Beauty from Ashes: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 5)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Adrianne: Thanks, guys. I just thought I’d check. It’s a bit weird to get flowers anonymously, so I guess I’ll just leave it be for now.

  Setting her phone back down on the desk, Adrianne leaned forward to smell the flowers then settled back in her chair to work. Though she tried hard not to be distracted, she found her gaze drifting in the direction of the flowers throughout the rest of the afternoon. Adrianne was also plagued by the question of who would have sent the flowers.

  She didn’t think they were from Connor, but she didn’t know who else might have sent the beautiful bouquet. A quick mental rundown of possible suspects left her with no answers to the mystery. She contemplated contacting the florist to see if they would give her any information, but in the end, she decided to just enjoy the flowers and the message that came along with them. If she started to receive more things anonymously, then she might look into it a little more, but flowers were harmless enough.

  When she was done work for the day, Adrianne gathered up her things — including the flowers – and headed for home. It had been a long week, so she pulled into a Walmart not far from the house and picked up some of her favorite treats. She knew it wasn’t the best thing to allow her emotions to control her eating, but sometimes, she just couldn’t resist the urge. She was actually surprised that in the weeks since Connor’s arrival, she hadn’t felt the need more often.

  After finishing at the store, Adrianne continued on to the house, not too surprised to see some extra cars in the driveway. By now she recognized Tyler and Ryan’s cars, but there were still a couple that she wasn’t familiar with. She took a minute to shove the things she had purchased at Walmart into her laptop bag before getting out of the car.

  The sound of voices greeted her when she opened the front door and stepped inside. As she passed the living room, she glanced inside, making a mental note to take down the Christmas tree sometime that weekend. It had stayed up way longer than they usually left it, but there had been so much else going on plus she just hadn’t been in the mood to take care of it. However, if they didn’t take it down soon, they might as well just remove the Christmas decorations and put Valentines ones on it.

  “Hey there, Adrianne.”

  Adrianne turned toward the kitchen and spotted Ryan standing next to Tyler. She had hoped to be able to make it up to her room without conversing with anyone, but since the path to her bedroom from the front door went right past the kitchen, she wasn’t surprised to hear her name called.

  She walked over to the counter and put the vase with the flowers down, then set her laptop bag on the floor. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Ryan grinned. “I know, right? Sooner or later you guys are going to ban me from entering. Especially since I don’t have the valid reason that Tyler does.”

  Adrianne shook her head at him. “You know you’re always welcome here.” She glanced around, surprised to see Marcus present along with Than. “Was there a meeting announcement that I missed?”

  Ryan turned to look at the group behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just came along with Tyler since we were picking up Connor and Jordan to head to a basketball game. I’m not sure why Marcus and Than are here.”

  Before Adrianne could respond, the buzzer from the speaker at the front gate went. Alex came around the counter and headed for the security panel. Without speaking to whoever it was, he pressed the button that would open the gate and allow the person to enter.

  When he came back toward her, Adrianne caught hold of his arm. “What’s going on?”

  Alex glanced over to where Marcus and Than stood then looked back at her. “We’re having some security issues once again with regards to the network. We are not sure if it’s related to anything from the past since it doesn’t seem to be entirely effective, but we decided to meet here to discuss the situation, away from the office. Security is as tight here as it is there, but hopefully, whoever is attempting these breaches won’t think to try anything here.”

  The doorbell rang, and Alex moved away from her to answer it. Adrianne considered his words as she watched him greet Eric McKinley and Trent Hause. The only person missing from their team was Justin Morrell. That wasn’t too surprising as they’d found out just a couple days ago that Justin and his fiancée Alanna had been married over the Christmas holidays. From what she’d heard, the wedding had been extremely small and intimate. The only person from BlackThorpe who had attended had been Marcus since he was Justin’s cousin. While Adrianne had been okay with not attending, she knew that Melanie had been disappointed since she considered Justin a good friend.

