Center Stage (The Keller Family Series)

by Marie, Bernadette

She felt another set of hands on her leg. “I’m right here. The son-of-a-bitch stole my truck and wrecked it while I was in surgery. Simone and Avery are okay, too.”

  Arianna nodded.

  “Regan?”

  John brushed her hair from her forehead. “She’s in the other room. Zach is in there with her. Your mom is in the waiting room with the boys.”

  “Clara?” The tears came when she asked.

  John brushed them away. “She’s fine. They have her sucking back some oxygen, and she has a big bandage on her forehead. Nothing more than a scrape. Madeline, Carlos, and the boys are with her.”

  John placed the oxygen back on her face, and Curtis moved closer to her.

  “You have stitches in your cheek. You got cut pretty bad,” he told her.

  She nodded.

  “They confirmed that Hamilton is dead.”

  She knew that, but it didn’t bring her any peace.

  Curtis looked at John. “I’m going to go tell Mom and Dad she’s awake.” He left the room and she noticed John’s head fall and tears roll from his cheeks.

  “The theater is a complete loss. I knew I’d lost you.” He wiped his eyes. “I’ve never felt pain like that before.”

  Arianna finally moved her arm and pulled the mask from her face. “I’m here. Everything is okay.”

  He nodded. “They gave me this.” He pulled her ring from his pocket. “I’ll give it back to you when you’re not all bandaged up.”

  She looked down at her hands. There were cuts and bandages over her hands and arms.

  John bit down on his lip and took a deep breath. “I guess we rebuild?”

  She nodded. “Bigger and better.”

  He laughed through his tears. “That’s my girl.”

  “I need a vacation.”

  “I think we should extend our trip to San Francisco. Where else do you want to go?”

  Arianna closed her eyes and opened them slowly. She could see him more clearly now. “Back to New York as newlyweds.”

  His mouth had dropped open and then formed into that sexy smile she’d fallen in love with.

  “Newlyweds?”

  “When you give me that ring back, it better come with an offer to change my name.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded and blinked her eyes with heavy lids. When she opened them again, he was smiling wide.

  “I’ll take that deal.”

  She smiled. “I guess my days being center stage are over. No one wants an actress with a huge scar across her cheek.”

  John leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’ll always be my star, and our life together will be your center stage.”

  I hope you enjoyed Arianna and John’s story in

  Center Stage. Please join us for a preview of

  Eduardo Keller’s story—

  Lost and Found

  Available May 2013

  Chapter One

  Ed Keller leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on his desk. The view from his office would never cease to amaze him. The view from his uncle’s office was much more spectacular, but he had no reason to complain.

  Who would have thought, nearly twenty years ago when he’d asked for an after-school job to afford a limo ride to take a girl to prom, that he’d end up with the title Vice President on his business cards?

  He laughed. He couldn’t even think of the girl’s name that had squeezed at his heart. She’d been older. That he’d remembered. But he’d never done well with older women.

  Now he sat atop an empire that his uncle’s grandfather had started and his uncle’s father had carried on. But it was Zach Benson who made it what it was today.

  Benson, Benson, and Hart built big—built on time—and built under budget. Nothing had changed.

  Ed didn’t have a foreman like Zach had. His other uncle, John Forrester, had been the best foreman any company could have asked for. A loyal employee until Ed’s Aunt Arianna made him retire only two years earlier. But another would come along. Right now he had to focus on a new assistant.

  Interviewing people for a position shouldn’t be an issue. He’d been doing it for years. But a personal assistant had to be in your business, and he didn’t like that.

  He’d fought it for years. Temps were good. They came, did the work, and left. He figured it was kind of like dating the wrong girl. There weren’t any he wanted to spend his life with.

  Perhaps his expectations were too high. After all, his Aunt Regan had been Zach’s assistant. They’d been married nearly twenty-five years, and she still took care of him. It wouldn’t be long before Tyler and Spencer, their sons, would be sitting in Ed’s seat.

  Ed dropped his feet to the floor and pushed up from his chair. When the time was right, he’d find the assistant of his dreams. He’d given up on the woman of his dreams, so an assistant would have to do.

  He walked to the elevator and pressed the button to go down to the lobby. There was a Starbucks there now, and he’d grown very fond of caramel lattes, thanks to his Aunt Arianna, though he didn’t go for the skinny version. His Uncle John would say it was a bit too frilly a drink for a man in the construction business. His Uncle Zach, on the other hand, would argue that it was a good stress reliever.

  Ed laughed at himself. What an eclectic bunch of people he had in his family. And even without them there with him, he still enjoyed them.

  The gathering of the masses in the Starbucks also entertained him, almost as much as the thoughts of his family and their differences.

  Ed ordered his drink and stood at the counter waiting for it to be handed to him.

