Bella Cove_A Second Chance Romance

by Rochelle Katzman

  When they climbed the back porch to her family’s house, Kayla stopped to take a deep breath. She looked out at the bay with all the boats bobbing on the water. Pop had found the most perfect view for his love, Nana.

  “There you are. I was wondering what kept my new store owner so long.” Kayla’s mom came out through the French doors holding a big bowl of pasta with vegetables, and kissed Kayla on the head. Her mom was still beautiful with her slim figure, shoulder-length blonde hair, and piercing-blue eyes, and she always wore her hot-pink lipstick. Nana used to say that you should always wear your lipstick, whether you’re sitting around the house or not. Kayla thought that was an archaic rule that made no sense. But her nana must have instilled that rule in her mom’s head.

  “It wasn’t me, Mom, I swear,” Josh said almost in a panic.

  Before her mom put down the bowl, she kissed Josh on the head, too. “I know, dear. You’re a good boy.”

  Kayla rolled her eyes and grabbed the bowl out of her mom’s hands, placing it on the long table that ran the length of the back porch. She was grateful they were eating outside tonight. If they ate inside, she wasn’t sure she would be able to breathe. She already felt her throat tightening up.

  “I’ll help you get more stuff,” she said as she walked inside and grabbed the water pitcher and salad bowl off the kitchen counter.

  “Hey, beautiful, did you sign everything?” Matt, her older brother, asked.

  “I did. Thank you.” Kayla smiled up at him. She loved her big brother. If he had been a woman, there was a chance Nana would have given him the job of making sure the family was okay and stayed together, but then again, he allowed his wife to tell him what to do all the time. Speaking of her sister-in-law…

  “Hey, Matt, is Jessica coming tonight?” Kayla asked.

  Jessica was his wife, but she followed her own set of rules. Matt looked down and pretended to rub something off his hand. Kayla knew him well enough to see through the facade.

  “Nah, she’s really exhausted. She’s been working hard.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll stop by in the next few days and make sure she’s okay. She’s an important member of this family. I want you to know that.”

  Matt smiled, his green eyes twinkling. It made him so happy when the family accepted his wife. After all, everyone knew how much Jessica didn’t like the family. No one could figure out why. But Kayla knew. Jessica only loved her own family and apparently didn’t have any room left in her heart to love her in-laws. The truth was, she didn’t want to love them. She could if she tried, but she didn’t make the effort. Kayla would make her sister-in-law love them if it was the last thing she did. By marrying Matt, Jessica had become a part of his family, and Kayla was going to make damn sure her sister-in-law knew that.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Her younger sister Sarah ran into the kitchen and threw her arms around Kayla, smothering her in kisses.

  Kayla couldn’t help but laugh. She would have thought the moment funnier if she wasn’t balancing the water pitcher and salad. “Okay, okay, Mom’s going to kill me if I drop this.”

  Matt quickly grabbed both items out of her hands. “I’ve got them. Besides, you shouldn’t be helping. This is your celebratory dinner.”

  Matt walked outside, and Sarah used that moment to pretty much attack Kayla.

  “So! Tell me!” She grabbed Kayla’s arms and jumped up and down, using her arms as support. Though she was twenty-seven, she had no interest in a serious relationship yet. She liked to have fun with every man in Bella Cove, in fact. All men loved her. What was not to love? She had straight blonde hair, beautiful brown eyes, and the biggest boobs in the family. Plus, she was tall and thin like a model. At five-foot-nine, she was way taller than Kayla was.

  Yet everyone in the family called Kayla beautiful.

  Sarah looked at Kayla as if she was supposed to be overjoyed at owning the toy store. But Kayla couldn’t find much joy in anything these days. She couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Gabe.

  “I signed on the dotted line, and now I’m the proud owner of Magical Toys.” Kayla hugged Sarah, trying to be as believable as possible.

  Sarah hugged her back. “It’s amazing how life works out. Two years ago, you were on your way to becoming a psychologist, and then the universe changed your direction. Now you own a toy store. Life is so crazy.”