  Adrianne figured that the reason for the wedding being so small and private was because of the events of the past few months. Though Justin had been into the office a few times since they’d managed to free Alanna from her kidnapper, Adrianne had not seen anything of the woman herself. So it was no surprise that he wasn’t present at this meeting, especially considering that his role at BlackThorpe had nothing to do with network security.

  After greeting the newcomers, Adrianne waited to see where they planned to meet. Alex didn’t technically have an office in the house although he did use his rooms when he needed to work at home. But now with Rebecca sharing his suite of rooms, Adrianne didn’t think Alex would be taking the men there.

  It began to feel like Grand Central Station when the front door opened again, this time, to let in Connor. Adrianne tried not to look at the man as he made his way to where she and Ryan stood. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a dark blue sweater underneath his black leather jacket. His hair was styled, and as he got close, she got a whiff of his cologne.

  “Good to see you again, man,” Connor said as he clapped Ryan on the back before turning to Adrianne. “Hello, Adrianne.” His gaze flicked to the bouquet of flowers that sat next to her on the counter. “Nice flowers. Are they yours?”

  Well, that answered her question on whether or not they were from Connor. “Yes. They were delivered to the office today.”

  “And just who are they from, Adrianne?” Tyler asked with a grin as he joined them, Melanie at his side.

  “Oh, wow! They look even better than the picture you sent.” Melanie leaned forward to sniff one of the blossoms. “And they smell great too. Did you figure out who sent them?”

  Adrianne shook her head. “Short of asking the florist for information about the purchaser, I’m not sure how else to find out.”

  “So Adrianne has a secret admirer, eh?” Ryan asked as he stared at the bouquet.

  Tyler reached out and punched him in the shoulder. “Did you send them to her?”

  “Are you kidding? If I ever sent such a beautiful bouquet of flowers to someone like Adrianne, I’d for sure want her to know they were from me.”

  As the others laughed, Adrianne joined in but hoped that they didn’t turn their attention to Connor next. She wasn’t sure if Melanie had told Tyler about what had happened, but she had a sneaking suspicion she had. Although, Tyler was still pretty friendly with Connor so it was possible she hadn’t. Which she found she was okay with since she wasn't interested in having the others shun Connor. She just didn't want to have to be on friendly terms with him.

  “I don’t really care who they’re from,” Adrianne said with a grin. “I just hope they move onto expensive chocolate and jewelry next.”

  “Well, if they do that anonymously as well, then they really are fools,” Ryan said with a shake of his head. “What’s the sense in going to all that trouble if the woman doesn’t even know it’s you? Some other guy could take credit for it and then you’ve lost the girl and the money you’ve spent.”

  Connor hadn’t joined in on any part of the discussion, but Adrianne could see his gaze lingering on the flowers. She wished she could read his mind to know what he was thinking, but his expression gave no hint of that.

  “So you three are off to a basketball game?” Adrianne asked.

  “Actually, it’s us four,” Tyler said as he glanced over to w
here Jordan stood next to his dad. “We’re taking Jordan with us, and we should probably get a move on.”

  Once the men had rounded up Jordan, they headed out the front door. Alex led the remainder of the group toward the basement, and Adrianne realized they’d be holding their meeting in the rec room. For a few minutes, it looked as if it might just be the three ladies left, but then Rebecca excused herself saying she needed to get to work on her latest book.

  “Well, I’m hungry,” Melanie said as she headed toward the fridge. “What about you?”

  “I’m definitely hungry as well, but I’m also uncomfortable. I’m going to go get changed.” Adrianne left her flowers sitting on the counter but picked up her laptop bag and headed for the stairs.

  It didn’t take long to change from her business clothes into a pair of leggings and a baggy sweatshirt. She sat on the edge of her bed and pulled on a pair of warm socks. It was tempting to flop back and stay in her bed for the rest of the night, but her growling stomach didn’t want to give up on the idea of the food Melanie had mentioned.

