by Iris Blobel
But then there’s Zach, Sophie’s sexy neighbour from across the road… and a very good friend of Clara’s.
Will unravelling the mystery unravel Sophie and Mark’s promise of a future?
Chapter One
Sophie Levesque stared at the attorney in front of her, waiting for some answers. She and her little sister, Mia, had been quietly sitting in Mr. O’Connor’s office for more than half an hour, learning about the details of their inheritance.
Once he was finished, silence hung in the air before she asked with raised eyebrows. “Who?”
“Clara Catherine Bellinger.”
Mia leaned closer to her elder sister and gave a soft tug on Sophie’s shirt. “Who is she?”
Sophie shrugged. “I wouldn’t have a clue.” Then turned her attention back on Mr. O’Connor and asked the same thing. “Who is she?”
The handsome attorney on the other side of the massive desk leaned forward and rested his elbows on it before he started to repeat his earlier speech. Although hearing his words, Sophie still found it all very hard to comprehend. Here she was in this old office, furnished with heavy antique oak furniture, the curtains in a pretty shade of aubergine, and the carpet beneath her shoes thick and warm in a matching shade, hearing about an inheritance from someone she’d never even heard of.
Startled by the subtle sound of the clock chiming across the road, Sophie’s gaze turned to the window, where she saw the post office building across the road. It looked impressive and old. It’d been only a few hours since they’d arrived in Hobart, the most southern capital in Australia, but she already liked it. A lot more than Sydney, the place she’d lived all her life.
Hauled back from her thoughts, she heard Mr. O’Connor say, “I believe she was a distant relative of yours. I’m afraid I don’t have any further details.”
Sophie arched an eyebrow in disbelief, doubting the accuracy of it all. Not only did she try not to question his competence as a lawyer, but she also hoped it wasn’t a dreadful misunderstanding.
With a slight shrug of her shoulder, she asked, “Why not?”
He met her gaze steadily. “Pardon me?”
Sitting up straight, she repeated, “Why not? Why aren’t there any further details?”
He rubbed his chin with his fingers, his unease now obvious, and although she almost felt sorry for him, she tried not to care. She needed to know more. And not just the what, but why and who as well.
Only a week earlier, Sophie had received the call from Mr. O’Connor telling her about an inheritance. Initially, she’d thought it had been a horrible joke when he’d given her details on where to pick up airplane tickets to Hobart. It was important for her to come, he’d explained. Some legality she hadn’t understood. Something about her having to sign documents for the transfer of ownership of some assets. It’d sounded too farfetched at the start, but after some research on the firm with the help of a friend, it sounded valid, and she’d hoped her life was finally turning around for the better.
Mr. O’Connor let out a long sigh. “Ms. Bellinger was one of the partner’s clients. I was only given the details shortly after the client’s death.”
Sophie drew in her lips, as her gaze drifted past him to the window. She took a few deep breaths, inwardly calming herself. Nothing had ever been easy in her life.
“Why isn’t the partner here?”
“Retired.”
As she pondered on his reply for a moment, she began to imagine what life could be like with this inheritance.
Different. And better.
Another sigh escaped as she returned her gaze to the man behind the desk. “You can’t leave your assets to just anybody, can you?”
“Miss Lever—”
“Levesque,” she helped him.
Their eyes met.
“Are you refusing the bequest?” he asked hesitantly, and she clearly noticed how one of his eyebrows arched upward.
Staring blankly with her mouth open, panic rushed through her veins with every thump of her erratic heartbeat. An uncomfortable silence fell over them before she spoke with a rushed voice, “No. No, of course not. We’re accepting.”
She turned to look at her younger sister. “We’re actually looking forward to seeing it, aren’t we?”
He stood with one swift movement and went to a little cupboard near the window to retrieve a bunch of keys. “Would you like me to take you there?”
Still feeling a rush of excitement as well as caution within her, Sophie took Mia’s hand and inclined her head when she asked, “Is it far?”
Her voice sounded tired even to her. It had been a long day already. She stood and placed her arm around Mia assuming that, considering how tired she was, her little sister was most likely exhausted.
“No, not at all. Five to ten minute drive, I’d say,” the attorney replied.
“I still don’t understand. Why us?” Sophie asked quietly, meeting his gaze and, for the first time, actually taking in his icy blue eyes. He was very attractive, with a face tanned by wind and sun, and there always seemed to be a hint of a smile on his lips.
Her gaze fixed back on his mouth. Blushing, she quickly looked away.
He turned to them, raking a hand through his short, curling blond hair. “Ma’am, what I know is that both of you are in the will. What I know is that I was supposed to fly you down here to officially read you the will. What I know is that I’m supposed to hand over the keys to you, and to let you know that your expenses are covered for the next twenty-four months. I did not know Ms. Bellinger, as one of the retired partners wrote up the will. I do not know who she was or in what way she was connected to you. I assumed she was a distant relative of yours.”
