One More Chance (Lake Placid Series Book 9)

by Natalie Ann

  Kennedy frowned. “How do you feel about that?”

  “Fine. It was my suggestion. No pressure or stress on either of us. He doesn’t need it and I don’t want it.”

  “Are you ever going to say why you moved back here?”

  “I told you. I want to be here for my new niece or nephew.”

  “I get it,” Kennedy said. “But you were so adamant about leaving. Every time I talked to you, you said how great it was there.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t as great as I made it out to be,” she admitted.

  “What happened there?”

  “Nothing. I wish you guys would stop making a bigger deal about it. I just wasn’t happy.”

  Kennedy looked like she was going to pout and moved closer to her, pulling her into her arms for a hug. “I’m sorry you weren’t. I hope you can be here.”

  “I will be. If I’m going to have shitty luck with men I might as well do it at home where I can still hang out with my family. Even if I am the single one now.”

  “So it was a guy that made you leave.”

  She let out a sigh and picked up a cupcake. “Stuff this in your mouth and stop asking me questions.”

  “You didn’t answer me.”

  “I’m not going to. It wasn’t one particular guy if that is what you are wondering. And no more. It’s in the past. Lake Placid is my future for the moment.”

  “Moment?”

  “Since when did you become so nosy? Are Sally and Amber wearing off on you?”

  Kennedy grinned. “Maybe they are. Or maybe I just want my baby sister as happy as me. Trevor and I are worried about you.”

  Which she figured. “Don’t be. I’m totally fine. Life is good right now. Better than it was when I was itching to leave. I had my chance to see more of the world outside of Lake Placid and I realized it’s not as wonderful as I thought it was going to be.”

  “The same shit will always follow you around if you can’t get it out of your head.”

  “Exactly,” she said and then started to transfer the finished cupcakes on a dish. “Help me bring these downstairs. That box over there is for your husband and the staff at the park.”

  “You’re going to get my husband fat,” Kennedy said.

  “I doubt that. It’s more likely I’m going to get fat sampling everything.” Saying that made her think of Justin as his eyes roamed over her body when she mentioned that her waistline might suffer at times.

  “You can bring your samples downstairs anytime you want. What is it this time? These have to be red velvet.”

  “Yes. Cream cheese frosting. Sorry I’m using that again, but I had some leftover and didn’t want to waste it. The other is just a devil’s food. The pink frosting has raspberry compote mixed in. It’s mild, but you can taste it and it gives it the color.”

  “Oh yum. You should have handed me that one to shove in my mouth.”

  “It wouldn’t have stopped you from questioning me though and you know it. You’re like an alligator in the swamp with a dead body in your mouth when you want something.”’

  “Eww. You’ve been in Florida too long.”

  Taryn shook her head. “I guess you’re right. Sorry. You get my meaning.”

  “Pretty vividly too,” Kennedy said, picking up the plate and bringing it downstairs while Taryn grabbed her stuff and then locked up behind her. She’d go right to work with her box for the park.

  She wasn’t lying when she told Kennedy she was happy. She was. More than she’d been in a long time and she didn’t know if it had to do with meeting Justin or not and then told herself to not let her happiness revolve around a man.

  She’d done that a few times too and the end results weren’t worth the frustration and hurt feelings in the end.

  Fun and laid back was what she needed and that was all she was aiming for. It’d have to be enough. At least for the next six months or so. Once Justin was gone she could move on. Or maybe she’d move on before.

  She wasn’t making any plans. Plans were out the window too. She’d spent too much of her time being the quiet boring one of the family.

  That was just going to be how she was at her job. Her personal life was going to start to liven up. Otherwise, she might as well leave again and try to find another place to bring her happiness.

  For the moment, it was right here and she really wanted to keep it.

  10

  Steal My Cookies

  Justin took a chance and drove to Taryn’s on Sunday morning. He had to be to work at noon and they hadn’t spoken since Thursday night. He realized when he left he hadn’t gotten her number and hadn’t given her his.

  In his eyes, it was kind of left open, but with having to work for the next four days straight he’d have little to no time to see, let alone talk to her.

  Her car was in the parking lot, which was a good thing. He only had thirty minutes before he had to head to work, but that would be enough to just say hi.

  He got to the door and rang the bell, waited a second and heard the camera move over his head, then, “Well, isn’t this a surprise. Come on up, the door is open. Just come in.”

  He pulled it open and went up the steps and opened the door to her apartment. She’d said it was open and he could. What hit him was the smell of something sweet and wonderful.

  “Damn,” he said. “What are you making?”

  “Cookies. Come give me a kiss and maybe you can have one.”

  “I’ll give you anything if I can take a cookie with me,” he said as he walked forward and gave her a kiss.

  She giggled and then picked up a towel and wiped her hands. “These aren’t done yet, sorry. Or at least not assembled and won’t be until tomorrow.”

  He looked down at the small chocolate circles. They were about two bites worth. “What are they?”

  “They are going to be chocolate sandwich cookies filled with peanut buttercream frosting.”

  “Are you trying to seduce me?” he asked.

