Second Chances Boxed Set: 7 Sweet & Sexy Romances in 1 Book

by Tracey Alvarez

  "It was the least I could do."

  "I–" She stuttered and waved her hand towards the exit. “I’ve got to go. Michelle is waiting for me.”

  “You did well,” said Joel. “You could’ve won an Oscar. Put old what's-her-face at the captain's table to shame.”

  “You were very convincing, too."

  She turned and with her head high and shoulders back, she headed out to the exit sign.

  Joel slumped back into the chair as Rob turned uneasily to Kelly Brown. “Do you think people will believe her? Believe Joel?”

  “I have no idea.” She caught Joel's eye and he shrugged. She murmured to Rob, “I don’t know whether they’re in love or not but I’ll tell you one thing. We’re going to have to seriously reconsider Celebrity Mystery Date if this backfires on us.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  In his apartment, Joel stared at the email and wondered why the elation he'd have expected wasn't there.

  His application had gone through to the final round. He could feel the loathing dripping from each word of the letter but in the last 48 hours, while he'd been far away in Daisy Miller land, the reviews had begun coming in for his book. From Tarquinius Superbus to Cato the Elder: Revisionist Heresy had been sent by his publisher out for review in the last week in an attempt to garner editorial quotes for the final cover. It was going to enjoy the type of success that would seal his career. Already four top ancient historians in the USA had given it glowing reports.

  There'd been talk from the UK that the history channel wanted him, and the Burkes and Vanderlays, much as they loathed The Last Centurion and Mystery Date, couldn't ignore it.

  The thing is, twelve months ago he'd loathed them both, too. But the movie had seen him approached to do the public talks and Daisy had been there, and then there was Mystery Date and...

  If anyone had said a year ago...

  He'd changed, he realized.

  He stared at the envelope to his left. It contained two tickets to the Sydney premiere of The Last Centurion.

  He'd been invited, and Christiane was the guest of honor. The hype was already proclaiming this was her breakout role, and from early ratings some of the top movie reviewers across the globe were raving about it.

  Christiane was heading to the London, Paris, New York and Sydney premieres in a month and he was expected to go to Sydney.

  He tapped the envelope on his thigh. He wanted to, amazingly. He'd made friends on that short stint and he was keen to see how the movie had fared in the editing process. Plus it couldn't hurt to tout his book while he was there.

  Except for the problem.

  There was only one person he wanted beside him.

  He wanted the world to know how he felt about Daisy. Not the fake admission at the studio, that pathetic interview that had wowed the romantics of the nation.

  Only the position wasn't in the bag yet and he knew of two other candidates with exceptional publishing histories who towed the line to an admirable degree.

  Mystery Date had been barely tolerated by his colleagues. He had empathy now with his female workmates who read romance novels but would never be seen dead doing so anywhere near the department. So, yes, there was a good chance that he and Daisy together could still blow his chance at that position.

  Was he game to risk his career? These chances did not come up all the time. They relied on death or retirement and although there were plenty of septuagenarians in the department, they showed no signs of bad health or mental deficiency.

  Love? Or career?

  He slumped in his chair. Big Ben had thought he'd had the problems of the world on his shoulders when he'd been stood up for that blind date.

  When he couldn't wait to leave Auckland to pursue his career overseas.

  Big Benny, he thought now, had been wrong. That had been nothing on this.

  He put the tickets on the counter and thought of Daisy and what he needed to do to prove to her she was the one for him.

  Or more accurately, he sighed, that he was the one for her.

  Daisy was repositioning the cheese and crackers for what seemed the dozenth time.

  "They looked pretty good half an hour ago," Michelle said over her shoulder.

  "I just want the whole thing to be perfect." She moved the slab of cheese an inch to the left.

