Second Chance Hero

by Shelley Calloway

  Shawn’s expression softened. “Thanks for telling me that.”

  “It’s my pleasure. It’s the truth.” Looking out into the large area on the first floor, Remy enjoyed the bird’s-eye view—the maze of call representatives in cubicles. A low buzz slowly echoed its way upstairs, reminding her of bees.

  And—not for the first time—she wondered how Tyler Mann was doing. She wasn’t going to ask.

  She didn’t want to ask. But she had to know. “So…how are the new hires?”

  “Pretty good, I think.”

  “There’re four, right?”

  “Yes. One’s on a shift right now.” Shawn flipped through a few papers, obviously looking at schedules. “Tyler Mann.”

  Ramona knew that. She’d seen him enter the building on one of the video monitors. And when she’d done a walk-through earlier, she’d heard that Texas drawl. Careful to keep her voice nonchalant, she said, “Do you think he’s going to work out all right?”

  “Definitely. Although sometimes I just can’t see why he’s here.”

  “He does seem overqualified. Does he seem…happy?”

  Shawn’s eyes widened. “Happy? Well, yes, he looks happy. I haven’t really checked on his stats or talked to him much. I thought I’d better give him some time.” Shawn flipped through her notebook with a frown. “Why? Is there something you’re worried about?”

  “No. Not at all. Forget I asked.”

  “Oh.”

  Shawn was still looking at her strangely, and Remy knew the reason. They were more than three hundred employees. Remy didn’t usually know most of the representatives’ names, let alone ask after them. “Hey, it’s after one o’clock, Shawn. I know you put in extra hours this week. Why don’t you head on home?”

  “I couldn’t,” she said. But her eyes shone.

  “Sure you can. Go home and see those four kids of yours. Is Eddie working?”

  “Actually, he had second shift. He’s due home right about now.”

  “Even more of a reason to leave, don’t you think?” After a separation and a surprise baby, Shawn and her husband had recently gotten remarried.

  Shawn closed her calendar. “In that case, I’ll go ahead and take off.”

  “Have a nice weekend,” Remy said as Shawn practically raced out the door, closing it firmly behind her.

  Then the silence felt deafening.

  There were a thousand things to do. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to do any of them. Feeling restless, Remy slipped on her black pumps, took the back stairs down to the floor and went for a walk.

  After visiting with half a dozen people and smiling at a few others, Remy found herself standing at the entrance to Tyler’s area, listening to him talk to a customer while capably checking flight schedules on his computer.

  He certainly did seem competent. Easy. Not flustered. Nothing like how she was feeling.

  He swiveled his chair her way the moment he hung up. And greeted her with a thousand-watt smile. “Hey, Remy.”

  “Hi. I just thought I’d stop by to see how you were doing.”

  He stood up, illustrating just how good a man could look in jeans and worn boots. “About as good as you can imagine for the first week.” A dimple showed.

  Now, that wasn’t fair. Did he have to look so cute—and so incredibly young—all at the same time? She fought to keep a professional distance. “Well, that’s good to hear. Just let Shawn know if you have any questions or concerns. She’s the liaison and day-shift manager.”

  He sat back down and adjusted his headset. “I’ll be sure and do that. Thanks.”

  Remy gave him a half smile and moved on. Because it wouldn’t do to ask him out. Or to stand there talking about nothing for everyone to see. But as she heard him take a call, she couldn’t help but listen to his deep voice. Couldn’t help but hear the smile in it as he redirected the caller to another department.

  Couldn’t help but imagine how that Texas drawl would melt her insides if they just so happened to be sitting across from each other in a romantic restaurant.

  Just as that vision raced across her mind, she stopped and shook her head to clear it.

  Where had that come from?

  Gosh, it had been ages since she’d thought about romantic restaurants or things like that. Years.

  Practically a lifetime.

