Unexpected

by Jenna Hartley

  Unexpected

  Jenna Hartley

  Copyright © 2019 by Jenna Hartley.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations embodied in a book review and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental

  ISBN: 9781707811731

  Editing: Lisa A. Hollett

  Cover Artwork © 2019 L.J. Anderson of Mayhem Cover Creations

  For Charlie Puth.

  No, really. Thank you for writing (with Jacob Kasher) and singing the song, Boy, which inspired this novel.

  You don’t know who I am and will probably never read this, but my daughter is your biggest fan. She’s two.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Note to Readers

  What’s Next?

  Excerpt

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  “You look like you could use a drink.”

  I glanced up to see Christine leaning against the door of my office and grimaced. “I could use a hell of a lot more than a drink.”

  “Rough day?” she asked, pushing off the doorframe.

  I laughed, but it was without humor. “Rough week.”

  And I didn’t see it getting easier anytime soon. “Wolfe keeps changing his mind on what he wants. I’ve shown him no fewer than twenty properties. Shelly is still out on maternity leave, and the city is fighting me on the plans for the new property on Sycamore.”

  I leaned my head back against the chair, sick of all the drama, the bullshit. I loved my job, had worked my ass off to get to this point in my career, but it never seemed like enough. There was always another challenge to conquer—a newer, bigger client to court, more money to be made.

  I used to think that if I had five hundred dollars in the bank, I’d be set. Now, I had five hundred so many times over, I’d lost count. Despite the number of zeros in my account, it was never enough. I was never enough.

  I was always running from one thing to the next. Hair appointments to cover the premature gray. Spa appointments to keep my skin firm and glowing and my bikini line clean. The gym to stay in shape. Client meetings. School conferences. Plays. The list went on and on.

  “Wolfe will be happy in the end,” Christine said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “You’ll find the perfect property. You always do.”

  Deep down, I knew she was right. But sometimes it felt like I had to sell my soul to get there. Like I wasn’t just selling the client a property with every deal, but a little piece of myself.

  “Thanks,” I said, and I meant it.

  Christine was my employee, and she was a good sounding board. She was a hard worker, good at her job. She reminded me a lot of myself at her age.

  “I’m sure you’ll find your footing with the developmental side,” she said. “You just need to make the right contacts.”

  I nodded. I’d been wanting to branch out to developing properties for years. I’d waited until Sophia was in school full time. And with her visiting her dad for the summer, I’d finally felt confident enough to take on the extra work it would entail. It was a big gamble, but I was hoping it would pay off.

  My phone rang, and I glanced down at the screen to see my ex-husband’s name. “I have to take this,” I said to Christine before connecting the call. “Cal.”

  “Alexis, hey.” I knew that tone—he needed a favor.

  “What do you need?”

  “This huge opportunity came up, once in a lifetime, really.” I could hear people talking and laughing in the background. Loud music. He was probably in a bar.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. I knew what was coming next. And I was tempted to hang up the phone just so I wouldn’t have to hear it.

  “I got a music gig I can’t pass up.”

  I blew out a breath. I wanted to be happy for him, honestly. His passion for music was one of the things that had initially drawn me to him. But over time, I’d realized he would always put it above everything—and everyone—else.

  And I’d had enough of playing second fiddle. I’d had enough of feeling like a single parent, working to support our family while he was off galivanting. Off chasing his dream. Divorcing him had helped—our relationship was better now than when we were married. But he would always be an artsy free spirit, and I would always be the worker bee; the bad cop to his good.

  “Cal,” I chided. “Sophia’s all packed, and she’s so excited to spend time with you.”

  “Maybe I could—” He was quiet, but the background noise was overpowering. “Maybe she could come with me for part of it, since I’ll be touring for the next eight weeks.”

  My eyes went wide. “Eight weeks? That’s the whole summer.”

  In my business, summer was selling season. I often moved more properties during the months of May to July than the other three quarters combined. With the school year over, families were looking to move. And properties showed well during the summer, when most buyers were generally more relaxed. Plus, I’d been counting on having this time to iron out some of the issues on my Sycamore property.

  “I know, babe. I’m sorry. But I could still take her for part of it.”

  “Absolutely not,” I ground out, standing so I could close the door to my office. “Our six-year-old daughter is not going to be a groupie.”

  “Yeah. You’re probably right. The tour bus is going to be crowded as it is.”

  Was he… Did he seriously think that taking a six-year-old on a cross-country music tour was a good idea? It was times like this I wondered what I’d ever seen in him. Opposites might attract, but what happened after the initial appeal wore off?

