Uncovering Love

by Kacey Shea

  Uncovering Love

  Book One in the Uncovering Love Series

  Kacey Shea

  Copyright © 2015 by Kacey Shea Books LLC

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative Covers—www.ppccovers.com

  Photography: Golden Czermak, Furious Fotog—www.onefuriousfotog.com

  Cover Model: Shane Williams—www.instagram.com/eyeball_2015_

  Editing: Brenda Letendre, Write Girl Editing Services—www.facebook.com/writegirlediting

  Proofreading: Jennifer Singh, Proof This—www.facebook.com/proofthis

  Formatting: Stacey Blake, Champagne Formats—www.champagneformats.com

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Author Links

  To the boy crazy girl that dreamed of one day being an author. You never gave up and you’ve proven that it’s truly never too late to follow your heart.

  GIRLS’ NIGHT IN, MY FAVORITE night of the month. Melissa reached for another bottle of wine to fill her glass and stretched across my food-laden kitchen table to top off all our glasses. “So, little sis, now that you’re done with school, please tell me you’ll make more time for your social life. I need to live vicariously through you and no offense, but since you started your master’s program you haven’t given me anything good!” She stared me down with the most somber expression she could produce while well on her way to being hammered drunk.

  I grinned at my big sister. “Uh, Mel, you know my life was never that exciting before school, either. I think you must be suffering from temporary memory loss now that you’re a mom.” She grinned back at me. “Yes, that’s probably true. I’m so glad I’m not pregnant anymore, and so incredibly thankful for a night out—” She paused to take a big gulp from her wine glass, “—and even more thankful to be able to drink with my girls again! I do love my husband, and Claire is the most precious being I have ever laid my eyes on, but I think if I had to clean one more bottle or change one more diaper without a timeout, I was going to explode. When Drew pulled in the driveway tonight I couldn’t get out of there fast enough! I think he might have been a little offended at how excited I was to leave.”

  My sister was the most beautiful and kind-hearted person I knew. She was tall, five feet ten inches, with a slender athletic build, big deep blue eyes, and a mess of long, curly, auburn red hair. Our eyes were the only physical trait that linked us as sisters. I was shorter than Melissa by three inches with a curvy build. When I was younger I thought I was the fat sister, but as I grew older I learned to embrace and love my curves. We always joked that my sister had been blessed with the gorgeous hair and I had boobs for both of us. My hair was plain brown, silky, and flat iron straight. I wore it pulled back from my face in either a low pony tail or twisted up into a bun most days.

  Melissa was older than me by only two years and we were really close. She had married her college sweetheart, Drew Morris, and had just given birth to their first child, Claire, four months ago. I loved being an aunt, and it made me happy that we both lived in the same town so I was able to spend time with them often.

  “Well, I’m sure Drew will understand, and he will be grateful when I return you home completely happy and a little bit tipsy.” My best friend Kate gave Melissa a saucy wink and turned to me. “Now, Evie, I think we need to get back on topic here. I get that you haven’t really had time for anyone special while working and going to school, but let’s be real. You cannot go on like this forever. I think it’s time we hook you up with one of my friends or co-workers. I’ve been scouting some good looking, successful men for you, so at least promise me you’ll consider it?”

  Kate was forever playing matchmaker and completely sucked at it. We had been best friends since meeting at sixth grade orientation in middle school. She was brash, outgoing, strikingly attractive, and used all of these qualities to tease, tempt, and entertain the opposite sex. She had the tendency to be a little slutty, but I could call her that because she was my best friend and I loved her unconditionally. We were both the same height but she had long blonde hair with trendy bangs. She was thin in build with perfectly toned muscles from practicing yoga on a daily basis. She worked for a local photography and videography agency, which paid her a great salary to keep clients happy and deal with customer service issues. We had been through so much together, and she was my forever person. The one who had seen me at my worst and inspired me to be my best.

  “No, no, no.” I shook my head adamantly. “I love you, Kate, but the last guy you set me up with was a disaster and you know how much I hate blind dates. I never make a good impression on my own, and I’m always so nervous. It is completely too much pressure.”

  “Oh come on, how was I supposed to know Caden was a total pothead? He is always so cute and sweet when I see him come into the office.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know . . . your first clue could have been that he dresses like a total hipster, drives a beat up VW bus, and plays in a band!” We all burst into laughter.

  “Okay, first off, I get what you’re saying about the clothes. At first I wondered if he was gay, but when he tried to look down my blouse, I knew he was straight. Second, at least he has a car! And guys who play instruments are a total turn on . . . just saying. I mean, a man who has that kind of artistic imagination—” Kate paused to close her eyes and give a dramatic sigh. “Let’s just say I can only imagine he’s good with his hands in other activities as well.” Kate finished her rant with a wide smile. “You have to at least admit he was pretty to look at.”