  Chapter Three

  Ah, the weekend. Tyler was so ready for it. Sitting in that cramped cubicle day after day was for the birds. So was talking to dozens of people who couldn’t be ruder. He made a mental note to be a whole lot kinder to people in service jobs in the future. He was living proof that customer service reps definitely did not get the respect they deserved.

  Getting the runaround all day sure made a guy want to do things differently. Sitting in the cubicle like an animal didn’t sit too well with him. He was growing restless, especially since his whole reason for taking the job was to see Ramona Greer. So far, the only time he’d chatted with her was when she’d taken a tour and had briefly stopped by his desk.

  Though the thirty-nine hours and fifty-five minutes of his first work week blended together in one horrible mishmash of regulations and hurried phone calls, he remembered each of those three hundred seconds in her company with extreme clarity.

  She had such pretty eyes.

  He had ached to pull down her hair, bunched in that fussy clip, just to see how long it actually was. Her suit fitted her perfectly, showing off a splendid set of calves.

  He snorted. Calves? Who the hell thought about calves? Most women he’d dated in Houston showed a whole lot more leg in the middle of winter.

  So had Kaitlyn, who worked in the cubicle right next to him. Every time he stood up, he’d been uncomfortably aware that she was eyeing him with interest. Kaitlyn was pretty. She had a great figure. She was probably a couple of years younger than he was and had taken pains to make sure he knew that she was available. Extremely available.

  But Tyler wasn’t even remotely interested.

  Slipping his sunglasses back over his eyes, he got out of his Corvette and, with list in hand, prepared to get his errands done as quickly as possible. Keith and Cindy had invited him over for steaks and corn and fishing. He couldn’t wait to gaze out at the greenish-blue waters of the Gulf and breathe fresh air.

  The grocery store was handled easily enough. He made it in and out of the dry cleaner in record time. But, as usual, he couldn’t seem to get out of Movies and More without buying a handful of DVDs.

  It had always been like that. He liked to watch whole television series, one episode after another. Lately he’d become a fan of Bones and early seasons of ER. He didn’t have a lot of vices, so purchasing a whole season at a time instead of renting episodes didn’t really bother him.

  He was just wondering if he should give The Closer a try when he spied the object of his affections right there on the other side of the aisle. Remy.

  Her hair was still pinned up. Didn’t she ever wear it down? But that was where the similarities between her office look and weekend appearance ended. Obviously she’d stopped by her home before shopping. Gone was her usual suit. Instead, she had on khaki cotton shorts, a crisp black sleeveless blouse and low-heeled strappy black sandals. All that silky skin on display made his mouth go dry. And he’d thought those calves were something special! Those arms of hers were long and slightly toned. Completely feminine.

  Arms? Lord, he had it so bad.

  Remy was holding up an old Steve McQueen movie— The Great Escape. And then, as if sensing him, she looked up. Tyler could almost see her pupils dilate as she recognized him. “Tyler.”

  “Hey, Remy.” He strode over. Motioning to the DVD she was holding, he said, “I never pictured you as a war movie fan.”

  “War movie?” She looked at the box in confusion before hugging it to her chest. “Oh, I like all kinds of movies.”

  “Me, too.” He wondered if she was choosing a war movie because there was a man in her life. Didn’t most wome
n lean toward Sex and the City or something if they were sitting home alone? That’s what Cindy said she watched.

  She glanced at the box he held in his hand. “I like The Closer.”

  “I’ve never seen it.”

  “You’ll enjoy it. Everyone on the show is great.” She paused and looked down. Her cheeks were stained red when she met his gaze again. “Well, I, uh, better get going.”

  No way did he want to let her go just yet. “So are you planning to watch that movie by yourself?” He stepped a little closer, just because he really wanted to. “On a Friday night?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. Well, good.” Shoot. Now he felt like the biggest fool imaginable. Here he was, making a play for his boss in the middle of the movie store. She probably had a great guy waiting at home for her. Or waiting at his house, anxious for her to come over and cuddle on the couch. “I won’t keep you, then,” he said. “Have a good weekend.”

  “You, too, Tyler.”

