Another Chance With Love (Chance Series Book 2)

by Blake Allwood

  “I have an odd request,” I began. “I’m an architect with Littman and Rowe, and we recently signed a new client who is big into steampunk art. Your home is exactly what he wants to recreate for his stores. I was wondering if you’d let me bring him over for a tour to get an idea of how he’d like to set the project up.”

  Doris’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I love steampunk! Who’s your client?”

  I hesitated. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to get Richmond’s permission to share that information with them, so I had to shrug. “I’m sorry, I need to get his permission before I tell you. However, if you’re interested, I’ll ask my client if he minds.”

  “I’m very interested,” she said. “I just love steampunk. All that sexy merged with the old Victorian styles.”

  I could tell I’d hit the jackpot with the aunt. I turned to her nephew to get his perspective. Unfortunately, what I saw in his face was much more guarded.

  “You know, Peter, we have a very vocal little one, and he isn’t very keen on traveling. It might be a bad time to bring people over.”

  “I’ll tell you what, my firm has a daycare program for employees. If I can get them to agree to care for Luka while we’re touring the home, would you be okay with it then?”

  Trevor wasn’t convinced by my suggestion. I saw a clear look of protective dad cross his face. I almost chuckled but knew it probably wouldn’t go over well.

  “If it helps, the daycare won several awards last summer for superior care, and the firm has gotten awards for being innovative enough to have a daycare in the building.”

  Trevor still wasn’t convinced but agreed to talk it over with his aunt and get back to me.

  After that discussion, we chatted about easier things. Trevor wanted to know how my mom was doing, and I let him know we were on better terms now that she’d cleared things up with Martin.

  I’d been surprised at how much better I’d felt after Trevor and I had met that day. He’d helped me see that my mom had done what she did out of love for me and sincerely regretted her part in Martin and my breakup. It’s like a part of my emotions were dammed up. Once mom had resolved with Martin, the gates had opened, and the floodwaters had receded.

  He smiled when I told him. He had a genuine affinity for my mom, which caused me to want to get to know him even more. I’d always figured if I ever dated again, my mom would be off-limits after what she’d done to Martin.

  I wasn’t ready to propose or anything. Still, the thought that I could possibly have a relationship, even date someone who could or would tolerate the infamous Matilda Reed was a definite plus.

  Trevor

  I didn’t trust Peter Reed. There ya go. I said it. The whole bringing pizza over to the house was suspicious. And his proposal for me leaving my baby with strangers, well, that was a big old ugly red flag. I’d be damned if I did such a thing. No, if Peter really wanted to tour our house, then he’d do it with Luka right where he belongs!

  Oh, not to mention the whole, “I have to get permission before I can reveal his name.” Well, buddy, you’ll be revealing his name, and I’ll be doing a thorough background check before anyone comes into my house. That much I can promise you!

  My aunt might be gullible, but I’m not. The one good thing about being the kid of a monster, you learn quickly how to see everyone you meet as a potential threat. The way ‘too good-looking for his own good’ Peter Reed was definitely a potential threat.

  If it hadn’t been for meeting his mom first, I’d have thrown his suspicious ass to the curb the minute he walked into my home. Oh, and let’s not forget how quickly Luka warmed up to him. That was suspicious too. After Peter left, I admit I searched for needle marks. Somehow that man had drugged my baby. It took everything in me not to take him back to the doctors to have him examined by a professional. I even mentioned something to that effect to my aunt, and she just laughed at me.

  “Luka’s a smart baby, Trevor. He just knows a handsome piece of man when he sees one.”

  “Whatever!” I exclaimed when I changed Luka’s diaper later that evening. I did another thorough check, but nothing appeared out of place, and Luka was back to his grumpy self anyway, so if he had been drugged, it wasn’t something that lasted long.

  I’d done a background check on Peter when his mom had first hired me, so I pretty much knew his backstory. He’d graduated with honors from the University of Texas. From there, he was hired by a large firm in Austin and immediately won some big prestigious award for his modern twist on Greek Revival.