  “What am I supposed to tell her?” I asked, knowing just how upset she’d be. I could already picture her tear-stained face.

  “Tell her…I’ll catch her next time. Tell her I’ll make it up to her. I promise.”

  I rolled my eyes. How many times had he said that before?

  “Cal, you can’t do this. She’s counting on you, and so am I. I’m working on closing a huge deal, and I gave Gabriela the summer off because you were supposed to be spending time with our daughter.”

  Gabriela was our live-in nanny, and Sophia adored her. I adored her. She treated me like a daughter, and I’d be lost without her. I might attend parent-teacher conferences and school plays, but she knew all the ins and outs of Sophia’s routine. She knew where Sophia’s favorite outfit was and what her favorite food was.

  Sometimes I felt like a bad mom for not being as involved, but then I re
minded myself I was affording her a life I could never have dreamed of. I was ensuring she’d never have to work as hard as I did. I loved her, and I showed that love by providing for our family financially.

  “Summer camp!” he said, as if it were that simple.

  “Camp?” I shook my head. “It’s too late to register, and most of the good ones had waitlists months ago.”

  I heard him talking to someone else in the background, and I knew I’d already lost him. It didn’t matter what I said or how much I begged, Cal was going to do what he wanted. The problem was, I was going to pay the price. Again.

  Yet again, he was having all the fun, and I was doing all the work. Yet again, he was bailing on our daughter, and I was having to scramble to pick up the slack. Yet again—

  “Hey, Lex. You still there?”

  I clenched my fist, staring out at the skyline beyond my window. “I’m still here. I’m always here.”

  “Can’t you offer to pay Gabriela more or something? I bet she’d be happy to watch Sophia.”

  “No, Cal. I can’t. She’s already halfway to Colombia by now,” I spat back, getting madder and madder the longer this conversation dragged on. It didn’t matter that our nanny had gone home to visit her family in Colombia; it was the principle of it.

  “All right. All right.” His tone told me he thought I was being irrational, which only incensed me further. “Calm down, babe.”

  “Don’t call me babe. Don’t call me Lex either. I’m not your wife. I’m not your groupie.” My voice rose with every word, my anger becoming something tangible. Something living and breathing. “I’m just the mother of your child, and I’ll figure it out without you. I always do.”

  “Look,” he sighed. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go. I’ll FaceTime with Sophia when I can.”

  “Cal… Cal!” I shouted into the phone when he didn’t answer, only then realizing he’d already hung up.

  Shit. I continued to stare at the phone as if he’d call back and tell me it was all a big joke.

  I laid my head on the desk and took a few deep breaths, trying to center myself. It wasn’t just the change in plans or the lack of notice, I thought. Though those definitely pissed me off. It was the impact on Sophia. I knew how devastated she’d be. And how guilty I felt even though none of it was my fault.

  I should’ve known better than to trust him.

  My phone chimed, and I lifted my head to see a calendar entry for “Drinks with the girls.” For a moment, I considered bailing. But then I remembered Sophia was sleeping over at a friend’s house, and I could really use a drink.

  When I arrived at the bar, Lauren was already waiting, drink in hand. She waved me over, and my red-soled shoes clacked against the floor, drawing attention. I straightened, tossing my caramel waves over my shoulder as I strode toward her. I felt powerful, confident, sexy. Even when my life was spinning out of control, I could at least look like I had it together.

  “Alexis!” Lauren’s bronzed skin glowed beneath the lights, her brown eyes sparkling. “Honey, you look good.” She spun her finger in a circle, indicating I should do the same. “Mm. Mm.” She shimmied her shoulders as if enjoying a decadent dessert.

  It made me laugh as I slid into the high chair across from her, knowing I’d made the right decision in coming. Lauren and I had been friends since what we lovingly referred to as “the college internship from hell.” We’d bonded while working for a property developer. And we’d stayed friends since, even as we formed our own businesses. I often referred my clients to her for interior design, though her real talent was staging. Which was why, as much as I’d wanted to go home tonight and crawl into bed, I knew I needed to come out.

  “Hot date?” she asked.

  “Annoying client,” I said, knowing her question was in reference to my fitted sheath dress and sky-high heels.

  She flashed me a wicked grin. “Even better.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not sleeping with him, if that’s what you’re implying.”

  “Maybe you should,” she said. “If you dress like that for meetings, I’m positive he’d be interested.”

  “Oh,” I said, waving the bartender over to order a drink. “He’s interested. I’m just more interested in business.”

  She smirked. “Maybe you could mix a little business with pleasure. It might close the deal faster.”

