Bella Cove_A Second Chance Romance

by Rochelle Katzman

  Melody grabbed the book out of Kayla’s hand and threw it onto the counter. “Really? Because you’ve got man troubles written all over your pretty face.”

  Kayla rolled her eyes. She and Melody had spent hours together at the store, just the two of them. Kayla had spent more time with her old boss than anyone else.

  “Don’t roll your eyes at me. I know man trouble when I see it. I may be older than you are, but I remember man-trouble days, and they weren’t pleasant. And you look like a woman who has a man but feels conflicted. I don’t have to be psychic to know that. But do you remember when I took that clairvoyant class? They tried to teach me tarot, but I kept forgetting what all the cards meant.”

  Kayla laughed. “I remember the class very well.” She had to tell her at least something about Gabe, so she could change the topic.

  “There’s an ex from my past who is sort of back in my life, and the situation has kind of thrown me off. That’s all. But I’ll be fine.”

  “I knew it. I’m never wrong with these things. Do you still like him?”

  Kayla sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

  “I do, but it’s complicated. But can we please keep this between us?”

  Melody looked at Kayla with compassion. “I know how private you are. I promise not to tell anyone, including your family.”

  “Thank you,” Kayla whispered.

  “But are you sure he’s not the one?” Melody asked.

  Kayla smiled faintly. “I’m not sure about anything these days.”

  “Then let’s not talk about him a minute longer. But in all the time you’ve worked for me, I’ve never heard you not sure about anything.”

  “I know, and I hate feeling so unsure about everything.”

  Melody smiled. “You’ll figure it out.”

  Kayla gave her a hug. “Thank you.”

  Melody returned the embrace, and Kayla resumed dusting the books. Most likely, she’d told her friend more than she should have, but she couldn’t take back what she’d said now.

  “So, tell me, did you ever connect with Mr. Kleiner’s grandson?”

  Kayla dropped the book she was dusting. “Yes, I did. I contacted Alice the day after I signed the contract like I promised you I would.” She coughed, pretending something was stuck in her throat, hiding her expression from Melody. Usually, Kayla was so good at disguising her emotions, but apparently, not today.

  “Are you okay?” Melody slapped her back.

  Tears appeared in Kayla’s eyes, but that was from the fake coughing.

  “Sorry. I swallowed the wrong way.”

  “I hate that. So? Tell me about his grandson. What’s his name?”

  Kayla cleared her throat.

  “His name is Gabe Wademan, and he has been so nice to us. He hasn’t raised the rent, so that’s a good thing. He also has a ladder, so Sarah, in her own sweet way, asked him to paint the yellow border around the ceiling.” She could have told Melody the truth, but she had to tell her parents first. And she wasn’t quite ready to tell them yet.

  Melody glanced up at the ceiling. “I hadn’t even had a chance to take a look around the store. I was so happy to see you.” She looked at the yellow border and the hearts and snowflakes they’d hung. “Very nice. I love the changes.”

  “Thank you. At first, I was upset Sarah had asked Mr. Wademan to paint for us, but like I said, he had a ladder, so I was grateful. The minute I have a chance, I’m going to buy one,” Kayla said, keeping her tone light. “Did you know Mr. Wademan moved his office across the street?” Melody was friends with Alice. She’d find out sooner or later.

  “No. Where?”

  Melody turned, and Kayla pointed to his office.

  “Oh, my goodness. I’ve missed a lot while being away—even in just a week! I called Alice earlier and left her a message to tell her I was in town, but I had no idea they’d moved across the street.”

  “And you’re going to love this. You know the piece of land next to my family’s house? Well, his grandfather owned it, so now he’s building a house there, which he plans to move into.” Kayla filled Melody in on all the gossip. If she didn’t, Melody would wonder why Kayla hadn’t said anything. And speaking of gossip… Kayla tried to think of an innocent way to ask Melody if Alice had a boyfriend. Kayla would love to know, but only if she could come up with a way to ask without drawing suspicion.

  Gabe and Alice weren’t dating, but Kayla wondered if Alice had a crush on him.

