Crossroad To Love (Fab Five Series)
CROSSROAD TO LOVE
By
Anna Kristell
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
About the Author
www.lazydaypub.com
Crossroad to Love
ISBN-13- 978-1-61258-057-9
ISBN-10- 1-61258-057-2
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright © 2012 Anna Kristell
Cover art by Bret Poinier
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, any events or locales is purely coincidental. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission from the publisher LazyDay, with the exception of quotes used in reviews and critical articles.
Dedication
There have been so many people who encouraged me along the way to finish this story. I’d like to thank you all for your support and encouragement in this crazy venture.
To my husband, Neal, who kept telling me to put my vivid imagination to use, and whenever I got discouraged, would not let me quit.
To Staci and Dustin and your friends, who kept telling me how awesome this whole thing was.
To my mother and my sister-in-law, who told me I could do this if I tried.
To my neighbor, who read the first few chapters of the first draft, looked at me and said, “You’ve got to finish this.”
To the co-workers who listened to my ideas, at times thought I was crazy, and when it all fell into place, threw a surprise party for me to celebrate my becoming a published author.
And of course, to my own Fab Five girls, although there were nine of us, who grew up together and have remained close throughout the years. This one’s for you, Mary Ellen, Mary Lou, Ann, Donna, Lynn, Brenda, Linda, and Betty.
And of course, I want to thank the staff at Lazy Day, Staci Taylor, and my editors, who answered every one of my endless questions. Bret, I can’t thank you enough for creating the gorgeous cover. You’ve all been great.
PROLOGUE
It had begun to rain. A slow, gentle drizzle, just enough to annoy the man behind the wheel. “When are you planning to tell him?” the man asked quietly, looking at the beautiful, blonde woman seated contentedly in the passenger seat of his new deep sea mica, state of the art Lexus LS. The automobile was decked out with every luxury imaginable. He had special-ordered it with every option available and had insisted they drive to Chicago for the weekend seminar, rather than fly from Indianapolis. He wanted to try it out on the open road. She had reluctantly agreed, preferring a short flight to the long drive, but knowing his excitement about the new car, she had finally given in.
“I’ll tell him tonight when we get in.” The woman sighed as she nervously removed the dazzling, three-carat, oval-cut, diamond and sapphire ring from the third finger on her left hand, placing it carefully into a black velvet box. She dropped the box into her handbag and replaced the ring with a small, plain gold wedding band. “Then we can finally, really begin our life together.”
The rain was coming down harder now, in sheets, making visibility difficult.
“Well, it’s about time. I’ve waited a long time for you to get to this point, my sweet.”
He made the fatal mistake of leaning over to kiss her, taking his eyes off the road for only a moment. In that split second, the world came to an end for the lovers in the blue Lexus.
And just before the deafening sound of crunching metal and breaking glass penetrated the silence of the night, the little girl in the back seat of another car said, “Daddy, my Girl Scout leader said I’ll have my badge by our next meeting.”
“That’s wonderful…"
CHAPTER 1
Katy Barron stood beside the large, four-poster bed in the upstairs bedroom of her charming, two-story Victorian home in Chicago, fastening the latch on her old, burgundy tapestry luggage. Thinking that she should have bought new luggage for the trip, she struggled until finally she was certain the latch was secure. There, that’s done, she thought as she smiled in anticipation of the week ahead, a week of fun and relaxation, catching up with her three oldest and dearest friends.
The phone on the antique oak night table next to the bed rang shrilly. She sat on the edge of the bed and hurriedly picked up the receiver.
“Hello, this is Katy.” She absent mindedly fingered a loose thread on the floral comforter and looked around her beautifully decorated, china blue and buttercup bedroom. She never grew tired of the serenity of this room. The tranquility had been a godsend all these years, her own private haven in which she could hide from the world and indulge her sorrow.
“Hi, it’s Lizzie. Are you packed and ready to go?” the voice on the other end of the line asked cheerily.
“I just finished not seconds ago.” Katy laughed as she asked, “How about you?” She reached for the antique Blue Willow cup on the nightstand and took a sip of her coffee, quickly setting it back. It had grown cold during her packing.
“Haven’t even started, but I should have plenty of time tonight. Rex is working late at the agency again and the twins are hardly ever here anymore,” Lizzie replied wistfully.
Katy detected the sadness in her friend’s voice. She knew things had been hard for Lizzie lately. She had always been the picture perfect wife and mother, but her family suddenly seemed to have outgrown her, putting her at a loss as to how to spend her days. Much like me, Katy thought sorrowfully.
“Have you spoken to Mari or Angie?” she asked her friend, keeping her voice light. She was determined not to be a killjoy on this vacation.