  There was finger food on trays, juice and wine. She had spent too much money on this, she knew, but this was her first event for the Ticking Clockers and it needed to go off. It needed to get attention. There were reporters from the local papers who had expressed an interest in attending, people from local, high profile community groups. She had made an email list and sent out hundreds of fancy newsletters to promote the event.

  Female Sexual Health with guest speaker, Athena Temm.

  "It will go well," Michelle said as she snagged a rice cracker. "The Ticking Clockers are facing sterility if they catch one of these diseases."

  Daisy shuddered. "That should wait until after the wine. What time is it?"

  Michelle checked her phone. "Seven oh three." Athena was due to arrive any moment and Daisy had put the start time at 7.30pm although the store had remained open past its usual closing time of 6pm. There'd been a few women browsing the shelves and displays at a quarter to seven and they'd made a few sales but those people had gone.

  "You know something?" Daisy glanced out to the front of the store. "It was amazing to me that with all the publicity I got out of Mystery Date, it never translated into sales."

  "That's because it turned out the hype was all around Joel Benjamin and you were a one-minute wonder. No offence." Michelle munched on a rice cracker. "There've been two more shows since then. You're old news."

  Old news.

  Was she old news to Joel? She hadn't seen him since the show, hadn't really talked to him since that day at his apartment. She had meant what she'd said, too, but there were times she wondered just how much she had been in fairyland the whole time. Comparing him to Lionel.

  She had loved Lionel. That was undeniable.

  True, it had been more a comfort thing, a feeling that together they could be a family, and she had wanted to embrace what Poppy had, in a drunken moment of spiritual madness, called the "mystery" of marriage, to experience it for herself and know that deep and committed love.

  It just hadn't been with Lionel and she knew now that her feelings for him – as real as they had been – weren't anything close to what she felt for Joel.

  Her heart slumped pathetically in her chest and she grabbed a rice cracker, broke it in half. She wasn't hungry. It was times like this she wished she smoked. Wished Michelle still smoked so they could sneak outside and light up.

  She nibbled on the cracker. "What time is it now?"

  Michelle glanced at her phone.

  "Seven oh four."

  Daisy grabbed another cracker.

  Athena arrived at eight minutes past, approved the set up, took out her laptop and requested a glass of chilled water.

  Bridget turned up a few minutes later and took a glance around the shop. The empty shop.

  "Never mind, Daisy," she said brightly. "There's plenty of time."

  It was a quarter past seven.

  At twenty-five past two women from the far end of the street strolled in. Michelle made conversation with them and Daisy overheard them admit they'd never been in the shop because they thought it was for old women only.

  A torturous minute later, Daisy stepped outside where there was a sandwich board and fairy lights promoting the fact something was happening, and she stared up to Ponsonby Road where the usual sound of erratic traffic greeted her.

  Come on, she willed the people. Come to my store.

  But as no cars came down her street, there was a wrenching to her chest that made her rub the painful spot.

  After everything, after all the money and the time and the flyers and the TV show, this was looking to be a failure.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and wit
h a sickening thump, saw it had gone seven thirty.

  And no one was here.

  At twenty five to eight there was still just Bridget, Daisy, Michelle and the two women from down the road who, if their body language was correct, were threatening to bolt.

  Athena said, "I guess I should begin."

  Daisy, Bridget, Michelle and the two women from down the road all looked at each other.

  Daisy felt as if she was on the outside looking in. Dazed. And defeated.

  So this was it.

  This is what complete failure feels like.

  She'd been skating on the edges of that pit for months now, hadn't even dared to wonder what it would really feel like if the shop failed because it was bound to feel terrible. When you were skating, you didn't have time to think about the worst, to have those fears confirmed. To have your dreams shattered then stomped on then buried and stomped on some more.

  She closed her eyes a moment and allowed the feelings to flood over her.

  She wasn't disappointed.

  It felt as wretched as she'd thought it would feel. As bad as the whole thing with Joel had turned out to be and she had vowed not to think of that.