Sophie took her sister’s hand as she thought about his last comment. She wasn’t aware of any distant relatives. Dead or alive. Her mother would have at least mentioned her once. Letting out a soft sigh, she made a mental note to table the question for a later moment with the resolve to find out the answers. And soon.
“Okay, let’s go then.”
He pinched his nose with his thumb and index finger and took a deep breath. “Look, Miss Lever—”
“Levesque,” Sophie helped him again, this time somewhat more firmly.
Running his thumb over his eyebrow, he stepped closer, but not so close as to be intimidating. “I’m sorry. It’s been one extraordinary week,” he said with his voice just above a whisper. “Once I get back I’ll check with the partners here to see whether anybody knows more about it.”
Did he say he’d had one extraordinary week? Annoyance crept in. His remark irked her to the very core. Holding Mia even closer to her side, she lifted her finger and pointed at him. “No offence, Mr. O’Connor, but it has been quite a week for us as well, and I was prepared to answer all your questions. I have one simple question, and you don’t know the answer. Wouldn’t there be something in the file?”
Sophie considered herself a kind person. Kindness could’ve been her middle name, but she met his surprised frown dead-on.
He seemed taken aback by her words. “No offence taken.” And then he let out a deep breath. “You’re right. I apologise. As I said, I’ll find out details and let you know.”
“Thank you, Mr. O’Connor,” she replied and then blew out a breath.
Tugging on Sophie’s shirt, Mia asked, “What about our stuff?”
Sophie shifted and looked down at her sister, but before she had a chance to say anything, Mr. O’Connor beat her to it.
“What stuff?” he asked as he opened the door.
“Considering what we inherited here, we brought all our things,” Sophie explained without looking at him.
Mr. O’Connor stopped in his tracks. “All, as in all your clothes?”
The underlying opinion in his words didn’t go past her. They were actually hurtful. Yet, it’d been like it most of her life. People judged her on what they saw. In Sophie’s case, it was a little g
irl about fifteen years her junior by her side. They were dressed well, but nearly everything was second hand. Sometimes people’s preconception hurt, but often she was able to take it in her stride.
Today, she wasn’t sure. There was something about Mr. O’Connor that she was drawn to.
Sophie’s eyes met his, and she squared her jaw as she tried to keep her composure and stood straight as she corrected him. “All, as in all our belongings.”
He simply nodded. They made their way to the front door and stepped outside the building, following Mr. O’Connor with their suitcases. Two teenage boys walked past them, eager to capture the interest of some girls across the road. Aware of the attention, the girls covered their mouths with their hands and broke into giggles.
Sophie’s stomach churned. So many things she had missed out on in life. The little things most took for granted. But it was going to be better from now on, she reminded herself. Better for both of them. She didn’t want Mia to miss out on so many things like she had, and the thought gave her some joy.
More Beginnings
Zach Taylor, an escort in Sydney, living in Hobart, enlists the help of Natasha Peterson when his teenage friend, Mia, runs away and finds out that the ‘dragon’ is really more of a kitten. And although Natasha, Mia’s teacher, is attracted to him as well, she has her own problems to deal with, not to mention her initial reaction to Zach’s occupation.
Will Zach’s job keep him from a chance to be with Natasha?
Life is good for the new teenaged Mia Levesque. But when Darren Schuster shows up in Hobart, she knows something is up once Sophie and Mark cut their weekend away short and rush home in the middle of the night. When Sophie won’t answer Mia’s questions, emotions run high, and Zach confirms Darren’s identity to Mia. Disappointed, angry, and feeling alone, Mia runs away.
Will life settle back into a routine for Mia once she finds out about the stranger in her life?
Little Beginnings
A blind date that doesn’t happen might lead to love.
After her divorce, Jeri Belmont moved to Hobart and now runs a successful art gallery. When her niece sets her up with a neighbour, Jeri expects a blind date like all the others. But she never expected her date wouldn’t even show up because of her age. Despite feeling unjustly judged, when she unexpectedly runs into him again, she finds it hard to ignore Ely’s charm.
Ely Lennox knows he shouldn’t have skipped the blind date because of the lady’s age. After all, it had only been a date, not a lifetime commitment. When his carpentry business takes him right to the woman he bailed out on, his guilt turns into regret when he finds out she’s everything a man could hope for. How can he convince Jeri he made a big mistake?
Will she forgive him? Or is she hiding behind something else?
Journey to Her Dreams
Would you travel around the world to uncover the reason for your dreams?
