Just One Chance (Just One. Book 3) Read online

  Just

  One

  CHANCE

  Lynn Stevens

  JUST ONE CHANCE Copyright © 2021 Lynn Stevens

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Published by Lynn Stevens

  www.lstevensbooks.com

  Cover design by Sweetheart Books

  Copyright 2021 by Lynn Stevens

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN:

  For Bean

  Chapter One

  Branson North High was about to see the last Reynolds graduate. Unless my brother Luke procreated, and that just wasn’t a good idea. He had his moments, but overall, he was just like dad. Overbearing, annoying, controlling, and a jackass.

  “Randi, wait up,” Lily said somewhere behind me. Her voice was distinct, always perky, and ended on a high note. Besides, she was the only person at school who talked to me, so it was pretty easy to determine who it was based on the process of elimination. She bounced up beside me and bumped my shoulder. “Can you believe we’re graduating? This year has flown by.”

  I snorted, but I didn’t reply. Lily hadn’t been at Branson North the entire year. She moved here just before Thanksgiving from Tacoma, Washington. Missing the first three months, she missed my drama. I’d tried flying under the radar since, but it didn’t work out well.

  “So cynical.” Lily pushed her glasses up her nose. They were always sliding down the narrow slope. She couldn’t wait for her new contacts to arrive. Lily wasn’t much of a procrastinator, but her eyesight wasn’t a priority when she knew she could just wear her glasses for a bit. “One more week, Randi, then we’re free for the summer. Are you still staying here?”

  “Yep, got nowhere else to go,” I said, not hiding the bitterness in my voice. I’d been waitlisted by every college that didn’t flat out reject me. And I wasn’t going to Southern Community either. Iris was there. After last summer and early fall, she was last person I wanted to see. Well, second to last. Cameron remained at the top of my shit list. “I just wish my decision didn’t punish me more by making me work for my father.”

  “Ugh, totally.” Lily hitched her backpack up on her shoulder. “I wish you were going to Houston with me this fall. There are so many great schools. You’d have your pick.”

  I didn’t bother to correct her. All the schools there, waitlisted. At least there was a chance. Lily had a tendency to see things through rose-tinted glasses. My grades were shit, but she thought I was brilliant. Or as she put it, “grades aren’t a marker of your true intelligence.” I liked that about her.

  “You’d love it there. We’re not far from Galveston and the beach.” She stopped at her locker. The combination stuck, and she fought with it until I just took over. Lily carried most of her books with her because of the stupid lock. She pulled it open, wisely catching the mess of papers falling out. “My grandmother would let you stay with us.”

  “So you say.” I shook my head at her constant optimism. Lily wasn’t like my old friends. Cameron had been all about her music, and Iris had been all about the guys. After last summer, Cami and I were done. She kissed and almost slept with the one guy I cared about. Once Iris started at Southern Community, she only came around to order me to forget about Eddie. That was never going to happen. Thank god, Lily showed up or my senior year would’ve been worse than it had been.

  “I already asked her,” Lily said softly. She grinned and lifted her hands in a oops way. “So the offer’s there. You hate Branson anyway.”

  My shoulders shook as I laughed. “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”

  “Duh,” she said.

  “And I don’t hate Branson. I just don’t want to get stuck here.”

  “Double duh,” she said before getting distracted by more papers falling to the floor.

  I headed toward my locker. It wasn’t like I had to take home. Most of my stuff had been cleaned out last week. I wanted to see him. Eddie’s locker was next to mine just like it had been since middle school. He’d only gotten hotter over the summer. His thick hair was thicker, his biceps more defined, his eyes wider. His current girlfriend plastered herself against him. He met my gaze over her head and smiled like we shared a secret. We shared a lot of secrets.

  “Eddie,” the girl snapped, glaring at me. “Did you hear me?”

  “Uh-huh, sure.” He bent his head toward the freshman and kissed her. No doubt he was adding another virgin to his list of conquests.

  I rolled my eyes and stared at the way his lips moved over hers until I couldn’t take it anymore. “You guys wanna go into the chem lab? It’s empty.”

  Eddie didn’t lift his head, but he opened his eyes and stared at me.

  “I need to get into my locker.” I pointed at where half of his body blocked the door.

  Eddie raised his eyebrows and stepped to the side, pulling his suction cup with him. I faked a gag, opened my locker, and took out the only notebook left inside. It took two seconds, and it wasn’t necessary. What was necessary though was what I said next.

  I leaned down and whispered in the freshman’s ear. “He’s fucked half of the school, chicky. Some sophomore had the pleasure last weekend. Just remember, I was first, and he always comes back to me.”

  Spinning on my heel, I strolled back down the hall toward Lily. A smile grew on my face. Then I heard the distinct sound of someone being slapped. By the time I reached Lily, my face hurt from grinning so damn wide.

  The last thing I wanted to do was work for my father, yet there I was walking into training for Mountain View Resorts newest hires. Unfortunately, my normal job at Branson Bowl had come to an unceremonious end last fall. Okay, it was far more complicated than that, but that wasn’t the point. I had no job, no prospects, and no other choice than to work at the resort. Dad was big on earning our own way.

