Falling for the Unexpected (Life Unexpected Book 1)

by Rachel Lyn Adams

  “Checked out the waves on the drive over here. They look freakin’ awesome, should be a good day,” Erik stated as we walked down to the water, his surfboard under his arm.

  Erik was right. The waves were perfect. Trent and I were on either side of him as we assessed the packed beach, ocean, and ideal weather.

  “I checked out the chicks; they looked awesome, too,” Trent added with a smirk.

  I had to laugh. His carefree attitude and running commentary pulled me out of my head and into the present. As much as Trent didn’t want a relationship, he sure couldn’t go long without the company of a woman.

  “Dude, we’re surfing today, not looking to score with random women.” I didn’t know why I said that. I was usually right there with Trent, but I hadn’t felt the desire for a random hookup in weeks. Longer than that, actually, going on several months. I didn’t dwell on that particular thought.

  “Can’t we do both?” Trent teased back, but thankfully, he let the subject drop.

  Erik shot me a sidelong glance, which I easily ignored. To avoid any more discussion, I took off toward the waves, Trent shouting his surprise and Erik’s laughter at my back.

  We spent the next couple hours in the water. There was nothing like a little ocean therapy to put things in perspective. Once we were finished, we headed back to my house and ordered some pizzas. I turned on the big screen TV while we ate.

  “Nervous about tomorrow’s meeting with Brad?” Trent asked around a bite of his pizza.

  “Not really,” I said, opening a round of beers for the three of us and placing them on the coffee table.

  “I saw Simone at my parents’ house yesterday,” Trent added. “She seemed pretty stressed.”

  That comment bummed me out. I didn’t want Simone to feel stressed. I wanted her to feel confident that I would get her through this process. I hadn’t exchanged any words with her since Friday, which felt like an eternity. I’d stopped myself a dozen times from just sending an innocuous message. “Huh, I’ll text her later to make sure she’s good for tomorrow,” I said, the words just slipping out. I paused, throwing a look Trent’s way, but he was engrossed in the game.

  Erik, however, was eyeing me suspiciously again. We’d never discussed what he saw at Jim’s birthday party—not that it was necessary since nothing happened that day. Besides, Simone and I had become friends—of sorts.

  “That’s probably a good idea. She might have some last minute questions about what to expect tomorrow,” Trent finally said at a commercial break and nodded at me approvingly. Thankfully, he saw my comment exactly as it was, a lawyer helping out their client. “Be right back, I gotta pee,” he announced, hopping off the couch and disappearing into the bathroom down the hallway.

  As soon as the door closed behind him, Erik turned toward me and quietly asked, “What the hell is going on with you and Simone?”

  While I had been expecting this question, I still didn’t know what to say. I took a sip of my beer, giving myself a couple seconds before I answered him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. In case you’ve forgotten, I’m her attorney and helping her with her divorce.”

  “Oh, so you hug all your clients like that?” he asked. His stupid, cheeky grin was pissing me off.

  “At the time, she wasn’t my client, and if you had heard the way Brad was talking to her, you would have done the same thing,” I said, gritting my teeth. But as soon as I said it, the visual of Erik holding Simone entered my mind, and suddenly, I wanted to punch my friend in his face. He must have seen my balled fists resting on my thighs and decided not to push any further.

  “Hmm, you’re probably right,” he said, although the look he gave me told me he wasn’t buying my story. He then changed the subject to some race he had coming up.

  The rest of the evening was spent talking shit and watching the game. The guys left my place around seven and I headed to the kitchen to clean up. I saw my phone lying on the counter and decided to text Simone before it got too late.

  Me: Hi there. Just checking in and hoping you’re not too stressed about tomorrow.

  I continued to tidy up around the house, waiting for a response. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t check my phone a couple times to make sure I hadn’t missed her response.

  Around nine, I headed upstairs to my room, grabbing my laptop from my bag that I kept next to the staircase. I usually checked my emails each night before I went to bed and I wanted to review the MSA I had prepared to ensure I had covered everything. I wasn’t going to give Brad any room to get out of his responsibilities.

