Aidan: The Rescue Chapter Two

Aidan: The Rescue Chapter Two

Felicity noticed the front door open, and her gaze locked with Aidan’s. Smiling, she forced herself to turn away from the gorgeous dark-haired guy she simply couldn’t stop looking at. It was crazy how she still remembered the feel of the muscular chest she’d had the fortune of stumbling into, and her knees weakened again at the memory of his smoking brown eyes staring into hers with concern.

In the last three and a half years, she’d avoided men who wanted to date her. She was enjoying her freedom as a single girl too much. Plus, she knew she needed to focus on herself after walking—or, more accurately, running—away from Nolan West and their problematic relationship. That was why she was surprised at just how ridiculously attracted she was to Aidan.

“You look so pretty when you blush,” Kerrod said.

Felicity laughed louder than she usually did. “Stop teasing me,” she told Kerrod who, like his twin, had become one of her close friends. 

“Frankly, Fel, I think you should make the first move.”

“What? No. I’ll just be embarrassing myself.”

“What are you talking about? He can’t take his eyes off you.”

“You think so?” she asked in an almost whisper.

“Isn’t it obvious? So, go ahead and talk to him.”

She scrunched her nose. “He’s only into casuals, apparently.”

“Oh? Who told you that?”

“Isla.”

“Hm.” Kerrod pursed his lips. “Kallan did tell me that Aidan works very long hours. Probably one of those people married to their jobs.”

“Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?” she asked jokingly.

Kerrod snorted. “I might be, but I’m not the one flirting with you with my eyes right now.”

At Kerrod’s words, Felicity found herself glancing in Aidan’s direction—again.

And, yes, he was looking at her, too. Again!

Aidan walked away the moment their eyes met.

Felicity furrowed her brows. If he was truly interested, why was Aidan avoiding her?

Kerrod chuckled. “Even I saw the sparks that just flew off the two of you. Feel this air.” He waved his hand. “It’s still sizzling.”

She scoffed.

Kallan turned up by her side. “Hey, Fel. Feeling all right?”

“I’m fine. No signs of sprains or broken bones.”

“Good,” Kallan said with a laugh.

“Hey, bro,” Kerrod said. “Tell me you’ve noticed the fireworks happening between our Fel here and your friend Aidan.”

Felicity didn’t miss the warning look Kallan threw Kerrod.

“He’s not looking for a relationship, unfortunately,” Kallan said to her.

She suppressed a sigh. “I know. He’s a bit of a playboy, huh?” 

Kallan shrugged. “Aidan’s a great guy, but…not for you.”

“Of course. Of course,” she said lightly.

Isla came to join them. “Hey, peeps. What’s going on?”

“These guys are just helping me see the light,” Felicity said.

Isla lifted her brows.

“Just reiterating that Aidan’s not for her,” Kallan murmured, putting an arm around Isla’s shoulders and kissing her on the temple.

Isla nodded. “Okay.”

“Hey,” Kerrod said to Felicity. “How about I set you up with one of my buddies to make you forget about Aidan?”

“Who?” both Isla and Kallan asked suspiciously.

Felicity chuckled. “No, thanks, Kerrod. I’m good. You guys don’t need to worry about me. Goodness, it’s just a little crush. That’s all. And for the record, I’m happy being single. In fact, I know I’ll be fine if I remain single for the rest of my life.”

Isla’s smile was a mixture of dismay and understanding.

Felicity grinned widely to let her friends know she was totally okay. And, really, she wasn’t in a hurry to find a special someone.

Dance music started playing again, and Kallan and Kerrod’s father, Julius, pulled Isla away from their group.

“I thought I’d get a last dance with the birthday girl before the night ends,” Julius said.

“My pleasure, Dad,” Isla said, to Julius’s obvious delight.

The rest of the guests started to join them on the dance floor, and Kallan turned to Felicity, holding out a hand.

Felicity smiled. “Mind if I sit this one out? I actually feel like grabbing another piece of the birthday cake. Luckily, there’s some more, considering I wasted a bit of it earlier on.”

“Okay. Maybe I’ll dance with this guy.” Kallan indicated Kerrod.

“Sure!” Kerrod said, already moving to the music. “It’s time to show everyone who’s better at this.”

Kallan narrowed his eyes. “You’re on!”

Felicity laughed at the twins’ antics as she walked to the almost empty buffet table. She’d thought the enormous amount of food Kallan had ordered wouldn’t be finished, but there was little left.

She used a pair of tongs to grab a small piece of cake and put it on a paper napkin. After breaking several dessert plates earlier, she wasn’t going to touch another one tonight.

She turned around to watch guests on the makeshift dance floor, and her gaze once again landed on Aidan, who was dancing with Isla’s mother. Gah. What was wrong with her eyes? Or did Aidan have a homing beacon for her? She shook her head, annoyed and amused at herself at the same time.

Fortunately, she’d recovered from the deep wounds caused by her ex. Thanks to three years of help from Isla and her therapist, a lot of self-initiated personal development, and her work with the women in the New Again circle, she was now equipped with courage and confidence she hadn’t had before.

She didn’t think she was ready to make herself vulnerable again in a romantic sense, though—that was why dating was still off the table.

Not that it mattered. Aidan wasn’t interested in dating anyone anyway, by the sounds of it. And she’d never been into one-night stands.

Pity.

* * *

A week later…

Felicity walked towards the room situated at the back of the Bayside Council’s premises where she conducted the New Again workshops every Sunday afternoon. The space was pretty much just a big box with no windows, so hardly anyone hired the room due to it not having much of an atmosphere. That was great for the New Again circle, because the council had allowed them to utilise it for free indefinitely. They could even leave behind the items they were working on, as long as they were prepared to clear the place up quickly if it was needed by a paying customer. So far, that hadn’t happened.

It definitely helped that she worked in the council as an administrative coordinator. The bosses had been so impressed to learn that one of their employees helped vulnerable women rebuild their lives that they’d said yes straight away when Felicity had asked for the use of this particular room. Since then, her employers had continued to help the New Again circle in many other ways, and she’d been so touched by their support.

She unlocked the door to the workshop, flicked the switch for the rows of fluorescent lights, switched on the aircon, and dropped the packets of paint protector sheets she’d brought on a large rectangular table in the middle of the room. She smiled as she looked around. Apart from the table, some folding chairs, and two metal filing cabinets where they kept their power tools, paints, and other materials, there was no other furniture in sight. Last week, every single member had finished upcycling their pieces. Then, during the course of the week, every item had been sold through online channels and word of mouth.

Felicity shivered in delight. There was no thrill better than having all of their handiwork valued enough for people to pay for them. Today, they would be starting work on another batch of preloved pieces, most of it donated and some she’d bought herself from various sources.

She checked her watch. Kallan and Isla should be here soon. They’d be delivering six bedside tables, eight chairs, four bookcases, three wooden crates, and a wooden headboard with intricate carvings, all of which had been kept in the couple’s garage. With the workshop space not big enough to store all of the pieces they’d acquired, Isla and Kallan were happy for New Again to keep using their garage for storage.

How lucky was she to have such helpful, supportive friends—Isla, most of all? That dear, incredible, wonderful woman had started New Again specifically to help Felicity heal from her horrendous experience with her ex. Now, Felicity was heading the group, and she was incredibly grateful.

Her phone rang. “Hey, Kallan,” she greeted.

“Hey. We’re here at the car park.”

“Great. I’ll come around to help.”

“Cool.”

She left the room and walked briskly towards the parking lot behind the building, instantly spotting Kallan opening the back of a borrowed truck. Then another person came into view—

Her steps faltered, and she righted herself just in time. Luckily, she didn’t completely trip.

Honestly, Felicity! It’s only Aidan—the guy not for you, remember?

Shaking her head at herself, she walked slower towards the truck. What was Aidan doing here? And where was Isla? “Hello,” she said as she neared the guys.

“Hi,” Kallan said with a rather apologetic grin. “Isla has some urgent work to do, so Aidan volunteered to help. Not that I can’t do everything myself.”

“Let’s see you carry that heavy headboard by yourself,” Aidan said before turning to Felicity.  “Hi. How’s it going?”

She grinned, heart hammering. “I’m good. Thanks for helping out.”

“No worries. I happened to be at their place and saw that Kallan needed another pair of hands. It’ll be good to see your workshop, too, if you wouldn’t mind me having a quick snoop before the others arrive. I like woodworking.”

“You do? That’s great! And, of course, you can have a look around.”

“I haven’t touched power tools in a long while, though,” Aidan said as he carried a bedside table. “So where do we go?”

“Over there.” She picked up a vintage chair with ornate legs and started walking back towards the room, hyper-aware of Aidan following her. It was as if she could feel his breath on her neck even though he was a respectable distance away. Or was it that she wanted to feel his breath on her neck?

Stop it, Felicity!

Couldn’t Kallan hurry up and distract her from these ridiculous thoughts? But, God, how long had it been since she’d felt this way towards a man?

Actually, never.

That was right. She hadn’t felt attraction this strong, this fast, towards anybody.

The realisation started to scare her. How did people prevent losing themselves in a relationship with partners who had this much effect on them?

Thoughts of her past started to flood in, and she tensed. She pushed them away by recalling an image of herself with a paintbrush in her hand, decorating a wooden breakfast tray—the very first item she’d restored. That person was the new, courageous, confident Felicity, and the new Fel didn’t have to worry about her emotions. Because no matter what she was feeling, she was in control of her decisions.

Honestly, though, she had no idea how she’d handle it if Aidan happened to flirt with her. She’d probably be torn between throwing herself at him and hiding somewhere she couldn’t be found.

What she really had to do about this stupid crush was to…well…just feel it until it dissipated, she guessed. Hopefully, that would happen sooner rather than later.

She opened the door to the workshop and walked inside. “Here we are. We can line them all up against this wall.” She put down the chair she was carrying at the corner nearest the door.

Aidan placed the side table next to it. “How do you determine which person gets to work on what?”

“We hold a draw. Those who get small items like this chair can end up working with two or more pieces before someone working on something like the headboard finishes with theirs. I bet everyone will want to work on that headboard. It’s so beautiful.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it ends up with me.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” Aidan said with a smile before leaving the room.

Unbidden, she let out a sigh. How sweet of Aidan to say that.

Shaking her head, she walked out of the room. Instead of standing here and swooning, she’d better help bring more of the stuff in.

“Felicity!”

She turned her head towards the caller and grinned. “Sophie! Hi! Ready to join us today?”

“You have spares for me to work on?”

“Absolutely!”

“Great! Can’t wait to start.”