  The room was a small conference room near the back of the resort on the first floor with four rows of chairs. I glanced around before moving toward the back of the room. There was room to put a seat between each of the trainees, but that wasn’t going to happen once I spied the hot guy in the standard Mountain View Resort polo and khaki shorts. He made the uniform look good. I sat beside him and pretended to be interested as the training began.

  “Hello, new hires. I’m Camilla,” a too perky blonde said with a too wide smile. Her fake boobs jiggled as she bounced with excitement. I was certain my brother would try to woo her before long. If he hadn’t already. She’d been here two weeks or, so I was told. She started into her presentation, written no doubt by my father.

  I tuned her out.

  “Is she always going to be this perky?” the guy beside me whispered as he leaned slightly closer toward me.

  “She’s an intern, trying to make a good impression I would guess.” I faked a yawn and stretched my arms toward the chair in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I got a better look at him. He was a few years older with ginger hair and a splattering of freckles across his nose. His hazel eyes flicked with amusement as he stared at me. All in all, he was attractive. Definitely a guy who could burn a girl if he wanted to. There was also something vaguely familiar about him. “Or so I’ve been told.”

  “I’m Aiden, by the way.” He leaned closer, offering his hand. I glanced at it, then let my gaze drift up his well-defined forearm and bicep before slidi
ng my fingers against his. The rough skin on his fingers surprised me.

  “Miranda.”

  “What department are you in?” he whispered.

  Someone shushed him in the row ahead, and blondie’s face dropped for a moment. She obviously thought we’d listen to every word. It took effort not to roll my eyes. She forced a smile and kept going. That took courage, I gave her that.

  “Housekeeping. You?”

  He grimaced. “Laundry.”

  “Okay, newbies,” Blondie said from the front, clapping her hands like the cheerleader she used to be. “Let’s take a tour of Mountain View Resort.”

  I put my hand out, holding Aiden down as he started to stand. “We don’t need a tour.”

  “I kinda do.” He fell back beside me anyway. “I don’t know where I’m going. This place is huge.”

  “Yeah, but I know it like the back of my hand.” I let my fingers rest on the hard muscle in his forearm. Aiden knew how to work out. “All you have to know is where to clock in and where to go. I’ll show you that.”

  “How do you know where everything is?” he asked, rising to his feet.

  “My dad owns this place.” I stood and realized just how tall he was. My eyes leveled with his collar bone. I hadn’t had a lot of one-night stands. Okay, just two last fall, but I wasn’t opposed to another. Anything to get the image of Eddie making out with that freshman out of my head.

  Aiden’s eyes widened, wrinkling his forehead.

  “You two, come along now,” Blondie said as she leaned back into the room.

  “Shit.” I took Aiden’s hand and led him toward the door, stopping when I was close enough to the intern. “I’m gonna pass but put me down that I know already. I’ll show Aiden where to go.”

  “Excuse me?” Her perky expression dropped to confusion.

  I leaned closer to her, letting go of Aiden’s hand and pointing at the clipboard. “I’m Miranda Reynolds. I know where to go, what to do, and I’ll make your life hell if you don’t note it on your little clipboard that I was a good little girl and followed Daddy’s instructions.” I matched her fake perky smile. “See you around.”

  Smiling with a fake sweetness, I turned to head down the hall only to slam into my father.

  “Miranda, where do you think you’re going?” Dad asked with a cool, calm on the surface voice. That was my father, no emotion whatsoever. Carly had been right. Dad would’ve made an excellent politician.

  “Home,” I answered, crossing my arms. Aiden had slipped back to the group so any hanky panky was off the table. Probably for the best anyway.

  Dad nodded over my shoulder and I knew Blondie was leading her group down the hall, Aiden among them. His gaze darted back to me. “I’m not putting up with your childish actions around here, Miranda. You’ll not only be representing this resort but this family as well. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Fine,” I snapped, letting my hands fall to my sides. “But you and I both know this orientation is ridiculous. Like I don’t know where housekeeping is or laundry or human resources. I’ve spent more time in your office than any of the staff.”

  “While that may be so, you’re not my daughter when you’re on the clock.” He lifted his arm and glanced at his smart watch then rolled his eyes.

  “Need to get your steps in?” I asked with a smirk.

  “No, it’s your sister. We’re having a disagreement about the caterer.”

  “It’s her wedding, Dad. You and Mom need to let her have her way.” My parents loved that they had a certain amount of control over my sister’s wedding. It wasn’t easy planning it when she lived in Nashville and the wedding was here. Carly’s stress was at an all-time high with the constant back and forth.

  Dad pointed toward the retreating group. “Catch up. Play nice. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

  I threw my hands up then turned toward the other newbies. Aiden glanced back at me, his eyebrows raised. Maybe this tour wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Chapter Two

  “Come on. It’ll be fun,” Lily said through my Bluetooth. My car filled with her voice. “My brother’s been here for three days, He’s dying to know my Branson bestie.”

