once upon a romance 07 - finding mr right

by leclair, laurie

  FINDING MR. JUST RIGHT

  By

  Laurie LeClair

  Copyright © 2015 by Laurie LeClair

  All rights reserved. This work is not transferrable. Any reproduction of this work is prohibited without the permission of the author due to the infringement on the copyright. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the creation of the author or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or people, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Dedication

  I was so very fortunate to find my Mr. (Just) Right early on. This is to my dear, sweet husband, Jim LeClair. I am a better person because of you. Thank you for accepting me the way I am and for your unconditional love. You are my heart.

  Chapter 1

  “Shut the front door!” The man with wide, round brown eyes stared back at her from the other side of the high, black lacquer reception desk in the elegant waiting area.

  Her lips twitched, tugging upward on one side. “That’s me. Madison Avenue at your service.” She clenched the rolled-up resume in one sweaty hand and her black clutch in the other, hoping she’d get one of the coveted interview spots for King’s Department Store.

  The sign on the big glass doors had said lunch, but she’d taken her chances and barged in. Thankfully, he hadn’t sent her packing yet.

  “Peg, come ’ere. You gotta hear this one.” He called over a very tall woman who carried a clipboard.

  Clipboard? In this day and age? And people thought she lived in a time warp.

  “Peg, honey, meet Madison Avenue.” He nudged the lady’s arm. “Isn’t that a hoot?”

  The woman stared at her. “Holy crab cakes and cinnamon sticks. You sure you don’t want to use Wall Street instead?” A glimmer of a smile broke through.

  Madison grinned. “Why not Rodeo Drive or even Broad Way?”

  The duo chuckled in unison.

  The tension in her shoulders began to ease. “Maybe even Goldilocks or Grace Kelly?” Those were the names people called her over the years. She acted like one—trying out everything until she thought it was just right—and looked like the other one.

  “Good ones, sweetie.” Peg smiled widely now, nodding to her blonde hair.

  The guy, Rico by his name badge, licked the tip of his finger and drew an invisible vertical line in the air. “Score one, honey. You’d fit right in here. Too bad we’re booked solid.”

  Her heart took a nosedive. “For today?” Her voice squeaked. She only had two weeks in Dallas to find her birth mother. Two short weeks wasn’t nearly long enough before she had to be back in Austin to begin another life and turn her back on this one last chance. Seeing the ad in the paper this morning for the job fair at King’s Department Store seemed like angels had answered her prayers.

  “No squeezee no moree,” Peg chimed. She turned the clipboard around for a split second and Madison saw all the slots were filled. “Look, Ms. Avenue—that is your real name, isn’t it?”

  Smiling tightly, Madison nodded. As far as she knew, that was it.

  “Bosses are up to here,” she lifted her hand to her chin, “in applicants. Who’d have thunk that building and opening an entire new wing of King’s for the Charmings Wedding Boutique would bring in every Thomasina, Dixie, and Harriet in town?”

  “The hottest jobs in the biz,” Rico agreed.

  “Seems like it always was, too,” she murmured. The one and only lead she had was this store. The beautiful satiny lavender baby blanket she’d been wrapped in and placed on the church doorstep in bore the King’s Department Store label. One, thin connection to her real mother.

  Now that worn and battered blankie, with the King’s label holding on by a thread, tucked neatly in plastic in the bottom of her suitcase back at the hotel, would soon be no more than a stitch in time and she’d lose the last of her hope right along with it.

  What better way to find her birth mother than to get knee-deep in the store itself before it was too late? There were several problems with that logic, but Madison brushed them aside. Time was ticking and fast.

  They stared at her, one frowning and one scowling.

  Peg snapped her fingers. “Resume?”

  The thin paper was damp and she giggled as she unrolled it. “Nerves,” she said. As she handed over the one sheet, she caught the glitter on her finger. As deftly as she could, she slipped her big, sparkly engagement ring off, snapped open her clutch and slipped it in the zippered compartment there.

  No one needed to know she was getting married in six short weeks to a state senator’s son, right?

  And her fiancé didn’t need to find out she wasn’t really in Dallas to snag the wedding dress of her dreams at the famed King’s Department Store, either.

  “Is it hot in here?” Madison fanned herself with her hand. The lies were piling high and she was burning up with shame and guilt. But what other way could she uncover the woman’s name?

  “AC broke. We’re in temp quarters with fans whirling away,” Rico explained. He tapped the counter. “For the love of a good—”

  Peg jammed his side. “Not now, Rico.”

  “What? Drink, Pegster, that’s what I was going to say.” He rolled his eyes, making Madison cover up a smile.

  Uncurling the edges of the page, Peg spread out the damp resume on her clipboard. “Hmm…uh oh…nope…”

  “But?” Madison had lied. Well, about a few things. Could this woman read it somehow?

  Rico stuck his head close to Peg’s and clucked. He glanced up at her, shook his head, and went back to reading. He flicked a finger at one part. They shared a giggle.

  Heat climbed up her neck and into her cheeks. “It’s not that bad, is it?”

  “Worse” Peg mumbled. “Look.” She jerked her head up. “When’s the last time you applied for a job?”