Felicity made little claps, thrilled. This gorgeous police officer who shared her birthday—they'd both turned thirty a couple of months ago—had worked on the domestic violence cases of most of the members of the group, including hers. “The girls will be so happy that you’re joining us, especially after last week,” she said, sobering. “Tessa still couldn’t believe that her ex would be so brazen as to send his brother here to spy on her.”

“Yeah. It’s great that the council is letting you use this hall for free, but the downside is the grounds are a public place, so those idiots think they can make up excuses for being here and get away with it.”

“I’ve actually started researching where we could move our workshop. But it’s next to impossible to find a room big enough for our needs as well as free to use indefinitely.”

Sophie placed a hand on her arm. “No need to keep looking. That’s why I’m here. I’m not doing anything most Sundays, anyway, and I’m really keen to learn how to upcycle furniture. The only thing is, I don’t meet the requirements for membership to New Again,” she said with a laugh.

“Hey, you know we’re more than happy to make you an honorary member.” Felicity was humbled and extremely grateful that this woman would choose to spend part of her free time with their group to help protect them from partners or exes who dared break apprehended violence orders. Unfortunately, it had happened more than once for a couple of the girls. Sophie’s presence in their workshops, albeit as an off-duty cop, was more than welcome.

Kallan and Aidan appeared from around the corner, carrying the headboard.

Felicity made the introductions. “Sophie, this is Aidan, and that’s Kallan. They’re friends of mine helping out with delivering our stuff. Guys, this is Sophie. She’s a police officer friend of the New Again circle. Actually, she’s a detective now. We’re granting her an honorary membership.”

“Hi, Sophie,” the men said in unison.

“Good to meet you, guys,” answered Sophie, eyeing the piece the men were carefully placing down. “That’s a beautiful headboard.”

“Felicity’s keeping her fingers crossed for this,” Aidan quipped. “She said all of you would probably want it.”

Sophie chuckled. “I think I’ll stick to something very simple. I’m new at this, and I wouldn’t want to ruin that. Anyway, I can help carry some stuff.”

“Thanks, but we can manage,” Aidan said.

“Are you saying I’m not strong enough to carry something like that?” Sophie asked with narrowed eyes.

The shock on Aidan’s face was comical. “I didn’t mean that at all. I just meant we can manage. But if you want to help, that’s fine, too.”

Sophie laughed. “I was kidding.”

Aidan chuckled, shaking his forefinger at Sophie as he and Kallan went back to the truck.

Felicity hid a sigh. Even though she smiled along with the others, she felt a stirring in her chest that made her want to pout.

Whoa, was she jealous? She pushed the feeling down.

Soon, Aidan was back, his arm muscles bulging as he carried a bookcase over his shoulder.

Felicity’s heart skipped a beat, and butterflies in her stomach madly flapped their wings. Argh.

As he put his load down, Aidan looked at Sophie. “There are chairs you can carry.”

Sophie shook her head. “I’m sure you can manage.”

Aidan chuckled.

“So what do you do for a living, Aidan?” Sophie prodded in a friendly tone.

“I’m an IT consultant,” Aidan said.

Sophie’s brows rose. “My dad needs a good IT guy. What do you specialise in?”

Aidan smiled. “Unfortunately, I’m pretty busy right now, so I’m not looking for any new business. Thanks, anyway.”

Sophie watched Aidan leave the room. “Don’t you find it interesting that he didn’t ask for my contact number in case he finds an empty slot in his schedule in the future?”

Felicity shrugged. “Maybe he has a long waiting list already.”

“Maybe. How well do you know him?”

“Not well. I just met him last week at Isla’s birthday. You remember Isla, right? My lawyer best friend who helped put Nolan in jail?”

“Yes.”

“Kallan is Isla’s fiancé. Isla and Kallan are the ones who usually deliver our stuff because they’re stored in their garage, and they borrow the truck from a neighbour down their street. But Isla couldn’t make it at the last minute, and Aidan happened to be available.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, do you think Aidan’s hot?” Felicity asked, keeping her voice light. “Or are you thinking he could be here to spy on our members?”

Sophie chuckled. “Both, maybe.”

Oh, no. Felicity didn’t want Sophie to be interested in Aidan. “Well, apparently he’s anti-commitment.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

Sophie wrinkled her nose. “Shame. He’s a hunk, isn’t he? Just like Kallan. Pity Kallan’s already engaged.”

“Hey, Kallan’s got an identical twin—and I mean identical. Those two look so alike it’s not funny. And Kerrod’s single—a workaholic, but a nice guy.”

“Does Aidan have a twin?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Don’t worry, then,” Sophie said with a laugh.

Felicity kept the smile on her face even though Sophie’s attraction to Aidan was bugging the hell out of her. It shouldn’t, since she didn’t plan to date Aidan, but she couldn’t help how she felt.

Could she blame herself, though? Aidan was truly divine.

Divine? What a word to describe someone so…masculine.

Sophie cocked her head. “You okay?”

“Huh?”

“You’re blushing.”

Felicity felt her cheeks burn further. “I think it’s just the heat.”

“It’s not that hot. Aha! I bet it’s Aidan. Well, you saw him first, so don’t mind me.” Sophie winked.

Felicity laughed, neither confirming nor denying Sophie’s guess. She was relieved, though, that Sophie seemed to be bowing out. Not that they were in a race for Aidan’s attention.

Sophie turned to the furniture. “Hey, you’ll give me something really simple to work on today, right?”

“Sure. You can take your pick.” As long as it’s not Aidan.

Ugh! What on earth was going on with her?

Experiencing basic human wants.

Her lips tugged up. Of course, she wasn’t immune to lust. It was just that the strength of it for Aidan kept blowing her away.

Hey, wait…

Since she didn’t think she was ready for a relationship, and Aidan wasn’t into commitment, what would be the problem in considering something casual? Yes, she’d always said she wasn’t built for anything like that, but she wasn’t the old Felicity anymore, right?

She let the thought sink in, not pushing against it at all, as she watched Sophie run her fingers along a bookcase.

Hm, she wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. What was more, she’d hate it if Aidan started giving Sophie lingering looks instead of directing those smoking hot gazes towards her.

Perhaps she should take a forward step while Sophie was backing off.

**END OF CHAPTER TWO**

Aidan: The Rescue releases on the 24th of September, 2020 and can be bought from the following stores:

Amazon | Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

(Link to Google Play will be available on release day.)

Aidan: The Rescue Chapter One

Aidan: The Rescue Chapter One

If there was one thing that never got old for Aidan Radcliffe, it was watching criminals’ shocked faces while masked individuals in all-black outfits interrupted their crime. During these surprise operations by the Indie Rebels, some goons surrendered without a fight. Others, like this idiot who’d been in the process of robbing his elderly victim for the fourth time, tried to run.

Justin Shapiro, the Indie Rebel initiate Aidan had been training, caught the perp and cuffed him without a problem even though the man was bigger than Justin and had put up a struggle.

“Fucking IRs,” the crook hissed. “How did you know I was here?”

Aidan smirked. While the guy tried to look tough, he heard the fear in his voice.

This was the end for this serial armed robber who’d been eluding the police. His luck had run out, and the Sydneysiders he’d been victimising, including Justin’s grandfather, could feel safe again in their own homes.

“Thank you so much,” Justin’s grandfather said, his eyes wide. “My name’s Glenn. I’m so happy to see you.”

“You’re welcome,” Aidan answered. “This guy here is a wanted man. We’ll tie him up real well and leave him in your yard for the police to pick up. Is that okay with you?”

Glenn nodded. “I’ve read about you, and I know you can’t stay. But I’ll make sure I tell the police it’s the Indie Rebels who saved me from this guy, even though they probably won’t be happy to hear that.”

“No,” Aidan said with a chuckle. “They prefer to do the catching themselves.”

“Have you been following him?” Glenn gestured to their prisoner. “Is that why I’m lucky enough that the two of you turned up at the right time tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Take their masks off, old man,” the thug taunted. “Be the hero and find out who these fucking IRs are.”

Glenn threw him a derisive glance.

“Let’s take care of him so you can call the police,” Aidan said.

Glenn nodded.

Aidan and Justin made quick work of binding the robber’s arms and legs and put duct tape across his mouth. Then, they half-carried, half-dragged him to the yard before waving goodbye to Glenn. They hurried back to a black IR-owned sedan that Justin had parked in a darkened alleyway.

“Thanks, Aidan,” Justin said. “I’m so relieved my granddad is now safe from that fucker.”

Aidan patted his student on the back. “You did very well. And your granddad had absolutely no idea it was you. Keep it that way, okay?”

Justin nodded. “Can I drive you somewhere?”

“No, I’m fine. My car’s around the corner. I’m gonna go back to my friend’s party.”

“Sorry I had to ruin your night. As soon as I saw that idiot turn onto Granddad’s street, I had to call you for assistance. I didn’t think you’d come yourself. I thought you’d send someone else.”

“Not a problem,” Aidan said with a chuckle. “I was close enough. Plus, it was a great time for me to watch you in action. You’re progressing well with your training.”

“Glad you think so. Thanks again. And I’ll wait for your call regarding any new assignment you want to give me.”

“Sure. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

“You, too.”

Aidan watched Justin drive away before returning to his car. He got into the back and took off his mask. Then, he changed to the smart casual clothes he’d been wearing at the birthday party. Aidan checked the alley to ensure it was empty before moving to the front and driving away.

Luckily, he hadn’t needed to explain to Isla Morgan, the birthday girl, and the other IRs celebrating with her as to why he’d had to leave the party abruptly. They knew that, as a senior agent and team leader, he was always on call.

He might be quizzed by the non-IR guests about his disappearance, though. But he’d already asked Isla to give the excuse that a relative from overseas, currently staying with him, had locked himself out of the house.

Was Felicity wondering if he was coming back to the party?

Aidan scoffed. He should stop thinking of Isla’s best friend already. Felicity Sebastian wasn’t an Indie Rebel. He couldn’t date her.

Damn. What a pity that was, because Felicity also found him attractive. She’d been so cute, tentatively flirting with him, clearly not wanting to be obvious. Still, Felicity hadn’t seemed able to stop herself from glancing at him constantly.

“So what? You can’t flirt back,” he muttered with a sigh.

Felicity intrigued him so much, having heard a lot about her through Isla. By all accounts, Felicity was a passionate person who made it her mission to help domestic violence victims gain confidence and find their self-worth though the New Again furniture revamping workshops that she ran once a week. She did so much for those women, knowing firsthand what they were going through.