  “Man, you are easy.”

  He wasn’t sure he’d been told that before. “Maybe it’s just around you.”

  “Well then, I’ll have to keep that in mind. But these are for the spa tomorrow. That’s why they are small. It’s more like finger food for the clients to take one or two while they are waiting.”

  The buzzer went off and she turned to grab a pan out of the oven and put it on the stovetop. “Chocolate chip cookies?” Those were pretty big too. “Bet they aren’t for the spa.”

  “They will be. Or at least I’ll make some. These are for Riley tomorrow. I’ve got a dentist appointment in the morning and I’ll bring her some of these since she was craving them, but I’ll put a small plate of the bite sized together for her office. Free advertising again.”

  “You know what you’re doing,” he said just dying to reach for one. Instead he walked over to the bowl with the batter in it that she was spooning onto another tray and dipped his finger in.

  “There are raw eggs in there. Not good for you.”

  “I’m a doctor. I say it’s fine. I’ll live and it’s totally worth it.”

  “I know. We ate raw batter as a kid all the time. Now you can’t do anything without someone saying you’re going to keel over. And what brought you here to see me on your way to work? Can I say you look pretty damn yummy yourself in those scrubs.”

  He wanted to roll his eyes over the comment but didn’t. They had a nice fun banter going that he wasn’t often able to carry on with other women.

  “You’ve seen me in them before,” he pointed out.

  “But you had your lab coat over them. Now I get to see them without it.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if she wanted to see him out of his scrubs too, but he wasn’t going to push his luck. They’d jokingly said their club wasn’t going to be called friends with benefits so he had no idea where any of this was going in the future.

  For now it was fun like she said and he needed all he could get.

  “A
re you going to let me have one of those cookies or are you just going to tease me before I have to go to work for twelve long hours?”

  She grabbed a spatula and took one off and passed it over to him. He bit right in and pulled it away, the overloaded chips all gooey and literally melting in his mouth.

  “Good?” she asked.

  “You can’t tell by my eyes closing or the sigh escaping from my lips?”

  “I like to hear it too. You didn’t tell me why you stopped over unless it was to steal my cookies.”

  Damn, there was an underlying meaning there. He knew it. “We haven’t talked in a few days and I know we said no pressure, but then I realized we didn’t exchange numbers.”

  “No,” she said. “We didn’t. But my number is on my business card that your sister has.”

  “I’m not about to ask Ashley for it because she’d ask me why I wanted it.”

  “She knows I brought you a cake and I explained why,” she said.

  “That’s true. But she doesn’t know we went on a date Thursday night.”

  “I’m sure she’ll find out soon enough in this town. I’ve already been grilled a few times on it and what it means,” she said.

  Hmm. Interesting. “By who and what was said?”

  “Kennedy first because obviously Logan told her. That was Friday morning when Kennedy came up here first thing in the guise of helping to bring down treats. Then yesterday when I brought down some more in the morning, two of her staff mentioned it too.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “Nothing. That it wasn’t a crime to go on a date and left it at that.”

  “Your sister didn’t push more? Mine would.”

  Ashley had never been nosy before, but the older she got the more she asked what he was doing with his life. Why he was still single at thirty-six years old. Telling his sister that he was busy or women didn’t care for his hours didn’t sit well with her. He wasn’t sure why when she was over thirty and single too.

  Not that he’d be stupid enough to even voice that to a woman.

  “Kennedy wanted to, but I changed the subject. She knows enough to let it go. And if you want I’ll give you my number and you can send me off a text so I’ve got yours. My hands are a little dirty at the moment.”

  He pulled his phone out and then entered her number as she said it, sent her a text, heard it go off somewhere in the kitchen, then put his phone back in his pocket.

  “So I’m going to be pretty busy for the next few days. I’m done working Wednesday at midnight.”

  “And I’ll be sleeping,” she said, laughing.

  “I’ll be ready for it myself. But I was thinking more about another Thursday night dinner. I’m off Friday but have to go in Saturday again.”

  “I’ve got a cake to make and deliver on Saturday myself. I’ll be busy most of the morning and early afternoon so it works out well.”

  “Then let’s plan for Thursday for now. No use planning any further ahead.”

  “I agree. A few days from now works just fine for me,” she said.

  The buzzer went off again, and she pulled out the pan that was in the oven and slid in another. Then moved to get a small purple box and a tube of frosting that was in the fridge.

  She swirled some white frosting on three of the chocolate rounds and then put a top on them. “What are you doing?”

  “Giving you a takeaway box. This isn’t the filling I’ll use but a basic vanilla is still good. Unless you don’t want them.”

  “Oh...I want them. I really do.”

  She looked up and winked at him, then put those three cookies in a small box and then opened another box up and put three chocolate chip cookies in it. “These are still warm so no reason to melt the frosting on the other ones.”

  “I don’t care how you package them, I’m just glad this impromptu visit worked in a few ways.”

  “What ways are those?” she asked, handing him the boxes.

  “I got a kiss. Your number. And now some cookies.”