  Back in the kitchen, Melanie had filled two bowls with the stew left over from the previous night. While they waited for it to heat in the microwave, Adrianne pulled out a couple of homemade buns her mother had brought over the day before. Once they each had their food, they settled into the breakfast nook.

  “Was no one else hungry?” Adrianne asked after they said grace.

  Melanie blew on a spoonful of the hot stew. “The guys going to the game were just going to eat there. The ones that came for the meeting said they’d just wait to eat later. I think some were pretty eager to get home to their significant others. And Rebecca said she’d wait to eat with Alex when he finished.” She smiled at Adrianne. “So it’s just you and me, chickie.”

  Adrianne swallowed her bite of stew, relishing its warmth. “It seems like forever since it’s just been you and me for a meal.”

  Melanie nodded and tilted her head, her gaze meeting Adrianne’s. “And a lot has changed in last few months. Are you doing okay with everything?”

  Adrianne looked down at her bowl, lazily swirling her spoon between the chunks of carrots, potatoes, and beef. She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that question. On the one hand, she was happy that her brother and sister had both found love. She was also happy to have Jordan in their lives now. Did she wish that some of those changes had involved a serious love interest for her? Of course. But instead, she’d ended up with her worst nightmare landing on her doorstep once again.

  “Yeah, everything is fine. I do wish that I was having better luck finding a house, though. I feel like I’ve looked at everything in my price range in the areas where I want to live, but none of them seem like home to me.” She tore off a piece of the bun and dipped it in the stew gravy in her bowl. “Thankfully, Connor seems to be willing to give me the space I need so I don’t feel the overwhelming pressure to move like I did before. At least I can take my time to make sure that I find the house I really want.”

  “That’s really important,” Melanie said with a nod of her head. “Buying a house is a big deal. It’s important to make sure you get what you want. Have you told Alex yet?”

  Adrianne shook her head. “I know I should, but then he’s gonna want details about why I’m doing that now. Since he built the bedroom for Jordan in the basement, I’m not sure he’ll buy my excuse that I’m doing it to give them more space. I really don’t want to have to tell him why I don’t want to be this close to Connor.”

  “I think you need to be honest with him. Not necessarily about Connor. You need to tell him what you told me.” Melanie took a sip of her water and set her glass back down on the table. “Tell him the truth about wanting to go after your dreams now instead of waiting.”

  They continued to talk until the men came back up from the basement. Than and Trent came over to where they sat to chat for a bit while Marcus and Eric headed out the door pretty quickly. The other two guys didn’t linger long either, just long enough for Than to update them on the plans for what appeared to be the wedding of the century. It wasn’t that far away now since he and Lindsey had chosen to get married right around Valentine’s Day.

  Once Than and Trent had left, Melanie and Adrianne cleaned up their dishes then decided to be productive and take down the Christmas tree. Alex and Rebecca took their place at the breakfast nook with their own bowls of stew.

  The tree looked pathetically sad as they plucked decorations from its branches. Needles had been falling for several days now, and as they removed the Christmas balls and other ornaments, even more needles cascaded to the ground. This was a task Adrianne didn’t usually enjoy, but this year she was kind of glad to be putting the holiday season behind her. Now if she could just make it through Valentine’s Day, the rest of the year should be a breeze.

  They were discussing the best way to remove the lights and decorations from the top of the tall tree when the guys returned from the basketball game. Immediately, they took over with Connor climbing the ladder to remove the remainder of the ornaments and the string of lights that began at the top of the tree.

  “This is really depressing,” Jordan said as he flopped down in a chair near the tree, his eyes on his uncle as he carefully unwound the string of lights. “It was way more fun putting the lights and decorations on the tree.”

  “All good things must come to an end,” Adrianne said as she looked over at Connor, watching as his shirt stretched across his shoulders when he reached to pull the string of lights from the back of the tree.