Hollie Anderson, a young woman from Tasmania, lives on a farm outside Launceston, Australia. She has good looks, likes her job, and loves to hang out with her friends. But it’s a recurrent dream that throws her daily life into chaos and takes her on a journey to Ireland.
Sam Shaughnessy enjoys the success as Head of Advertising for a popular magazine in the Irish capital Dublin. Married to Padraic, she thinks she loves her husband, but when she meets Hollie under unusual circumstances, she needs to face the truth, and not just about her marriage.
When both women, so different in many ways, find out they have one thing in common, it changes their lives forever.
Innocent Tears
Becoming a parent can be daunting at the best of times, but for Flynn, a business lawyer in Melbourne, it almost pulls the feet from right underneath him. He’s become a father to six-year-old Nadine literally overnight! He had no idea about her existence, and the news throws him into chaos, even more so when he is asked to take over custody.
With the help of Emma, an employee at the hotel where Nadine and her grandparents are staying, and his parents, Flynn tries to do the right thing. Yet, the right thing in his eyes differs from his parents’, and Emma is voicing her opinion as well. And right in the middle is little Nadine, still grieving the loss of her mother and finding a wonderful friend in Emma. There’s no doubt she’s afraid where and with whom she will settle.
But in the end, it’s a letter Flynn receives that helps him figuring out what to do.
Love Will Find You
Can their new love survive the scrutiny of the public eye?
After his father’s heart attack, Australian Football League player Tyson Gaspaldi takes his parents on holiday to a small place at the New South Wales coast.
One morning, following a surfing session, he comes across a crying woman on the beach. Everything about her intrigues him, and he can’t walk away. She’s not only sexy and humble, but, as he soon finds out, vulnerable as well.
It’s only been a few months since Katie Cassidy lost her sister in a car accident.
Still overwhelmed by the loss, a chance encounter on the beach with an attractive stranger awakens unexpected emotions inside her. She’s instantly drawn to his caring nature, but also his looks.
However, Tyson's past quickly catches up with them, causing Katie’s childhood demons to return, and the road to romance becomes anything but smooth
Let Me Love You
Oliver Dempsey, pitcher for a Melbourne baseball club, loves the women, and they love him...
But he keeps them at an arm's length, and when he meets Tamara, he’s unprepared for the attraction he feels for her. Told by his coach that she’s off limits, only draws him in more.
Tamara Amis moved to Melbourne to find some distance between her past and herself...
With the help of her uncle, the coach of a Melbourne baseball club, she quickly finds a job, and a place to live. Yet, one meeting with the handsome pitcher stirs unexpected emotions that threaten to overwhelm her.
It's Oliver’s injury that brings them together, but as they find out about each other's pasts, how can they be ready to share a future?
I Think I Love You
Markus DeLeon and Sarah Winter’s lives couldn’t be more different…
After three years away as the goalkeeper for an English soccer club, Markus has been happy to be back in Australia. He’d missed his family and friends, including Sarah. He’s known her since childhood, and often protected her from the teasing of other children and the troubling consequences of a broken home.
When they attend their friends’ wedding, a new light is cast on their friendship…
Sarah is fresh out of a bad relationship, and Markus has always been the one she can confide in. Maybe it’s the magic of the wedding—or how stunning he looks in a tux—but the attraction between them intensifies in ways they’d never imagined.
But sometimes when risking what you have, you might lose everything…
Following a passionate encounter, Markus isn’t sure how to handle this new aspect of his relationship with Sarah, and literally flees the scene for the coast. Sarah is unsure how to react to his sudden departure, but is soon knocked off course by misunderstandings and a frightening family emergency.
Markus realises his mistake and wants to make things right, but he also faces obstacles. He’s been offered an exciting new job, and an attractive newcomer to the neighbourhood is eager to claim his attention, though the last thing Markus needs is another confusing relationship.
Can Sarah and Markus face the fear and doubt—and the potential loss of their lifelong friendship—to give their love a chance?
About the Author
Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland and London, as well as Canada, where she met her husband.
Her love for putting her stories onto paper emerged only recently, but now her laptop is a constant companion.
Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as her dog. Next to her job at a private school, she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio.
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Acknowledgements
There’s no denying how much I love New Zealand. When we travelled the south island a few years ago, I knew it had to be part of a story – this is how “Their Bond Through Jade” was born.
I love including my travels in my books and hope you enjoyed the setting of New Zealand. Again, I want to thank you for taking your time to read it. Your support is very humbling.
I also want to thank my family, who have lived through the toughest year of our lives with me – they were my reason to fight, my rock to lean on, and my shoulder to cry on. I love you very much and I’m grateful to have you in my life.
Thanks also to my friends … who stood by me when I needed them most.