  Like never! But she couldn’t tell them that. She dealt in vintage clothing out of her apartment in Austin and basically had started at the ground level, also known as foraging through garage sales and thrift stores and then the Internet since she was a teenager, and spiffing items up and reselling to friends in school and consignment shops.

  From rags to riches, some people would say. Well, not quite riches, but a moderate success in a decade. And with her Vintage Vibe website, she did well enough, too.

  “Rico, you got the red pen?”

  He dug through a stack of papers. “It was right here…got it!” He passed it to her.

  Peg, or Pegster, grabbed it like a scalpel and scratched through several places. “Buzzwords, sweetie. Needs pizazz. Punch!”

  “I like,” he murmured. “Yes, yes!”

  She bit her lip, knowing she should stop since she’d have to reapply the ruby-red color again. “Ah, do you mind me asking what you’re doing?”

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist, blondie,” Rico said, fluffing his hair. “We’re helping.”

  “Why?” For the life of her, Madison longed to kick herself for blurting out the unfiltered question.

  “You got style,” he said, nodding his head to her. “From the tips of that gorg hair and the way it curls, to the cute little black and pink number you’re wearing, to the pumps.”

  “The package, doll,” Peg said. “You got it. Not everyone does. Believe you me.”

  “Thanks. I think.” She whispered the last, feeling like such a fraud. If they only knew it was surface deep and she was here for something else entirely, they wouldn’t be trying to help.

  “You got the Rico seal of approval and that’s like winning the lottery.”

  “And
don’t you know it, too,” he added for good measure, preening.

  She swallowed hard. “Does that mean I get the job?”

  “Interview, first. Boss 1 and Boss 3 get to choose who’s in or out,” Peg informed her. “We’re a couple of softies compared to them.”

  That answer and their pointed looks they shot her made Madison want to turn around and run. How far could she really go with this without getting caught?

  Why did she need to know who her mother was anyway? It had only been a burning question in her for a couple of decades. A few more or never wouldn’t hurt. Wrong. It hurts more and more now.

  A wave of despair swept over her. Her adoptive mother declined every day, her memory fading and hiding in the recesses of her mind. Safely moved from the assisted living home and now tucked in at the nursing care facility miles away, Madison ached to see her. However, she was to wait a few days for her mother to settle in to her new home. Routine and a sense of normalcy came first and foremost.

  Soon Madison would lose her. She already felt the cracks widening from the only mother she’d known and loved. Her heart was cracking right along with it.

  Alone. Adrift.

  There was someone else out there. She yearned to find her, a connection to someone.

  Madison gulped. Deep down, she hated not knowing who she’d come from, who she was, or where she belonged.

  Did she pass her on the street coming here today? Did Madison look like her? Did the woman ever think of her?

  For years now, she’d mask the stab of pain when people would discover she was left on a church doorstep and treat her differently. Eventually, she stopped offering the information. Clamming up worked just fine most of the time.

  An image of Mr. Wrong, as she called him, popped to mind. Her first fiancé, a mere young man, didn’t see the reason to be so uptight about it. He let too many things slide off his back and wondered how she could be so sensitive about the whole abandonment thing. Really?

  Thank heavens she’d woken up and walked away from him.

  She’d learned her lesson. No more TMI! Need-to-know basis only.

  Since she’d met the man of her dreams a few months ago, Mr. Right, little fibs to cover the truth oozed out of her and now had turned to big whoppers to his parents and sisters. The perfect family. The one she longed to be a part of. The one who would turn their backs on her if they only knew.

  The truth hummed in her veins. That’s why they could never know. If they find out, you’re toast!

  But could she really let Jacob marry her without fessing up? Or could she find some ray of hope in the woman who truly was the woman who’d given birth to her? The real deal.

  Maybe, finding her would make it all right in the end: she’d welcome Madison with open arms, say what a mistake she’d made, how she’d turned her life around, and would love to have Madison be a part of her world. And all would be well in her life.

  As if! Even she knew what a fantasy she’d created.

  “Got any pointers for that interview?” Madison asked hopefully, blood pounding in her ears.

  Find her before I’m found out as a fraud!

  Chapter 2

  Coming off the elevator, Dexter Snodgrass slipped the test tube in the top pocket of his white lab coat and patted it. “The next hit at King’s Department Store,” he murmured hopefully as he raced to the doorman. This was his shot at getting one step closer to his dream job. “Hey, Benny.”

  “Dex, my friend. You look like you’re going to a fire.”

  “New perfume.”

  “If it’s anything like the last one, it’ll be a smash. They don’t call you the mad scientist for nothing.”

  A grin tugged up the corner of his mouth. “Thanks. Hope so.” He needed this to be the one, so he could move on and go after the new position with both barrels blasting.

  “My niece loved that other one. Hey, you’re single. She’s single. She’s a little shy, but a sweetheart. A little mole, but it’s hardly noticeable.” He leaned close. “Some makeup, that’s all. Poof, it’s gone. Why don’t you ask her out?”

  Dex backed away.

  “My second cousin then. Lives with her family still. Oh, what a great cook.”

