My life was never going to change if I didn’t get off the streets and into a good job somewhere. I hated taking help or handouts, but even I knew when I’d been defeated.
I started my car and drove out to Tanner’s parents’ estate and stopped outside of the gates. He’d known I could call late but had no idea what shape I’d be in when I arrived.
“Good god,” he said when he saw my face. “I knew you were going to be killed out there. What the hell happened?” He had come out to greet me at the car and now led me inside the guest house where he stayed. “You smell like apples.”
“It’s pie. Those fuckers made me drop it.”
“Who?” he asked as we stopped near his kitchen island.
I felt like a filthy rag in a fresh pile of laundry just being in his fancy house. “The ones who smashed my face. Some guys, one I knew from the old neighborhood. Look, it’s not important, man. What is important is I think I’ve had a breakthrough.”
Tanner narrowed his eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, and if I’m going to do this, I’ll need your help.”
Tanner smiled. “Does this mean the master plan is in effect?”
“Yeah, man. Let’s do this.” I put my hand out, and he was about to shake it when he noticed the blood.
Tanner cringed. “Let’s do the shake later, my friend. Once you’ve had time to clean up. And, no more sleeping in the car. Consider this your new home. I won’t have my business partner sleeping on the streets.”
“Fine, you have a deal.” I knew that I couldn’t live my life the way my father had, and while he had used his fists to barely survive, I realized that I wanted more and I wasn’t like him. I was smarter.
Jessica
“This house is so much bigger than I thought it would be,” said Leslie as she turned a circle in my living room. It was the first time she’d seen my place since I’d gotten all of my furniture in place, and both of us were excited about my new chapter in life.
I rubbed my baby bump and smiled. “I think the open concept is what does it. When Cam talked about taking down the wall, I wasn’t sure, but I’m glad he did it.” We’d taken extra time to get into the house, but it was well worth it.
“It doesn’t look anything like it did before. And I can’t believe Cam managed to get it done just in time for the baby.” She walked past me to the nursery that still needed a little work. “So, I guess we better get started with this.” She pointed to the stack of bedding and the pieces of furniture that had just been placed into the room wherever we could stack them.
“Thanks again for coming over to help me. With Cam working late, he hasn’t had time to help me in here yet.”
She fluffed her red hair and then waved her hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it. I’m happy to help, and not only happy, but honored. It’s not every day that one gets to design the room where their little godson will be living. I want to help you make it special.”
“Thanks, Leslie, and since I know you usually don’t work for free, I’ll order a pizza.”
“And I’ll let you, not because I want to get paid, but because I’m starving.” Leslie had started design school a few years back, and while she’d had a rocky patch with her relationship, which caused her to drop out, she still worked in the profession whenever she could.
I took out my phone and dialed the number. Leslie walked over and looked through the boxes as I placed the order. “These are amazing!” she said as she looked through the framed photographs I created for the walls.
I hung up the phone and joined her across the room. “I’m glad you like them. I have been collecting those for a while now. Anytime I’d see an animal I thought I might one day want to show a son or daughter. I call it the menagerie collection.” I giggled.
“It’s extraordinary, Jess. You are so talented. I mean, I know you enjoy the wedding photography, but this? They are special.”
“Thanks. It’s too bad I can’t make money taking pictures of monkeys at Franklin Park. The weddings pay, and they pay me more than I’m worth, really.”
“Come on, if you can make this old ape look good, you’re bound to make some of the Bostonian brides look like a million bucks. I’m sure you’re worth it.” She’d seen a little of my work, and I had a lot of photographs that I kept for my portfolio.
“I just want to take photographs of different things and not always someone’s fat aunt Matilda.”
“So, take them. In your spare time. Then you can decide later what you want to do with them.” Leslie was always so supportive and like a big sister to me. I’d met her my freshman year of high school when she moved in down the street. We’d been friends ever since, even though she was a few years older.
“I do. I like to mix up my subject matter a bit. Experiment. I think astral photography would be fun sometime, too. Cam says he’s going to get me into a gallery one day so that people can see my work. And when that happens, I want to have a wide variety of subjects.”
“Then we’ll make this your first gallery, and that sweet baby can grow up knowing how talented his mother is.”
“Thanks. So, where do we start?”
She reached over and placed her hand on my stomach. “You grab the light stuff, since you’re already carrying quite a load, and I’ll get the heavier things. We’ll stack them out in the hall until we can get this furniture arranged, and then I want to measure the window, and we’ll slowly move things back in.”
“You’re so good at this stuff.” I walked over and picked up a few small items and moved them into the hallway.
“Thanks, and with any luck, I’ll be going back to school soon. I’m determined to finish this time.” She let out a long sigh. “To think I could already be finished if I hadn’t let that asshole slow me down.”
She had never referred to her ex as any name other than “asshole” since their ugly breakup. She’d been working her ass off in school and working nights only to come in early one night and find him with one of her old friends.
“You can do it. Isn’t that what you always tell me?”