  “I certainly hope not.” Adrianne looked over to see Tyler standing with his arms wrapped around Melanie. “Some good things must come to an end. But they’ll come again, especially Christmas since it’s a yearly thing.”

  Adrianne watched as Tyler bent down to whisper something in Melanie’s ear. When a smile spread across Melanie’s face, Adrianne had to fight the wisp of jealousy that rose within her. She didn’t want to be jealous of her sister or brother. They deserved happiness as much as anybody. But it was a bit hard to swallow the fact that Melanie hadn’t even been looking for a relationship when her friendship with Tyler had blossomed into love.

  Meanwhile, Adrianne had been dating for years in hopes of finding that man who would fill her heart. Her gaze drifted back to the tree where Connor had conscripted Jordan’s help in continuing to unwind the lights on the lower part of the tree. Her seventeen-year-old self had planned for a future that had involved becoming Mrs. Connor Mackenzie.

  The tree slipped out of focus as her thoughts returned to another time. A time when anything had seemed possible. Even for an overweight teen who wore glasses, had acne, and a bad perm. Connor had been her friend, but in her heart, he’d been so much more. Until the day he wasn’t any of those things, and instead, he became the person who had crushed that particular dream. To this day, no one had ever hurt her the way he had.

  Adrianne’s hands clenched into fists as she fought the urge to cover her face. Even now, so long after what had happened, the pain could still take her breath away. She wondered if maybe part of the reason she never really connected with any man was that she never let anyone she had dated get too close. There were just enough insecurities left over from her teen years that the thought of being completely vulnerable to someone the way she’d been with Connor was frightening.

  When her emotions continued to swell within her, Adrianne got to her feet and on shaky legs made her way toward the door. She stopped long enough to say good night to Tyler and Melanie, ignoring their looks of concern as she turned away from them.

  Upstairs in her room, Adrianne locked the door then pulled out the things that she’d bought on her way home and made her way to the window seat. With trembling fingers, she peeled back the covering of the cookie package and pulled one out. Twisting it apart, she licked the white frosting then crunched the remainder of the cookie. As she ate another one, she stared out into the dark night, seeing nothing, feeling nothing. Only savori
ng the sweet taste that she loved.

  ~*~

  Connor watched Adrianne leave the living room and wondered if, once again, he’d sent her away just by being there. That certainly hadn’t been his intent. He had really enjoyed his evening with Jordan and the guys at the basketball game and hadn’t wanted it to end. Was it possible that in trying to prolong a fun evening for himself, he’d inadvertently caused Adrianne to say good night early?

  He finished taking the lights off the tree then helped the guys carry it out the front door and around to the side of the house. Melanie said that someone would chop it up later to use for firewood. Once that was taken care of, Connor excused himself and made his way to his apartment. Which, he thought as he braved the cold, is what I should’ve done in the first place.

  In the quiet of his small home, Connor shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up before going to make himself a cup of coffee. Once that was done, he carried it into the bedroom where his desktop was set up. And then he did something he hadn’t done in awhile and logged on to his Facebook. He had used Facebook primarily as a way to keep up on Rebecca and Jordan’s lives. Now that he was actually there with them, he didn't feel the need to utilize his social media. But maybe it was time to change that.

  Just as he’d enjoyed spending time with his friends in Florida, Connor had enjoyed his time with Jordan, Tyler, and Ryan. It was clear that he needed that type of friendship in his life, but he didn’t want to be constantly pushing Adrianne away when she got uncomfortable with his presence. And on top of that, he just needed someone to hang out with who wasn’t connected to his sister. If this was going to work, he needed his own life in the Twin Cities. He couldn't be just a hanger-on to his sister’s.

  He found he had several friend requests and a load of notifications, so as he sipped his coffee, he began to scroll through them. He saw a couple friend requests from people who could put him in touch with some of the guys he’d hung out with in high school. He wouldn’t mind rekindling a few of those friendships’ although certainly not all of them. There were definitely some he would be more than happy to steer clear of.