“Not since last week. Marianne was going to check with the hotel and make sure everything was perfect for the arrival of the ‘Fab Four,’ and Angie was snowed under with work as usual. She had a lot to get done before she could leave the Quad Cities.”
“Ever our career gal,” Katy giggled as she thought of their friend and her constant deadlines.
“You got that right,” Lizzie said. “So, sweetie, how are you doing today? I know it’s the tenth anniversary of the accident. Are you holding up okay?” Lizzie gingerly addressed the subject on both women’s minds that day.
“As well as can be expected, I guess. Every year it gets a little easier. Bree would be twenty now. It doesn’t seem possible, does it?” To Katy, Bree would always be a sweet, precocious, ten-year-old little girl. Her precious daughter, lost to her forever.
“No, but then Cara and Colt are twenty-two and that’s crazy too. Have you heard from Alex?” Lizzie inquired about Katy’s son.
“He called between classes this morning.” Katy spoke proudly of her only son, who had been her saving grace all these years. He had taken on the role of man of the family at the tender age of eight and h
ad given her a reason to live. Now he was pursuing his own dreams with his mother’s reluctant blessing. She knew it was time, but it had been difficult to let him go.
“I couldn’t let the day pass without calling.”
“And I appreciate that more than you know, Liz. This trip couldn’t have come at a better time for me.”
“Or for me, that’s why I cooked it up. I really needed to get away and put some things in perspective. Like what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.” Katy’s friend replied jovially.
“I hear you. Now that Alex has gone off to college, I need to start living for myself again. Bill would want that for me.” And he would, she thought, thinking of the husband she had lost ten years ago today. Katy’s mind drifted to the gentle way he always caressed her cheek just before they made love. She remembered him holding her close as she fell asleep in the bed they had shared, the bed that was now cold and empty.
“Yes, honey, he would. Well, I’d better get off here and think about packing. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. You have the gate number where we’re meeting in St. Louis?” Liz asked, bringing Katy back to reality.
“I have it. See you tomorrow.”
“Toodles, can’t wait to see you.”
“Bye, Lizzie.” Katy placed the receiver back in its cradle and sighed as she thought about the conversation she’d just had with Lizzie. I’ll have to find some time to talk with her alone next week, she thought as she headed to the sunny kitchen on the main floor of the house to find something in the cupboard for her lonely dinner.
****
Ryan O’Grady sat down to read the evening paper with a fresh cup of coffee. He glanced at the date, set the paper down, and closed his eyes. Ten years. Where had the time gone? Because of you, Marnie, no woman will ever break my heart again. But even knowing what I do, I would have never wished you dead. A flood of memories came rushing back, his mind a whirl of emotions. He remembered the night of the accident and the days, weeks, and months of numbness that had followed.
If it had not been for his younger brother, Shane, asking him to relocate to Dallas and go into business with him, he might never have survived. Now ten years later, the upscale, downtown restaurant was thriving, so much so that they were planning an expansion and also planning to open a chain of restaurants across the country. Life was good for Ryan, Shane, and his wife Chloe. But Ryan had stuck to his guns about women. Plenty of women had tried and failed to melt his cold heart. Some had made it to his bed, but he never stayed with one woman for long, thus earning the reputation as a playboy in the metroplex social circles of Dallas. He had even been dubbed as Dallas’s most eligible bachelor, and he intended to stay that way, a bachelor.
His thoughts returned to the present as he glanced at his watch and saw that it was time to go to work. It was his night to manage the restaurant. He said a silent prayer for his deceased wife, and for the man and little girl who had been in the other vehicle. And the man who had been with his wife.
CHAPTER 2
Angie Gray sat behind her large, mahogany desk, fidgeting with the plans in front of her. She absent-mindedly tapped her well-manicured fingertips on the desk as her gaze drifted to the window. She looked out at the Mississippi River and marveled at the water glistening in the late autumn sunlight before glancing at her watch for what had to be the third time. He was not late. She was just anxious to get the meeting with her new architect over with. It was the last thing on her agenda for the day. After the meeting, Angie was free to go home and begin preparing for her vacation. An entire week of freedom with no phones, no blueprints, no hotel, no casino… just a week with her friends in the Big D. She was spearheading an expansion for the hotel-casino she worked in and hiring the most sought after architectural firm in Iowa had been quite a feather in her cap. Now if she could just get this meeting over with, things could get started, both at the hotel and with her vacation plans.
Angie’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Her secretary, Lynne, stuck her perky, blonde head in the door. “The architect is here. Should I show him in?”
“Please do, Lynne, thank you. You can go as soon as you’ve finished the letters I dictated earlier. Have a good week and I’ll see you when I get back from Dallas.”
“Thanks, Angie. You get some rest while you’re away. It’ll be crazy when you get back.”