  I laughed at that moniker. Lily loved nicknames. I wracked my brain to remember her brother’s name. It was on the tip of my tongue, the edge of my brain, and I knew I’d remember it when I least expected to. Honestly, I had seen pictures of her dorky looking brother, and I wasn’t in the mood to fall from the pedestal Lily had put me on.

  “I just left the world’s most boring training after the world’s more boring day at school. Now you want me to meet your boring brother? I need my Real Housewives and a tub of ice cream.”

  “I can’t promise Real Housewives, but we can have ice cream after dinner. Please, Randi.”

  “Why do you want me to come over so bad?” Suspicion crowded my mind.

  “Because I want him to like you so you’ll come to Houston with me.” She sighed and it echoed around my silent car. “He just finished his sophomore year at Baylor and lives with Grandma, too. She’s got a huge house, five bedrooms. We can all stay there. She’s already agreed. Please, I want you to meet him.”

  “I’m not moving to Houston, Lil. We’ve talked about this. The only reason I applied to TCU was because you asked me to.” And they waitlisted me, too.

  “You might change your mind.” She practically sang the words as if that would make it all happen.

  “Fine, but I’m leaving after dinner. I really am exhausted.”

  Lily squealed and hung up. Typical. I stopped at a red light and called my mom to let her know I wouldn’t be home. She didn’t answer. Also typical. Since the wedding planning started, she’s not answered a lot. Only my sister could make everything about her when she wasn’t even here. I left her a voice mail, then turned and headed the other direction toward the lakefront properties.

  The Kings lived in one of the older homes on Table Rock Lake. It had the rare private dock, which is what jacked the price up. Newer homes shared docks. Her dad had made a killing in the Seattle tech boom, and for some reason, they decided to move to Branson. Apparently, her mom grew up in Kimberling City and wanted to come home after living away for most of her adult life. With both of her parents rich and retired, Lily was dealing with them always being around and in her business. They did not like me at all. And I was totally okay with that. My parents thought Lily walked on water.

  I pulled onto the steep road that led to their house. The view of the lake broke through the trees. The sun hit it just right, blinding me for a moment. I slowed down and turned into the driveway where a new car with Texas plates was parked in my usual spot. That must be her brother’s ride. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a simple white two door coupe.

  “Randi!” Lily screamed as she ran out the front door, her arms opened wide as if we hadn’t seen each other in years instead of three hours. She yanked open the driver’s door and pulled me out. “You are going to freak. Mom and Dad decided to go out to eat so we’ve got pizza and cheese sticks. Isn’t that great?”

  “Okay,” I said dragging the word out so maybe she’d figure out how insane she sounded. “What about the ice cream?”

  “After the pizza, silly.” Lily rolled her eyes and grinned. “The last time they left me alone, we had a bit of a party. Remember, before Christmas?”

  I nodded and smiled because that was a great party. Right up until her Mom and Dad showed up. Fortunately for me, I was out on a boat with Eddie. Unfortunately for Lily, she had to explain it to her parents and do some community service with a million Hail Marys.

  “It’s probably because Aidy’s home, but still they left.” She bounced in a circle then grabbed my hand. “Come on. Let’s eat. It just got here.”

  I laughed as she dragged me inside. The glorious smell of fresh herbs, pizza sauce, and cheese hit my nose with such force I almost stumbled back. I’d skipped lunch, and my stomach growled angrily at me. It was hard n
ot to push her out of the way to get to the food.

  Lily bounced down the short hall that had old pictures covering the faded forest green paint and past the front living room and another hall that led to the bedrooms. It opened to the large kitchen that opened to a comfy family room.

  My laughter stopped when I saw the back of a guy leaning over the kitchen island. I knew that ass. I’d just spent an hour with it, well with him. When he turned around, his smile disappeared.

  “You?” he asked, as if he didn’t know it was me.

  “Duh,” I responded. Lily’s brother did not look at all like the dorky guy in the pictures she showed me. That guy had thick glasses and a wiry flame. Aiden had clearly been working out. At least now I knew why he had looked familiar. Talk about feeling like an idiot.

  “Wait, what?” Lily asked. Her gaze darted to Aiden then back to me. “You two already know each other?”

  “We met today at the orientation for my summer job.” Aiden leaned back against the island. “Apparently her dad owns the resort.”

  Lily pointed at each of us. “Oh my god, you didn’t tell me you were going to work at Mountain View. This is great. You guys can get to know each other, then when the summer’s over, Randi can come with us.”

  Aiden raised his eyebrows. “My turn. Wait, what?”

  I smiled at him. “Your sister wants me to move to Houston when she goes to TCU.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Aiden reached around to the counter. He brought out a plate, offering it to me. “Pepperoni?”

  “Sure. Thanks.” I stepped forward to take it and glanced at the box. “Alphonso’s. Best pizza in town.”

  Lily’s phone rang and she groaned when she saw who it was. “I’ll be back. It’s Mom.” She walked down the hall toward her room. “Hey, Mom.”

  I glanced back at Aiden. The tension in the room amped up. We’d had a moment during orientation. Even though I kept my distance during the tour, he’d caught me checking him out. Not that I hid it.