Three Wishes_A Second Chance at Love Contemporary Romance

by Mary J. Williams

  "Isn't vamp a derivative of vampire? Perfect for a bloodsucker like Billie."

  "Ever wonder if you only love her because you're supposed to?"

  "I used to." Destry gave a philosophical shrug. "My father's a criminal. My mother, a self-absorbed man-eater. Love them? I suppose. What else am I going to do?"

  "You could walk away. Leave the Benedict mansion. Leave New York. Pick a place, any place, and start fresh."

  "Sounds like you've given the idea some thought."

  Destry looked more interested than concerned. And why not? She knew Andi wasn't about to go anywhere. Leave her home? Her sisters? Never.

  "None of us would be human if the idea of someplace without all the family drama didn't appeal. But I love New York. I love our house. I need you, Calder, and Bryce." Andi chuckled. "Besides, wherever I went, Billie and my father would find me."

  "I can picture the scene now. You settle in a Mayberryesque town. Dirt road. No stoplight. Southern drawls and afternoon naps all around. You're happy. Content. You and the local sheriff have a thing going. Casual, but satisfying. Until the day a long, white limo rolls into town."

  Destry's breezy narration took a dark turn. "Billie, high heels, short skirt, and enough luggage to choke a horse, has arrived. And what does she want?"

  "I shudder to think." The image Destry painted made Andi shudder.

  "You have to come home. Now. Her favorite pair of diamond earrings have been mislaid, and only you can find them."

  Trivial, ridiculous, and completely Billie. Destry was right. They couldn't run. They certainly couldn't hide. Like the fact or not, their mother was a part of their life till death do them part.

  Andi breathed in the pollution-free air. The calm of the countryside was lovely in moderation. She was city, born and bred. She thrived in the hustle and bustle of New York and couldn't imagine a different setting for her life.

  "Billie or no Billie, Mayberry would drive me crazy within a week."

  "I hear you." Destry winked. "Besides, New York has Noah and all the possibilities he brings with him."

  "Right now, he's nothing but possibilities. I only hope…"

  Again, Destry was right in step with Andi's thoughts.

  "You hope Billie doesn't scare him off."

  "Men go one or two directions with her. Either they fall like dominoes, or they run—hard and fast."

  "If Noah's still around when you get home, I'd say he's definitely lover material." Destry gave Andi a sly look. "Maybe more?"

  "I don't want more. Not right now. Noah's been very clear that he feels the same."

  "Oh, darling Andi. I know nothing about love or relationships. Less than nothing."

  "You don't believe in romantic love," Andi pointed out.

  "Too true." Destry was a born cynic with a marshmallow center she exposed to only her nearest and dearest. Her sisters topped a very short list. "However, I don't need to believe to understand how the whole rigmarole works. Love doesn’t come when you're ready. In fact, according to every book, song, and poem I've ever read on the subject, love is an inconvenient S.O.B. Tell the cosmos often enough that you don't have time? Boom. You get a Noah dropped right in your unprepared lap."

  "I like Noah." A lot. More than she wanted to admit. "Too much to let expectations get in the way of whatever we might be."

  "A little too soon for wedding invitations and seating charts?" Destry teased.

  "Maybe a tad." Andi laughed. "I can't imagine what Noah would say if he heard us. If Billie didn't terrify him, we would."

  "My lips are sealed," Destry promised. "However, if the day ever comes, I promise you don't have to worry about his past. A few scrapes in his younger days. But Noah's toed the straight and narrow since he was sixteen."

  "You ran a background check on him?"

  "Don't give me a dirty look. I had a friend check him out. If the tables were turned, you'd do the same."

  "Probably," Andi muttered.

  "Definitely. Though I'll never let my hormones get in the way of common sense."

  Andi wanted to protest but couldn't come up with a decent argument. Destry was right. They had too much money and too many people after a piece of the pie to take anyone at their word. No matter how sexy and smart and funny, Noah was a stranger. Only a fool would let him get close without at least a cursory check of his past.

  "Anything I need to know?"

  Destry shook her head. "Nothing to worry about. I can give you the basics. Date of birth. Where he grew up. The schools he attended, etc."

