Kismet: A Serendipity Novella (9 page)

She turned her head and waited. She felt him
standing there staring at her and she held her breath, wondering if
he’d crawl onto the bed, pull her into his arms, and say he’d made
a mistake.

Instead, she heard him dressing and getting
himself together. After an interminably long time, the hotel door
shut behind him, leaving Lissa alone.

She turned and rolled into the pillow that
smelled like him and sobbed for what felt like hours before
dragging herself out of bed and into the shower.

She had a daughter she adored and a life to
get back to. There was no way she could go home with swollen eyes
so her perceptive little girl would ask her why mommy had been
crying.

*

Trevor waited until he was alone in the
elevator and slammed his hand into the metal wall, grateful for the
pain throbbing in his knuckles. Better to focus on that than the
pain searing his heart.

He hadn’t walked out on Lissa easily or
lightly, but he’d done it based on the main thing Alex had said
that made sense.
Before you ask her for anything, make sure you
can handle her life and everything that comes with it
.

Was Trevor sure he could handle dealing with
Brad Banks as Lissa’s ex-husband, as her daughter’s father? Could
he be a stepfather to a little girl who probably adored a man
Trevor hated?

He didn’t know, but he’d better figure it
out soon—before he lost Lissa for good.

It was amazing what one could accomplish
with a broken heart, Lissa thought, not for the first time since
her return from New York. When she’d finally pulled herself
together and showered, she’d found a note slipped under her door in
Trevor’s handwriting. “I’ll always love you.”

At the time, she’d thought it was a sweet
but pointless gesture and she’d tucked the paper into her bag, one
last memory of the weekend. Now, two weeks had gone by. Life had
gone on. Lissa had baked cookies for Livvy’s bake sale at school,
she’d helped her daughter with her homework, and she’d argued with
Brad about canceling his next weekend with Livvy. He’d promised he
would take his fiancée to Cancun and wanted Lissa to break the news
to their daughter. When Brad refused to change his plans, she
informed her ex-husband he could damn well disappoint his daughter
himself. Lissa wasn’t doing his dirty work for him.

In the meantime, the
News Journal
had been so happy with her article on Trevor, they’d made a
permanent job offer. Thanks to the beauty of computers and the
Internet, she could work from anywhere, and she’d eagerly accepted.
The magazine had gone to print on Trevor and was on newsstands now.
She’d made sure to overnight a copy to Trevor, but she hadn’t
signed a note of her own.

She’d interviewed Ethan Barron and
discovered just how hard his life had been, how much he’d had to
overcome, and how he’d done it all on his own. He’d returned to his
hometown to face the wrath of the brothers he’d left behind and fix
his life. Along the way he’d discovered a teenage half-sister he
didn’t know he had, and both he and Faith were raising her
together. No, it wasn’t easy, but being together with the woman he
loved made it simpler.

That’s when Lissa lost her “star-crossed
lovers” point of view and got angry at Trevor for not being willing
to try.

Her doorbell rang and Lissa opened it. She’d
been expecting Kate to come by.

“Ready for the game?” Lissa asked, referring
to the annual homecoming football game between Serendipity High
School and their crosstown rival.

Kate nodded. “You?”

“No. But I’m going anyway.” Lissa wasn’t in
the mood for big crowds and people, but she knew she was better off
getting out of the house.

“Where’s the munchkin?” Kate, the
schoolteacher who loved kids, looked over Lissa’s shoulder, looking
for Livvy.

“Olivia Rose, let’s go!” Lissa called
out.

Livvy came bouncing down the hall in the
Serendipity colors, maroon and white, with a streak of white on her
nose. “Aunt Kate!” she called happily when she caught sight of her
favorite nonrelated grownup.

“Hey!” Kate pulled her into a hug. “What’s
that you’ve got on your nose?”

“Mommy put face paint on!”

“She’s in the spirit,” Lissa said by way of
explanation.

“At least one of you is,” Kate said, her
serious gaze on Lissa.

“Go get your coat. It’s a little chilly
out,” Lissa said to her daughter. She waited until Livvy was out of
earshot. “I’m fine.”

“You look pissed off,” Kate said, too
observant as usual.

“I’m just hurting,” she admitted. “I’ll get
over it.”