“I intend to.” Angie smiled as Lynne closed the door. She was a good friend and a very efficient secretary. What a find she had been. Angie had gone through many applicants before Lynne had waltzed through her door and impressed her with both her enthusiasm and her knowledge.
A minute later, the door opened again and Lynne admitted the architect, showing him to the chair facing Angie.
“Have a seat, please.” Angie said as she looked up from the multitude of papers on her desk. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, tiny beads of perspiration appeared on her forehead and just for a minute her breath caught in her throat. It can’t be, she thought as she looked into the face of the man seated across from her.
Obviously enjoying her momentary loss of composure, the man gave her a crooked grin, cocked his handsome head to the side and spoke in a familiar voice, “Hello, Angela. How are you?”
Quickly regaining her professional demeanor, she answered with a smile, “I’m just fine, Michael. How long have you been working with James & James?”
“Not too long. I actually started with them a few months ago when I moved to the Quad Cities from Des Moines. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Better than the firm in the city?” she asked, finding it hard to believe he had left the city to come to a smaller town after all this time. She had resigned herself to the fact that he was out of her life for good.
“You might say that.” His velvety brown eyes locked with her saucy green ones as he spoke.
It had been three years since they had last spoken, but to Angie it seemed like only yesterday. She started to remember the day they last said goodbye, but quickly geared her thoughts back to the present. It would do no good to go down memory lane, especially not that memory.
“Well, let’s get to it. Show me what you’ve come up with,” she went on in the most business-like voice she could muster under the circumstances. It was not every day a blast from the past breezed into her office and sat across from her. And what a blast he was. As he took the blueprints from their casing, she allowed her gaze to wander slowly over his features. He was still handsome, still well-built. He probably still works out, she thought as she remembered the old days in the gym. He had just a hint of graying at his temples, enough to make him look distinguished. Michael had always been the best looking thing she had ever seen, with his brown hair and chocolate eyes. He had stolen her heart in college and never given it back. And now, fifteen years after she had divorced the only man she would ever love, he had waltzed back into her life on a sunny, autumn afternoon. What kind of karma was that?
“I thought we could connect the new tower to the old part of the hotel with this concept…” he began as he spread his work on her desk, obviously confident in his ideas.
An hour later, pleased with the progress they had made, Angie called a halt to the meeting.
“I really need to get going, Michael. I have a plane to catch in the morning and I need to get home. I look forward to working with you. I trust you’ll be here the Monday after next, bright and early.”
“You can bet on it. I think we’ll work well together. This is a good project. I hear it’s been your baby from the start.”
Angie winced at his choice of words and answered a little too brightly, “Yes, my idea from the start.”
“Business trip next week?” he ventured to ask as he watched a lone tendril of her long, brown hair fall onto her brow.
“No, actually I’m meeting the ‘Fab Four’ in Dallas for a reunion. I’ll be gone all week. I wanted to go before I got too bogged down with the project.” Her eyes shone like emeralds as
she answered, absently pushing the lone tendril of hair back into place. She remembered the days when he would have reached over and done that for her.
“How are the old girls?” he asked.
She snapped back to the present and replied, “They are all fine. We haven’t gotten together for quite some time. I think it’ll be good for all of us, and I’m excited to be able to spend some time with them again.”
“I’ll see you when you get back, then. Have a great time, and get some rest. I’ll be out of town myself next week. But I’ll be working, not playing.”
“No rest for the wicked…” Angie walked him to the door, shook his hand and watched him leave the suite of offices. She walked back into her large, modern office, collapsing onto the leather sofa in the corner. The office was functional, with straight lines and hard edges in each decoration.
Half an hour later, she locked her desk and file cabinets, hurriedly grabbed her bag and briefcase and headed out the door. Briskly walking to the parking garage, she unlocked the door of her sleek, white sports car and drove across town to her beautiful but modest condo, wondering all the way how in the world she was going to work with Michael Gray for the next six months. Every time she looked into those eyes, she would be reminded of the past. The past she had tried so hard to forget. She would have to force her professionalism to take command. I certainly have not gotten where I am today by being a lovesick fool, she berated herself harshly.
She pulled into the parking garage of the condo and slid her long, athletic legs out the side of her small car, grabbed her things from the backseat, and walked slowly into the building.
Angie spoke to the doorman as she waited for the elevator and thought how nice a lavender-scented bubble bath would feel. But first things first, I have to pack, she sighed as she opened the door and stepped inside the sage and chocolate living room. Home sweet home, she thought as she looked around. I haven’t done badly for myself on my own. The marble fireplace in the living room was flanked by bookcases on either side. The cozy, cocoa-colored, suede sofa and sage accent chairs looked inviting enough. The marble coffee table, strewn with magazines, and matching end tables adorned with sage-colored lamps completed the picture.