  “Not ready.” That was the pat answer he gave most people who thought it was their mission to fix him up. He shuttered at the offers he’d gotten over the last few months.

  “When you are, you come to Uncle Benny, understand?”

  He grit his teeth and nodded. No way would he delve back into the scary waters of the dating pool. Someone was out there. Someday he’d find her. How? When? If you’re working around the clock. Shaking his head at the doubts crowding his mind, he asked, “Seen Charlie? She’s not in her office.”

  The older man held up his hand. “Not here.” He pointed down the sidewalk. “New wing. Busy, busy, our boss. Prettier than ever, too.”

  Silently, he agreed. There was something about marriage and motherhood that put a sparkle in his friend’s eye. One time, not too long ago, he thought he was in love with her. Now, he might confess to a deep admiration, maybe even a former crush on the owner of King’s.

  Foolishly, he’d left King’s when he realized she didn’t return his feelings. Big mistake!

  He’d confused respect and a mutual desire to bring King’s back from the brink with caring. Not anymore.

  Dex had found work at a few labs in the area. The infighting and jealousy among the scientists spilled over and tainted the honor and integrity of the work. Run, do not walk to the nearest exit!

  Soon after, he’d fallen into another trap. With his parents recently deceased and his only cousin hundreds of miles away, he’d ached for a family to call his own.

  Lost. Alone.

  Dex had been close to the fire—the marriage altar—attempting to disguise his friendship with Candace Hightower as the beginnings of love. Thankfully, Dex had realized his colossal error in the nick of time and backed out.

  If he ever did marry, it would be for the real deal. No pretense. No hiding. No lying. And for love. On both sides.

  Meanwhile, success in his job took precedence.

  He waved to the doorman as he sped out the door to catch Charlie. In business, they were kindred spirits, both excited about the new direction the store was headed in.

  They both loved creating something out of nothing.

  Now, if only she’d give him the newly created position of director of product development—that would be the true sign he earned what he worked so hard to get back. He wanted King’s to believe in him, believe he was capable of what it took. Worthy of the lofty job.

  “I can’t wait to show her this. She’s gonna love it.” This one would convince her to give him the opportunity.

  Not only had King’s been remodeled and revamped, but it had expanded, too. He passed the King’s Café, glancing in at the sleek, black interior with vibrant jeweled-colored upholstery. “Lunch. That’s what I forgot to have.”

  Shaking his head, he decided after he presented the new scent to his boss, he’d hop over to get a bite. He approached the new wing, parts of it still under construction. His cousin Shane and his company were in on the build; maybe he’d find him there today and they could grab some grub together.

  Finally, Dex reached the entrance and dug in his pocket for the test tube. Flinging open the door, he barged in and was immediately hit in the face with a purse.

  “Watch out,” Peg and Rico called out in unison.

  “Too late,” he said. The pain throbbed to life. Just as he went to touch his forehead, someone on the other end of the purse twirled around and banged into his hand, upending the test tube. Glass cracked. Liquid seeped. “My perfume!”

  “My dress!” a sweet feminine voice cried.

  A very soft, very warm woman pressed herself to his chest with his hand stuck between their mashed bodies. His fingers, barely holding the bottom of the tube—which was now practically in her cleavage—were squished up against her rather l
ovely breasts. Heat crawled up his neck.

  “Ah…I was just telling them…and I was demonstrating with my purse…my shoe caught. I’m so sorry.”

  Once she’d gained her feet and he set her away from him, Dex surveyed the damage. He had a few nicks and cuts. Nothing major. The remnants of his test tube, in shards in his hand and some splayed at their feet, mocked him. “Are you hurt? There’s glass.” The front of her dress was splashed. The perfume! All dumped down her chest! Panic set in. “Don’t move!”

  “I’m all right,” she said, brushing her shiny blonde hair off her face. Looking down, she groaned. “But my clothes aren’t.” She tried to pull the wet fabric away from her skin.

  He couldn’t lose this. Not now! Not after all the hard work he’d put into this. Not with the deadline so close! “Take it off. Quick!”

  “Dex, you sly devil you,” Rico said, coming over with a few paper towels, gingerly taking the shattered glass pieces from Dex and handing them off to Peg. “Trying to get Madison out of her skivvies already.” Rico went to mop up the mess on the young woman.

  “No, don’t touch her!”

  “Uhhh…territorial. Dex, I never knew you had it in you.” He nudged Dex’s shoulder. “I like this side of you.”

  “That’s the only sample I have—”

  “Sperm sample?”

  “Ew!” Peg and the girl named Madison said together.

  At that moment, Dex looked up and caught her glance. His heart stopped and then pounded. It had to be from the crash. He stilled. Then he gulped hard. “You’re even more beautiful than Grace Kelly was.” God, why did he say that?

  “Really? She’s my idol.”

  He liked the way her cheeks turned pink. Warmth crept up his neck. “I loved her in that movie with Cary Grant.”

  “That’s my favorite, too.”

  Suddenly, Dex became aware of Peg and Rico standing to his left and looking from him to Madison and back again.

  “Smooth.” Rico smiled.