  He could look around the store, spot and name each kind of person. There was the tourist, the executive, and the assistant. There was couple, obviously just downtown for the day and…hmmm, one that stumped him.

  She was professional, probably interviewing by the way she was dressed, but she wasn’t comfortable with the big building and the mass of people. She was using Starbucks as a common ground, something familiar, to ease her nerves.

  He listened as she ordered her drink—decaf and nonfat. What fun was in that, he wondered.

  She tucked her change back into her purse and walked to the end of the counter to wait for her drink next to Ed.

  Flowery perfume filled his nose. She had a sweet side.

  The lady behind the counter handed Ed his iced caramel latte. He turned to leave and, he’d say so himself, that was when things got interesting.

  The woman who had been standing behind him, searching in her bag for something, looked up just as Ed turned around. She shifted to move out of his way, but instead she moved right into him.

  Ed’s hands slipped from the condensation on the cup, and the entire, cold drink poured down the front of the woman.

  She let out a stifled scream, and her hands went into the air. “Oh-my-God!”

  “I’m very sorry.”

  Ed turned toward the counter and grabbed a handful of napkins. He would have helped to mop up her clothes, but he noticed that the white silk shirt clung to her and decided it just wasn’t a good idea to try.

  “Look what you did!” She ripped the napkins from his hand and began to blot away the coffee which had already stained the shirt.

  “Sorry, but I think you ran into me.”

  She snapped her head up again. “Oh, men. You’re not always right, you know. Sometimes you do make mistakes.”

  Not only was she not as sweet as her flowery perfume, she was jaded. Bad news.

  “Again, I’m very sorry. How can I help you?” He turned and reached for more napkins, but when she pulled them from his hand, he noticed she was crying.

  “I think you’ve done enough.”

  “I still think I can help in some way.”

  “Listen. My suit is ruined. This is the only one I have. I was searching for a job, and I can’t do that now. I can’t hand out resumes looking like this.”

  Ed watched as the woman continued to wipe off her blouse,
but to no avail. It was ruined, but he still wasn’t going to take the blame.

  “Are you looking for a job in this building?”

  She let out a grunt. “Why else would I be here?”

  “I was just asking. I know most of the businesses in the building. Perhaps I can help you out.”

  The woman pursed her lips. “I don’t need your charity.”

  “It’s not charity. You seem to be in need of a job, and I’m sure I can help you find one.”

  “What, do you own this place?” She waved her arms in the air.

  “Let me see your resume.”

  The woman stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. That wasn’t new. You didn’t run a multi-million dollar company in your mid-thirties without people giving you a shifty eye.

  Her coffee was set on the counter. He moved in to grab it, but she moved quicker. “I’ll get this. I can’t afford to waste a sip of this. It’s my breakfast and lunch.”

  She picked up the coffee and moved to a table where she set down the cup and pulled a resume from her bag. She handed it to Ed. “Here it is. I hate to say it, but I’m desperate. If I don’t find a job in three days, I have to go home.”

  “Why? Does that suit turn back into a pumpkin and your glass slipper breaks?”

  “Have you ever been desperate for anything in your life?”

  He didn’t have anything to say. The only desperate thing he’d ever done was ask his uncle for a job at fifteen so he could get that limo to prom. Look where it landed him twenty years later. She was right. He’d never been desperate for anything.

  “How do you feel about assistant work for a commercial builder?”

  “You actually know of a job?”

  “I actually know of a job.” He folded her resume and tucked it into his pocket. “Ed Keller is an executive at Benson, Benson, and Hart. He needs an assistant.”

  Her face went pale, and her lips parted. This reaction went past him spilling his drink on her. “That was the business I was going to leave my resume with.”

  “You’re into architecture?”

  He watched as she swallowed hard, but the color hadn’t returned to her cheeks yet. “Not exactly, but you think you can get me in there?”

  “I’m sure I can.”

  She nodded and picked up her coffee. “You don’t think Mr. Keller will mind my attire?”

  Ed smiled. “I guarantee he will be fine. Your resume is impressive. I’m sure that he’d understand that accidents happen.”

  She nodded again, nervously. “I’m still mad that you ruined my suit.”

  “And I’m sorry that you bumped into me. But if you’ll come with me, I’ll get you a job. And, if you’re hungry for lunch later, there is a hot dog cart out back. I’d love to buy you some lunch.”

  Darcy watched the elevator doors close. She was alone with the man who had ruined her day, but also had offered her an opportunity. She was scared to death.

  She’d planned this day for so long. Now she was in the building, and she was headed to the company offices of Benson, Benson, and Hart.

  Her heart pounded in her chest. She hadn’t expected this. It was in her plans, but as the doors opened to the floor and the name was before her on the wall in big, shiny letters, she thought she might just throw up.