  “He’s your new landlord and your soon-to-be neighbor?” Melody gasped.

  Kayla nodded. “I know. The only positive thing I could come up with is maybe he won’t raise my rent at the end of the year.” Kayla studied Melody’s expression. So far, she didn’t seem to suspect anything.

  When Kayla heard her front door open, she turned to see who it was. Her heart stopped when, of all people, Gabe stepped inside. Melody looked at her and then at Gabe, and her mouth hung open. Kayla wasn’t surprised. She’d left him just an hour ago and she felt the same way.

  “And who, may I ask, is this?” she whispered in Kayla’s ear.

  “Mr. Gabe Wademan, himself,” she whispered back.

  “Did I just hear my name?” Gabe asked.

  Kayla rolled her eyes. “Mr. Wademan, this is Melody Fischer. The woman who you thought owned my store. Melody, this is Gabe Wademan, my new landlord.”

  Kayla immediately saw the hurt in his eyes when she’d introduced him as her landlord. She wanted to explain to him that Melody was a huge gossip, and she couldn’t tell Melody the truth about them until she told her parents.

  Why was Gabe here anyway? He extended his hand to shake Melody’s.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said.

  “Likewise.” Melody extended her hand to Gabe.

  He took it, but kissed her on the cheek anyway.

  “Ohhhhh.” Melody laughed once Gabe released her hand. “He’s a charmer.” She paused. “I’m sorry about your grandfather. Mr. Kleiner was such a kind man.”

  Warmth filled his eyes, but a second later, it was gone.

  “That’s why I’m here,” Gabe said.

  “It is?” Kayla blurted out.

  “Yes. Alice told me you called her, Melody, because you were in town. My grandfather had mentioned how wonderfully you always treated him. He told me he always enjoyed coming to Bella Cove to see you. Before he died, he asked me to come here and tell you thank you for always being warm and friendly with him. He considered you a friend.”

  “I always enjoyed talking with him, too, when I’d pay the rent. As a matter of fact, I used to talk to him and Alice for hours on the first of the month, and then I would meet Mr. Kleiner at the coffeeshop down the street. He told me once he loved their coffee, so I insisted on meeting him there once a month. He was such an interesting man. Thank you, Mr. Wademan, for telling me this.” Tears formed in Melody’s eyes.

  Kayla had known they’d used to meet at the coffeeshop, but she didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Mr. Kleiner would also come into the store a whole bunch of times, asking Kayla odd questions, and then he’d leave. Kayla always answered him. He seemed harmless and nice. He was always warm with her, but they hadn’t been as close as he and Melody had been.

  “Please, call me Gabe. Everyone does but Kayla,” he said. “He also insisted I give you this.” Gabe handed Melody a large blue box, which she reluctantly took.

  “What is it?” She looked at Kayla and then at Gabe.

  Kayla shrugged.

  “Open it,” Gabe said.

  From the look in his eyes, Kayla wasn’t even sure if he knew what it was.

  Melody slowly opened the box, careful not to drop it. The moment the lid came off, Melody gasped. Then she showed the contents to Kayla, as a tear slid down Melody’s cheek.

  “They’re beautiful,” Kayla said, as she found herself gazing at two exquisite pieces of jewelry. One piece was a gold necklace with a large diamond in the center. The other was a ring
in platinum with the largest diamond Kayla had ever seen. It was definitely an engagement ring.

  “Oh, wait, there’s a note in the box.” Melody handed the bottom of the jewelry box to Kayla and took out a note from the top. Then she read out loud.

  “My Dear Melody,

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you myself that I was dying. I hope you can forgive me. I’d also like to thank you for always being kind to me. Both you and Magical Toys always had a special place in my heart.

  “My loving grandson will be handing you a box of jewelry. There are two precious pieces in it that belonged to my beautiful late wife, who I will be seeing soon. The necklace is a gift for you. You’re probably wondering why I’m giving you an engagement ring, too. The ring is not meant for you, but there will come a time in the near future when you will know who it belongs to.