Kate tugged her into a hug. “I’m sorry. I
wish things had worked out for you and Trevor. He has no idea what
he’s missing.”

Lissa managed a smile just as her daughter
bounded back into the room, coat in hand. “Can we go now? Can we?
Can we?”

“You’re right. He doesn’t.” She gave her
daughter a loving look. “Everyone ready for the game?” Lissa asked
brightly, smiling for Livvy’s sake. No need to dull her
enthusiasm.

They piled into Kate’s car and soon found
themselves at the high school for the big game. As usual, whenever
Lissa came by the school, memories assaulted her, some good, some
bad. Today was a true mix loaded with might-have-beens.

But unlike in years past, when Lissa would
wonder what would happen if she and Trevor met up again, this year
she knew. All that was left now was to come to terms with it and
put him behind her once and for all.

*

Trevor hadn’t been to the Serendipity High
School football game since his senior year. And he wouldn’t be here
now except that he was on a mission. Two weeks ago he’d walked out
on the woman he’d always loved and he hadn’t had a good moment
since. What he had had was time—time to regret, time to mourn, and
time to think.

He regretted how he’d handled things that
last morning. He’d let Alex’s talk of children being forever and
Livvy being Brad’s daughter put him into panic mode. He should have
taken a deep breath and talked things through with Lissa. No doubt
that’s what Alex had intended with his father/son-like talk.
Instead, his words had sent Trevor running.

He’d mourned the years they’d lost and used
the time to think about whether he was going to let old
insecurities hold him back from the future he’d always wanted. Brad
Banks had managed to destroy Trevor’s past, but if he lost Lissa
again, Trevor would only have himself to blame for his future.

When he’d decided to make a
spur-of-the-moment trip to Serendipity, he’d planned on heading
directly to Lissa’s. But his sister had informed him that today was
the annual homecoming football game and Trevor knew everyone in
town would be there, Lissa included.

Well, if he wanted to make a statement, this
football game was the place to do it. How Lissa reacted would
determine the rest of his life, and Trevor’s stomach was in knots
the entire ride home. He hoped she’d be relieved to see him, but
then again, after he’d walked out on her he figured he’d have more
of a challenge on his hands. No matter what, his weekend with her
and then his time alone had convinced him she was worth it.

They were worth it.

He arrived at the field and immediately saw
his old friend, Nick Mancini. Grateful for a familiar face, Trevor
called out to him.

“Hey, buddy. How have you been?” Trevor
slapped the other man on the back.

“I’m hanging in there,” Nick said. “Keeping
busy despite the lull in new construction. How about you? I saw the
article Lissa wrote on you. So you’re still making it on Wall
Street?” Nick grinned in approval.

Trevor nodded, not wanting to discuss the
article or the messengered copy he’d received from Lissa, no
personal note included. If that wasn’t a kick in the gut, he didn’t
know what was.

“Yeah. I got lucky myself,” he said to Nick.
“Somehow I rode out the massive wave of firings a couple of years
ago and my company bounced back big.”

The two men turned toward the field. Trevor
braced his arms on the fence and watched the play. “Looks like the
team’s got a chance this year,” he said.

When Nick didn’t reply, Trevor turned and
realized the other man wasn’t paying attention. Instead, Nick was
focused on two women and a little girl in the distance.

Lissa and her daughter. Trevor’s mouth went
dry at the sight of them and an auburn-haired woman who he thought
was Kate Andrews.

Nick couldn’t tear his gaze away from them
and Trevor narrowed his gaze. “What’s got you so distracted?” he
asked, accenting his question with a shove to get his
attention.

“Women,” Nick muttered.

“Which one?” Trevor asked, not needing Nick
interested in Lissa on top of everything else.

“This you won’t believe.”

“Try me,” Trevor said.

Nick groaned. “Kate Andrews.”

Trevor released the breath he’d been
holding.

“The woman is going to be the death of me,”
Nick said, unaware of Trevor’s thoughts.

“You? And Kate?” Lissa hadn’t mentioned Kate
seeing anyone.

“Is it that odd?”

Trevor shook his head. “I thought you went
for blonds.”

Nick shrugged. “It took me by surprise, too,
but after Faith and I agreed we were in the past—”

“You picked up with Faith Harrington again?”
Trevor remembered Nick and Faith being a couple back in high school
and her breaking up with him.