  Everything about the man was glowing. He was a golden child, which, of course, must mean he had to have some kind of weird kink, or he was a serial killer. Either way, I wasn’t going to turn my back on him anytime soon.

  The next day, I decided I needed to give my client, Mrs. Matilda Reed, a courtesy phone call to check-in. My investigator’s instincts that I’d acquired in the five months I’d worked there were kicking in, and I assumed I could get a better picture of what her son was up to after we talked.

  “Oh, what a pleasure,” the woman exclaimed when I told her who it was.

  I genuinely smiled, the woman had hit a soft spot inside me, and it felt good to speak to her again. Almost forgetting my agenda, I asked, “So how are you and Martin?”

  “Oh, so much better, do you know he even sent me a thank you card? I’ve already responded with a letter thanking him. I can’t thank you enough, Trevor, it’s like a ton of bricks have been lifted from my shoulders,” she said.

  For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine Matilda being anything but the gracious southern belle she appeared to be. But I’d heard enough to know she’d done a nasty job on Martin, and I quickly realized that whoever Peter fell in love with should be incredibly careful around this one.

  I had no doubt, though, the successful Peter Reed would land some famous model or fancy businessman. He didn’t look the type to slum it with just anyone. Even Martin, his ex, was easy on the eyes. Dark features accented with long eyelashes and dramatically blue eyes made him appear powerfully masculine with just the right touches of femininity. The combination would make any warm-blooded gay or bi man want to pull him into an embrace and never let go.

  “So, how are things with Peter now?” I was trying to learn more about Peter without giving away my investigation. Unfortunately, she thought I wanted to know how their relationship was.

  “You were right on that front as well. Peter and I are talking again.” I heard the tears in her voice. “It’s such a relief having him back in my life. I will never be able to repay you for that.”

  I decided to take another tack and mentioned that he’d come by the office.

  “I’m so happy it’s worked out, Mrs. Reed. You know I met him, Peter, that is, he came by the office the Monday after we got back from Florida.”

  She grew quiet before asking how that went.

  “Trevor, I’m so sorry about that, did it go okay?” I could hear the concern in her voice.

  I chuckled. “Better than you’d have thought. He was angry when I first met him, but Luka, my son, won him over quickly enough.”

  That sent her on a tangent, where she mentioned Peter’s strange ability with babies and dogs. “Since he was a little boy, no matter how aggressive a dog was or how angry a baby was, they seemed to calm right away when he was around.”

  My suspicious mind immediately thought they must be in it together, so I came out and asked directly. “So did Peter mention that he’d come to see me.”

  Matilda laughed out loud. “No, Peter wouldn’t have told me. I’m not surprised he came to you, though. I purposefully didn’t tell him who you were, but I guess he figured it out some other way.”

  “Yeah, he told me Martin gave him my name.”

  “My Peter could’ve been an investigator himself,” she replied. “He’s always been good at getting to the bottom of things.”

  I smiled. You could hear the love for her son in her voice. Again, the pang of hearing a mom
talk about her son in such a proud way resonated with me, and I felt sad that my mom couldn’t have given a crap whether I lived or died.

  “Mrs. Reed, I have to go, but I’m glad everything worked out. If you need anything else, please let me know, okay?” I asked before ending the phone call.

  “You know,” she said before she let me hang up. “You and Peter have a lot in common. You should really spend some time together. I worry that he doesn’t have enough friends in Atlanta.” The word “friends” was said in that way mom’s do when they mean anything but.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Reed, but with the baby and work, I’m afraid I wouldn’t make a particularly good friend for anyone at the moment. You have a great day, and again, let me know if you need anything else.”

  I hung up before she had time to push the issue again.

  By some strange coincidence, Peter called moments after I hung up with Matilda. Something was really off about all this. Now I was plotting all kinds of conspiracy theories in my head. Matilda, Peter, and Martin setting up some kind of theft sting or something, except we didn’t really have the kind of money that would be worth trying to steal. The mortgage on the house was pretty low, but we still had one, and since Grandpa died, the shop’s bottom line was awfully close to the red. If they were trying to rob us, they were definitely barking up the wrong tree.

