by Amelia Rose
Humidity Rising
Amelia Rose
Copyright 2012 by Amelia Rose
All rights reserved.
Visit www.ameliarose.info
Dedication
To you, The reader.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you for your emails.
Thank you for your reviews.
Thank you for reading and joining me on this road.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Recommended Reads
Copyright
Chapter One
Life had a way of changing in a hurry. Funny how things could happen in such a way that they turned the world so far around, it couldn’t ever look the same again. One minute Kristi Lloyd was a single woman living on her own and the next thing she knew, her niece was in her custody. She wouldn’t give Janie up for anything on the planet, and she was determined the girl wouldn’t end up in foster care. Not if she had anything to say about it—and she’d said plenty.
Jacksonville, Florida wasn’t the best place to be raising a kid these days. Then again, it was a whole sight better than Miami, where Janie was born. Kristi was determined not to live in that nasty, noisy, crowded place. She had a great job as a nurse in one of the best hospitals in town, so bringing her niece here was the only choice she really had.
“Aunt Kristi!” Janie called from her bedroom. “I can’t find my socks.”
“They’re in the middle drawer of the dresser.” She knew Janie was aware of where her things were—the girl had been here for more than a month—but she let it slide for now.
“I want the ones Mommy made for me. The purple ones.”
Kristi’s younger sister, Laurie, had been quite the knitter. She’d made several pairs of hand knit socks for everyone each Christmas, and they were always a big hit. Kristi had a good collection of them herself.
She set the pan of scrambled eggs aside and went down the hallway of her two bedroom house, stopping in the doorway of Janie’s room. The little seven-year-old was nearly frantic as she looked for what she wanted.
“They were dirty, sweetie.” She spoke softly. “I put them in the wash pile, but I promise I’ll wash them when I get home from work today.”
Janie stopped rummaging through her clothes and sat down hard on the floor. “I want them now!” Before Kristi could react, the child burst into tears. “I want my Mom!”
As her heart broke into millions of tiny shards once again, Kristi went to her niece, sat on the floor next to her, and folded the child into her arms.
“I want her back, too.” Her voice wavered as tears slid down her cheeks. She knew it wasn’t possible for her sister and brother-in-law, Laurie and Ken Ryan, to ever come back.
It had taken a few days for Kristi to get the entire story from the police and a few others, but what she learned was that the couple had been out on their boat for an afternoon sail one sunny weekend and as they were coming back to the docks, some drunk on a speed boat wasn’t watching where he was going and smashed into them. He’d hit them so hard, Laurie and Ken were thrown from their boat, both of them likely unconscious before they even hit the water. They didn’t come up alive.
Knowing what happened didn’t change how she felt. Empty and abandoned for sure but she mostly felt cheated out of all the times that could have been, if this hadn’t happened. All because someone, who was now in jail and could rot there for all she cared, was more interested in having a drunken good time in a boat.
However, she knew she must put this behind her. She now had a child to raise, and the little girl needed her to be strong.
“Come on,” she whispered into Janie’s ear, “let’s go have some bacon and eggs.”
“I’m not hungry.” The poor kid was still crying.
“Well, I am, so I’ll be in the kitchen. Find some other socks to wear today, okay?”
Wiping her tears defiantly, Janie replied, “Okay, but I want my purple ones tomorrow.”
Kristi held back a giggle. This child was just like her mother.
“I’ll make sure they’re washed and ready for you.” She wiped her eyes, stood, and headed for the door. Turning for a moment, she added, “If you want, I’ll let you have some shredded cheese on your eggs this morning.”
That was just the thing needed to perk the girl up and get her moving. Janie jumped up, opened her sock drawer, and pulled out the first pair she could get her hands on.
Smiling, Kristi turned and made her way back to the kitchen to finish making breakfast. Toast was all she needed to make as everything else was keeping warm on the stove.
By the time she began to spread butter on the first slice, Janie came in, grinning and looking for her plate.
* * * * *
A pediatric dentist’s office wasn’t the kind of place Wesley Chandler frequented, but he was doing a favor for his sister. Cheryl had brought her son, Anthony, to his appointment but she’d had an important errand to attend. She’d asked Wes to come and wait for the boy then bring him home. He’d agreed only because he adored the eight-year-old boy. One day, he’d love to have a few of his own, but finding the right woman hadn’t been easy.
He’d been so absorbed in his thoughts, he wasn’t paying attention to the person walking by and heading toward the check-in desk. He did notice, though, that all of the chairs, with the exception of the one next to him, were already occupied.
Wes had to check to be sure his jaw wasn’t on the floor as she walked toward him, looking for a place to sit. She was perfection personified, in his eyes, anyway. She was tall and slender, her long, wheat-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail just above the nape of her neck, the curls falling to the middle of her back. Eyes the color of sapphires caught his for only a moment, then a voice that could only come from an angel was speaking to him.