  “Congratulations on winning the lottery. I’m glad you’ll be handing over the store to the beautiful blonde who works with you. She’s a very special young lady. The store will flourish under her, and she will finally find peace. She’s a rare gem. My only regret is not to have gotten to know her better.

  “Take care, Melody. May you always be the happy, vibrant, and incredible woman that you are. Your husband is a very lucky man.

  “Love,

  “Mr. Kleiner

  “P.S. Don’t stress over not knowing who the ring belongs to. Trust me, you and only you will know.”

  Tears poured down Melody’s face when she finished reading the letter. Gabe looked as white as a ghost, and Kayla felt shaken to her core. She had no idea how he knew all that about her. From the look on Gabe’s face, they both knew who Mr. Kleiner thought the ring belonged to.

  “Melody, did you tell Alice I was taking over your store? Because I thought Alice didn’t know, and it was my job to break the news to Gabe.” Kayla tucked her hair behind her ear.

  Melody shook her head. “No, I swear. I left a message on Mr. Kleiner’s phone about two weeks before he passed away, telling him we won the lottery. I never heard back from him. I never told him I was giving you the store. I was hoping to tell him in person, but that obviously didn’t happen. I never told Alice anything.”

  Gabe chuckled, and both women turned toward him.

  “You didn’t know my grandfather like I did. If he knew you won the lottery, then he knew you’d eventually give up your store. And since you didn’t need the money, he assumed you would have given it to Kayla.”

  “But he never even knew my name,” Kayla said.

  “He knew it,” Gabe responded.

  Kayla didn’t say anything after that, but everything became clear. Gabe had spoken to his grandfather about her, and his grandfather believed they were meant to be married. He thought the store would bring them together, and Melody would know when to give her the ring. It all made perfect sense. His grandfather was partly right. This store had brought them together, but Gabe hadn’t forgiven her. They may have made some progress, but she doubted Gabe was ready to completely forget what happened in the past.

  Kayla also found it odd that she hadn’t met Mr. Kleiner until a year after she started to work there. One random day, Melody had told her Mr. Kleiner specifically wanted to meet her. So at the beginning of the next month, he’d come into the store and had introduced himself. She had told him her name, but when he came in the month after that, he told her he had forgotten it, but Melody called her beautiful, so he would, too. From that day on, he’d only called her “beautiful.” He hadn’t forgotten her name, after all. He would also ask her odd questions. Once, he’d asked her why she wasn’t dating. Another time he’d asked her to describe her dream house.

  Another thing Kayla thought odd was something Lauren had recently told her. Her sister said she had run into one of the real estate agents from her old job. He said they heard a house was finally being built on the property next to their family’s house. Then he said the lot had remained vacant for years until Mr. Kleiner had purchased it ten months ago. Right around the time he had asked her about her dream house…

  Kayla glanced at Gabe, who still looked as white as a ghost.

  Melody must have thought he seemed troubled, too.

  “Are you okay, Gabe? The letter must have been hard for you to hear,” Melody said.

  Gabe shook his head. “It was surprising, that’s all. My grandfather liked to surprise people. He was a generous man and always one step ahead of everyone else.”

  “What do you think he meant when he said I’d know who to give this ring to when the time was right?” Melody asked.

  Kayla stared at Gabe, wanting to know that answer herself.

  Gabe exhaled. “Hold onto it and see what happens. My grandfather was never wrong. Only time will tell, I guess.”

  “But what happens if he was wrong about this? Then what should Melody do?” Kayla asked. Since Gabe insisted his grandfather was never wrong, had he finally forgiven her?

  Gabe looked at her strangely. She really wished she could read his mind. “Melody should keep it then,” he answered.

  “Oh, I won’t be able to keep it,” Melody said.

  “You can and you will. My grandfather said when the time was right, you’d know. If he was wrong, then the ring will remain yours. And he specifically gave it to you, regardless. But knowing my grandfather like I do, I think he had a premonition about something. And as you know, he was a smart man.”

  Kayla swallowed. The way Gabe was talking, he thought they were meant to be together, but only because that’s what his grandfather thought. Kayla wanted to so badly feel hopeful, but she was terrified of getting hurt again.