  I knew she was only kidding—at least, I hoped so. But I wasn’t interested in sleeping with my clients. It would only end in disaster.

  “You know I never mix business with pleasure.”

  “That’s not true.” She gestured between us.

  “That’s different,” I huffed, thanking the bartender when he returned with my drink. She and I had been colleagues first, then friends.

  “Well, you look hot, girl,” she said, raising her glass to toast.

  “So do you.” I grinned, following suit. I took a sip of my drink, relishing the burst of flavors on my tongue. The salty olive, the gin. It was divine. “I love that color on you.”

  “I do look pretty fabulous, don’t I?” She laughed, and we both knew she was only half kidding. That was one of the things I loved about Lauren—her confidence.

  “Where are the others?” I asked, glancing around for Juliana and Harper.

  “Juliana had a work emergency. And Harper—”

  I cut in, already knowing the answer. “Don’t tell me…Brett called at the last minute. And yet again, she dropped everything for him.”

  She took a sip of her drink and nodded. “For a hot second, I thought you were going to stand me up too. Not that I’d mind. There’s a delicious piece of man candy at the bar I’d love to sample.”

  I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Yeah, sorry. Long day, then Cal called.”

  “Ugh. What’s he bailing on now?”

  “The summer. Sophia.” My shoulders slumped, and I fiddled with the stem of my cocktail glass. “How am I going to tell her? She’s going to be crushed.”

  Her jaw fell open. “He bailed for the entire summer?”

  I nodded, still wondering what I was going to do. Gabriela wasn’t an option. Summer camp was out. And I sure as hell couldn’t take time off to watch Sophia twenty-four seven, even if I’d wanted to.

  “You’re not looking to hire a six-year-old summer intern, are you?” I teased.

  She threw her head back and laughed, the rich, lusty sound drawing the attention of several nearby men. “Um. No. How about a nanny service?”

  “I don’t know,” I hedged. Sophia had only ever known Gabriela. And the idea of finding someone else—trusting someone else—seemed daunting.

  “They run background checks and have a crazy vetting process,” she said, surprising me with her knowledge. “And you don’t even communicate directly with the nanny. The agency handles everything, like a vacation rental.”

  I wanted to point out that my daughter wasn’t a vacation rental, but I needed details. “How do you know all this?” I asked. Lauren didn’t have kids, and I wasn’t sure she ever planned to.

  “One of my clients—the house I did recently over on Hummingbird? She owns one. Hartly… Harlot… Hartwell Agency,” she finally settled on. “Rumor has it her clients include several major celebrities.” She dug in her purse, grabbing her phone and tapping on the screen. “I’m sending you her info now.”

  “Thanks,” I said, not sure I’d ever use it. But at least it was something. I mean, if it was good enough for the celebrities of the world…

  I opened my mouth to say something else, but Lauren held up a finger. “Hold that thought. There’s a hottie two tables over, and he is checking you out.”

  I turned my head, curious to see what he looked like.

  “No!” Lauren reached out, grabbing my chin and forcing my attention back to her. “Don’t look. Then he’ll know we were talking about him.”

  “And now he’s going to think I’m a lesbian.” I made a goofy face, letting her know I was joking. She could b
e so dramatic.

  “You want to kiss?” she teased. “Give him a little show? Some guys are really into that.”

  I backed away. “Yeah. That’s not the type of guy I’m trying to attract.” I took a sip of my drink. “Actually, what am I saying? I’m not trying to attract men. I’m trying to repel them.” I pressed against an imaginary force field. “Stay away, men of the earth.”

  Lauren grabbed my arms and pulled them down. “That’s crazy talk. You’ve been divorced for a year, and your relationship with Cal was over long before then. It’s time.”

  I glared at her. “My life is good. Full. I don’t need a man.”

  “I didn’t say you needed a man. You need sex.”

  I scoffed. “I don’t have time for that.”

  “Honey,” she said, holding up a finger. “Everyone has time for sex. And you, my dear, desperately need to get laid.”

  Did I miss the companionship? Yes. But I barely had time to sleep. I was running a highly successful brokerage firm, as well as taking on a new property development. Between that and Sophia, I had enough on my plate without adding a man.

  Besides, being a mom added a whole other set of challenges to dating. Men my age were either in a relationship or looking for someone younger. Someone without children. And the idea of introducing Sophia to a man I was seeing…the idea of that was enough to have me downing the rest of my drink and asking for another.

  Lauren’s expression softened, and she leaned forward. “Is this about Cal? Are you still hung up on him?”