  "He's an orphan."

  "Mm. Parents died in a car crash. Noah was a baby with no family—at least none came forward. Foster homes—plural. He was either a handful or spirited. Depends on who wrote the report."

  Andi could try and put herself in Noah's shoes, but she couldn't imagine what his life was really like. A kid tossed around in the system with no stability? No one to love him, or call him out when he made the wrong choices? Of course, he was a handful. The fact he turned into a responsible adult was a tribute to his will and determination.

  If Noah wanted her to know the gritty details, he could tell her. His life, his story. But Andi's curiosity needed the answer to one major question.

  "Noah has big dreams. I don't think his ambition is to be the best handyman in Manhattan."

  "Don't be a snob, Andi," Destry snickered.

  "Fair enough." Andi chuckled. "When Noah talked about ambition, I saw something in his eyes. A burning need to be more, you know?"

  "Something to do with software and programs. I can show you the file, but the information was all Greek to me. My friend is no slouch, but he says Noah can make a computer sing. Whatever he's working on must be related."

  "When he succeeds—"

  "Not if?" Destry interrupted. "You have a lot of confidence in a man you barely know."

  "When, definitely." Andi had no doubt. "He's on his own. No family money as a cushion. No family. Success will be twice as sweet."

  Andi's phone rang, interrupting.

  "You were supposed to shut off all electronic devices, remember?" Destry rolled her eyes when Andi ignored her.

  "What if Bryce or Calder needs to contact us?" She felt a rush of vindication when Calder's face filled the screen. "Hi. What's up?"

  "I have news on the Noah front."

  "Is he okay? What did Billie do?"

  "Let me see," Destry demanded when she heard the exchange.

  Andi did as her sister asked, setting the phone on the table between them so they could both see Calder.

  "Noah's more than okay. He's my hero. As for Billie, she's holed up in her room, licking her wounded ego."

  "Let me set the picture. I'm the writer."

  "Bryce?" Andi and Destry exchanged grins.

  "Hey." Bryce waved. "How's Italy."

  "Hop on a plane and find out for yourself." Andi shook her head. "I want to hear about Noah and Billie."

  "We want to hear," Destry corrected.

  "The kerfuffle started just after one o'clock our time. Noah dropped by to pick up some tools. Seems you scrambled his brain to the point he forgot them the last time he was here."

  "The scrambling was mutual."

  "Yay!" Calder cheered. She pushed her head next to Bryce's and picked up the story. "You know Billie's man radar. The second Noah walked in the door, she had him in her sights. I've never seen her move so fast, following him up the stairs. In fact, I've never seen Billie use the stairs."

  Billie didn't believe in exercise. Sweat was her enemy. She stayed rail thin by not eating. Instead of the stairs, she used the elevator. Always.

  "Please tell me you took pictures," Destry laughed.

  "I snapped a few," Bryce nodded. "Our mother is not the most graceful woman when rushed. And by the time she caught up with Noah, I thought her lungs would explode from all the huffing and puffing."

  "What did Noah do? And say?" Andi wishe
d she'd been there to witness the exchange first hand. "Don't leave out a thing."

  "I'll give him credit," Bryce said. "Noah tried to play the gentleman. One of the maids left his tools near the second-floor landing. Aware Billie was on his heels, he tried to grab and go. Another few feet and he might have made a clean getaway."

  "Billie caught him?"

  "Caught him?" Calder snorted. "She practically brought him down with a full-body tackle."

  Andi groaned. Destry snickered. Calder and Bryce continued their tag-team story.

  "Noah could have flicked Billie off like the annoying gnat she is. Heck, I don't think she weighs more than a hundred pounds."

  "With all the jewelry and hair products, I'd say she tipped the scales at one-ten. She was in fine form. Come to my bedroom, Noah." Bryce imitated their mother's breathy voice to perfection. "My pipes need flushing out."

  Andi cringed. How would she ever look Noah in the face again?

  "She didn't."

  "She did." Calder took a breath and rushed on. "About then, Noah lost his patience. He told Billie he didn't have time for her games. And even if he did, he wasn't interested."

  "Good for Noah," Destry cheered. "Did Billie listen?"