Nick shook his head. “Never had another shot
with her with Ethan Barron in the picture. But the truth is, Faith
and I are just friends. Whatever chemistry we had is in the past.”
He glanced over at the women once more. “But Kate thinks she’s my
rebound girl while I’m getting over Faith.”

“Is she?” Trevor asked.

“Hell, no.”

Nick frowned, looking like a man truly in
distress, and Trevor couldn’t help but take pity on him. “So why
are you standing here with me when the woman you’re interested in
is over there?”

When the woman Trevor wanted more than his
next breath stood with her.

“Good question,” Nick said, and before
Trevor could blink, Nick headed off in the women’s direction,
calling out Kate’s name.

Both of them turned and Lissa’s gaze locked
squarely on Trevor, her shock evident. Following Nick, he headed
over, hoping that having Kate around would ease the conversation at
least until he could get her alone.

He glanced at the little girl jumping up and
down beside them and talking to her mother and Kate, and
reassessed.
If
he could get Lissa alone.

“Ladies,” Nick said first, tipping his head
in acknowledgment. “You’re looking good today, Kate.”

“Funny, Mancini.” Kate smirked, her
moss-green eyes, darker than Lissa’s, narrowing in distrust.

“That hurts, Kate.” Nick placed a hand over
his heart. “See what I mean?” He turned to Trevor. “She doesn’t
take me seriously.”

“Any reason why I should?” Kate asked.

Nick straightened his shoulders, meeting her
gaze. “Because I’m me. And I never say what I don’t mean.”

Trevor had known Nick for years and he’d
never heard him more serious.

But Kate merely rolled her eyes.

Lissa shook her head and Trevor tried not to
laugh. The poor guy obviously had his work cut out for him if he
wanted to get Kate to believe in him.

“Hi, Lissa,” Nick said, turning his
attention away from Kate.

“Hi, Nick,” she said, obviously aware of
Trevor right beside him.

“Hi, Lissa,” he said, his voice gruff.

“Trevor.” She treated him to a tight
smile.

Kate glared at him, obviously well versed on
their recent past.

“Who’s this beautiful girl?” Trevor bent
down so he was eye level with Lissa’s daughter, well aware this was
his one and only first chance. He got this right or he went down in
flames.

As he looked into green eyes so like her
mother’s, Trevor nearly lost his breath. “I bet you’re Olivia,”
Trevor said, putting his hand out to her.

Laughing, she put her smaller hand inside
his for a grownup shake. “My friends call me Livvy.”

“Well, hi, Livvy. My friends call me Trevor.
I’m an old friend of your mom’s.”

She tipped her head to one side and looked
him over, obviously judging him. He actually held his breath, while
Lissa, who’d moved closer to her daughter, did exactly the same
thing.

“Does that mean I can call you Trevor, too?”
she asked, looking up at her mother.

Lissa clenched her jaw, obviously torn and
not knowing how to answer.

“Livvy, want hot chocolate?” Kate asked,
holding out a hand.

“Yes! Mommy, can I get hot chocolate with
Aunt Kate? Please, please, please?” Being Trevor’s friend was
forgotten in favor of a special treat.

Trevor straightened.

“Sure, baby. Go on,” she said, giving her
daughter’s hair a ruffle before sending her with Kate.

“Let’s go, Nick.” Kate shot a command at the
man.

“Drinks on me, ladies.” Nick, clearly
clueless about the underlying dynamics between Lissa and Trevor,
was just happy to be included and headed off with Kate and
Livvy.

“She’s going to make him work for it,” Lissa
said, watching the trio until they disappeared into the crowd.

Trevor shrugged. “Seems to me he’s more than
willing to do whatever he needs to in order to make her believe in
him.” He met Lissa’s gaze, hoping she understood he was talking
about himself as well.

“Lucky her.” Lissa shoved her hands into her
oversized sweatshirt.

She’d worn her long hair pulled back into a
ponytail, with very little makeup, and she looked, in a word,
tired. As though she hadn’t been sleeping well, either, Trevor
thought.

“Lissa—”

“Trevor, look, we’re bound to run into each
other from time to time—which is weird since ten years passed and
we managed to avoid each other—but that’s life. If you could do me
a favor and stay away from Livvy, I’d appreciate it. She doesn’t
need mixed messages in her life.”