  “It really is.”

  Kayla’s heart dropped as she grabbed her sister’s hand, and together they walked outside. Never in her life did she think she would own a toy store. After Nana died, Kayla had needed to get out of the house as much as possible, especially with her mom yelling all the time. She had thought working with toys would be light and fun, which it was. Melody had been looking to hire someone, so even though Kayla didn’t need the money, she applied anyway. However, spending every day looking at the toys and seeing all the happy children made her think of Gabe and what she had given up for her family. She’d made the right decision, and if she had the choice, she would do it again—but Gabe and she had been about to get engaged. They’d talked about the children they would have together, had even picked out names. If they’d had a girl, she would be called Keidi. And if they’d had a boy, they would have called him Noah. They’d hoped to have more than two kids…

  Lauren and their dad joined the rest of the family out on the porch a few minutes later. As usual, Lauren looked depressed. Without a man, she felt like a nobody. Kayla needed to figure out a way to help her…to find a man who Lauren would think good enough to be with her.

  Kayla’s dad winked at her. He was always pretty quiet. On the other hand, her mom was high maintenance. The only reason he hadn’t packed his bags was because Nana hadn’t let him. Kayla wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep her father from leaving. He wouldn’t have any trouble finding another wife, either. Women of all ages were always checking him out.

  The family dinner was the same as usual. Everyone had congratulated her by that point. Lauren ate in silence, looking miserable. Josh stood by the food, eating as much as he could, but he was clearly in a bad mood. Her dad discussed business with Matt, which was normal for them, and Sarah was texting her friends. Her mom was running in and out of the house, bringing more and more food to the table, as if she were feeding an army of thousands.

  And Kayla? Kayla sat in her favorite rocking chair, watching the scene unfold in front of her while she wondered how Gabe would feel about her family. Would he like them? Would he think they were odd? She had told her sisters about him, even though they never had a chance to meet him, but she never told her parents or her brothers. They were always so judgmental about her boyfriends. She didn’t want their opinions to touch Gabe, because in Kayla’s eyes he was almost perfect.

  Still, to this day, Gabe was never far from her mind. Just like tonight. She’d fantasized about him showing up in Bella Cove so many times in the last two years, she was sure she was manifesting it. But tonight, he hadn’t shown up, so instead, she’d cherish her family, and put Gabe in the back of her mind with all of her other lost dreams.

  Besides, Gabe wanting to see her again was one big illusion. After he’d given her that damn ultimatum, he wanted nothing to do with her. If only he’d understood that she had to pick her family over returning to him. And as she looked at her family tonight, she knew she’d made the right decision.

  But that didn’t stop her from missing him like crazy.

  Chapter Two

  When Kayla opened her shop the next morning, she decided to adjust her attitude. The first thing she needed to do was call Mr. Kleiner’s office and schedule an appointment to meet with his grandson.

  She logged onto her computer and clicked on the contacts list to find Mr. Kleiner’s secretary’s phone number. Her name was Alice; Kayla had only met the woman a handful of times and didn’t know her well, but Melody loved Alice and said she was great. Kayla felt strange, taking these steps without Melody around for guidance. Normally, she would have been
in the shop by now, relaying all the gossip in Bella Cove. The store felt empty without her, lonely even. Melody’s banter had helped Kayla get out of her head.

  She dialed Alice’s number, but the call went to voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, Kayla decided to send an email. But she wasn’t sure if she should send it from her email address or Melody’s. She decided to use Melody’s since, first of all, Alice wasn’t used to dealing with Kayla, and second of all, Kayla would rather be the one to tell Mr. Kleiner’s grandson that she’d taken over the toy store.

  To: Alice McMara

  From: Melody Fischer

  Subject: Magical Toys

  Dear Alice,

  I’d like to say again how very sorry I am to hear about the passing of Mr. Kleiner. He was such a kind man. I understand his grandson is taking over. I’m sure he’s busy, but if possible, I would love to personally introduce myself at his earliest convenience. I also have some very exciting news! Thank you so much as usual. I hope you have a beautiful day.