  I laughed and nodded “I’ll give you that; he was easy on the eyes. But for the record, I’m not agreeing to anymore blind dates. Especially any that you set up!”

  Melissa took another sip of wine and added, “Evie would have found all that info on him just from stalking his Facebook page. Seriously, the last three guys I tried to set her up with were shot down after thirty minutes of profile searching!”

  I nodded in agreement. “ I’m kind of a bad ass when it comes to Facebook stalking. Between that, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, I can eliminate most idiots and creepers before I ever have to suffer a first date. It’s a skill, really. I should be in the CIA, or they should contract me out. I’m that good.”

  My sister must have been refilling her glass when I wasn’t looking and piped in, “Hey, isn’t your friend who’s fresh out of the CIA or Army or whatever moving back here? The hot one? You should totally ask him for a job!”

  “Wait! What t
he hell, Evie? Is Jonathan moving back here? You didn’t say anything to me about this!” Now Kate was practically shouting in my face.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Simmer down now, Kate,” I started. “Yes, Jonathan Beltran is moving back. After his last tour, he decided eight years was enough with the Army, and before you get any more pissed at me, I didn’t find out he was moving back until he called me last night, so please chill!”

  Jonathan was my best guy friend and neighborhood pal. The three of us—Jon, Kate, and I—had been inseparable for most of high school. I always suspected Kate had a huge crush on him, but she never admitted to it. During our last year of high school Jonathan’s parents went through a nasty divorce, and while Kate and I went off to college the next year, Jon enrolled in the Army. We had kept in close contact over the years, mostly through email and rare phone calls, whereas he and Kate had lost contact.

  My sister smiled knowingly at Kate and teased, “Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot you had like the biggest crush on Jonathan back in high school. Does the cool, sophisticated, grown up Kate Bryant still have the hots for our old neighbor, Jonathan?”

  Kate glared at us. “I don’t know what you are talking about. I was just surprised Evie hadn’t told me yet. I mean, we did spend a lot of time together growing up and I would have thought I’d be one of the first to hear that kind of news.” She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “I don’t know. You sound awfully defensive for someone who supposedly doesn’t have a crush,” I teased with a grin. I stood and gave her a quick hug from behind her chair as I went to grab more chips from the cupboard. I opened the small kitchen window before sitting back down at the table. It was a cool Arizona spring evening and I was enjoying the free air conditioning.

  “I’m not being defensive! And I do not and have never had a crush on Jonathan Beltran. Besides, I haven’t seen him in years; he might have gotten fat or something. I bet he’s not even that nice to look at anymore,” Kate added with a pout.

  “So, you are admitting you did find him attractive then?” I teased, picking up on her little slip-up. Kate gave a squeal of frustration and stood from the table, “Whatever! That’s not what I meant and you know it. I’ve gotta pee.” She waltzed out of the room towards the bathroom and both Melissa and I burst into laughter.

  This was why I loved girls’ night. I treasured these moments when we let all the stress of the daily grind go for one night. We spent the rest of the evening laughing until there were tears in our eyes and Melissa claimed she may have peed her pants, which she tried to blame on her status as a new mother, causing even more reason to laugh. I know most looking in would have thought it simple, but my life was perfect and exactly the way I liked it, nothing complicated. I had great friends, a family that loved and supported me, and a good job that provided the career I wanted. My life was completely on track, and I was one happy lady.

  “Evelyn, we’re letting you go.”

  “Wait, what?” I looked across my desk at Ronald MacDonald, my boss. Yes, no joke, that was seriously his name. Yep, and I had worked as his personal assistant. You know how awkward it is to have to tell someone you are calling from the office of Ronald MacDonald? They laugh you off, almost hang up, and then half believe you as you try and legitimize that you are not just some teen making a prank call. The best was the time I got the reply, “Yeah, yeah, okay, and I’m the Hamburglar.” Not the easiest of PA jobs in the world.

  I’m sure I looked like a crazy person as I stared at Ron with confusion etched on my face. Maybe I misheard. He had come into my office for our morning briefing, just as he had done each day for the past twenty months. However, normally he was spouting off a to-do list a mile long while I furiously took notes. I looked at him again, and he started speaking in his usual clipped and professional manner.

  “We won’t be needing your services anymore. You’re fired, Ms. Harper. Marilyn from HR is waiting for you to come by her office right now. For security purposes, Dan is waiting outside the door and will escort you straight to her office with your personal belongings. We have a generous severance package for you, which Marilyn will go over in greater detail.”

  Oh shit, I was getting fired. This had never happened to me before. Tears stung the back of my eyes. I blinked them back furiously. I would not cry like a little girl. Ronald smiled and gave me a curt nod as he stood from his chair. What did I say? I should say something, right? I opened my mouth, emitted a little croak, and then shut it again. I was rendered speechless. Completely at a loss for words, or educated thoughts for that manner. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Even my thoughts were limited to those of the four letter variety.