  I answered the phone but wasn’t overly friendly. “Rainelle’s Investigation, Trevor speaking.” I decided to keep things professional even though I knew it was Peter.

  “Hi, Trevor, it’s Peter Reed,” he continued in the same professional manner. “I got permission to share with you my client’s name and wondered if we could set up a date for him to tour your home.”

  I waited for him to give me the name before responding.

  Peter seemed to stumble over my lack of questioning, and having him off-center was exactly where I wanted him.

  “His name is Leonardo Richmond. He’s an entrepreneur with shops in London and Paris. Have you heard of him?”

  I admitted that I hadn’t. I didn’t add that, soon enough, I’d know everything I could about him.

  “So, Leonardo is currently in New York, but he’ll be coming back to town on the fifteenth for a few days. Would it be okay to set up a time to tour your home then?”

  I waited a moment while I pretended to thumb through a calendar that didn’t exist on my desk. “Peter, I can’t answer that right now. Can I call you back?”

  I could hear the smile in Peter’s voice. “That would be fine. Thanks, Trevor.”

  I was just about to hang up when Peter asked, “Until then…” I hesitated, waiting to hear what else he had in mind. “Would you consider meeting me for a drink?”

  I had always been good at picking up on emotions, and I could hear the nervousness in Peter’s question. My suspicious mind immediately told me even if he were a crook, he’d likely have nerves while setting his plans in motion.

  “I’m sorry Peter, with the baby and work, I just don’t have time.”

  Peter genuinely sounded disappointed when he replied, “Oh.” Then he chimed back in. “I talked to my company, and they said as long as you can prove all Luka’s immunizations that are required by the state, then they could have Luka when we bring Mr. Richmond over.”

  “We’ll see, Peter,” I said, not giving him any misconception that I was interested. “I’ll talk to Aunt Doris about the fifteenth, and one of us will get back to you. Thanks, Peter. Bye.”

  I hung up before he could respond. I wanted to do a lot more research before I committed to anything. Peter was a beautiful man, and I admit he caused my spine to tingle when I looked at him, but I had too many precious things to protect. Tingling spines had to take a back seat to my family.

  Peter

  Trevor’s walls were definitely up, but I wasn’t really that surprised. I’m guessing I’d be the same way if I had an infant to protect. I’d have to move a little slower if I was going to get anywhere with him.

  His Aunt Doris called me the next day and was all but yelling with excitement. I guess she knew Leonardo Richmond and his steampunk designs. She helped me set a date to tour her and Trevor’s home. I didn’t ask about Trevor as I assumed since she’d called, he was having cold feet.

  I did ask about whether Trevor needed a babysitter, and Doris went quiet. “No, I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” she said. Just the way she said it made it clear he wasn’t as interested in this as she was. Oh well, at least I’d get to show the home to Mr. Richmond, and then I could start putting together the designs I’d already started forming in my mind.

  I pulled my computer out and sculpted the image of the Kovachich house from memory. I especially loved the big tower that rose from the top. I had ideas to add a clock with Steampunk gears as an accent instead of the windows that accented the towers of the home.

  The interior of the Kovachich home retained all the delicious dark mahogany and walnut, which I’d also wanted to incorporate in the interior of the store. I was hoping if we got this planned correctly, that we’d be able to incorporate the basic design features into every store, giving consistency to Mr. Richmond’s brand.

  It was the interior I wanted him to see, as that was really the most important element of the design. In my mind, the stores needed just enough Victorian features to entice people to buy, but not so much that it discouraged the more modern buyer.

  Considering that most of Leonardo’s customers were Millennials in their early twenties, it made that a very tight rope to walk.