Thankfully, Felicity’s abusive ex-boyfriend was now serving time in jail for breaching an apprehended violence order as well as arson for torching Felicity’s car. With the way Felicity had picked herself up and helped others since that time, Aidan understood why Isla was so proud of her.

Aidan had always loved meeting inspiring people, and he’d wanted to meet Felicity since hearing about her. Actually, he’d wanted to meet her since he’d laid eyes on a photo Isla had shown him months ago.

Today, it had happened. And she was more beautiful in person.

Thank God he was good at hiding his interest towards women who could not, under any circumstances, know about his secret identity as an Indie Rebel. Yes, it was always disappointing when he had to pretend he wasn’t keen. But he of all people understood the risks in breaking the IRs’ number one rule: that only an Indie Rebel could know the identity of another Indie Rebel. It was, and would always be, a matter of life and death if they broke it. With every criminal organisation trying to hunt down Indie Rebels, and with the police considering them an unneeded, unwanted vigilante group, Rule Number One was their biggest and most important protection.

He had to admit, though, that he found Felicity more captivating than any other girl who’d caught his attention. Not that that made any difference. His resolve to not date non-IRs was stronger than his attraction to Felicity.

Right?

Right! Of course! How could he even think of questioning that?

Shaking his head, he turned on the radio and drove back to Isla and Kallan’s house.

Soon, he was walking towards the couple’s front door. Isla’s surprise party, which had started at lunchtime, appeared to still be in full swing late into the night.

Great! He’d been having a wonderful time before he’d received the call from Justin. Hopefully, he wouldn’t get any other urgent messages from anyone.

He rang the doorbell, ready to rejoin the celebrations.

Kallan Keegan opened the door. “Hey, you’re back! Everything okay?”

“Yup. It all went smoothly. What did I miss?”

“More partying,” Kallan said with a laugh, clapping a hand on his shoulder to lead him back inside. “I thought it was winding down when I proposed to Isla. We’re glad that everyone’s happy to keep celebrating.”

Aidan chuckled as he followed Kallan to the open-plan living area at the back.

His breath hitched. Ah, there was Felicity. The short-haired brunette with the loveliest hazel eyes was carrying a tray of sliced birthday cake. God, she was so stunning that he found himself stopping to watch her offer the dessert to the guests.

As she got closer, Felicity spotted him—and seemed to trip on something.

Aidan’s eyes widened as time seemed to go in slow motion before speeding up again. There was no way he could stop what was about to happen, so he braced himself, holding up his arms to try to prevent Felicity from crashing into him.

Felicity tried valiantly to regain her balance. Probably realising she’d hit him with the tray or, perhaps, desperate to arrest her momentum, she dropped her load. Dessert plates broke, forks clanged, and pieces of cake splattered on the hardwood floor. Despite her efforts, Felicity still ended up with her face planted right on Aidan’s chest.

Heat travelled throughout Aidan’s body as he helped Felicity to her feet.

Red-faced, Felicity looked at him. “I’m so sorry.”

“No worries,” he said, keeping a hand on her arm. “You okay?”

Felicity gulped audibly, nodding.

Isla rushed over to them. “Are you okay, Fel?” she asked as other guests swarmed in, also expressing concern.

“I’m okay, everyone. Thank you. Did anyone get cake on them?”

There was a chorus of no.

Felicity stared in dismay at the mess on the floor. Turning to Isla, she said, “Just when your party’s almost over, I had to go and create a ruckus. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Isla said, sweeping her gaze over her friend from head to foot. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I just…” Felicity shrugged.

Aidan suppressed a smile. He could swear that Felicity had tripped because she’d caught him looking at her.

Argh, such a damned shame that he couldn’t let Felicity think he could be a potential boyfriend, especially when every cell in his body responded to this woman’s close proximity. Even his heartbeat refused to slow down.

“I’ll get a broom,” Felicity murmured, stepping away from him.

Isla shook her head. “It’s okay. My darling fiancé’s already on top of it. See? Thank you, honey,” she said to Kallan, who’d been quick to grab a broom and a dustpan.

Kallan sent Felicity a curious glance. “You okay, Fel? What did you trip on?”

Felicity let out an embarrassed laugh as she walked towards the mess. “My own feet, I guess. Let me help. Aunt Nadine, I’ll take that,” she said to Isla’s mother, who was holding a rag.

“I got this,” Nadine said.

But Felicity was quick to snatch the cloth away from Nadine. “I’ll do it.”

“Okay,” Nadine said with a sigh.

Aidan crossed his arms, unable to keep from watching Felicity as she helped Kallan clean the floor.

“Don’t tell her I told you she finds you hot,” Isla whispered. “She’ll kill me.”

“No, of course I won’t tell her,” he promised.

“She’d be mortified that she tripped when she saw you looking at her.”

Aidan glanced at Isla. “You were watching?”

“I just happened to notice you staring at her. Why, by the way, when you told me earlier you’re not interested?” Isla asked teasingly.

“Don’t push it,” he said in a warning tone.

“I won’t. I already told her you’re not boyfriend material. You’re married to your job as an IT consultant—just like Kerrod. She understands what that means because she knows my dear future brother-in-law quite well,” Isla said with a laugh. “So, basically, I made her think you’re an anti-commitment guy who’s only into casual relationships and one-night stands.”

“Why, thanks,” he said dryly.

“Sorry, but I had to give her an explanation that would turn her off after you guys kept exchanging looks. For the record, Aidan, Fel doesn’t do casual. And don’t give me the crap about not being interested in her. Why lie to me when I know this is all about you being an IR? I’m with you about not dating her. It’s definitely not a good idea.”

He sighed. “Yeah.”

“You know, I’ve thought about asking you to put in a good word to the chiefs about letting Fel know that Kallan and I are IRs, but I changed my mind. She’s such a worrywart that she’d worry about us morning, noon, and night.”

Aidan nodded. As Indie Rebels, they certainly didn’t live a quiet life. Sometimes he wondered why he continued to put himself in danger working for a covert, crime-fighting group, especially one unsanctioned by authorities.

But that thought didn’t occur to him very often. Being an Indie Rebel gave him a purpose in life, and he was great at being one.

Kallan glanced their way as he finished sweeping the floor, and Aidan didn’t miss the loving smile he sent to Isla.

Aidan’s lips curved up. For whatever reason, he always ended up mentoring IR initiates who fell in love with women connected to the cases they worked on, with those women eventually becoming Indie Rebels themselves. Lucky dudes. Apart from Kallan, there were three other guys right here in Isla’s party fortunate enough to have had the loves of their lives also join the IRs. He scanned the room until his gaze landed on Xavier with Eve, then Jaxon with Holly, and Bryce with Emma. Yes, they’d met their respective partners in dangerous situations, but Aidan had never seen happier, more in-love couples than these people. He guessed that having to depend upon each other for their safety, and watching each others’ backs during assignments, served to strengthen their relationships.

He hadn’t had the same luck. None of the women he’d been interested in—and now he had to add Felicity to the count—had had a need for the Indie Rebels and couldn’t possibly had been initiated into the group. He couldn’t help but feel just a little envious.

“So,” Isla said, “you’ve said before that you became an IR when you were only fifteen. I assume, then, that you’ve never dated a non-IR?”

“I have. Twice.”

“Really? Were they serious?”

“I was young and stupid.” He didn’t bother to tell Isla that in his twenty years of being an Indie Rebel, those were the only two times he’d been in love.

“When did the second one end?”

“Over six years ago.”

“Right. So you’ve only been dating IRs since then?”

“No. To be honest, I haven’t met an IR who interests me. More to the point, there are hardly any female IRs who are still single.”

Isla’s brows rose. “So you haven’t dated anyone in six years?”

“Define dating.”

Isla laughed. “So, I was actually right when I told Fel you’re a one-night stand man. I didn’t exactly lie to her, did I?”

Aidan snickered. He wasn’t prepared to share any more details of his pathetic dating life with Isla right now. Most of all, he didn’t want this perceptive woman to discover how empty he’d felt from watching the likes of her and Kallan fall for each other and grow more in love as days passed.

“If I’d known you’d be interrogating me,” he said dryly, “I wouldn’t have picked this day to tell you that you and Kallan have passed initiation. Then, I wouldn’t have been here today, because I still wouldn’t have been able to show my face to you. Can’t be attending a party with my mask on.” Truthfully, though, revealing what he looked like to the graduates always gave him a thrill. He invariably got very close to all the initiates he mentored. He considered them friends—family, actually—well before they were allowed to discover what he looked like.

Isla gave him a hug. “Aw, did I push a button? Sorry. You know that after over a year of us working closely together, I’m so thrilled that we can now see you without a mask on and wearing something else than our all-black outfit. You couldn’t have given me a better birthday present. Plus, I now see how good-looking you are. No wonder Fel’s so smitten.”

“But she’s not an IR,” he said with a wry chuckle, reminding Isla and himself of the unfortunate situation.

“Well, I’m sure there’s a single IR who’ll eventually take your fancy. It’s a pity it won’t be my best friend.”

Aidan sighed. Yes, it was a pity.

His phone rang with an incoming call, and he fished it out of his trousers pocket. Chief 2, the screen said.

“Hope that’s nothing serious,” Isla said. “If you need any of us here, let me know.”

“Thanks. But I won’t be asking you and Kallan to do anything tonight, that’s for sure.” As he walked towards the front door to take the call outside, he passed Felicity.

She smiled at him shyly, embarrassment still written all over her face.

He wanted to stop and say something witty and funny to make her feel better, but the phone buzzing in his hand didn’t give him a choice. He grinned at her instead, winking playfully.

Oops. He probably shouldn’t have winked. Last thing he wanted was to get Felicity’s hopes up. Bad Aidan.

He stepped outside into a balmy Sydney summer night—perfect January weather—and answered his phone. “Hi, Claude,” he said to the IR chief to whom he reported directly.

“Aidan, I’m sorry that I’m calling straight after you just helped Justin. I know you’re still partying with the others.”

“No problem at all. I’m assuming this is an urgent matter.”

“Not really. In fact, we don’t have enough to go on at this point. But it’s important for you to know about it.”

Aidan frowned. “Yes?”

“Someone sent a message through our website saying they have their eye on our highest-ranking chief—that they’re hoping that this chief would die soon from natural causes. If that doesn’t happen in the time frame they want, they’ll make sure it happens, anyway.”

Fear gripped Aidan’s chest. “Maricar. Where is she now? Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She’s still at her Bowral estate with her nurses and cook. Hugo is on his way there, too. He’ll stay with the women while this threat is active.”