“Yes, and of course I can.” She bent her knees and lifted a heavy box. “Both of us can do any damned thing we want to.”
“Cam and I have been talking about me expanding the wedding business. He thinks I should advertise more and create a bigger portfolio to include other events like graduations and birthdays.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. It would mean starting to focus on that full-time, and with the baby, I’m not sure it’s possible. I can’t exactly drag him along, and I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to be away from him.”
“You’ll figure it out, Jessica. You’ve always got me to help, and Cameron, of course. How could you have better support? You got lucky with that man. There’s not many like him.”
I thought about how sweet and caring he was. How much he encouraged me in all of my dreams and pushed me to do my best to take every opportunity that came my way.
“He’s been working late evenings for the past two weeks just to get in a little overtime to help us out, and he’s missed his weekly poker nights since I’ve gotten further along with the baby.”
She walked back over to grab another box. “Yeah, not many men would give up poker night.”
I held my belly and laughed. “He had awful luck and said it’s a bad time to lose money.”
Leslie chuckled. “When will he be in? I might get him to help with the dresser, unless you want to leave it on that wall.”
“Shouldn’t be too long now, but what about the dresser? Do you think it needs to be moved?”
“It would look better on the opposite wall, especially with me putting the crib here.” She pointed to the corner of the room.
“Out in the corner?” I didn’t know how that would be. “Won’t it make the room smaller?”
She shook her head, walked to the space, and stood gesturing around herself to show me where she meant. “No. Think about it. You’ll both want
to look in on the little fellow, and this way, you’ll have more room. Besides, we don’t want him crowded against the wall or window.”
What she said made total sense for the area. “I can see why I needed your help.” I shrugged and took a deep breath. “Looks like we know where the bed goes. Cam will help with the dresser, and then where do you want the changing table?”
“Over there.” She pointed across the room, and I gave a nod to agree. “Your window will be left open for the rocker, and that will be a nice little place to look out into the yard while you rock little Cam-Cam to sleep.”
“Don’t call him Cam-Cam. It reminds me of the Flintstones.”
Leslie laughed. “That was Bam-Bam, and I’m his godmother, so I can call him whatever I want. And I’m going to spoil him rotten.”
“Not you too. Cam says the same thing. He has a list a mile long of the things he wants to buy, and I tried telling him that our son might not even be into the same things.”
Leslie pushed the rocker into its place and then moved some other boxes out. “How’d he take that news?”
“He refuses to believe it. Says there’s no way the kid won’t be a Sox fan, and he’s already bought them matching jerseys and caps. He says that he’s going to take him to every game when he’s older.”
We shared a laugh and then tried to figure out what our next steps were. After getting everything cleared out and all of the furniture set, with Leslie still doing all of the heavier work, we started moving the boxes in and unpacking them where they belonged.
As I hung a few of the clothes I’d gotten at the baby shower in the closet, the doorbell rang. “I think that’s our pizza. I should really make a salad to go with it. Cam will be home soon, and I know he’ll be hungry too.”
Leslie followed me out. “I’ll take a break and help you.”
“Thanks.” I opened the door while she went to the kitchen, and I paid the delivery guy. After I closed the door, I walked into the next room to join her and put the hot box on the counter. “I think I’ll call Cam and see how long he has before he gets home.”
“Tell him if he doesn’t hurry, I’m going to eat his. This thing smells delicious.” Leslie stood over the box, wafting the aroma toward her.
I tried to call, and when I got no answer, I thought little of it. “He must still be hard at it.”
“Or he’s on the road and can’t answer.” She opened the fridge and took out the salad fixings.
“I’m so ready for him to get home. I miss him being around. We’ve gotten so used to the way our schedules were, and now he’s always late. I loved taking walks in the evening, but we haven’t in weeks with his schedule. He’s been really upset as it is, though. He misses me too, so I didn’t want to tell him how I feel.”
“You two are so cute. You still have those longing feelings for each other. I don’t want to tell you that those fade in time, but they do. So, enjoy them now while it’s all still new.”
“No way. I can’t imagine not being totally and madly in love with Cam. I always miss him when he’s gone, and our passion hasn’t even begun to die like you said it would a year ago.” We’d fallen for each other fast and were still just as much in love as we were two years before when we’d met. We’d had a huge wedding six months later, and before we knew it, I was expecting. Cam had told me he’d never been happier than the moment he found out. He was going to make an amazing father.
I finished helping to make the salad and was beginning to worry about Cam. Usually, if he was going to be a little later than normal, he would call and let me know, but I still hadn’t heard a peep out of him. “Let’s go ahead and eat, and I guess he can heat his up.”
The pizza smelled too good to let it go cold. Although if I didn’t have a guest, I would have waited anyway. Instead, we fixed out plates and took them to the table. “I saw a new maternity dress that I thought I’d pick up. I’ve gotten so big that it’s hard to dress nice for the weddings I’m working.”
“Oh? I’ll go with you tomorrow if you want.”