  Maybe when she was officially bankrupt she could let herself wallow in it when no one was around to hear the screams.

  She opened her eyes.

  Everyone was looking expectantly at her. With sympathy. Bridget with a sense of I told you so.

  Bridget, who was rarely ever wrong. About anything.

  You were right. I failed.

  Daisy took a deep breath.

  "I'm sure a few more will turn up," she announced ignoring the word Liar which seemed to swirl around her. "But I'm really looking forward to your talk, Athena, so without further ado..." She went to stand beside her and pulled the introduction from her pocket.

  She glanced sideways – hopefully – at the door but there was no one there. No one walking in with a look of expectation, apologizing because they'd got the time wrong. Dreams by Poppy was dying.

  She opened the carefully folded note and took a deep breath.

  "Good evening," she began. She smiled at everyone, all five pairs of eyes, not looking too closely to see the sympathy.

  "My name is Daisy Miller and I'm the owner of Dreams by Poppy, formerly Poppy's book store." She swallowed down hard. "Welcome to our inaugural event–"

  Suddenly, voices sounded, along with the noise of heels on asphalt. Confused, Daisy glanced over at the open door. What on earth was going on out there?

  A woman appeared and then another.

  Ticking Clockers.

  "Has it begun?" one demanded as she stared at the five of them staring back in disbelief at her.

  Clearly, Daisy thought, they'd got the wrong event.

  "Ummm. Hi. I'm not sure who you were looking for but this is the talk by Athena Temm?" Daisy waited for them to groan and head back out the door and up the road.

  "Quick, this is the right place," the Ticking Clocker said to her friend and they both hurried inside.

  Then another one appeared, and another.

  "I don't understand," Daisy said as the reporter from the local community paper came in. "Where have you all come from?"

  "One of the homeless men was hit by a car up at the top of the road, and we couldn't get down while we waited for the ambulance. He's okay but they didn't want to move him."

  Her voice was lost as she moved aside and several more women came in, and Michelle slapped Daisy on the back and soon the store was filled.

  Athena seemed to gain an extra few inches in height, Bridget was looking around in disbelief but she gave Daisy a dazed thumbs up, and Daisy was close to tears of joy.

  "I have never embraced the idea of a sexually transmitted disease so much in my life," she whispered to Michelle.

  "Good job we got extra crackers," Michelle whispered back. "You go, Daisy. This is more bloody like it."

  Daisy cleared her throat, noticed some of the Ticking Clockers already had books and platinum Visas in their hands.

  She noticed two were heavily pregnant. Clearly not Ticking Clockers any more. So maybe that craft section could be increased...

  She reached for her desk bell, gave it a tinkle.

  "How cute," a voice said and Daisy glanced at Michelle who rolled her eyes.

  "Good evening," she began again. "I'm Daisy Miller, owner of Dreams by Poppy, formerly Poppy's book store. I'd like to thank you all for coming and to welcome you to the store. This is the inaugural talk and we are hoping to have more throughout the months ahead, related to the issues facing women." She cleared her throat. "I'm delighted to welcome our guest for tonight, Athena Temm."

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noted an odd movement by the front door. Someone was standing in the door way, someone head and shoulders above all the women, and Daisy squinted to see...

  Her heart ground to a halt in her chest.

  Joel.

  It wasn't. Couldn't be.

  She glanced again, expecting him, if it was him, to have gone. But he appeared to have somehow moved a little closer and he showed no sign of going anywhere.

  She looked back at her notes, focused on the bio, read the last two lines and finished with, "Welcome, Athena," and everyone began to clap, and Joel was still there, still standing at the back of the group, behind everyone, unnoticed as every woman focused their attention on Athena.

  Athena began to speak and Daisy excused herself as Athena launched full speed into a graphic spiel that had a few women wincing.

  For a moment, Daisy paused behind the travel books, took a deep breath, her heart pounding loud and fast in her chest.