  I didn’t mind the baby being at the showing. In fact, I kinda like the idea that Trevor was so protective. I remember when he first learned about being a dad and the overwhelmed expression on his face as he left the diner. Knowing he’d settled into parenthood made me feel hopeful for little Luka.

  Doris agreed to let me come over and take pictures of their home, but Trevor was conveniently not available when I did. That hurt my ego a bit. I’d hoped to see him and even the little one, but I shouldn’t be too disappointed when the house was so perfect and convenient for the job.

  I sent the pictures to Leonardo, and he responded almost immediately. He was surprised how close the home was to what he was dreaming about when he hired the company. “You’re like some kind of mind reader,” he replied.

  “Make sure you tell my boss that, will you?” I emailed back.

  When the fifteenth arrived, I took him to the house. Trevor was present along with little Luka. On the one hand, we were lucky the little one was content during our visit, but on the other, I sort of wished I could hold him again as well as spend copious amounts of time staring at his dad. However, knowing I needed to spend time with my client quashed that fantasy.

  Leonardo and Doris hit it off immediately, and she told him about how she’d designed a few clothes after seeing him walk the runway in Paris. She told us her dad owned the couture and designer clothing shop downtown and that she went to school to be a clothing designer but never liked what her dad sold, so she’d given it up.

  The way my client was flirting with Doris, I barely got a word in edgewise. While the two of them flirted, I took more pictures and jotted down ideas that I could discuss with him when we got back to the office.

  When Doris took Leonardo upstairs, I decided to stay in the parlor with Trevor and the baby. I said something to the effect that I was going to stay down there, but neither my client nor Doris seemed to have heard me.

  I sat down across from Trevor and laughed. “I think I’ve ceased to be of any importance.”

  Trevor smiled back at me. “Yeah, the two of them fit like gears in a well-tuned clock.”

  “Touché,” I replied. “Any chance I’ll get my client back by the end of the day?” I asked.

  “Truth is, I’ve never seen Aunt Doris so star struck. I remember when she went through her steampunk stage. Hell, I think she still has an attic full of her designs. I’m guessing she’s gonna drag him up there to see it all.”

/>   I sighed. “I admit, I was hoping to get started on his designs tomorrow. I have another client I’m supposed to start with next month, so I sort of needed to have these designs at least well on their way to being done.”

  “You know how strongly opinionated your mom is?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Well, magnify that by fifty percent, and that’s Aunt Doris. Once she gets her mind set on something, she doesn’t let it go easily.”

  Peter sighed. “I’m guessing before she’s done, she’ll have an opinion or two about my designs.”

  Trevor laughed quietly, trying not to upset Luka. “Sorry about that, I could’ve warned you before you asked to tour the house.”

  “Yeah, thanks for that late piece of information.”

  “If it helps, she’s incredibly brilliant.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I can tell. Your home is so beautiful.”

  Trevor looked around. “That was mostly my grandmother, I think... I didn’t really know her. Unfortunately, she died when I was a baby.”

  Things got awkward then as we sat across from one another, unsure what to talk about next. Luka stirred, and Trevor began to bounce him in his arms.

  “Can I hold him for a minute?” I asked.

  “It’s a risk, you know he could start wailing at any moment, and he doesn’t do well with transfers.”

  “I’ll take the risk, if you trust me.”

  Trevor looked at me with narrowed eyes for a moment. I thought to myself, no, he doesn’t trust me even a little bit, but he handed the baby over, nonetheless.

  I really liked this little guy and it felt good just to sit in the antique rocker in the beautiful old parlor and rock him.

  Trevor had an odd expression on his face, then he turned away. “If you’ve got him, I’m going to use the restroom. I’ve been holding it since shortly after y’all got here. I was just afraid if I moved, he’d blow a gasket.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Go on, we’ll be fine.”

  Luka woke up while I was holding him and looking up at me with those blue eyes, which stirred something deep inside me. It amazed me how babies held such power over people. I barely knew this little one, and I already felt a need to protect him. I guess that was God’s way of helping babies who were so helpless to survive in a such cruel and vicious world.