  He watched as she paid for the movie and strode out of the store, never once looking his way again. Obviously he was long forgotten.

  Thinking quickly, he walked over and picked up a copy of the latest children’s movie. If he couldn’t spend the evening flirting with his boss, he might as well spend it eating chicken fingers with his nieces.

  The kid at the cash register scanned his purchases. “That’s forty-eight dollars, sir.”

  Tyler handed him a credit card, signed the receipt and got out of there. Just in time to see Remy Greer exit the parking lot in a nifty navy convertible, her hair contained in a cream-colored silk scarf. Oh, she was so pretty.

  Oh, he had it so bad.

  Remy loved her house. Mark had paid too much for it, but the location was amazing. Situated almost directly on the beach in a secluded inlet, the modern structure provided a calm and relaxing place for her to unwind after stressful days.

  But as she entered her home and looked around at the modern paintings and Italian marble flooring, all she felt was cold.

  Seeing Tyler Mann in the movie store probably did that to a person. He’d caught her off guard, standing there on the other side of the aisle, smiling at her the way he always did. Talking to her in the sexy Texas drawl in a way that made her toes curl.

  When she’d first seen him, she’d been so flustered, she’d picked up the first thing she could—some old war movie—and at his approach had hugged it tight as if it was her new best friend.

  And then, of course, she’d made things even more uncomfortable by lying to him and saying she was definitely not going to be watching the movie alone. Yeah, right.

  “Señora Greer, you’re home early today,” Carmen Rodriguez, her housekeeper of five years, said with a smile when Remy entered the vast kitchen filled with expensive stainless steel appliances that she rarely used.

  “I am, for once. How are you?”

  Carmen shrugged. “Fine. I made you some chicken and rice with some chilis.”

  “That sounds great. Thanks.”

  Still rubbing a spot on the black granite countertop that had already vanished, Carmen said, “Would you like me to serve you some dinner now?”

  “No. I’ll get some in a while.”

  “Oh. Well, all right.” Then, brightening, Carmen walked over to the phone and picked up a slip of paper. “Oh, senora, I almost forgot. You received a message today from Señor Greer’s mother. She says she’s come back from her cruise.”

  Remy loved Linda Greer. She’d been a wonderful mother-in-law, and Remy was grateful that Linda still took the time to keep in touch even though it had been years since Mark had passed away. “How did she sound?”

  “Good. I think she wants to see you.” Carmen looked at Ramona with more than a hint of curiosity. “Are you ever going to date again, Señora Greer?”

  Was nothing private anymore? “I don’t know.”

  “You are a beautiful woman, and young, too,” she said in what had to be the same way she talked to her seven grandchildren. “It’s a shame to always be alone.”

  “It hasn’t been that long.”

  Carmen shook her head. “Three years is long. It’s been long enough, I think. You should be going out and having fun sometimes.” A look of distaste crossed her features as she noticed Remy’s infamous movie. “Not eating alone with war for company.”

  “Thanks for caring.” Reaching out, she clasped her housekeeper’s hand. Carmen had been so supportive while Mark had suffered through months of chemotherapy and then months in the hospital fighting a cancer that had ultimately won. She’d helped her learn to get out of bed when grief had turned her world black.

  She’d stood by her side when Remy had cleaned out Mark’s side of the closet, had made sure everything in her life ran like clockwork.

  Carmen looked her over from head to toe, then shook her head. “I care, Señora Greer. But you need to care, too. What you need is a nice young man. Someone to make you smile again.” She tapped her chest, right over her heart. “Someone to make you smile inside. Some romance, yes? Then you’ll be happy again.”

  Oh, if Carmen only knew that just recently she’d been thinking the very same thing.

  Chapter Four

  “So Tyler, let me get this straight,” Cindy said, her eyes shining as they sat in her darkened living room. “You have a crush on a woman. At your age.”

  “Yes, at my age. And might I remind you that it’s your age, too?” Unsettled by her amused tone, he added, almost as an afterthought, “And what is wrong with thirty-four, anyway?”