  Best wishes,

  Melody

  Kayla sighed. She was lying. But at the same time, she didn’t want to explain everything to Alice before speaking with the grandson. If Alice told him the news first, there was a chance he wouldn’t like the fact Melody had sold the store to her without informing Mr. Kleiner’s office first. But Mr. Kleiner had already passed away when she’d signed the contract. Kayla slapped her hand against her forehead. Why couldn’t life be easy?

  Magical Toys had been hers for less than twenty-four hours, and she had already closed the store early and lied to her landlord’s secretary. Great job, she thought. A minute later, Kayla’s computer dinged. Alice had already responded to Kayla’s email. As she clicked on the email and waited for it to open, her heart thudded. She wasn’t in the habit of letting others down, and if his grandson discovered she had lied or if he didn’t like her when they met, she would feel as if she’d let Melody down. When Kayla scanned Alice’s email, what felt like a nervous butterfly flipped in her stomach.

  To: Melody Fischer

  From: Alice McMara

  Subject: Re: Magical Toys

  Dear Melody,

  Mr. Kleiner’s grandson is standing over my shoulder reading your email. He will meet you at your store at noon. He’s looking forward to meeting you and hearing your exciting news. His grandfather spoke very highly to him about Magical Toys. Have a beautiful day, too!

  Best wishes,

  Alice

  Noon? Kayla glanced at the time on the computer screen. She had a little less than two hours. If she’d known he’d want to meet today, she would have dressed more appropriately. Instead, she was wearing her favorite pair of skinny jeans and a pink, ribbed tank top with a large, white satin heart in the center. The outfit was fine if she’d be doing nothing more than working at the store all day, but she would have chosen something nicer to meet her current landlord. If she had more time, she would run home and change, but there was still so much to do. Last night, she had left in such a rush, she hadn’t taken the time to straighten up. Some of the rows of toys looked messy, and a young boy had spilled the bouncing balls display, so there were balls all over the place.

  Kayla ran around the store, picking everything up. Then she ran into her office, reapplied some lip gloss, and ran a brush through her hair. She wished she looked better, but it was the best she could do on such short notice.

  * * *

  At exactly noon, Kayla heard her front door open. She was in the storage room in the back, sorting through a box of children’s books that had just arrived. The sound of his heavy footsteps alone made Kayla’s heartbeat quicken. It had been a long time since she felt this nervous and oddly vulnerable.

  “Hello?” Mr. Kleiner’s grandson hit the bell on the counter next to her credit card machine.

  His voice was deep and masculine. She thought he sounded familiar, but she couldn’t imagine why.

  Kayla took a deep breath and brushed away the dust that was clinging to her top and jeans. She couldn’t shake this anxious feeling. But she had to get out there and introduce herself. With as much courage and grace as she could find, she stepped out of her storage room and walked down the short hallway toward her new landlord.

  At first, he had his back turned toward her as he looked at her selection of dinosaur stuffed animals. One dinosaur in particular seemed to have caught his interest. His preoccupation with the toy gave her a chance to check him out. From the back, he looked to be over six feet tall. He was dressed way more appropriately than she was, in an olive-green, long-sleeved shirt and smart black pants. Normally, she didn’t pay much attention to how men dressed, but he looked classy and professional.

  He must have heard her approach because he turned around—and froze. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something, then closed it. He appeared to be in shock, and Kayla knew why. Her heart knew why. Her entire body knew why.

  His green eyes were so familiar that she could barely breathe. She knew this man. She loved this man. And she had thought she was going to marry him.

  “Gabe?” Kayla whispered, feeling a little like she was seeing a ghost.

  She’d been thinking of him so much lately, he had to be a ghost. Yet, she knew this was real. Because his eyes were blinking, and ghosts didn’t blink. Did they even have eyes?