“May I sit here?”
It was an odd question, he thought, because it was the only seat available.
“Of course,” he said. “I won’t bite.” He hoped his smile conveyed the intended joke.
She chuckled. Music could only hope to sound as delightful.
“Thank you. I promise not to bite, either.” Her smile was more radiant than a hundred suns. A clean, barely floral scent wafted to his nose as she sat. It stirred things within him he never knew existed until that moment.
Just then, he became aware, for the first time, that a little girl was with the woman. She seemed nervous, which was normal for a child when visiting a dentist.
“You have a beautiful daughter.”
Though it was mostly habit for him to compliment a person by praising their child, he truly meant it this time. The girl had sky blue eyes, light brown hair that touched her shoulders, and the roundest face he’d ever seen. She wasn’t a heavy child by any means, so her facial features stood out as if begging to be noticed.
“Oh, thank you. Janie’s my niece,” the woman said.
He felt the warmth in his cheeks and was sure his embarrassment showed through.
“Sorry. Natural assumption.”
She simply smiled in reply.
“I’m waiting for my nephew. He should be ready to go any minute now.” He didn’t know what else to say.
Her smile remained as she said, “Not that it’s a problem, but do you always stare at women like that?”
Until then, he hadn’t been aware he was staring like he'd forgotten the
muscles in his eyes worked. He cast his gaze to the floor between his feet.
“My apologies.” His voice was soft and low. “It’s not often I get a chance to see such beauty up close and personal like this.”
He glanced back at her and saw that her cheeks were now turning pink.
“Thanks again,” she said.
What was it about her voice that entranced him? Every word she spoke was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard, and he couldn’t get enough of it.
“Wes Chandler,” he said, with sudden inspiration to hold out his hand to her.
She grasped it and gave it a quick shake. “Kristi Lloyd. Pleased to meet you.”
“I promise you, the pleasure is all mine.”
He knew he was grinning, but hoped it didn’t make him look like a goofy teenager speaking with the object of his first obsession. She giggled, but all he heard was the tinkling of Heavenly bells. His nephew came out, saw him, and quickly made his way toward them. He stood as the boy approached him, and was instantly hugged around the waist.
“Hi, Uncle Wes!” the child said excitedly.
“Hey there!” He reached down and ruffled the boy’s dark hair. “The dentist didn’t hurt you, did he? I don’t want to knock all his teeth out, but I will if I have to,” he said jokingly.
Anthony giggled. “He didn’t hurt me, Uncle Wes.”
He heard Kristy try to stifle a chuckle. Reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket, he turned and handed her a business card with his cell phone number on it.
“I don’t normally do this, but I’d like to take you to dinner sometime. I’m even free tonight, if you don’t have other plans.”
She took the card, looked at it, and slipped it into her purse. “No promises, but I just may take you up on that. I’d have to find a babysitter for Janie, though.”
“Bring her along. I’d like to get to know both of you, if that’s okay?”
“Well …,” She looked uneasy about that suggestion.
“I can clear it with my sister to bring Anthony along, if that’ll help you feel more at ease.”
“I’ll think about it.” She smiled and his heart wanted to dance like a football player catching the winning touchdown. Never had he met a woman who had this effect on him so completely.
* * * * *
She was furious. How could he do this to her? Yeah, it had been a while but she wasn’t able to stop thinking about it. He’d tossed her aside like a week-old newspaper, and she’d lost it. She wasn’t going to let him get away with this! No sir, no way.
She’d get him back somehow. All she had to do was figure out how to make him believe she was the only one for him. That was the tricky part. Something would come to her—it always did.
The thing that wriggled under her skin like a parasite was the fact that he’d changed the locks on his house. She’d had a set of keys for as long as they’d dated, though not once had he ever asked for them back. At the time, she was sure that meant he only wanted to take a break, that he needed some time to figure out how to ask her the four-worded question she’d been dying to hear.
It was only three days later, when she’d needed to get some of her things, that she had discovered her key didn’t work. That’s when she became upset and the fury began. After all, they’d been together for six months and he’d seemed happy with the prospect of her moving in with him.
That sure came to a quick end. She’d only been living there a week when he’d asked her to go back to her own apartment. All because she’d tried to organize his things to make his life easier. What was he thinking? Did he enjoy the difficulties? She was certain it had nothing to do with her personally, so it had to be something else.
So here she was, sitting on the sofa in her place trying to make sense of it all. There just had to be something she wasn’t seeing, some missing piece that, once found, would make the whole picture clearer. A thought occurred to her then like lightening striking her brain.
Maybe he just wasn’t ready for commitment. That must be it. She only had to wait a bit longer and he’d be back. They were made for each other, that much was obvious so she felt reassured he wouldn’t be able to live without her for long.