  "What do you think? Billie purred, and petted, and pouted. And Noah cut her down with six perfect words." Bryce paused for dramatic effect. "Lady, find someone your own age."

  "Someone dared to throw water on the wicked witch." Destry's dark eyes widened with delight. "Did Billie melt?"

  "She froze. Stunned at first. Noah didn't stick around to see what came next. He was out the front door in record time. Billie slunk off to her room and hasn't been seen or heard from since."

  "You checked on her, didn't you?" Andi was all for Billie getting her comeuppance. But none of them would forgive themselves if their mother did something stupid.

  "Mrs. Finch sends a maid every hour on the hour. Billie's fine," Bryce assured Andi. "She called my father to boost her ego. Naturally, Dad dropped everything the second his one true love beckoned and caught the first flight out of Denver. Went straight to Billie's room the second he arrived and hasn't been seen since."

  Andi heard the disappointment and disgust in Bryce's voice. Her father would go to his grave devoted to Billie Benedict. Close to thirty years of rejection and he still believed she would someday return his feelings. Poor sap.

  "Thanks for calling. You made my day. No, my week." Possibly her month. Andi waited for Destry to say goodbye, thus ending the call.

  "You're grinning."

  "Am I?" Andi touched her mouth.

  "We can be on a plane to New York first thing in the morning," Destry said as she scrolled the screen on her phone. "Shall I hit confirm?"

  Andi nodded. "You're coming with me?"

  "Sure. I finished my job in Spain, and nothing's on my calendar for the next few weeks. Besides, I want to thank Noah. After you thank him first."

  Ideas of all the things she wanted to do with Noah popped into Andi's head like a super-sexy slideshow, each image more graphic and inventive than the last. Mentally, she fanned herself as she picked up her bag and followed Destry into the bedroom.

  "Might take me awhile."

  "Take your time," Destry laughed. "Take your time."