  I was just about to close my laptop and turn off my bedside lamp when I heard my phone chime. I grabbed it off my nightstand, feeling relieved that she had finally texted me back.

  Simone: Sorry for texting so late. I just got home from picking up Stella. I worked until nine.

  Me: How was work?

  Simone: It was fine but slow.

  Me: Are you feeling okay about tomorrow? I don’t want you to worry. I have everything under control.

  Simone: I’m nervous about sitting in the same room with Brad, but I have this awesome lawyer that I know will take care of everything. : )

  Her confidence in me was definitely an ego boost, and was there a flirtatious tone in her text? Or was that just Simone being Simone and I was finally seeing that side of her? Or… Shit, I never got all worked up over a damn text.

  Me: He sounds pretty great. LOL

  Simone: He is…

  Great, now I was trying to text-flirt but I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face. I’m sure I looked like an idiot staring at my phone but I didn’t care. Alone in my house, and no one to judge me, I could indulge in a little fantasy—I just had to be careful, and not get caught up in something that would likely never be…

  *****

  The next morning in the office was tense. Jim and Brad were already seated and it was just Simone and me standing outside the conference room. I looked at Simone. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the closed door, and I could see her hands trembling.

  “Hey, look at me?” I instructed softly while lifting her chin with my finger. “The worst thing that can happen today is we walk out of that room without an agreement. He’s in no position to fight you on anything.” I started to open the door. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” she repeated softly, and followed me into the conference room.

  When we walked in, we saw Brad sitting on the far side of the long oak table, while Jim was seated at the head of the table. I pulled out a chair for Simone to sit to Jim’s right and then I sat down on the other side of her.

  “Hello, Brad,” I greeted as professionally as possible. I couldn’t let my emotions get the best of me in this situation. But frankly, I was disgusted by the fact that he hadn’t even tried to look presentable and I could see the anger and disappointment on Jim’s face. Brad looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and was on his phone, not acknowledging anyone. “Thank you for meeting with us. We’re hoping we can sign this agreement today to help avoid any court battles—”

  “Whatever,” he interrupted, leaning back in his chair. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked bored and annoyed, like this meeting was beneath him and a complete waste of his time. “Can we just sign it and be done already?”

  Needless to say, from his sneering and contemptuous expression and snarky commentary throughout the meeting, I could feel Simone’s stress like it was a SOS beacon. Brad signed the papers without even looking at them and barely allowed me to go over some of the more important details, constantly telling me to hurry up. At the end, when Simone asked Brad about seeing Stella, things really blew up.

  “I have plans this weekend,” he stated emphatically, getting up from his seat and taking a step toward the door.

  “Unbelievable!” she shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. Her outburst surprised both Jim and me, but I couldn’t blame Simone for her reaction. “What could possibly be more important than seei
ng your daughter? How can you just abandon her?” I could hear her voice breaking. She had come to terms with Brad never fulfilling the role of husband, but she desperately wanted him to be a father to his little girl.

  “Fuck you, Simone! The great thing about getting divorced is I don’t have to answer to you.” And with that, he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

  “Excuse me, I just need a moment,” she said and I could see the tears falling down her face. She left the room and turned down the hall toward the restroom.

  I glanced at Jim. He had his hands clasped on the table in front of him and was staring down at his shoes. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. As Brad’s father, he probably wanted to believe his youngest son was a better person than that, but as Stella’s grandfather, he must have been extremely disappointed.

  Knowing there wasn’t much to say, I exited the room quietly, gently clasping his shoulder as I passed by. I was approaching my office when I heard quiet voices and soft sobs coming from the break room. Curiosity getting the better of me, I walked over to the doorway. Inside, I saw Simone and Addie sitting close together trying to keep their voices low.

  “My marriage was complete bullshit, but I tried to stick it out for Stella. Now he can’t even make time for her. He’s a total asshole,” Simone said, between deep breaths.