  The gorgeous man standing in front of her was definitely Gabe Wademan, except maybe those eyes. She never remembered Gabe’s eyes looking so cold. They were always warm. At least, they were warm when they were looking at her. There was no warmth whatsoever in this man’s gaze.

  “Kayla Conway,” he said, his tone short, clipped.

  “Yes,” she whispered, wanting to step forward. To greet him properly. But it felt as if there were a million walls between the two of them. And the realization that he must be Mr. Kleiner’s grandson, which would make him her new landlord, was something she was having trouble swallowing. Or maybe with some luck he just happened to be in town and had stopped by? Maybe she was wrong about him being her new landlord.

  “Are you Mr. Kleiner’s grandson?” She was proud of herself for sounding stronger than she felt.

  “Yes,” he said. “You work here?”

  “No.”

  Gabe visibly sighed, seemingly relieved at her answer.

  Here we go, thought Kayla. “I own the store,” she said.

  “Own it?” Gabe’s voice raised slightly. He’d rarely raised his voice in graduate school. So he really hadn’t forgiven her for never returning. While she was busy missing him, he was carrying a grudge over her choice—over the ultimatum he’d given her in the first place.

  “Yes.” Kayla lifted her chin.

  Gabe took a piece of paper out of his pocket and glanced at it. “I thought Melody Fischer owned this place.”

  Kayla swallowed hard. “She did, until yesterday when she gave it to me.”

  “She gave it to you?” Gabe’s voice rose even louder.

  “Yes,” she said softly. “She sold it to me for a cup of coffee.”

  “And did you think to tell your landlord?” Gabe glanced at the paper again. “According to this email Melody wrote to Alice, she was the one who was going to meet me and tell me some exciting news.” He clenched his jaw.

  Kayla glanced down at her white sandals before meeting his gaze. “I wrote that email, and I’m the exciting news.”

  Gabe ran his hands through his hair and started pacing back and forth on her newly cleaned wooden floors. After a minute or so, Kayla wasn’t sure what she should do. But this didn’t feel right at all. They had been separated for two years, and every day, she had imagined what it would be like if she bumped into him. She pictured herself running into his arms. And other days, she begged for his forgiveness. But not once did she picture meeting him because he was her new landlord and nothing more.

  “Gabe? Can we start again?”

  He instantly stopped pacing. “Start again?”

  He looked so flabber
gasted, she could have told him she was running for president. Obviously, he thought she meant something else. She could see it in his ice-cold eyes.

  “I mean, can we start this meeting again?” Unable to stand looking in his eyes for one more moment, she looked at her sandals again and at her pretty, pink toenail polish. She’d gotten a pedicure the other day. So this wasn’t a dream. Considering the expression on his face right now, it was more like a nightmare.

  “What would you like me to say?”

  He spoke softer, and that got Kayla’s attention.

  “I thought I was meeting Melody Fischer,” he went on. “If I’d known I was meeting you, I wouldn’t have come.”

  Kayla’s world felt as if it was spinning out of control. She’d woken up this morning wondering how Gabe felt about her. Now she knew. And it made her feel sick. But she couldn’t think about all that right now. She had to think about the store she’d been handed.

  Having Gabe as her landlord was bad for her. Now that he knew she was the new owner of Magical Toys, would he find a way to break her lease? Melody would be devastated. But Kayla didn’t know if he could kick her out—not legally…not unless she couldn’t pay the rent anymore. She would have to double check, but she thought she still had ten more months left on the lease.

  Kayla sighed. “Look, I understand if you want nothing to do with me. But you’re my new landlord, whether you like it or not. So why don’t I mail my rent check to Alice every month, so you never have to see me.”

  Gabe nodded. “That might work. I wish Melody still owned this place and not you.”

  Kayla bit her bottom lip. “Can we please handle this like adults? This store has been around for years. It’s Bella Cove’s only toy store, and the folks here love it. You should see all the happy children who come in here. It’s nice to watch them pick their favorite toys.” Kayla smiled as warmly at him as she could.