  CHAPTER TEN

  ~~~~

  NOAH'S ALARM CLOCK was in his head. If he had to get up at four thirty, his body woke him in time for coffee, a shower, more coffee, and if he timed his morning just right? Coffee.

  To function properly, his body needed six hours of sleep. Five was the norm, though, on a good night, he eked out five and a half. So, when his phone rang at quarter to six on the one day in forever he had a chance to sleep past sunrise, Noah wasn't a happy camper.

  Don't answer, his foggy brain insisted. If someone needs a drain unclogged, let them call a real plumber. A stuck window could wait. A broken door hinge was not the end of anyone's world.

  What if someone died?

  Still half asleep and determined to fall the rest of the way, he grimaced at the morbid thought. Hard to relax with the idea of another person's mortality swirling in his head. But, he reasoned, what could he do? Nothing. More important, why would he want to know any sooner than absolutely necessary? Whoever had met their end sure as hell wouldn't care.

  Noah's eyes popped open. Fuck. How was he supposed to sleep with a fictional person's death on his mind? His sigh heartfelt and resigned, he rolled to his side, snatching his phone from the bedside table.

  Groggy, he tried to focus his eyes on the screen while images of caffeine-laden cups of steaming heaven tantalized his senses. He wasn't ready for morning, physically or mentally. But one clear glance at the call he'd missed had him on his feet, naked and ready for action.

  By now, the number for the Benedict mansion was tattooed in Noah's brain. One of the sisters called him daily. However, since Andi left town on business, the little made-up jobs had stopped. And after yesterday's incident with Billie Benedict, he expected his days as their personal handyman were over.

  Why then had someone called? And at such an early hour? The Benedict women were persistent, but they, bless their hearts, never contacted him until after eight o'clock.

  The weight in Noah's stomach felt like a bowling ball. A red-hot bowling ball. Pacing, he hit redial.

  "Noah?"

  Mrs. Finch greeted him after the first ring.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "Well, yes. Now that you mention it, we do have a big problem."

  "Andi? What happened? Where is she?"

  "Still in Italy, I imagine. Do you miss her, dear? I understand. But don't worry. She'll be home soon."

  The cheery lilt in Mrs. Finch's voice took the steam out of Noah. Like a balloon with a slow leak, he lowered himself to the bed and rubbed his tired eyes. No way in hell the Benedict sisters' cook and chief watchdog would sound like Mary Poppins on happy juice if one of her flock were in trouble.

  The burning in Noah's stomach cooled as the pumping adrenaline left his bloodstream. With the strength of a wet noodle, he collapsed onto his back.

  "Noah? Are you still there?"

  Noah chuckled—at himself and the situation. For the first time in his life, he cared about another human being more than himself. The unchartered emotions had turned him into a madman. He glanced down at his prone body. A naked madman.

  "What can I do for you, Mrs. F.?"

  "After yesterday's upset, I hesitated to call. But you're so good at fixing things."

  "You should call someone else. As you said, after yesterday, I don't think Mrs. Benedict would appreciate my presence in her home."

  And quite frankly, Noah wasn't thrilled by the idea either. Was he a coward? Where a man-eater like Billie Benedict was concerned, he felt no shame in his answer of hell yes. He never raised a hand to a woman in his life, nor was he about to start. But Andi's mother and her antics took him as close to the line as he'd ever flown.

  Plain and simple, Billie was a menace to the entire male population. And, he suspected, she wasn't a lot of fun for the females of the species either.

  "I apologize for Billie. She's… Well… I can't explain."

  "You don't have to, Mrs. F. Nor do you need to apologize. Her actions don't reflect on you."

  "Thank you, Noah. You're very understanding. Now, back to why I called. The sink in the basement washroom overflowed. Clogged drain, of course. I suspect one of the maids," Mrs. Finch sighed. "They aren't talking, I have a flooded floor and a day's worth of laundry to do."

  The desperation in the sweet lady's voice tugged at Noah's save the day instincts. Life would be so much easier if he were a callous, unfeeling jerk.

  "I'd like to help, but—"

  "Billie isn't here," Mrs. Finch rushed to explain. "Her ex-husband, Bryce's father, convinced her to spend a week with him in Denver. She could use the time away. And, though I'll deny I said anything if asked, the rest of us
could use some time away from Billie."

  "No doubt," Noah muttered. He wondered how anyone dealt with such an unpredictable, unreasonable, self-absorbed woman on a daily basis.

  "I just put a batch of sticky buns in the oven."

  "You don't have to bribe me with food, Mrs. F." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Noah's stomach rumbled.

  "Coffee's hot and plentiful."

  The magic words. Noah jumped to his feet and headed toward the bathroom.

  "I'll be there in half an hour."

  ~~~~

  "TIRED?" DESTRY STRETCHED as she set her backpack on the marble foyer floor.

  "Tired of sitting in a plane. Otherwise? Nope." Andi filled her lungs with the smells of the Benedict mansion. Cinnamon and wood polish and something undefinable she only found at home. "I felt a burst of energy the second we put our feet on New York soil."

  "You felt a burst of horny."

  "No." Andi chuckled when her sister gave her a raised eyebrow. "Maybe."

  "Definitely. You have sexy Noah on the brain. Which is a good thing."

  Destry went to one knee as she rooted through the side of her bag. She wore her usual travel outfit. Jeans and a loose button-down shirt, her dark hair a willy-nilly pile on top of her head. The only change to her ensemble when she took a plane instead of a bus, or a train, or the occasional motorcycle, were the shoes she wore. Because of airport security and personal convenience, she swapped her ubiquitous leather army boots for loafers she could slip on and off at a moment's notice.

  "Eureka!" She held up a square packet which she promptly handed to Andi. "Safety first."

  "I have my own condoms."

  "You can never have too many. Besides, the little lifesaver you hold in your hand is mega-effective—industrial-strength spermicide included. Noah looks like the kind of man whose sperm doesn't give up without a fight."

  "Lovely image to stick in my head."

  Destry ignored Andi's sarcastic tone, choosing to take her snide comment as a compliment.

  "Bryce isn't the only Benedict sister who has a way with words."

  Andi wasn't the type to lose her head, or her ability to think about protection. She enjoyed sex, but she'd never met a man who could make her forget about everything else. A zip of excitement traveled up her spine. Noah wasn't like other men. Not for her.