  “You won’t get an argument from me on that one,” Addie quipped. “You know, if you need anyone to talk to you can come to me…”

  I decided to give the two of them some privacy and went back to my office before either noticed me. It pleased me to see Addie continually reaching out to Simone. I knew she had a close work friend, but Simone could definitely use a friend who understood the whole history of the situation, Addie was great at being there when you needed her.

  And while their budding friendship was a good thing, I couldn’t help but want Simone to confide in me. For me to be the one she turned to.

  Chapter 9

  Simone

  It was a warm August morning and I was driving home from registering for two courses at Beachside Community College. Talking about it with Kyle had stuck with me since he was so encouraging of me pursing my degree. One of the classes I registered for was online. The other required me to be in class a couple times a week, but Marla had agreed to watch Stella for me. I was extremely grateful for the continued help. However, I didn’t want to take advantage of their kindness.

  In fact, in an effort to prove to myself I could do this without being a burden on anyone, I had taken Stella with me to the counseling office. She had been so well behaved, I promised her a surprise on the way home, which was why we were now pulling into the parking lot of the ice cream parlor.

  “Ice cream!” she exclaimed from the backseat. “I want chocolate.” Stella was turning two years old in ten days, and I was constantly amazed by how quickly her vocabulary was growing.

  “What do we say?” I asked, gently reminding her to use her manners.

  “I want chocolate, pleeeease,” she said.

  We went inside, and once Stella saw all the choices, she decided chocolate wasn’t for her and chose rainbow sherbet instead. Knowing how slow she ate and how messy she could be, I asked the teenager working behind the counter to put hers in a cup and I ordered a scoop of cookie dough, also in a cup, for myself.

  We sat down inside and dug in to our treat. “Is your ice cream good?” I asked, and laughed at the fact that she had the same amount of ice cream around her mouth as she had managed to get in it.

  “Yes, thank you, mama,” she replied and flashed me a huge cheesy grin. Man, I loved this little girl more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person. She was my entire world and small moments like this brought me unexplainable joy.

  We finished eating and I dug out a baby wipe from my bag so I could clean her up. Once she was no longer a sticky mess, we walked out to my car. I got her buckled in and sat in the driver’s seat. Placing the key in the ignition, I turned it only to hear a clicking noise instead of the engine turning on. I tried it again with the same result.

  “Crap,” I muttered under my breath, not wanting Stella to repeat the word. I had just spent all the money I had managed to save on college courses and knew I wouldn’t be able to afford costly car repairs right now.

  I pulled my phone out of my purse to call Trent. I hated to bother him, but Jim and Marla were out of town for a couple days and I really didn’t have anyone else to call. Brad would know how to fix whatever was wrong, but I knew he wouldn’t bother to come help. I probably couldn’t get ahold of him if I tried.

  “Hey, Simone, how’s it going?” Trent answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, Trent,” I started. “I really hate to bother you, but I’m stuck at Harry’s Ice Cream shop on Bay Street and my car won’t start. I wouldn’t have called, but I have Stella with me.”

  “Oh man, I’m getting ready to head over to the courthouse. Ya know, Kyle’s here and I think he’s free. I’ll send him over to help you out,” he said.

  I knew he was trying to be helpful, but calling Trent for help had been difficult enough. There was no way I could ask Kyle to leave work to come all the way out here.

  “No, don’t worry about it. I’ll call a tow truck,” I said, even though I really couldn’t afford it.

  “Don’t be silly. Hold on. Hey, Kyle!” I could hear Trent shout, even though it seemed like he tried to cover the receiver. “Can you go help Simone? She’s having some car trouble.” A few moments passed and I could hear muffled voices before Trent came back on the line. “Kyle says he’ll be there in twenty minutes. Will you be okay ‘til then?” he asked.

  “Uh, yeah. We’re fine but you really didn’t need to ask Kyle. I could have figured something out,” I said. Trent wasn’t having any of it.