  What was he doing here, at her store, at her unofficial women's only event, an event no man would possibly want to be within a mile of?

  Daisy skirted the cookbooks and the novels, and threaded her way through the women to the door.

  Joel had stepped back and he was now standing out on the footpath, hands in his coat pockets, waiting for her.

  She joined him, Athena's voice ringing out clearly and graphically.

  Daisy stared up at him, breathless, nerves crowding her.

  Ten days.

  Ten whole days since she had last seen him.

  Two weeks since she had learnt what he really thought about her and her shop. It seemed a lifetime ago.

  "What are you doing here?" She folded her arms.

  "I came to see you. Came to see how the launch is going." He gestured inside. "And it looks like a success, Daisy. A huge success."

  "So far," she agreed. "It depends of course how much people buy and if they want to sign up for future events and tell their friends and all that stuff–" She stopped

  "Why are you really here?" she said again.

  Laughter broke out from inside again, and he winced. "Why do I get the feeling that laughter was at the expense of my own sex?"

  He was nervous. The realization hit her hard.

  Joel Benjamin was nervous.

  Strangely, she wasn't.

  "I have an event," she told him, "and I should be inside with my guests."

  "I've missed you Daisy." He blurted it, and she felt the air go still around them.

  He said, "I've missed you this past week." His gaze was intense on her. "But I imagine it's a bit difficult to say the same about someone you feel has betrayed you."

  "Is that what that was? Betrayal? Telling the truth about what you thought of me? Seems like it was being honest more than anything." She folded her arms tight against the autumn chill. "You never betrayed me because you never did tell me what you thought, not really."

  He looked straight at her. "Daisy, what I said? I can't deny what you heard. But it came out wrong. So wrong."

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out two tickets. He held them out to her. She just stared at them.

  "What are these?"

  "These are tickets to the Sydney premiere of The Last Centurion. Two tickets. For me and my date."

/>   Her gaze slipped from the tickets back up to his face. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with it."

  "I didn't. But I've come to terms with it. Accepted it for what it was and tried not to listen to the opinion of others. Christiane is coming out, the lead actors. They will get all the attention and I will just sink into oblivion along with the producers of Lord of the Rings. I'll be yesterday's news."

  Daisy couldn't help eying up the tickets. A movie premiere? In Sydney? A thought struck her.

  "Is this something to do with Mystery Date? Does Rob want me there with you to keep this so-called romance in the public arena a bit longer?"

  "This is nothing to do with Rob, nothing to do with the TV show."

  Daisy felt confusion, and before she could say anything else, he said, "Daisy."

  She looked up at him.

  "I said things that made me wonder if I really did feel that way. If I was no better than Burke or Vanderlay. If I'd become as insular as them and hadn't even been aware of it because I'm so wrapped up in my work.

  "But the truth is, no. I hadn't. Haven't. The truth is, I love what you've done with the shop and no, it's not really my cup of tea. In fact, I'm getting a bit antsy just standing outside."

  He paused and Daisy heard Athena say, "grossly inflamed genitalia, next page please," and there was a collective gasp from inside.

  They moved down the road away from the entrance.

  Joel continued, "But that's life. My father was a dentist and my mother couldn't stand dentistry and the equipment and never set foot in his practice." He shrugged. "We're all different. We like different things.

  "Except," he said. "I like you. I like being with you. I liked sitting next to you on the plane and having dinner with you at the captain's table and I like everything about you. And I don't want to lose that, lose any of that. I can't bear that thought."

  He reached out then, took her hand in his, drew her closer and placed her hand, firmly in his grip, against his heart. "Have I lost that chance?"

  She was still a moment. She hadn't expected this. Hadn't expected Joel to come to her shop. Had focused her attention on this event and mourned how Mystery Date had been a failure for the shop. Oh, there'd been an upturn but no one had seen her on the show and rushed out to buy books. Tonight, though, was the beginning of something. She could feel it.