“Yeah, that would be great. I’m going to talk to Cam and make sure it’s okay. It’s a little pricier than the one I bought last time, and I hate buying clothes I’m not going to wear but for another month or two.”
The phone rang, and when I glanced down and saw the caller, I felt all the blood rush from my face. “It’s the hospital.” I quickly answered. “Hello?”
“Yes, I’m looking for a Mrs. Cameron Hyde.” It wasn’t often that she heard her married name be called so formally, and she knew it wasn’t good news.
“Yes, this is she.”
“Mrs. Hyde, this is Dr. Meadows with Boston General. I’m afraid your husband was brought in a short time ago via ambulance. He was involved in an auto accident.”
“Is he okay? I’ll come right down.” All of a sudden, it was like my body didn’t know what end was up, and as my world spun, I felt Leslie’s hand on my back to offer support.
“I’m afraid he didn’t make it, ma’am. If you could have someone come with you, there’s no need to get in a hurry. I’m very sorry for your loss.” With that, the man hung up the phone.
I sat there a minute, unable to speak as the lump in my throat grew larger and larger by the second. I placed my hand on my stomach and looked over at Leslie. “He’s gone.”
Chapter 1
Cole
Seven years later…
The fire performer blew a big ball of flames from his lips, and the crowd went wild. I looked across the sea of people who had showed up for my company party and wondered why I hadn’t done something like this sooner. Everyone was having a good time and laughing, and for all their hard work, they deserved it.
I wanted to do something to celebrate another fiscal year of outstanding growth and had always wanted to host something fun for my employees to show my appreciation. A banquet dinner seemed boring on its own, but I’d decided to host it at my house and hire performers to entertain us while we ate expensive food, enjoyed a drink or two or more, and mingled.
“Don’t you think you might have overdone it a bit?” asked a voice from behind me. I turned to see Tanner, who held a drink in one hand and a gorgeous woman in the other.
I smiled and looked back over the crowd. “No, I think it’s perfect. Ask yourself, have you ever seen these men and women so loose? And the food?” I shook my head and looked across the room to see if there were more of the crab cakes. “You can’t deny it’s the best part.”
“Okay, I have to admit that the food is perfect. But if that man burns your patio to the ground, you’ll wish you’d hosted a formal banquet instead.”
“Never. And loosen up, my friend. You’re used to those stuffy cocktail parties your mother used to host, but this? This is the closest thing to a real party some of these people have seen since college.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t order a few kegs. Maybe hang some bras and panties from the balcony and light fixtures.” He was describing a few of the parties we’d been to in our days.
My days of slumming were done. “No, nothing but the best to celebrate with my people. They’ve worked hard for me, and they deserve a release.” I grabbed another drink from the waiter as he walked by.
Tanner’s friend whispered in his ear and then hurried across the room where she disappeared with some of her friends. Tanner was preoccupied watching her go, and when she was gone, he turned to me and moaned. “Mm, she’s amazing, isn’t she? Did you notice that ass? She’s blessed.”
“Yes. Who knew that our receptionist had such a sexy sister?” It wasn’t that Becky wasn’t pretty too, but she didn’t have the same type of sex appeal. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t sure she’d ever had sex. She seemed to blush at all the office jokes and was more of a wallflower than anything. Although she was hammering back the drinks pretty hard.
“So, how’s the project going?” asked Tanner. “Are you still in talks with the laboratory?”
“Yes, and they think they’ve
figured out how I can get the most bang for my buck. There’s a certain type of algae that makes a better fuel. It grows at a much better rate and will yield twenty to a hundred times more fuel per unit than the type most of the other companies are producing with.”
“Sounds like it could be cost-effective at that rate. Is it going to cost us an arm and a leg to get involved?”
“Everything takes sacrifice, and if we want this to succeed, we’ll go with it. I know my new system will work with the engine, and with the best type of algae, we’ll have no problem creating the most efficient running plane in the world.” I turned up my drink, and he did the same.
We looked out across the pool and then walked over to stand a bit closer to the contortionists who were supposed to be brother and sister, although their routine made them look like lovers.
“Can you believe all of this?” Tanner nudged me. “The company is a huge success, and I know you have to be proud. You really made it happen, Cole. I always knew you had it in you.”
He had helped me come so far, and I knew if it hadn’t been for him and his money helping me every step of the way, I’d still have nothing.
That night Mickey Carson whipped my ass and scared some sense into me was the best day of my life. It was the turning point, the moment I decided to take my knowledge and really apply it for myself instead of waiting for the perfect job or the right opportunity.
I’d started my business, knowing that I wanted to develop a plane that could not only outperform others, but be the most cost-effective and efficient while doing so and still managing to be safe on the environment.
“You really changed your stars with this company, and not many men in the world can say that. You should be very proud of yourself.” He had always been my biggest fan, since way back when we’d met in college.
“I did well with your money,” I said with a laugh as the firebreather blew another ball of flames into the air.
Made for Me Page 2