  “I’m not going to let my sister-in-law spend money on a tow truck when you might just need a jump-start. Kyle will be able to help you out.”

  “Well, thanks, I really appreciate it. I’ll talk to you later,” I said.

  “Bye, Simone,” Trent said and then disconnected the call.

  It was sunny, hot, and there was no breeze, so waiting in the car for Kyle was out of the question. Instead, we sat on the bench in front of the ice cream shop and played I-Spy to pass the time, but all I kept thinking about was what I’d say to Kyle once he got here. Whenever we were together he made me feel like I could be myself. But I was also attracted to him and I wondered if I was interpreting his kindness for something that wasn’t there.

  Since the meeting in June, I hadn’t seen much of him, but he would call at least every other week with updates on the divorce proceedings, although there wasn’t much else to do but wait. I kept finding myself looking at my phone, wondering if he was going to stop by, but of course, there was no point. He was a great guy, but just my lawyer. I was an obligation only, and I needed to remember that. It wasn’t easy, though. I could still recall the day at the playground, and the older couple inferring Kyle and me as Stella’s parents. He hadn’t even realized it. Then afterwards at my apartment, there was the near-kiss. Once again, I felt my face get hot with embarrassment at how uncomfortable he’d been by that accident. At the meeting with Brad the following Monday, Kyle was back to normal, like that day had never happened. For him, it had been just another day. For me, I relished it. Every moment, all the details.

  About fifteen minutes later, I saw a familiar sleek, black BMW pull into the parking lot. The windows were tinted so I couldn’t see in, but I knew it was him. The parking lot was pretty empty so he was able to park right next to my car. My old Civic looked even worse next to his beautiful car. It was a reminder of how different we were.

  I heard a small gasp when he stepped out of his car and quickly realized it came from me. He was wearing gray slacks that were tailored perfectly, highlighting his strong thighs and perfect ass, and a black button-down shirt. He looked incredible. Every time I saw him, he looked better than the time before.


  “Having car trouble, ladies?” he asked, grinning. Just looking at his smile made me blush like a silly girl with a crush.

  “Hi, Ky!” Stella exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “I got a treat, I was a good girl.”

  He laughed at her enthusiastic explanation of what we had been up to.

  It was a gut-punch, to see how great Kyle was with her—a complete contrast to how disinterested Brad continued to be. He’d hardly seen her since he moved out and only came around when his parents nagged him about it. When he did show up, he never played with her or paid any attention to her. However, Stella was learning quickly that there were others who would always be there for her to turn to. Like Kyle. He picked her up and gave Stella a kiss on the top of her head, making her giggle. I felt a pang deep inside at this vision before me. Handsome, successful Kyle holding my precious daughter, both of them happy and smiling, while she played with the sunglasses he’d hooked in the collar of his shirt.

  My daughter had, in the past, spent more time with Kyle than I had. Her outings with her Uncle Trent occasionally included his best friend. I knew Stella liked Kyle a lot, and the way he was looking at my daughter showed that the feeling was mutual. He was so natural with her and I knew he’d make a great father one day.

  I shook my head, and knew I needed to come back to reality. “Hi there…” I stood up from the bench and moved next to him. He looked over at me, studying my face, then looked away when I met his gaze. “I’m sorry you had to come all the way out here to help us. I told Trent I would call a tow truck,” I explained, feeling nervous.

  “It’s not a problem at all,” he said, moving closer and putting an arm around me. I immediately relaxed at his touch, his hand at my lower back and pressing me into his body. God, I loved the feeling of his arm around me. “No sense in calling for a tow unless you need it. Trent said you might just need a jump.”

  Why did that comment sound so dirty? I needed to get my mind out of the gutter. “Yeah,” I started, not moving back. Instead, I slipped my left arm around his waist while I plucked his expensive sunglasses from my daughter’s crafty fingers. “I tried to start it, but it’s making a clicking sound.”