn’t be out in the cold. We’d be curled up on the couch, nice and warm, with full stomachs,” Amelia stated as a matter of fact.

  Zach grinned. “Is that so?”

  Amelia nodded.

  “I didn’t hear any objections at the time,” he stated as he shifted the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway.

  Amelia playfully rolled her eyes.

  “No comment?” He watched her. Her cheeks blushed. “My point has been proven. Case closed.”

  He shifted the car into drive and pressed his foot down on the gas. The car fishtailed. Amelia watched him as he guided the steering wheel to straighten the car.

  Amelia slapped his arm and laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

  “But you love me,” Zach said as he winked.

  Amelia chuckled. She reached for the heat and turned it to high. She rubbed her hands together. She would be thankful to be back in the warmth of their house.

  Chapter Two

  “Zach, wake up,” Amelia said as she tried to wake him. “Zach.”

  He flipped onto his right side and pulled the blanket over his head. Amelia rocked his shoulder. He groaned and rolled onto his back.

  “Zach!” she shouted at him and pulled the blanket off of his face. “Wake up!”

  Startled, he opened his eyes and sat up on one arm. “What time is it?”

  Amelia threw a shirt at him and said, “Doesn’t matter. The doctor just called and told me it’s important that we come right away. Anna isn’t doing so well.”

  Fear had overwhelmed Amelia when she had answered the phone. When she had heard the doctor’s voice on the other end, she knew it wasn’t good news. She hated the fact she had to be the one to tell Zach.

  Zach scooted to the edge of the bed. Amelia grabbed his clothes off the floor and tossed them at him. She rushed into the bathroom and quickly brushed her hair and her teeth. When she walked back into their room, Zach struggled to get his legs into his jeans. The look of frustration and fear twisted his face.

  “Dammit!” he hollered as he struggled to get dressed. “God dammit!”

  Amelia saw the anger flash across his face. She tried to comfort him, but he shook her away. She walked to the edge of the bedroom and watched him.

  “God, I swear,” he protested. “You can’t take her! She’s all I’ve got left!”

  Amelia watched as he clenched his jaw and shook his fist. She felt helpless. She was unsure of what to say or how to say it. She knew he was angry. He wouldn’t say God’s name in vain otherwise. She knew it was difficult not to place blame on someone or something when times were hard.

  She walked out of the room. When she reached the edge of the stairs, he called out to her, “Amelia.”

  She flinched and turned around. Zach sat on the side of the bed with his head cradled in his hands. His body shook as he cried. Her heart broke at the sight of him crying. It pained her to see him like this. Over the last six months, the thought or mention of Anna had caused raw emotions to escape him. Amelia had done everything she could to comfort him.

  “Zach,” she softly whispered as her heart ached. She walked slowly toward him. With tear-filled eyes, she stood in front of his hunched body and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She hugged him tightly against her, as though he were a child. “Shh…shh…”

  “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to shove you away,” he said between sobs. “I just…”

  “Shh…you don’t have to explain. I understand,” she said as she rubbed her hands on his back.

  Amelia glanced at the clock on the nightstand – 8:35. He had cried for twenty minutes. His body straightened and he stood up. He wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hands. Amelia made eye contact with him and he nodded.

  “I’m here for you,” she assured him. “I promise we’ll get through this.”

  He nodded again. He grabbed his shirt and slipped it on. While he fought back tears, he said, “I don’t want her to die.”

  Chapter Three

  Zach and Amelia arrived at Anna’s house shortly after nine a.m. They walked into Anna’s living room. Anna was in her bed. Emotion hit Amelia, harder than it had before. She looked at Anna, who was pale - white as the sheet that covered her, and fought back tears. The sixty-five year-old woman who was once spunky and full of life laid still, unaware her surroundings.

  Dr. Bohage approached Zach. He placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a few words of comfort, followed by the bad news. He explained, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing more I can do for her. The cancer has progressed into its final stages and I’m afraid there’s no way of stopping it.”

  Amelia felt a shiver across her body. The doctor’s words were calm, but cold. She wondered how doctors could do what they had to do. How could they tell family a loved one is near death and everything that could be done had been done? She couldn’t think of anything worse than that. She reached for Zach’s arm and wrapped her arm around his

  A moan escaped from Anna. Zach rushed to her side. “Grandma, it’s me, Zach,” he said. He looked at Amelia for guidance, and she nodded. She walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Grandma, I love you.”

  Tears escaped his eyes and his lips trembled. Amelia wiped the tears from her eyes. She hadn’t known Anna for more than six months, but the time she knew her was enough to call her a friend.

  “Grandma, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand,” Zach said as he waited for Anna to obey his command.

  Amelia watched as Anna did not move. She covered her mouth with her hand, as if she could hold in the cry that tried to escape. Her hand failed and a cry escaped from her mouth.

  Zach reached for Amelia’s hand and held it. He looked back to Anna, who laid still and groaned softly. She tried to turn her head and open her eyes. “Grandma, can you hear me?”

  Amelia watched Anna. It was subtle, but Amelia had seen Anna nod. Amelia squeezed Zach’s hand. Zach looked back at Amelia and asked, “Did you see that? She nodded, didn’t she?”

  Amelia nodded her head. “She can hear you, Zach.”

  “Grandma, I love you. I always have. I want to thank you for everything you and Grandpa have done for me. You both were so good to me. I don’t want to lose you, but I don’t want you to suffer either.” He swallowed hard and fought back the tears. He continued, “It’s okay if you want to go be with Grandpa. I can handle everything from here.”

  Zach leaned over the rail of the bed and kissed Anna on the forehead. “Tell Grandpa I say hi. And make sure and save me a spot up there,
will ya?”

  Anna nodded. As if on cue, she took her last breath. Zach watched in fear. He looked at Amelia, to Dr. Bohage, and back to Anna.

  “Was that…” he stammered. “Is that it? Is she gone now?”

  Dr. Bohage placed his stethoscope into his ears and placed the bell of the stethoscope over Anna’s chest. He moved it methodically, then took the stethoscope out of his ears and dangled it from his hand. He looked at Zach and nodded. “I’m afraid so. I’m sorry for your loss, Zach,” Dr. Bohage stated. “I’ll give you some time alone.”

  Dr. Bohage left the room and like floodgates had opened, Zach’s body convulsed from the uncontrollable sobs. Amelia wrapped her arms around him as he sat next to the bed. She stayed silent because there were no words to say to take his pain away.

  Twenty minutes later, Zach stood. His legs shook and his hands trembled. Amelia held onto him and helped him stand up. He leaned against her and asked, “Are you ready to get out of here?”

  Amelia guided him out of his grandmother’s house and to the car. Dr. Bohage said goodbye as they passed him. He told them to let him know if there was anything he could do for them. She opened the passenger door of the car and sat Zach inside. She buckled his seatbelt and kissed his cheek. His blank stare was focused on nothing. She walked around the car and sat in the driver’s seat. After she buckled her seatbelt, she started the car and drove them home.

  Chapter Four

  The last few days had been difficult for Zach. Dreams had recurred of his grandmother and had kept him from sleeping at night. Zach snored as he slept on the couch. Amelia let him sleep as she hurried to answer the door.

  She was surprised to see Bailey when she opened the door. “Bailey!” Amelia greeted her and guided her inside. “I’m so glad to see you!”