Good. The sooner Blaise’s friends fell in love and got married, the sooner he would be declared the winner.
CHAPTER TWO
At 6:00 AM on Monday morning, Hadley Lowell placed three planners and a zippered pouch full of colored pens on the kitchen table. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air of her two-bedroom condo in San Francisco’s Marina District. She inhaled once, twice…
No caffeine, remember?
Instead of pouring herself a steaming cup of her favorite brand of coffee, she reached for the glass of water with half a lemon squeezed into it.
She sat at the table.
A week ago, Hadley had stopped drinking coffee after hearing lower caffeine intake improved sleep quality. She’d been so tired she went cold turkey. No coffee, tea, or chocolate. Since then, she not only tossed and turned in bed but was also jittery and yawning during the day.
Withdrawal symptoms?
She’d go one more week before adding caffeine back into her diet.
Hadley indulged herself with one more sniff before sipping her lemon water. She wished it hit the same spot as well as freshly ground dark-roasted coffee beans brewed and served with a dash of cream.
“Seriously?” Her younger sister, Fallon Caples, entered the kitchen. The heels of her pumps clicked against the hardwood, wide-plank floor. Her blond hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. The severe style fit well with the lime green pencil skirt and coordinating jacket she’d purchased at a thrift shop. She was dressed to impress. Still, the tired circles and lines on her face made her look older than thirty-two. “It’s too early on a Monday morning to pull out the planners. Especially when we went over everything last night.”
Hadley opened the top one. “I want to review the kids’ schedules so I don’t forget something.”
“You never forget anything.” Fallon poured coffee into herBest Mom Evermug. “I’m only out of town until Thursday. No need to plan out my absence like a military operation.”
Except Hadley did that with every part of her life—personal and professional. Without schedules and plans, she would be lost. Or feel that way. Same difference to her. “This is what I do.”
“Yes, but it’s unnecessary.” Fallon took a sip of coffee. “Skip the kids’ activities this week.”
Hadley gasped, tightening her grip on the pen. Just the thought… Her stomach churned. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you have a business to run. You should spend time with Audra and Ryder as their aunt, not their second parent, and have fun with them.”
“We have fun. You guys make this place a home.” A crowded one, especially with an overweight cat named Tiny who thought he was a dog, but Hadley was saving for a bigger place. Her parents had helped her purchase the condo, but her current goal was to sell it and buy a house in the same neighborhood so the kids—in first and second grade—wouldn’t have to switch schools again. They’d previously been enrolled in a private school. Real estate in San Francisco was expensive, especially in the Marina District, so a move was a solid year, maybe two, away. “It’s nothing like the house where you lived before…”
“This is better. Perfect. I don’t know what we would do without you and this condo.” Gratitude filled Fallon’s voice. “You’ve sacrificed so much for us.”
“We’re family.” The words shot out fast. Firm.
After the arrest of Fallon’s husband, Hadley hadn’t thought twice about taking in her sister and the kids. Their parents had retired early, sold everything, given them each money, and moved onto a cruise ship. They loved their new lifestyle, and though they visited and sent money if needed, they’d raised their family and wanted to travel.
Which was why her sister and the kids lived with Hadley now.
“You should be dating.” Fallon refilled her cup. “Not being a stand-in parent for my two kids.”
“I have all I need right here with you three.” Hadley didn’t want her sister to feel bad. Fallon had been through enough with her loser ex-husband. “Besides, we both know my amazing success rate finding my clients the loves of their lives hasn’t translated to my own. I suck at finding myself a decent guy to date. Or…you.”
Fallon waggled her index finger. “You introduced me to Clint, but he wasn’t one of your clients and neither was I.”
Guilt coated Hadley’s throat. “I—”
“Stop.” As Fallon’s eyes narrowed, her lips tightened into a thin line. “I take full responsibility for falling for his lies and marrying him. There were plenty of warning signs I ignored. What happened is on me. You’ve gone above and beyond by taking us in and finding me a job.”
“It’s…”
Not enough.
“Everything.” Fallon’s lips curved upward. For a moment, she appeared a decade younger and ready to take on the world. Not a harried single mom with two kids, all her assets confiscated, and an ex-husband who would spend the next twenty years in jail for embezzlement and fraud. “And when I’m ready, though it might take me a few more years to get to that point, I’ll even ask you to fix me up with a nice, honest man who wouldn’t mind taking on a ready-made family and cat.”