  “You should keep the ring,” Kayla said softly.

  “Why don’t you take it?” Melody held the ring out to Kayla.

  She took a deep breath as her adrenaline rose. “No, thank you. If he had wanted me to have it, he would have given it to me. In the letter, he seemed pretty adamant about you having it.”

  Melody sighed. “Okay, fine. I’ll keep it, but let’s hope I’ll know who it belongs to. I’m no good with puzzles. And with Harry and I traveling so much, unless it’s a woman in France, it’ll be hard for me to figure it out.”

  “I have faith in you,” Gabe said, giving her that charming smile of his.

  “All right, well, I have to get going. Harry wants to take me into the city tonight to see a Broadway show.” She put the jewelry in her large beige purse and then turned to Gabe. “It was lovely meeting you. Your grandfather told me how handsome you are, and he was right. Let’s hope he’s right about the ring, too.” She hugged Gabe and kissed him on the cheek. Then she turned toward Kayla and gave her a huge hug. “I may not see you again before I leave, but you never know.”

  Kayla hugged Melody back, eyes closed to prevent the tears from escaping. Kayla loved her friend. “I’m going to miss you again.”

  “You only miss me telling you all the gossip going on in Bella Cove.”

  “I do miss it, I have to admit.” Kayla smiled.

  Melody gave Kayla a quick kiss on the cheek. “The store looks fabulous, as I knew it would. Until next time, beautiful.” She waved at Kayla and Gabe and then walked out of the store.

  The moment the door shut, Kayla laid into Gabe.

  “You do realize your grandfather was talking about us?”

  Gabe nodded. “I do.”

  “What did you tell your grandfather about us?” she asked.

  Gabe shrugged. “Not much. When I called him and told him about my parents divorcing, I told him how I was also hurting over a woman who lived in Bella Cove. That’s when he told me how close he lived to here, and he visited at least once a month. He asked me your name, and I gave it to him, but then he didn’t say anything else, so I figured he didn’t know you.”

  “But he did,” Kayla added.

  “Yes. Then he asked me to tell him why I loved you and what I missed about you the most. So I did. I told him about your beautiful smile. I told him about how contagious your lau
gh was. I told him how you try to help everyone you meet. But I told him what I missed most of all was my best friend. I told him I could tell you anything, and you never judged.”

  Kayla sniffed back the tears. “Then what did he say?”

  Gabe sighed. “He asked if I felt better, and I said I did. He said I should only think of the positive times in the relationship. And only of the goodness I saw in you. He explained the breakup was only one part of the relationship, not all of it. Holding on to the hurt and the pain wasn’t honoring us and what we had.”

  “He wanted you to forgive me,” Kayla whispered.

  Gabe nodded. “Very much, but I couldn’t. I just felt so betrayed. I’m trying to forgive you now, but all those bad feelings I felt when you left come back sometimes. Like now.”

  Kayla huffed. “I get those feelings, too. But I did tell you to wait for me. And even though dealing with my screwed-up family took me longer than I would have liked, I would have come back to you. Even after you gave me the ultimatum. At the same time, you never fought for us. If you really didn’t want to lose me, you could have gotten on a plane and come here.”

  “You made it clear you didn’t want me around your family then, especially since some of them didn’t even know I existed.”

  Kayla’s heart sank. “You’re right, but if you showed up, I wouldn’t have turned you away. You may have needed me when your parents were divorcing, but I may have needed you, too.”

  They were both silent.

  “What are you thinking, Gabe?” Kayla asked softly.

  He ran his hands through his hair. “I’m thinking I feel just as confused by my grandfather giving Melody the ring as you do.”

  Kayla looked at her hands; they still had some dust on them. “You told Melody that your grandfather was always right. Well, for the first time ever, I guess he was wrong.”

  Kayla tried to brush past him, eager to escape to her office, but Gabe grabbed her arm to stop her.

  “Are you trying to tell me you think we should get engaged? You want us to skip the baby steps we’re taking and just get married?” Gabe said the words as if he’d just voiced the most awful thought ever.