  “Nothing.” She blushed. “I just think this crush is a little odd, Ty. I mean, she’s your boss, she’s a lot older, she’s widowed—”

  “She’s not that much older, and she’s only my boss because I’ve had to find a way to be near her.”

  “But still…she is a widow.”

  “Oh, come on. Everyone has a past, Cindy.”

  She kept talking as if he hadn’t even spoken. “Most of all, she only thinks of you in terms of how many phone calls you complete per hour.”

  Remembering how flustered Remy always looked around him, he jumped at the chance to correct his sister’s latest statement. “Remy thinks of me in other ways. I’m sure of that.”

  Instead of looking relieved, his sister just glowered. “Oh, I bet she does. I bet she’s pleased she’s got a new boy toy.”

  “Shut up, Cindy.”

  Immediately she winced. “You’re right. I’m sorry I said that. But Tyler, I don’t get it.”

  “I don’t get it, either.” He shrugged. “Your husband thinks I’m having a midlife crisis. He might be right.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Hell, I don’t know. Or maybe not. Maybe meeting this woman was meant to be. Because all the points you’re making are exactly right. On paper, she is wrong for me.”

  “But…?”

  “But I don’t care.” Tyler smiled at his twin fondly. This was what he missed. Only Cindy would always carefully weigh everything he said as if it had merit. Only Cindy would listen to him admit that he’d been practically stalking Remy Greer and not laugh in his face.

  Well, not completely laugh in his face. She was plenty amused, though.

  “I see.” For a moment Cindy said nothing, choosing instead to look out the window, where it was so dark only a few faint lights from fishing boats sparkled. Clouds had blown in that afternoon, and the weathermen predicted showers for most of Sunday.

  He’d elected to spend the night at Cindy and Keith’s instead of going home to his empty place.

  “Actually, Tyler, now that I think about it—maybe what you’re doing isn’t so weird, after all. In some ways, it’s vintage Tyler.”

  “In what way?”

  “You’ve always been forceful and driven when you wanted something.”

  Ironically, he now felt like playing devil’s advocate. “Cindy, I saw Remy’s photo in a magazine and I’m pursuing her. Who does that?”

  “You.” She g
iggled. “I wish I could have seen that interview. I wish I could have heard you chat about airline calls while staring at your girl.”

  “She’s not my girl.” He shook his head. “Plus, she’s not a girl. She’s a woman.”

  “A woman, huh?” Cindy’s grin widened. “Wow.”

  He slumped against the couch. “I’ve got it so bad.”

  “That’s the first step, right? Admitting the problem?”

  “It’s not a problem. I am going to ask her out.”

  “When are you going to do that?”

  “I don’t know. As soon as I figure out who she’s watching war movies with.”

  “Maybe she’s got a brother.”

  “Maybe.” He stretched, feeling that their conversation had run its course. “What time is it?”

  “I don’t know. Sometime after midnight.”

  “I better let you get to bed. Those girls will be up with the sun in six hours.”

  “I don’t care. Keith said he’d get up with them. You’ve got to know how much I’m loving our late-night chat. It reminds me of when we were in high school.”

  Tyler thought it was a little too much like high school. “It feels a little weird to me.”

  “I’m serious. A late night for Keith is bed at ten-thirty.”

  “Yet another reason to be glad we’re twins. I don’t know anyone else who has our crazy sleep schedule.”

  “I wonder who we got it from. Mom or Dad?”

  The mention of their parents never failed to make a lump form in his throat. “I don’t know. I do remember them hanging out in the family room, but never how late they stayed up.”

  A melancholy look appeared on Cindy’s face. “Oh, they loved to sip wine and read mysteries.”

  “They were good together. I guess it’s good in a way that they died together in that car accident. One would have been miserable without the other.”

  “You’re right. They were two peas in a pod.” She held out her hand and gripped his palm hard when he curved his fingers around hers. “But still…I would have liked even one of them to see my girls. Even after all this time, I still miss them.”