  “I guess it’s your lucky day then,” she said, “because I’m going to give you one more kiss before you go to hold you over.”

  He leaned his head down and put his lips to hers, her body leaning in close, her arms around his neck while she held on and he showed her exactly how much he felt and wanted her.

  And when he was walking into the hospital twenty minutes later and putting his bag with a change of scrubs and his goodies in his locker, his phone went off.

  He looked at his watch quick to see who it was from and noticed it was Taryn, then took his phone off the clip on at his waist and read the whole thing. Enjoy those sweets today. Maybe I’ll have more for you on Thursday.

  He typed back fast. How did I get this lucky?

  Her response was a smiley face and that was enough for him now, so he put the phone back in the case and moved into the ER.

  One of the nurses on the shift he’d worked with last week was there and came over to chat with him. She was young and single...he knew because she’d mentioned it a few times, but he hadn’t responded.

  “How do you like it here so far?” she asked.

  He had to look at her nametag since he forgot her name already. “Not bad, Emily. Much slower than I’m used to, but it’s only temporary.”

  She smiled at him, all toothy, her eyes roaming over his body. “Nothing wrong with that. Maybe you’d like to get something to eat on break later and chat. Bet we have a lot in common or maybe nothing.”

  He knew where this was going. Where it went a lot of the time. For as long as there were doctor lounges and call rooms, doctors and nurses, any medical professional, was getting it on or making plans to.

  It was not the first time it’d been offered to him and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last.

  “I don’t get much of a break as you know,” he said, not wanting to be downright rude and say he wasn’t interested.

  “Maybe another night then, when we aren’t working?” Emily asked.

  “Thanks, but I’ve got a lot on my plate for the next few months.” He heard someone yelling an ambulance was en route from an auto accident and then walked away knowing there was work to be done.

  He had someone on his mind and it wasn’t the young blonde nurse in front of him but the skinny brunette that baked like a dream, made him laugh, and gave him some sweets to get him going tonight.

  Taryn Miles was the only one on his mind outside of this building. Maybe inside of it if time allowed.

  11

  Made It Very Clear

  “You’re going to make me gain more than I want to with this baby,” Riley Hamilton-Miles said when Taryn handed over the box filled with a half a dozen monster chocolate chip cookies.

  “Please. You’re barely showing.”

  “That’s because I’m just four months pregnant. But if I keep eating these I’ll look like I’m double that.”

  “Trevor will help you get through them and then he can have a baby belly to match yours.”

  “I’m going to tell him you said that,” Riley said.

  “He’ll just laugh and agree, then stop over to get more goodies. I left a plate with your staff and some business cards. I hope that was okay?”

  “Of course it was,” Riley said. “More than okay. I’ve been telling anyone that I can about you, but having samples is a great way to do it. Especially with cookies and not just cakes and cupcakes.”

  “I made the cookies today for Kennedy and just doubled it up. Sometimes cookies are easier. I just like trying new things so I don’t get bored.”

  Not that she thought she’d ever get bored baking. She hadn’t in years. She just loved it way too much, but maybe if she did it full time she’d lose that love. Balancing it with her accounting job was hard and didn’t give her a lot of free time, but she was able to get her bills paid and enjoy what she did in her free time.

  If the men she was with in her past didn’t care for it, it wasn’t her probl
em. Or maybe it was.

  And she wasn’t going to let those thoughts bring her down either.

  “I guess I understand. I do that with cooking. And Michele will be in here in a minute for your cleaning, but before I come back, what is this I hear you had a date on Thursday with a doctor?”

  She knew this would come up. There was no way to avoid it.

  “I did. I have another one this Thursday too. I might as well tell you now so that Kennedy and Trevor don’t think I’m hiding it. I’m not.”

  Riley laughed. “Don’t let them get to you. Max and I are far enough apart that he didn’t get on my case too much. We weren’t home together a lot. So I feel bad they are doing that to you. I’ll keep Trevor in line.”

  “Good luck with that,” she said but knew if anyone could have any influence over her older brother it was his wife that he was madly in love with.

  “Are you ready for your cleaning?” a dental hygienist asked, walking in the room. “I’m Michele.”

  “Taryn,” she said. “Riley’s sister-in-law. Don’t hurt me.”

  Michele laughed. “Is she like your husband, Riley? Afraid of the dentist?”

  “I don’t know,” Riley said. “I never asked. Is this a family trait?”

  Trevor had always been afraid of the dentist and it was just a family running joke that he married one. “No. That’s just Trevor. I’m not so sure he’s afraid of you anymore.”

  “Not at home. Or maybe he is now while I’m pregnant. But in this building, yeah. He tries to hide it, but we all see it.”

  Michele laughed. “It’s so funny. We don’t even hide the fact we know it and just pick on him while he’s here.”

  “He’s a good sport about those things,” she said of her brother.

  Riley left and Michele got to work. Thirty minutes later Riley returned to check her teeth over. “Everything looks good,” Riley said. “Not bad considering all the sweets you make and eat.”

  “I don’t eat as much as people think. Or as much as Trevor does, but I brush a lot.”