But something at the back of her mind wouldn’t stop nagging her. It said that he didn’t intend to ever come back to her. She tried to block out that voice, but it kept coming back, kept telling her to give him up.
He was never yours to have.
“No! You’re wrong! He’s mine and no one else can have him!” She knew that arguing with a voice in her head meant that she was probably crazy, but she couldn’t stop herself. She had to convince it that she was right. Then, it would go away and leave her alone.
He’s already forgotten you and moved on.
“That’s impossible. There’s no way he’s forgotten me already.”
But he has. You just need to accept it.
“No! No! No! He’s mine! Go away!”
Simply insisting he’s yours doesn’t make it true.
“What do you know? He is mine! I know it, and so does he.”
Are you sure about that?
Chapter Two
Back at home, Kristi sat on the sofa, staring at the card she‘d been given between her thumb and forefinger. She’d started to dial the cell number four times, and four times she had stopped herself. It wasn't that he wasn’t a handsome man. He was the kind she could easily see herself with. But, they’d only just met that afternoon and knew nothing about each other.
Still, his winning smile, his neatly combed, dark, wavy hair, and those mesmerizing grey eyes had made her feel like a little girl getting the much-desired doll on Christmas morning. The fact that he was tall seared this impression into her heart.
What was she thinking? Okay, so he seemed nice, but she didn’t know anything about the guy. What if he turned out to be some crazed axe murderer, or something worse? What if he was some weirdo who just wanted to get to Janie? What if …
Stop it! she told herself. None of this was solving her current dilemma, namely that she had no idea what to make for supper, and that she wasn’t that great of a cook. She and Janie needed nourishment, and this guy was nice enough to extend the offer of dinner.
Maybe she should accept the invitation, just this once, to see what he was really like. That way, she could get to know more about him and be better able to make up her mind about any further involvement.
She made her decision and picked up her cell phone again. This time, she went through with the call, almost hoping he wouldn’t be available. If he wasn’t, she could take Janie to one of the burger places nearby and let the girl have whatever greasy food she desired. She wouldn’t mind a little indulgence herself.
“Hi. This is Wes.” He answered on the second ring.
“Hello, Wes. This is Kristi Lloyd. We met this afternoon.”
“Yes, I remember. I don’t think I could forget you, no matter how hard I tried.”
She smiled, despite the fact that she knew he couldn’t see it. “I’ve been thinking about your offer for dinner. Are you still free tonight?”
“Sure! Where would you like to go? Whatever you want is fine with me.”
That was a good question. She considered it for a moment. “Have you heard of a place called Mama Leone’s?”
“Yeah, I have. Isn’t that the new Italian restaurant at the Jacksonville Landing that everyone seems to be talking about?”
“That’s the one. But I hear the prices are a little—,”
“Not a problem,” he cut her off. “It’s on me. I’m the one who invited you, so it’s only proper for me to get the tab.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I insist. It’s not every day that I get a chance to take a beautiful woman and her niece out to dinner.”
She chuckled, knowing the heat in her face was turning her cheeks carnation pink, and was glad that he wasn’t able to see it.
“Okay, but let me leave the tip, then.”
She bit her lower lip. “I’m not so sure about that.”
Thoughts of him being some kind of maniac resurfaced, and she nearly told him to forget the whole thing. She swallowed the words before they ever saw the light of day. She’d felt something about him from the moment they’d first met at the dentist’s office He seemed genuine, and even included the kids to make her feel more at ease. She decided to trust him. At least until dinner was over.
“My nephew will be coming along, in case that makes a difference.”
“That would be okay, I suppose.”
She gave him her address.
“I think I know where that is. How soon can you be ready?”
She glanced at her watch. “Twenty minutes.”
“How about half an hour? I have to stop and pick up Anthony on the way.”
Again, she chuckled. “Okay. That’ll be good. See you then.”
She hung up the phone, tossed it on the coffee table, and stood up to let her niece know they would be going out to dinner.
“Janie? Are you in your room?” she called out as she headed down the hallway.
“Yes, Aunt Kristi.”
As she reached the bedroom door, she peeked in to see the girl lying on the bed, coloring in a book her mother apparently had bought for her. A pang of loss pierced her, but only for a moment.
“We’re going out to dinner tonight,” she told the girl. “Do you like Italian food?”
“Lasagna!” the child cried out, as though she’d just won the spelling bee at school.
Laughing, Kristi responded, “Yes, that’s Italian. Is that what you want?”
“Yes, yes!” she said, sitting up and bouncing as she chanted, “Lasagna! Lasagna! Lasagna!”
Still laughing, she said, “Why don’t you put on your red dress? The one with the pretty lace on the sleeves.”
“Okay, Aunt Kristi.” Janie jumped down from the bed and headed toward the closet.
She turned and headed to her own room, when Janie said something that made her stop in her tracks.