Aidan felt relieved. Those people with Maricar were all trained IRs. What was more, Maricar’s country estate was very secure. He didn’t have to ask to know that agents were now monitoring the numerous security cameras that dotted the property. At the first sign of intruders, agents living nearby could be quickly dispatched. “Okay. I better head home to help man the cameras.”

“No,” Claude said authoritatively. “Maricar told me herself not to allow you to do that tonight. She wants you to enjoy yourself at Isla’s party.”

Aidan let out a heavy breath, knowing there was no point in arguing. But he couldn’t help his concern. Apart from being his most influential teacher and mentor, seventy-year-old Maricar Parlan was like a mother to him. She’d been his legal guardian after his parents had been killed whilst on an IR assignment when he was only fifteen.

“Do we know who sent the message?” he asked.

“We’re still working on that. They covered their tracks well, but our guys will find out who they are eventually. In the meantime, we’re ensuring Maricar is the safest she can be.”

“Right.” Aidan allowed himself to relax. He trusted the IRs. He had no doubts that Maricar was, indeed, the safest she could be.

“That’s all,” Claude said. “I just didn’t want you to find out about this later tonight or tomorrow and get annoyed that we didn’t inform you straight away. But, like I said, there’s nothing for you to do right now. Our guys are watching the cameras on Maricar’s property like hawks.”

“Okay. Thanks, Claude. I do appreciate you telling me straight away.”

“No worries. Party going well?”

“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “It’s going longer than expected, too, as Kallan and Isla got engaged.”

“Really? That’s great. I’ll personally congratulate them when we organise a graduation dinner for them.”

“Cool. They’d love that.”

“All right. You enjoy the rest of the night.”

“Thanks, Claude. Goodnight.”

“‘Night.”

Aidan hung up. As he glanced at his phone screen, he saw a text message he hadn’t read yet. It was from Trish, his ex from over six years ago—his second and last serious girlfriend. 

He opened it, and his brows rose. Trish was thanking him for sending her boxes of porcelain dolls to her cousin for safekeeping. It had been at least four years since he’d given those boxes to Trish’s cousin. She’d only found that out now?

He started to text a reply, then changed his mind. It was late. He’d respond to her tomorrow instead.

To his surprise, his phone started ringing. He answered, “Hello, Trish.”

“Hi, Aidan!” Trish said enthusiastically. “I had the phone in my hand to send you another message, and I noticed those text bubbles that indicated you were writing me one. So I decided to call you. I knew you’d still be up. You’ve always been a night owl. Anyway, how are you?”

“I’m good. How are you? I didn’t expect to hear from you after all this time.”

“I know! Well, I got back my dolls. Thanks so much. I honestly thought you’d thrown them all out.”

Aidan chuckled. When Trish had left him for Sandro six and a half years ago, she hadn’t taken her three big boxes of porcelain dolls to New Zealand, where Sandro lived. The freight costs had been prohibitive.

Out of guilt and grief, he’d kept them for a while. After all, he’d been mainly responsible for their relationship’s failure. He’d always disappeared to work on IR cases and never told Trish where he’d gone.

“I was tempted to throw them away,” he admitted. “But I know how much they cost you, so I handed them over to your cousin for safekeeping. That was over four years ago now. Didn’t she tell you?”

“No! She thought that mentioning it might bring up unwanted feelings for me. But we just came back to Sydney the other day, and she asked me to pick up the boxes from her today. I was so surprised. Thank you again for not getting rid of them.”

“No worries. So you’re back here for a visit?”

“No. Sandro got a transfer, so we’re back to stay. We both missed Australia so much. But I need to find a new job.”

“Okay. Good luck with that.”

“Thanks. So how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been well, thank you.” He didn’t know what else to say, which had been one of the problems in their relationship. He couldn’t share anything about his IR work.

The silence lengthened, and Trish cleared her throat. “Um, I better let you go.”

“Okay. You take care.”

“You, too. Bye, Aidan.”

“Bye.”

He hung up, shrugging. Funny how effectively time had healed that wound. He felt nothing but a little friendly caring for Trish now. In fact, the pain attached from the lesson he’d learnt from their two-year relationship was much stronger than the memory of his feelings for her. He guessed it was because things with Trish were well and truly over, whilst the lesson was ongoing.

Dating a non-IR didn’t work. At all.

He’d initially learnt that difficult truth with Priscilla, his first serious girlfriend. He’d been a young twenty-one-year-old when he’d fallen for her. Despite orders and warnings from the chiefs not to reveal their identities to non-Indie Rebels, he’d told Priscilla this secret on their one-year anniversary. Trusting Priscilla implicitly, he’d thought he was doing the right thing for their relationship.

But Priscilla had mentioned something to someone because, somehow, a crime lord had gotten wind of the fact that she had information regarding an Indie Rebel. Priscilla had been kidnapped. When IRs had stormed the place where she’d been kept, one of the goons had shot her before they’d tried to escape.

Priscilla had died in his arms, but not before swearing to him on her last breath that she’d never told anyone that Aidan was the IR she’d known. While she’d made the mistake of saying something vague to a friend of hers, she’d died keeping his secret.

Aidan blinked rapidly, taking a deep breath. That was why he emphasised to initiates how incredibly important it was to never, ever reveal their IR identities to those outside of their group. People could slip up accidentally even with the best of intentions.

He pushed the bad memories back into their box. Over the years, he’d learnt that the best way to live his life was to always focus on the lessons without letting the negative feelings swamp him. To date, that had served him well.

He gave himself a relaxing shake. He was supposed to be having fun tonight, not remembering painful memories.

He went back inside the house and locked the door before rejoining the party. For some reason, despite the numerous guests in attendance, his gaze immediately landed on Felicity, who sent him a smile before continuing to talk to Kallan’s twin, Kerrod.

Had she been waiting for him to come back, or had she just happened to glance at the door as he’d come in?

He smirked. Why, oh why, couldn’t he meet IR agents he wanted to date? Why was he always attracted to women he couldn’t tell his most important secrets to?

And why on earth couldn’t he help but feel jealous that Felicity was laughing heartily at something Kerrod was saying?

Don’t go there, idiot. Just don’t go there.

**END OF CHAPTER ONE***

Aidan: The Rescue releases on the 24th of September, 2020 and can be bought from the following stores:

Amazon | Apple iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

(Link to Google Play will be available on release day.)

Kallan: The Switch Chapter Two

Kallan: The Switch is releasing on the 24th of April, 2020.

Read Chapter One here.

Kallan: The Switch Chapter Two

Two weeks later… 

Isla looked at her watch and lifted her brows in surprise. She couldn’t believe it was almost six in the evening. No wonder she was starving. She hadn’t eaten anything since five hours ago, and it had only been half a sandwich. This latest case she’d been working on turned out to be more complex than she’d anticipated.

Her laptop pinged with an incoming email, and she checked it. She frowned as she read her mother’s response to the man who’d come to see them yesterday. She made her way to the office next to hers.

Nadine, her mother and boss, smiled wryly. “You read my email to Carl Santos.”

“Yes. I know you already made your decision, but I really think we should take the case. It’s clear that Carl’s employer has been underpaying him for months. He’s never received overtime time pay even though he’s been regularly asked to work extra hours.”

Nadine shook her head. “I’d love to, but it’ll end up costing us. There was nothing in writing that Carl was asked to do overtime. His employer can simply claim that Carl had chosen to work those extra hours without their knowledge.”

“But Carl said that a few of his colleagues are prepared to talk to us. They’re apparently in the same boat. They’re being continually taken advantage of, and they want to lift the lid on the practices of their boss.”

“I know where you’re coming from, darling. But there’s not much there for us. We need to be smarter at selecting clients.”

Isla let out a loud sigh. Yes, as good business operators, they should be shrewd in who they worked with. But it frustrated her that most of the new clients who’d been approaching them were larger companies that wanted to win lawsuits brought against them by their employees. While their firm only represented those who were in the right, working against less-fortunate individuals who didn’t have deep pockets wasn’t at all inspiring for Isla.

Her phone beeped with a text message. She excused herself and went back to her office to check it. A grin spread across her face. Julius Keegan wanted to know if she wanted to buy his dining table. Of course! That table was solid wood and very well-made. There were quite a few scratches, though. Apparently, both Kallan and Kerrod had written on it with something sharp when they had been little. But if she sanded it back and re-stained it, it should look as good as new.

She sat in her chair and rang Julius straight away.

“Hello, Isla.”

“Hi, Julius. How are you?”

“Never better! So, I take it you’re interested in my dining table?”

“Yes, please. How much would you want for it?”

“Well…I have a figure in mind. But if you’re willing to take more of my stuff, I’m happy to make you a deal. The boys took down some things from the attic. Would you like to come and have a look at them?”

“Of course. I’d love to.” Truth was, she was running out of space in her extra-large, double garage, but Julius had very good pieces—old and tired, but of high quality.

“Could you come, say, this evening, if you have time?” Julius asked. “My real estate agent is bugging me to clear the space so they can take good photos for the ads. Apparently, it could mean thousands of dollars difference in the sale price if the place is, uh, much less cluttered.”

Isla smiled. “Of course. I could be there in half an hour.”

“Perfect! I’ll see you then.”

“See you, Julius.”

“More furniture for you to upcycle?” Nadine asked from Isla’s doorway.

Isla smiled ruefully. “Someone wants to sell me more of his unwanted stuff.”

Nadine sighed. “I know how much you want to help those girls from the shelter, but this hobby of yours is also taking up a lot of your time. I just want to ask, and please don’t take this the wrong way… Would you rather go part-time here? Then you can have more time to devote to your New Againcircle. Thing is, I really need a full-time person in your role. But if you want to go part-time, I can get another part-timer to fill the rest of the hours. It won’t be ideal, but it’ll give you time to decide what you really want for your future.”

Guilt hit Isla. She knew her mum needed her to focus more on helping her build the practice, but she had Felicity and the women staying at the nearby domestic violence victims’ shelter to think about too. The New Againworkshops were something they all looked forward to.

“You know I love working here with you, Mum. I want so much to help you grow this firm. But, right now, Felicity’s not yet ready to take over from me. She already helps in the sourcing of items and maintaining the online shop, but she’s not that confident doing workshops yet or approaching buyers for the finished pieces. Over time, she’ll be able to totally take over from me.”

“I know. I also need more of your time, is all,” Nadine said with resignation. “We’re getting busier, but we can’t afford another staff at this point.”

Isla slumped in her chair. This was a constant source of conflict. “Thanks for being understanding, Mum. I’ll find a way to make it work.”

“You’re still feeling guilty regarding Felicity,” Nadine declared. “She never blamed you for anything, you know.”

Isla’s eyes stung. “I know.” But she was still racked with guilt that she’d never noticed the horrendous abuse heaped on Felicity by her then-boyfriend, now ex. If Isla hadn’t seen one of the bruises on Felicity’s upper arm, her best friend would still have been living in fear of her monster ex.

Isla had been shocked and sickened by her discovery, which had happened only a week after her father’s death. Admittedly, helping Felicity leave her boyfriend and report him to the police had helped Isla focus her attention away from her grief.

Fortunately, Felicity’s bastard ex was now behind bars, his prison sentence taking into account his torching of Felicity’s car when he’d found out that Felicity had finally told someone how he’d treated her. Now, Felicity was thriving.

Isla couldn’t be more thrilled about Felicity’s progress. And seeing her and the other ladies from the shelter enjoy furniture revamping and letting the girls keep the profits from the pieces they’d worked on, made Isla feel she was doing something good on this earth.

But she also loved her mother and their practice. As a kid, she’d dreamt of representing those who couldn’t go toe-to-toe with powerful aggressors—a sentiment she’d seen her mother express for as long as she could remember. But with Morgan & Associates being only three years old, they were nowhere near able to pick and choose who to accept as clients. If they wanted to pay the bills and their mortgages, they had to take on cases that weren’t exactly inspiring. There simply wasn’t enough interest for their services at this stage, and Isla wanted to help Nadine grow out of this sooner rather than later. She’d never want to go part-time, if she could help it.

“I wish your dad was here,” Nadine whispered. “He was always good at showing another path we hadn’t noticed.”

Isla smiled, sharing an unspoken longing and sadness with her mum.

Nadine went back to her office, and Isla let tears fall.

Her dad’s death two years ago from a bullet not meant for him still haunted them both. Oscar had been accidentally shot while simply doing his job as a plumber. His customer at the time of the shooting had claimed that he was meant to be the target, not Oscar. But even up till now, the police didn’t have a suspect, much less a motive.

It grieved Nadine that Isla had been by Oscar’s side when he’d taken his last breath, while Nadine hadn’t made it in time. Taking a tissue from her drawer, Isla let her mind play back her last minutes with her father.

“Remember, Isla, never tell anyone that I told you how to contact the Indie Rebels,” Oscar said in a weak voice.

Isla nodded, fighting back tears. She feared her dad was getting delirious, because why else would he suddenly talk about the vigilante group who fancied themselves as crime-fighters? 

“I’m telling you this just in case, okay?” Oscar said. “But it’s an important just-in-case. There might come a time when the police might not be able to help you and your mother when you need them. If that time ever comes, you go and ask the Indie Rebels for help. Okay?”

“Okay. Is there a particular reason why you’re thinking of them right now?” she asked gently.

“I’ve been reading a lot about them after it was reported that they were responsible for catching that notorious criminal, Eugene Barker. Imagine how the police couldn’t even find the man, and those IRs caught him. And from my research, they help ordinary people in trouble. Remember that, okay?”

Isla opened her mouth to say that the police had refuted the claim of two teenage eyewitnesses that the Indie Rebels had been involved in catching Barker, but changed her mind. “Yes,” she answered instead. “But why were you researching them?”

“Just very interested in them,” Oscar said, his voice weaker. “I love you very much, sweetheart.”

“I love you very much too.”

“Tell your mum I love her very much.”

Tears cascaded down Isla’s cheeks as her father closed his eyes for the last time.

Isla stifled a sob, remembering her dad’s words. She’d done some research on the Indie Rebels—IRs to their fans—and three things had become clear. One, they were a powerful, privately funded, crime-fighting group. More than a few high-profile criminals were now in jail because of them. Two, they were unsanctioned by authorities. Regardless of what they’d done to rid Australia of some of the most wanted criminals, the police still didn’t want the public contacting them. And three, no one could name a single Indie Rebel. They remained mysterious heroes who wore all-black outfits from head to toe, including dark glasses even at nights. Their ability to keep their identities a secret was legendary.

She wasn’t convinced they could do more than what the police could, though.

She wiped her face and grabbed her handbag. She’d promised Julius she’d see him soon. “I have to leave now, Mum,” she called out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Nadine said.

She walked over to Nadine’s room then kissed her mother on the cheek. “Thanks. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

Isla left the office, feeling guilty that she was leaving while her mother was still hard at work. She wasn’t a mere employee. She was going to be a partner in this firm—if they ever became big enough. But with her constantly taking an hour here and there to check out furniture, she wasn’t putting in the time required from someone in her position. She hated that.

But she also didn’t want to disappoint the ladies from the shelter. They’d indicated that her informal workshops, which the women themselves had called New Again, were their favourite, especially since they were able to earn extra income they sorely needed.

Isla had thought about asking others for help so she could free up her time. But if someone else took over, Felicity wouldn’t get the chance to head up New Again later on. And Isla had started this for her friend, first and foremost.

Argh, she had no idea how to resolve this. She had no choice but to continue with things as they were. Hopefully, she’d find an answer soon.

* * *

Isla looked around her large garage. Even with some unrestored pieces stacked on top of each other, there was little room to put anything more. They’d even resorted to doing the workshops on her driveway. Fortunately, with the garage situated at the back of her house, the driveway was long and private.

Was there anything else she and Felicity could move to make way for Julius’s big dining table?

Did the place look tidy enough for visitors?

“Hey, I can’t tell if you’re nervous or excited,” Felicity teased, the fringe of her shoulder-length brown hair covering her eyes as she carried a chair to a corner.

“I think I’m both,” Isla admitted.

Felicity chuckled. “Two hunky twins making a special delivery for you. Why wouldn’t you be both?”

“I do feel a little guilty that Julius practically ordered them to deliver the table as there’s no way you and I can carry such a heavy piece.”

“And Kallan is the one with the shorter hair?”

“No. Kerrod is apparently the one who usually sports shorter hair. But I don’t know if he’s had a haircut. If he hasn’t, it’s honestly hard to tell them apart.”

“Why did you cancel your date with Kerrod if you can’t even tell them apart?”

“Because I’m more attracted to Kallan,” Isla said with a sigh.

“You haven’t exactly told Kerrod that you don’t want to date him at all, have you? Instead of making the excuse?”

“No,” Isla said with a little whine. “I didn’t know what to tell him. I can’t very well say, ‘Sorry, Kerrod. I thought you were your brother. He’s the one I’m actually interested in.’ I don’t want him to feel insulted and hurt.”

“Yeah, I get you. I do find it funny that when you first met Kerrod, you thought Kallan just forgot that he’d bumped into you before,” Felicity said with a laugh.

“I know! Don’t get me wrong. Kerrod is a nice guy, but there’s just something missing with him. I guess I just have more chemistry with Kallan. Even when I opened the door for him at Julius’s place, I felt that sizzle again. Straight away! It was pretty special.”

“Do you think Kerrod will ask you out again?”

“I really hope not. You know, I think he warned Kallan off me. After he said something to Kallan in Julius’s kitchen, Kallan wasn’t as friendly.”

“I guess it’s some sort of bro code. Kerrod asked you out first, so Kallan has to get out of his way.”

Isla made a face. “I don’t think I’d want to be the cause of a fight between the brothers, so I guess I also have to make sure I don’t flirt with Kallan. I just really hope Kerrod backs off, too, or it would be real awkward.”

“Such a pity. Maybe the brothers will sort it out themselves so Kallan can eventually date you.”

She scoffed. “I’m not gonna hold my breath.”

“Do you think Kallan’s a good guy?” Felicity asked, suddenly serious.

She shrugged. “I don’t know him well enough.”

“You deserve someone who won’t lie to you over and over to hide his bad side.”

Isla smiled wryly. She and Felicity both wanted the opposite of what they’d experienced with their respective exes. Isla’s ex had lied multiple times to her to hide his drug habit. When she’d found out, the idiot had had the nerve to say that he hadn’t told her because she was a bland, boring woman who didn’t know the difference between simply having a good time and being addicted. She’d tried to help him, but he’d resented any assistance on her part. In fact, their relationship had become so problematic that she hadn’t noticed the other things that had been going on around her—like how Felicity had been having a horrendous time with her abusive ex.

She shook her head. Never again. Next time, she’d ensure that her new partner valued openness and honesty. And she’d promised that she’d be the first to embody those traits.

The sound of a truck’s engine reached their ears, and Isla went to the top of the driveway. The brothers were in the front seats, one of them driving. And, no, Kerrod hadn’t had a haircut. So which one was Kallan?

The twin sitting on the passenger side of the truck got out first. “Hi. We’ve come bearing gifts.”

Isla let out a laugh, trying to identify which one he was. “Thank you. I really appreciate you guys delivering the furniture.”

“Dad didn’t give us an option. He wanted them out of his place today.”

“Hi,” said the other brother as he approached her.

Isla’s heart started racing. There was something about the warmth of this guy’s gaze that reminded her of Kallan, so she said, “Hi, Kallan.”

“Whoa, you can tell us apart?” Kerrod said, sounding impressed. “It’s rare for someone who doesn’t know us well to be able to do that.”

“‘Course she can tell us apart,” Kallan said, grinning. “She only needs to identify the mature one.”

Kerrod clapped Kallan’s back with some force.

“And it’s so obvious you’re the baby,” Kallan continued with a laugh.

Isla grinned, pleased that she'd gotten it right. And, gosh, Kallan truly affected her like no other. But had Kerrod advised Kallan that their planned date had been cancelled?

She mentally shook herself. Unfortunately, in this case, she couldn’t make the first move on Kallan. And whether he’d ever ask her out in light of Kerrod’s interest in her remained to be seen.

She introduced Felicity to the twins, then Kallan went back to the truck to drive it closer to the garage.

Isla couldn’t help but watch Kallan as he moved about. My, he was strong. Yes, Kerrod too. The twins carried the heavy table by themselves, albeit with a lot of effort. Thankfully, the table fit perfectly in the space she’d allotted for it.

“We better run,” Kerrod said, checking his watch.

Kallan ran his hand on his father’s dining table. “Bye, table. I hope Isla finds you a nice family to spend the next chapter of your life with.”

Isla was touched. “I’m sorry you can’t keep it.”

Kallan smiled. “I’m glad it’s you who bought it. I’m sure you’ll treat it well.”

“It’s not a pet that’s being rehomed, Kallan,” Kerrod teased.

“Hey, it’s a family heirloom,” Kallan said. “Anyway, we do need to run.”

“Thanks again, guys,” Isla said. “I hope this wasn’t too much of a hassle for you.”

“Not at all,” Kallan assured her before turning to Felicity to say goodbye.

“See you later, Isla,” Kerrod said. “I’ll give you a call.”

She could only nod. It wasn’t the right time to let Kerrod know she wasn’t interested in going out with him anymore.

As for Kallan, well, he was now walking back to the truck. Fat chance that he’d call her, even for just a coffee. Kallan seemed to be giving Kerrod a clear path towards her.

She was very, very sorry about that.

#End of Chapter Two#

Want to continue reading? Kallan: The Switch will be releasing on the 24th of April, 2020.

You can get the book from the following stores:

Amazon | Apple iBooksBarnes & Noble | Kobo (Google Play link coming soon.)

Paperbacks can be ordered from:

Amazon

Kallan: The Switch Chapter One

Kallan: The Switch is releasing on the 24th of April, 2020.

Chapter One

Kallan hurriedly filled the supermarket basket with his brother’s requested items, then lined up for the self-serve checkouts. He looked ahead, counting the number of people in front of him waiting for a scanning machine. He was fourth in line.

A shopper at one of the checkouts caught his attention—a twenty-something blonde with gorgeously long, wavy hair who was calling an attendant for help.

His breath hitched. Whoa, she was beautiful. And she had a stunning smile for the supermarket employee who waved his card under the reader to authorise a purchase that the machine hadn’t accepted.

Kallan couldn’t help but stare while Miss Stunning scanned her groceries. Sooner than he wanted, she was finished and ready to leave. And Kallan found himself following her with his eyes. Seriously, she was the most attractive woman he’d ever seen. Was she single?

He smirked. What was he gonna do? Follow her and introduce himself? Well, perhaps he could accidentally bump into her. Literally.

He hadn’t wanted to meet a woman this badly in five years. But he didn’t think his heart had thumped this hard when he’d first laid eyes on his ex-girlfriend.

A few people finished paying at the same time and left their machines. Kallan went to one facing the exit so he could get a glimpse of Miss Stunning walking away. But she quickly disappeared from his sight.

Aw.

He returned his attention to his groceries, his stomach rumbling. He was already late for his lunch meeting with Kerrod, and he’d be even later because of this detour to get Kerrod’s groceries. He shouldn’t have said yes when his twin had begged him for this favour.

But he’d always felt like the big brother to his twin. Being born at eleven fifty-seven at night on the thirty-first of December, Kallan was a full five minutes older than Kerrod, who’d arrived into the world on the first of January.

As identical twins, not only did they look and sound alike, they also had the same taste in clothes. The primary thing that physically distinguished them was their hairstyles. Kallan preferred to keep his medium-length dark brown hair in a classic slick back, while Kerrod always opted for the short crew cut.

Aside from that, there weren’t many obvious things that could tell them apart. Their work was the major difference. Kallan ran a private investigator business which flourished due to his brilliance at observing, deducing, and coming up with big picture plans. Kerrod, on the other hand, was an IT contractor, though his excellence at developing software for any purpose was a skill that had gotten him in a whole lot of trouble.

Kallan still couldn’t understand how his brother had allowed himself to get caught in the net of criminals in the first place. When Kerrod had discovered that the lucrative, high-paying job he’d accepted wasn’t at all legal, he should have asked for outside help quicksmart before he’d been in too deep, unable to get out. Then again, despite his brilliant mind, Kerrod didn’t think like Kallan. And for all his faults, Kerrod had done what he’d thought he should for his loved ones’ safety.

Kallan shook his head, grateful that Kerrod’s problems were behind them.

He scanned, bagged, and paid for his items, then made his way to the shopping centre car park, still thinking about the woman who’d stoked his interest. It had been two years since he’d broken up with his ex. They’d simply drifted apart. Since then, he’d been too busy with work, as well as helping Kerrod get back to some normality after his unbelievable ordeal. Meeting someone new had been the last thing on his mind.

Today, however, he was suddenly thinking about getting back into the dating game. All because of Miss Stunning.

But she was gone, nowhere to be seen. What a shame.

Kallan stepped out onto the parking level where he’d left his vehicle, and his steps faltered. There she was, glancing around in bafflement.

Oops, looked like she couldn’t remember where she’d parked her car.

Without hesitation, he headed towards her and…bumped shoulders with her. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” he said sheepishly.

Miss Stunning turned to look at him, and the pupils of her beautiful blue eyes dilated.

Kallan sucked in a breath. Oh, he knew perfectly well what that reaction meant. Instant attraction. So, the feeling was mutual, huh? Excellent.

“Not your fault,” Miss Stunning said with a smile. “I’m the one standing in the way.”

Despite his purposeful actions, he felt himself go red. Any other mature, thirty-three-year-old man wouldn’t have done something so juvenile.

“I was in such a hurry earlier that I forgot to pay attention to where I parked,” said Miss Stunning. “I thought my car was around here, but I can’t see it.”

Thrilled that she was talking to him, Kallan gave her what he hoped was a dazzling smile. “Well, you could try retracing your steps. Start from now and recall things backwards. I find that helps with remembering things.”

“Oh, of course.” Miss Stunning went silent for a long moment, deep in thought. Then her frown disappeared, replaced with a eureka expression. “I should have turned left, not right when I went out the door. Thanks so much!”

“You’re so welcome!”

“My car should be over there—” Interrupted by her ringing phone, Miss Stunning answered it. “Hi. Yes, on my way now…” She waved goodbye to him, mouthing a “thank you” as she trotted towards her vehicle.

Kallan waved back, sorry that she was leaving, and watched until she drove away.

Argh, he didn’t even get to ask her name.

Well, he was a private investigator after all…and a bloody good one at that…

“Don’t be a creep, Kallan,” he muttered under his breath.

* * *

One month later…

Kallan patted his jeans pockets for the keys to his father’s house. Damn it. He’d forgotten to bring them with him. He rang the doorbell, knowing that Kerrod was already inside. He’d seen his twin’s car parked on the street.

Their father, Julius, had just had a pacemaker implanted to help regulate his heart rate. Feeling re-energised, Julius had now decided to sell his big home and downsize, then use some of the profits to do some travelling. He’d called on his sons to help him declutter the house prior to listing it.

Kallan believed his father was doing too much too soon. But Julius was so obstinate that he wanted to stick to his schedule. Unfortunately, the only person who could have cajoled his father into changing his mind had passed away five years ago: Kallan and Kerrod’s mother.

A smile touched Kallan’s lips at the memory of his mum. She would have loved to help declutter their family home. She’d always complained that Julius was a hoarder.

Kallan heard footsteps getting louder from the inside of the house. Those didn’t sound like Kerrod or his dad’s. The person appeared to be wearing heels—

His mouth hung open at the sight of the woman who opened the door. It was her.

“Hi,” Miss Stunning said, her eyes wide. “You must be Kallan.”

“Yes,” he said with wonder. “What are you doing here?”

The beautiful stranger blinked a few times. “I’m Isla Morgan. I’m the one buying some of your father’s preloved furniture.”

He shook her proffered hand, tempted to hang on to it longer than was appropriate. “What a coincidence. Do you remember me? I was the guy who bumped into you at the shopping mall car park last month when you couldn’t find your car.”

“That was you?” Isla asked, her cheeks reddening. “When I met Kerrod, I thought it was him. He looks so much like you…for obvious reasons, of course.”

He chuckled, closing the door behind him. “Yeah, especially since Kerrod hasn’t had his regular haircut.”

“Right. I thought he just forgot that he’d seen me before.”

Kallan lifted his brows. “I wouldn’t have forgotten.”

Isla stared at him, her face showing embarrassment and dismay.

He smiled, hoping to ease her discomfort, and led her towards the family room at the back of the house where his father and brother should be. “So, you’re the one buying some of my dad’s unwanted stuff, huh? You’ve picked which things you want?”

Isla nodded. “I’m taking most of the small-sized furniture he wants to get rid of. It’s a shame he doesn’t want to sell the dining table. It’s beautiful.”

“That’s been in the family for almost fifty years. It originally belonged to my grandparents, and Dad is hoping either I or Kerrod will want it eventually.”

“And will you?”

“I’d really love to keep it, but it’s huge. It won’t fit in my place.”

“That’s what Kerrod said too,” Isla murmured.

“Well, if you wait a while, Dad might decide he won’t have room for it, either.”

They entered the open-plan family room that also housed the kitchen and dining area. Julius was sitting in an armchair, instructing Kerrod what to remove from the top of a tall cabinet.

“Hey,” Kallan said, patting Kerrod on the shoulder before going to Julius and kissing him on the temple. “How’re you feeling, Dad?”

“Never better,” Julius answered with extra bravado.

Kallan smiled. That was his father’s constant answer regardless of how he felt, but he truly seemed to mean it these days.

“Isla is kind enough to take a lot of this old stuff from me,” Julius said, sweeping an arm across the room.

“I’m thrilled you gave me first choice in buying your preloved items,” Isla said. “You have some beautiful pieces here.”

“Well, an old guy like me has no need for too many things. And my sons here don’t want to take any of them.”

Kerrod playfully shivered. “Not to my taste.”

“I wouldn’t have minded keeping some for sentimental value,” Kallan said. “But I simply don’t have room in my apartment.”

“You can buy a bigger place, Kallan,” Julius said, then turned to Isla. “He can afford a big house, but he insists on living in a small box.”

Kallan laughed. “Location, location, location, Dad. And it’s not as small as you make it out to be.”

Julius huffed. “What’s the point of having views of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge when you don’t have a backyard for a dog?”

“I don’t have a dog.”

“Because you don’t have a backyard. At least Kerrod has a small courtyard. He could get a small dog.”

“He doesn’t want a dog,” Kallan pointed out.

Kerrod snickered. “Doesn’t fit my current lifestyle.”

“You’re a dog lover, I see, Julius,” Isla said.

“Yes. I haven’t had one in ages because I simply don’t have the energy to look after one anymore. But we used to have a Labrador named Leo and a mini poodle named Noodle. My wife loved them very much…” Julius’s tone turned wistful.

“We all did,” Kallan said quietly. “Do you have a dog, Isla?”

“Not at the moment. I had one when I was a kid, and I’m very much a dog person. I’d love one right now for some company as I live alone. But with my work, I just don’t have the time to look after a pet.”

“And I assume your work is to buy and sell used furniture?” Kallan gestured to some of Julius’s for sale items, happy for the tidbit that Isla wasn’t living with anyone. Hopefully, that meant no boyfriend.

“This is only kind of a part-time work for me,” Isla answered. “I sell them after restoring them first.”

Kallan’s brows rose. “Wow. You make them look like new again?”

“Yes,” Isla said rather shyly. “I might paint some in different colours. Give them a totally new feel.”

“Can I visit your shop?” Kerrod interjected, grinning at Isla.

“I actually don’t have a physical shop, just an online one. My workshop and storage is my garage,” Isla said with a laugh.

“Can I visit your garage, then?” Kerrod asked. “I’d like to see some of your works-in-progress.”

“Uh, sure.”

Kallan threw a glare at his brother. What? Was Kerrod interested in Isla too? He hoped not. “So, what do you mean this is only kind of part-time for you.”

“I’m a lawyer, believe it or not,” Isla answered. “I work at my mother’s law practice.”

“That’s right. You told me that last time,” Kerrod mused. “An attractive, artistic, handy-with-old-furniture lawyer. What more could you ask for?”

Isla blushed.

“You two have met before?” Kallan asked with a frown.

“Yes, twice before,” Kerrod answered.

His twin was giving Kallan a look that he totally understood. Kerrod was also interested in Isla and wanted him to back off.

“This is the third time this week that Julius called me to come and check out more items he wants to get rid of,” Isla said.

“And I’ve always been here to help Dad sort out his stuff,” Kerrod added pointedly.

Argh! Kerrod was a step ahead of him with Isla. Damn, damn, damn.

“It’s okay,” Julius said, smiling at Kallan. “I know you were working on an important case.”

“I better head off,” Isla said, looking at her watch. “My friend Felicity and I will be back on Tuesday to pick up the pieces that I bought.”

“Hey, boys,” Julius said. “How about you help Isla transport the stuff to her garage? She’s bought so much from me that I don’t mind paying for a truck hire.”

“Of course,” Kallan said readily.

“There’s no need,” Isla said. “Thank you so much for the offer, but Felicity and I can manage. There’s nothing I’m taking that’s too heavy for us, and I’ve already booked a truck.”

“Are you sure?” Kallan asked. “It’s no trouble at all.”

Isla sent him a beautiful smile. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

“Okay. But if you change your mind…”

Kerrod brushed against Kallan and whispered in his ear. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen?”

He followed his twin.

“I’ve asked her out,” Kerrod declared when they were out of earshot. “And she’s said yes. Sorry, bro. You gotta bow out.”

Kallan took in a sharp breath. Well, that was that. Kerrod had asked Isla out first, and she’d accepted.

Fuck.

#End of Chapter One#

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Bryce: The Project Chapter Two

Did you enjoy chapter one of Bryce: The Project yesterday?

In chapter two, Bryce and Emma meet for the first time in two years. Read about it here:

Bryce: The Project Chapter Two

Emma Fern glanced at her cousin as they left the cinema. Sharryn was still teary, dabbing the corners of her eyes. “Aw, honey.”

Sharryn sniffed. “We should have chosen a different movie. That was so sad.”

Emma smiled. Sharryn had known the film was about a father who’d been caught by terrorists.

“I wish I could visit Dad,” Sharryn said in a low voice.

“Then why don’t you? I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

“Why not? I honestly don’t mind.”

Sharryn shook her head. “Let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s go to my favourite Chinese restaurant.”

Emma smiled sympathetically, feeling for Sharryn. On the day her cousin had gotten engaged seven months ago, Sharryn’s dad had been caught in a warehouse with crates of drugs. Edgar Fern had been maintaining his innocence, claiming that a group called the Indie Rebels had set him up.

Emma didn’t know her uncle well, having not seen him in years. But she was sure Edgar couldn’t have been a drug trafficker. Her memories were of a kind, jolly man.

Plus, she’d seen how some of the evidence against him had been manipulated. Her dad’s explanations made total sense. But, apparently, more proof was required to exonerate Edgar due to the sophistication of the manipulations.

She linked arms with Sharryn as they made their way through crowded George Street. Even though one of her main reasons for being in Sydney was to meet her three-year-old half-sister, she’d quickly re-established bonds with Sharryn.

They’d been best buddies when they were little, being the same age. And when Sharryn had asked her to be one of her bridesmaids four days ago, she’d been so touched that all her misgivings about reconciling with her father had started to dissipate.

The whole Fern family, like her dad had assured her, were keen to reconnect despite her being estranged from them since she was ten. After fifteen years of no contact whatsoever, she’d been wary of meeting with them. She’d even doubted they’d greet her with open arms.

But they had. They’d even organised a “reunion” party for her the other night, when she’d arrived from Brisbane. She’d felt nothing but warmth from them, and she was slowly letting her guard down.

“By the way,” Sharryn said, “we could be meeting my future brother-in-law for dinner. He said he might be around here at this time, and I said to catch up with us at the restaurant.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. When her father had rung her this morning, he’d talked up Sharryn’s fiancé’s twin brother as a great and trustworthy personal security officer.

“What?” Sharryn asked innocently.

“Why would I need a bodyguard? My dad and I are only just getting to know each other again, and I’m not in any way connected to his and your dad’s business.” The very thought of having someone follow her around everywhere made Emma want to shudder. How intrusive would that be?

“One thing you need to know about your dad is that he’s anal with security. So even if he just wants someone to accompany you while you play tourist, he’d rather it’s a bodyguard.”

“I don’t need a tour guide, either,” she said with a laugh.

“Well, Uncle Addison feels so guilty that his overseas business trip couldn’t be rescheduled or he’d be the one to take you around.”

Emma smiled regretfully. She’d known for a while that she would be in Sydney for three and a half months—the first two weeks as a holiday, and the rest for work. She’d been promoted as a sous chef at a high-end restaurant in Brisbane, and her boss had sent her to Sydney to learn from their newly hired chef who’d won plenty of awards.

At the last minute, she’d accepted her father’s invitation to connect. And she was surprised at what had happened to Sharryn’s father. She’d seenEdgar Fern in the news, but she hadn’t paid much attention to the name of the man who’d been caught red-handed by the police. She’d had no idea he was her uncle, and had gotten the shock of her life when her father had told her the reason for all the crazy security for the Fern family.

“I should have given Dad enough notice that I was coming,” she said. “I totally understand he just can’t change his schedule, especially when this sounds like a big business trip. But I’ll be spending lots of time with my adorable little sister and my future stepmother and, of course, you. You guys already have bodyguards, so surely I won’t need one.”

“But we can only see you after work or on the weekends. Trust me, you’d like Kallan. The best thing is he lives in the building next door to where you’re staying. He’ll be handy to have around.”

“I’m sure he’s great. But in a week and a half, I’ll be going to work. I’ll be with plenty of people there. Please don’t think I’m minimising the safety issues surrounding you guys. It’s just that Dad said this whole thing with the Indie Rebels stemmed from a business misunderstanding of some sort. Like I said, I’m not connected to the Fern business, so I don’t want Dad being anal with something unnecessary.”

“Look, just meet Kallan anyway. He’s hot and handsome and dreamy because he looks exactly like my Kerrod, except for the hairstyle.”

“What? You’re trying to set me up with him now?”

Sharryn chortled. “No. I was just trying to tell you that my fiancé’s hot and handsome and dreamy because he looks exactly like Kallan, except for the hairstyle.”

Emma laughed, pleased that she was getting along well with Sharryn. She had to admit, she was very touched by her cousin’s warmth.

“Here we are—my favourite Chinese restaurant.” Sharryn steered her inside a busy eatery and advised the waiter of her reservation for three people. They were escorted to a table by the window.

“Have you visited your dad with Kerrod?” Emma asked gently after the waiter left them with menus. She was keen to steer the conversation back to her Uncle Edgar being in jail while awaiting trial, as she still couldn’t fully wrap her head around the whole thing.

Sharryn let out a sigh. “No. Dad doesn’t want us to go, actually. He said until he’s been proven innocent, he doesn’t want anyone else visiting him, in case the cops think we’re all part of a drug cartel.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? Surely the police won’t suspect all of his relatives to be criminals just because we go there to see him.”

“I know. But Dad and Uncle Addison… Well, they don’t want…umm…. There’s their business to think about, you know? They don’t want their clients getting wind of the fact that my dad’s in jail, much less the reason for it.”

Emma furrowed her brows. “What about those who might have seen him in the news?”

Sharryn drank from the glass of water the waiter had placed before her. “Fortunately, the people Dad liaises with are mostly their overseas partners. I doubt the news we saw here would have been broadcast overseas. As for their business partners here in Australia, your dad is their main point of contact.”

“Right. Has any of them actually asked if the Edgar Fern in the news is related to Addison Fern?”

“I don’t think so. They’re probably too polite to raise that question.”

Emma pursed her lips. “I really should learn more about their business. All I know is that it’s wholesale importing, and there’s no branding or anything. Dad said he’ll explain it to me, but he hasn’t had the chance yet. Maybe you can tell me.”

“Well, they source the best products overseas for the cheapest prices, then sell it to retailers here for a tidy profit. They don’t specialise in particular items. They just take advantage of whatever they think would sell well.”

“Okay. So there’s no warehouse or shop I can have a look at? I’d love to check out some of their items.”

Sharryn smirked. “No. Once the stuff arrives in Australia, it goes straight to the retailers who bought it. And if I were you, I wouldn’t worry too much about the ins and outs of the business. Listening to them explain it is so boring you’d regret asking.”

Emma smiled. Sharryn might not be that interested in their fathers’ business, but she was. “Sometimes I wonder if the clothes or other things I buy from the shops were something our dads had sourced.”

“Unlikely,” Sharryn said with a snort.

“Why? Dad said that clothes are always profitable.”

“Um, yeah. I guess. Frankly, I doubt our dads even see the actual items. They just do the negotiating, then their staff takes care of the logistics. So even they won’t have a clue if the shirts they’re wearing were something they’d bought and sold wholesale.”

“I guess that’s true. I wonder why they nicknamed their company the Fixers.”

Sharryn’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging.

“What?” Emma asked with a laugh.

Sharryn shook her head as if to clear it, glancing around.

“Isn’t it called the Fixers?”

Sharryn leaned close. “Apparently, some criminal gang is also called the Fixers, so we don’t want the Fern business to be mistaken for that, especially when my dad’s in jail.”

Emma gasped. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Who came up with that nickname then?”

“I think it had something to do with the business being the fix for the family’s financial problems a long time ago. But seriously, don’t go around saying that nickname out loud.”

Emma grasped Sharryn’s hand. “I won’t. And I’m sure Uncle Edgar will be successful in his defence.”

“I hope so too,” Sharryn murmured. “Anyway, tell me more about your dinner the other night with Jill and Myra. What do you think of them?”

Emma smiled. “It was great. Dad was so thrilled that the four of us were finally together. And Myra was just as nervous as I was in the beginning. She was shy but very hospitable. As for Jill—oh, she’s just too adorable! She insisted on me feeding her instead of her mum, and she sat on my lap the whole time while we watched TV.”

“Yes, Jill’s such a darling. So bubbly and smart and chatty. She’s always the centre of attention during our family gatherings. Everyone always wants to cuddle her.”

Jealousy crept up Emma’s chest. She would have loved to have been there when Jill was born, and when she’d taken her first steps and said her first words. Emma wasn’t feeling clucky. She was just smitten by Jill. Her little sister.

An image of her mother’s last day in the hospital popped in Emma’s head, and she inhaled sharply at the guilt that hit her. Vilma would have hated that she’d reconnected with the Ferns. And her mum would have especially loathed that Emma was crazy about her father’s other child after only just meeting her. Vilma had never gotten over the fact that Addison had hardly been around after Emma was born.

She looked at the table. I love you so much, Ma. I promise I’ll never forget you even when I spend time with them.

“I can imagine Uncle Addison being over the moon that you guys got along so well,” Sharryn mused. “He couldn’t wait to get you back into the Fern fold.”

“You know, when Dad first contacted me a month ago to say he wanted us to reconnect, I wasn’t interested. To his credit, he kept on trying. It was when he said I have a three-year-old sister that I decided to put aside my hurt from him having abandoned me and come here to meet Jill. I’m so glad I did.”

“Is that what you think? That he abandoned you?”

“Well, he just stopped calling not long after the divorce. And when I tried to call him, I found out he’d changed his number.”

“He did try to contact you! After you and Vilma moved from your old place, he couldn’t find you. He did change his number, but he tried to call your mum to tell her about it. But she wouldn’t answer. Then after a while, Vilma’s number changed too. He didn’t just decide to forget you, Emma. Your mother simply didn’t want you to have anything to do with him and had gone out of her way to hide you from him.”

Emma’s eyes welled. “Yes, that’s what he told me. I didn’t know. I grew up believing he never wanted me.”

“He found out about your mum’s multiple sclerosis, and he understood the strain you were under looking after her,” Sharryn said soothingly.

Emma nodded. She supposed she could give her father credit for that too. If there was anything she’d learnt in this life, it was that nothing was ever simple. Things that appeared open-and-shut or black and white on the outside could be anything but on the inside.

“So what else did you catch up on with your dad and Myra?”

“Well, we mainly spoke about food and my work. Then we watched a movie after dinner. To be honest, it felt like we just all wanted to relax around each other, so no one brought up any heavy topic. Myra did briefly offer her condolences for Mum’s passing, but for the most part, we simply tried to enjoy each other’s company.”

Sharryn sat back, smiling. “I remember when we were kids. I loved playing with you. Then when your parents got divorced, we never saw you again.”

“I know,” Emma murmured, saddened by the past. But she was moving on now. This trip was the first big step.

Sharryn checked her phone. “Kallan said he’ll be here in about five to ten minutes.”

“Okay. But I’m not convinced I need a bodyguard. Dad and I are going to have a serious discussion about that.”

“Well, you might decide to date him instead,” Sharon said with a wink. “He’s really good-looking.”

Emma chuckled. “Honestly, I won’t be interested. I don’t do long-distance relationships.”

“Bad experience?”

“Yeah, pretty much my whole life,” she said with a dry laugh. “I’m the product of two people who ended up hating each other because Dad was never around to nurture the relationship. That sucked. Then a week after Mum died, I discovered that my constantly travelling boyfriend—now ex—had been cheating on me with not one but five different women in five different states.” And she was positive, although she hadn’t seen any proof, that part of the reason why her mother had grown to hate her father was because he’d cheated repeatedly.

“What? Bastard!”

“And you know what his excuse was? He couldn’t be with me often enough so he had to have meaningless sex with the others.”

“No way! What an asshole!”

“I know. I wasn’t even that keen on him in the first place. But he was very persistent and sweet, and I guess I was flattered so I agreed to go out with him. When I found out he’s been wooing other women the same way he pursued me, I’ve never been so livid. But I think I was angrier at myself. I knew he was an executive who had to travel almost every week, but I still went out with him.”

“Come on. You can’t blame yourself for his actions. And you know what I think about long-distance relationships? It’s not the situation that’s the problem but the people involved.”

“I guess. Anyway, my ego was severely bruised, but my heart wasn’t broken. I was never in love with the guy.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

Emma opened her mouth to say no, but hesitated.

“Ooh, you have been.”

She exhaled loudly. “It’s silly, but the guy I liked more than anyone else was someone I’ve only spent three weeks with.”

“Wow. Love at first sight, huh?”

She smiled. “I guess.”

“When was this?”

“Two years ago.”

Sharryn lifted her brows. “What happened?”

Emma took a deep breath. “I won a trip to a Whitsunday island after participating in a cooking contest. The prize was for only one week, but I paid for an extra two weeks to give myself a longer break. That’s where I met him. We had a great time together, and I was hoping we could continue what we started after my trip was over, but we both agreed that the distance between us was an issue. So we parted ways without even giving each other our phone numbers. But, for the life of me, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Then when my ex started wooing me, a part of me wanted to prove that long-distance relationships could work, so that was why I agreed to date my cheater ex. Mind you, I didn’t realise all this at the time. It all came out during my hours and hours of talking my friends’ ears off. So, long and short of it, I’m still a firm believer that long-distance relationships don’twork.”

Sharryn patted her hand. “Hey, not all men are like your ex or that guy from the Whitsundays who didn’t even want to try. I know some couples who’ve made long-distance relationships work.”

“Sure. But a relationship is hard enough to manage without putting distance into the mix. Why even go there?”

Sharryn shrugged. “Which island in the Whitsundays did you stay at?”

“Plank Island. It’s actually a private island that the owner occasionally opens to the public. It’s an absolutely beautiful place.”

Sharryn’s mouth dropped open.

“What?”

“Um…that’s not far from an island that your dad has visited a few times.”

“Really? Which one?”

“Can’t remember the name. It wasn’t a commercial island that accepted guests. Friends of your dad lived there. Anyway, I was just thinking how cool it would have been if Uncle Addison had known you were at the neighbouring island two years ago. You could have caught up then!”

“Yeah,” Emma said, although she knew she wouldn’t have been ready to talk to her father then. “I think I’ll go to the ladies’ before Kallan arrives.”

“Oh, you wanna powder your nose for him?” Sharryn teased.

“I actually need to pee!”

Emma sprang from her seat and turned to the direction of the restrooms. She gasped loudly as she bumped into a body. Her gaze fixed on the man’s face, and her eyes rounded. Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe.

The dark-haired, brown-eyed hunk grinned at her, clearly reading her expression. “Emma.”

“Bryce,” she said in a breathless voice. What? Had she conjured him when she’d spoken about him to Sharryn?

She could feel her mouth stretching into a wide grin.

“Wow. How are you?” Bryce asked, himself looking surprised.

“I’m good,” she said with a laugh. “What are you doing here?”

Bryce gestured at the window. “I was passing by and I saw you sitting here. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“I mean, what are you doing here in Sydney?”

“Oh, I live here now. You?”

“Just visiting,” she answered, instantly disappointed at his answer.

Her mind played back the memory of her shedding a tear as she waved goodbye to Bryce from the back of the boat leaving Plank Island. And she’d waited until she was far enough away before she’d dared wipe her face. She hadn’t wanted him to notice her crying stupid tears when all they’d shared were three weeks of hanging out—and a hot, passionate one-night stand.

She felt heat rise up her face, embarrassment from that moment resurfacing.

“Hi, there,” Sharryn interjected.

Emma quickly turned to her cousin, hoping she wasn’t as red as she felt. Ugh! It had been two years, for heaven’s sake. “Sharryn, this is Bryce, an…old friend. Bryce, Sharryn. My cousin.”

Bryce offered his hand. “Good to meet you, Sharryn.”

“Same here,” Sharryn murmured, eyeing Bryce curiously.

“Well,” Emma said, lost for words but finding herself gazing back at Bryce. He looked just a tad older, but still absolutely gorgeous. In fact, he looked hotter now than she remembered.

She gulped, her chest heaving from an involuntary sigh.

“Were you going somewhere?” Bryce asked.

She blinked at him. “Huh?”

“You looked like you were going somewhere.”

“Yes, to the toilet,” Sharryn quipped.

Emma nodded, her cheeks burning even more. She took a couple of steps towards the restrooms before looking back. “Take a seat, Bryce. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to.” Then she hurried to her destination.

She went into the ladies’ and checked herself in the mirror. “Oh God,” she groaned under her breath. Yes, she was obviously flushed. Shaking her head, she went into one of the cubicles. As she sat, she rested her elbows on her thighs and covered her face with her hands.

Bryce was here. And her system was going haywire.

What on earth was wrong with her? She was so over him. It had been so long ago.

She inhaled deeply. Perhaps it was from the sheer shock of literally bumping into him after just having spoken about him. Plus, she’d truly never expected to see him again, and now he was here!

Yes. Perfectly understandable that she’d reacted like she had. Besides, the man was still an absolute hunk. He’d make any woman blush.

Ugh, Emma!

Well, hadn’t Bryce said he lived here now? In Sydney? She bet he’d still be averse to long-distance relationships. And she was too! Not only that, she wasn’t someone who’d entertain anything casual with a guy. It just wasn’t her thing.

Sure, she’d had a one-night stand with Bryce two years ago, but that had been a one-off. She blamed their paradise-like environment for that decision. They hadn’t been in reality then.

Not that she’d ever regretted sleeping with him. Not at all. It had been a remarkable experience. But she had to admit that it had taken her a long time to stop pining for him, and she wouldn’t want to put herself in the same position again.

Right?

Yes.

She took a long, deep breath.

Okay, she’d recovered from her surprise now. She’d gotten back her equilibrium. She could go back to their table and just enjoy this nice coincidence of bumping into an old friend.

Because that was all Bryce was. An old friend.

Really, that was all.

*END OF CHAPTER TWO*


Can't wait for you to read the rest of Bryce and Emma's story! Don't forget it releases on the 13th of September. Just a few more sleeps!

If you want to make sure that the book is in your favourite reading device early on release day, preorder Bryce: The Project from the following stores:

Amazon.com | Other Amazon storesApple iBooks  | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Google Play store link will be available on release day.

Till then, take care.

Love,

Miranda xo