Second Chances Read Free Page B

growing inside her.
    Timothy Smith aka Adonis, was the man of her dreams and the only man in her life from the moment they met six months ago at the Book Awards dinner; a glittering affair held in the sub-zero ballroom of one of Boston’s most magnificent hotels. The party was a veritable Who’s Who of publishing gurus and celebrity authors, and Amelia had hovered alone at the bar keeping warm and passing time by mentally cataloging all the movers and shakers in the room like books on a library shelf.
    Holding court in the center of the room were Chadwick and Abby Brown, twin heirs to Brown Books, the oldest and richest publishing house in the U.S. In the corner, single-handedly waging charm war fare on a troop of stylishly-dressed up beauties was Monte Monroe, accomplished author, charismatic flirt, and her own doting uncle. She owed it all to Monte for getting her here tonight. It was his connections that landed her an internship with Dewes and set the undeclared college student firmly on the path to a career in publishing. Glancing across the bar she spotted her boss Stuart Gold chatting with Pashmina Papadakis, Dewes Publishing’s most celebrated author, and began making her way over to them.
    “Excuse me, Miss?” a brandy-smooth voice called sending a burning thrill up her spine that burst into flame as she turned to gaze into a pair of molten chocolate eyes. “I’m afraid you dropped something back there,” the Greek god continued. At her look of confusion he approached placing his hands lightly on her shoulders and turning her in the direction she’d just come from. “Do you see that? It’s my jaw on the floor. I dropped it there when I saw you.”
    “Oh my God, that’s got to be the worst line I’ve ever heard,” she snorted, turning to look at her offender. “I’m embarrassed for you.”
    A sardonic smile spread across his exquisite face. “Well, you look like the type of girl who’s heard every line in the book. That’s the best one I have, so what’s one more?”
    The rest, as they say, is history. That night, she dined on cheesy pick-up lines and champagne, and fell head over heels in love with a young, ambitious advertising executive named Timothy Smith.
    Thinking back to their first date, she recalled introducing him to Rose. “So where’s he taking you?” she’d asked sprawled across Amelia’s bed as elegantly as her floral namesake. They were searching for the perfect ‘first date’ outfit and steadily working their way through Amelia’s closet with Amelia holding up multiple options for Rose’s expert appraisal. Nine outfits and counting and they still hadn’t found ‘the one’.
    “The Aquarium,” Amelia replied nervously biting her lip and wishing the outfit would just present itself. “Think dim lighting and exotic fishes, very romantic, but a family place, so safe ground for getting to know each other, and interactive, in case, you know, conversation doesn’t exactly flow. This guy’s put a lot of thought into making sure we have the perfect first date.
    “Or maybe he’s a serial dater like me and knows all the great date places,” Rose quipped. “Or not, I’m just sayin’…..” she shrugged catching Amelia’s annoyed ‘don’t mess with me’ glare.
    “Rose, please. Tim’s different. Special.”
    Quietly she considered this. No wonder the poor girl was so flustered, she really liked this guy. With newfound understanding Rose went into action mode. “O.k., move aside and let the pro work her magic.” Planting herself in front of the color-coded wardrobe she draped a comforting arm around Amelia’s shoulders and continued in her best ‘What Not to Wear’ voice. “Now listen and learn Grasshopper. You want to be impressive but not intimidating, fascinating but not odd, and alluring, seductive but not trampy.” She winked. “That comes later.”
    A half hour later, with Rose hovering excitedly behind her Amelia opened the door and welcomed Tim into