  Ronald took in my expression and walked out my office door. Dan, the security guard for our building, popped his head around the open doorway. “Them’s the breaks Ms. Harper.” He nodded to my desk, “You ready to pack up and head over to HR?”

  I closed my eyes, took a big breath, and looked back at Dan. “Sure thing. I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  Seventeen minutes later all my personal belongings were sadly packed up into one carton. I was jobless. A year and a half of my life completely wasted. And packing up my stuff into this single file box had made me angrier and more depressed by the second. I felt like that crazy guy from Office Space and internally debated on whether to swipe the Swingline stapler from my desk before I left. What the hell was I going to do? I had a lease, student loans which were even higher now that I was done with my MBA program, and apparently a whole lot of free time coming my way.

  I followed Dan down to Human Resources where Marilyn guided me through all the appropriate forms. I handed over my work phone, laptop, and security badge. I asked Marilyn if she could tell me why I was being let go. Her response was that the company was going through some restructuring and my position was being eliminated. Even though I had done nothing wrong, it was still degrading to go through the exit process. I was holding back all my emotions in an attempt to get through this with dignity and my head held high. Marilyn handed me a check for one month severance pay and then Dan was back at her doorway, ready to escort me outside the building.

  As we walked towards the office building entry, Dan smiled and cheerfully said, “Don’t let this get you down. You’re a pretty girl, and smart too. I’m sure you’ll find another job.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered as I walked out the front doors. Asshole. As if complimenting me on my looks would make me feel better for being fired. I unlocked my car, threw my box in the trunk and then peeled out of that parking lot like the street was on fire behind me.

  I was unemployed. Yep, that was the only thought I needed to completely break down. Tears started streaming down my face and I was doing that hiccuping cry thing. At a red light I pulled out my personal cell and sent a quick text to Kate.

  Evie: 911. Don’t ask. Bring tequila.

  I dropped my phone back into my purse as the light turned green. I don’t know how I made it home in one piece. I pulled into my parking space, my only thought to change into my favorite pair of sweats, the ones from high school that made me look completely unattractive but by the miracle of God were still in one piece. I stepped out of my car and bumped my head on the car door. “Shit!” I yelled out and started sobbing harder.

  “Evie?” I jerked my chin up and looked into the kindest brown eyes I’d ever set my gaze on. Ones that had been missing from my life for the past eight years. “Jon! Oh my goodness, is that really you?” I choked out and started running towards my front patio where he was sitting against the wall. He stood and caught me in a big bear hug as I hurled myself at him.

  “You okay?” Jonathan pulled back to search my face and then wiped at my tear stained cheeks with his thumbs. His expression was somber at my evident distress, but he gave me a little grin as he righted me on my feet in front of him. He stood back, took a good look at me.

  “I know you are happy to see me and I’m sure I surprised you showing up a week early, but you don’t have t
o cry about it. Really, QT, you can be so damn emotional sometimes!” He chuckled as I narrowed my eyes and scowled at him.

  “Stop with that stupid nickname. You know no one calls me that anymore, and I’ve become quite coordinated in my old age, thank you very much.”

  QT was my nickname in high school. Back then I was super clumsy. I blamed it on growing pains, but I literally could walk across a flat surface and find some way of tripping. Jonathan had been my best friend since we were children, growing up on the same street. So, as we walked the halls at school, I would always find a way to trip at the most inopportune times, and he was there to catch me before I made a complete fool of myself in front of the entire student body. He started calling me Quick Trip—QT for short—as a joke and it stuck, much to my dismay. However, college and later were kinder years. I guess I finally grew into my body and retained a little more grace, so no one used that nickname for me except Jon. God, it was good to see his smiling face.

  I took in his appearance. He had definitely filled out since the last time I saw him. His brown hair was cut short in that military style, and his face was completely clean shaven. He was over six feet tall if I had to guess, and strong muscles filled out his chest and arms molded by his shirt. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt with military boots. He looked good, really good in fact, and I felt a blush work its way up my face as I realized I was blatantly checking out my best friend.

  He chuckled again—“You like what you see, Evie?”—and burst out laughing as I turned crimson with embarrassment.

  “You grew up, is all. I haven’t seen you in so long, but I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your arrogance or your sense of humor.” I forced a small smile and paused to wipe under my eyes. My mascara wasn’t waterproof; I imagined I was rocking some major raccoon eyes at this point. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this. I must look like a train wreck, but I, my dear friend, am officially canned. I got fired today.” My smile faltered.

  “Aw, Evie, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Jonathan reached for me and I went into his arms for another hug. I missed this. Our friendship was strong when he left for boot camp, and I had seen him here and there over the years, but it had been years since I had this man in my life on a regular basis. He was still the person I could count on to catch me when I was falling. I pulled out of his arms and decided to put on my big girl panties.