  She only knew one thing about herself—her past—and it had led her to Benson, Benson, and Hart. She’d planned to attempt to, at least, get in the door since all the other jobs she’d applied for had fallen through. The journey to find out about herself wasn’t supposed to drop her in the office where she knew her all her answers would lie. This was supposed to be months down the road when she’d had time to explore more about herself and where she’d come from. Now what?

  The man exited the elevator and looked at her. “Are you coming?”

  “I seem to be very nervous.”

  He reached for her hand and pulled her gently from the elevator. He took off his suit coat and draped it over her shoulders. It was a courteous move to hide her huge stained blouse, which she knew she’d caused because she wasn’t paying attention, but she still wasn’t going to let him think he didn’t do it. Men would use you if you weren’t careful.

  The man led her to an office, and the name on the door read EDUARDO KELLER. She sucked in a breath as he opened the door and walked in.

  “Have a seat.” He pointed to the chairs in front of the desk.

  Darcy took a seat, set her bag to the side, and then slid her arms through the sleeves of the jacket he’d draped on her. She probably looked ridiculous. He was at least six feet tall and broad shouldered. She wasn’t very tall at all, and she didn’t even come close to filling out the jacket.

  The man sat behind the desk and turned on the computer monitor.

  “Should you be doing that,” she asked?

  “I need to find the application information to fill out for the human resource department.”

  “You’re going to fill it out?”

  “I usually do when I’m hiring people.”

  She looked around the office. Eduardo Keller had no personal affects. The man must be all business.

  “Why are you doing the hiring?”

  The man stopped what he was doing. He folded his hands on the top of the desk and gazed at her with dark brown eyes.

  “Because I’m Ed Keller.”

  Ed had seen his share of angry women in his life. When this woman’s face turned the color of Santa’s suit, he knew he’d crossed the line.

  She stood from the chair and grabbed her bag. “Do you think this is funny? You’re messing with my life.”

  “Whoa.” He stood from his seat. “Calm down.”

  “Calm down? I will not calm down.”

  “I’ve seen your resume. You’re very qualified for the position I need to fill, and I’d like to help you.”

  “Help me?” She lifted the bag onto her shoulder. “Help me? Why would you want to do that? You’re just some stuck up executive who can play with people, like spilling coffee on a woman to get her into your office. Is this what you do here?”

  Ed planted his hands firmly on his desk and looked at her. “You told me you had three days to find a job. You told me I ruined all your chances by messing up your blouse. So you can either hear me out, or you can leave here with your stained clothing, your wrinkled resume, and your bad attitude and find a job.”

  The woman sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “What is the job?”

  “Executive assistant.”

  “To you?”

  “Yes.”

  Her shoulders dropped, and she bit her bottom lip. She was contemplating, but he didn’t know, in his own heart, which way he wanted her to go now. It was very likely he’d just made a big mistake offering it to her if she was so volatile.

  The woman set her bag back on the ground and extended her hand to him. “Darcy McCary, your new assistant.”

  Darcy studied Eduardo Keller as he shook her hand. Was he happy? Mad? Oh, he’d been messing with her, and now she really felt stupid. But she needed the job, and he was right—she was very qualified. She needed to find an apartment and establish some savings. Private investigators hadn’t been cheap, and she couldn’t tell her father that she’d hired them.

  She had a debt to pay and a life to understand—her life.

  Darcy McCary was in Tennessee to find her birth mother, and the investigator told her that all ties led to Nashville and to Benson, Benson, and Hart.

  Meet the Author

  Bernadette Marie has been an avid writer since the early age of 13, when she’d fill notebook after notebook with stories that she’d share with her friends. Her journey into novel writing started the summer before eighth grade when her father gave her an old typewriter. At all times of the day and night you would find her on the back porch penning her first work, which she would continue to write for the next 22 years.

  In 2007 – after marriage, filling her chronic entrepreneurial needs, and having five chil
dren – Bernadette began to write seriously with the goal of being published. That year she wrote 12 books. In 2009 she was contracted for her first trilogy and the published author was born. In 2011 she (being the entrepreneur that she is) opened her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, and has released contemporary titles and began the process of taking on other authors in other genres.

  In 2012 Bernadette Marie found herself on the bestsellers lists of iTunes and Amazon to name a few. Her office wall is lined with colorful Post It notes with the titles of books she will be releasing in the very near future, with hope that they too will grace the bestsellers lists.

  Bernadette spends most of her free time driving her kids to their many events. She is also an accomplished martial artist who earned her conditional second degree black belt in Tang Soo Do in October 2012. An avid reader, she enjoys most, the works of Nora Roberts, Karen White, and Megan Hart, to name a few. She loves to meet readers who enjoy reading contemporary romances and she always promises Happily Ever After.

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter One