Resurrecting Charlie's Girl (14 page)

Grayson Schyler, former Wimbledon
champion, would’ve recognized Shauna anywhere. She’s made his life sweeter one
moment, and hell the next. As someone in the public eye, he’d gone to great
strains not to allow the media to misread their relationship, which wasn’t
always easy when Shauna was around. Now she’s back, asking for his help, and
all he can think about is if she came back to make him pay for what he’d done.

Read the first chapter now…

Chapter Excerpt

Shauna Marino walked toward the front door of Schyler Tennis
Center—or straight to hell—she wouldn’t know for sure until she stood before
Grayson Schyler with her heart in her hand. With a toss of her hair and a
fortifying breath, she forced herself to take the last remaining steps to face
her past. If she’d planned the epic occasion better, she would’ve brought a
bottle of tequila along to soften the outcome.

The wind caught the outer door and slammed it shut behind her with
an ominous 
whoosh
. She flinched, and then tried to hide her shaky
reaction of being back in Grayson’s territory by wiping the palm of her hand on
the front of her white tennis skirt. She hadn’t seen him in over six years, but
the same anxiety-excitement-fear emotional cocktail threatened her resolve to
pull this meeting off with class and calmness.

She inspected the front of her light pink, sleeveless polo shirt
and flicked at an imaginary piece of lint. The odds were good that Grayson
wouldn’t even recognize her. Not at first, anyway.

No longer the innocent teenager, gangly and wilder than the
coastal winds, always diving headfirst into whatever feelings ruled the moment,
she hoped to rekindle her friendship with Grayson. Before she could show him
how much she’d changed though, she’d have to prove she’d left her old ways
behind her.

“Hi. Can I help you?” To the right of the door, a young man behind
the front desk stood up from his perch at the computer and approached the
counter.

“I have a lesson with Grayson at eleven. My name’s Shauna.” She
stared straight ahead, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

When she’d called and made the appointment, she’d left only her
first name—spelled the wrong way to be on the safe side. The idea to keep
Grayson in the dark about her return had seemed brilliant at the time. She didn’t
want him reminded of how she’d made a complete fool of herself all through high
school with her wild crush on him. She hoped the element of surprise would be
enough to knock him speechless when they finally did come face to face.

Maybe then she would be able to utter the two words she should’ve
said years ago. 
I’m sorry.

She looked up at the oversized poster of Grayson holding the
Wimbledon trophy. Warmth beat out the nervousness inside her stomach, and she
leaned forward. She’d never missed one of Grayson’s matches on television, or
an opportunity to be with him back when she’d still lived at home. It seemed
like her whole life revolved around loving Grayson.

He’d started out as her idol when she was twelve years old and he
was nineteen. Then, during the winters, when he came home in the off-season to
teach at the tennis center, she’d used whatever creative act she could think up
to spend time with him. Despite their age difference, they’d become friends.
He’d fascinated her with his world travels, his responsibilities, and his
goals. He was the young man who thought she was a funny kid, and she’d done
whatever possible to make him laugh.

Shauna caught herself tapping the counter with her fingernail and
stopped.

Looking back, she knew she’d gone overboard more often than
naught, much to the disgrace of the town. But she could also point out that she
and Grayson had supported each other while they’d dealt with their own
individual hurts. They’d connected on a level that exceeded the normal
friendships that came and went. She rubbed her arm. He’d meant everything to
her. Smart, ambitious, and compassionate, he’d shown her that someone cared
about her.

It wasn’t until she’d turned sixteen that her world spiraled out
of control, and she’d fallen head over heels in love with Grayson. She no
longer saw him as her mentor, her coach, and she couldn’t accept why he’d
suddenly pushed her away and left their friendship behind.

For two years, she'd gone to the extreme to reconnect with him,
much to his anger. Finally, on her eighteenth birthday, she'd had enough. She
was an adult, and he could no longer tell her she was a child and to stay away.

She'd shown up at his office with only her long coat covering her
naked body. She swallowed at remembering how his eyes flared as she'd explained
why she'd come to him. The intensity in which he'd jerked the edges of her coat
closed, turned her around, and pushed her out the door devastated her.

After that, he had nothing to do with her and she'd finally
accepted that she'd lost her best friend. On that horrible day when she'd
decided to give everything to Grayson, her dad met her on the front porch when
she'd arrived home, rejected, hurting, and broken. Grayson had ratted her out,
and she was in trouble. Her stomach flipped and she inhaled deeply. Not long
after, her father claimed to have had enough of her shenanigans and sent her
away to college to grow up.

She'd done her best to move on with her life, and experience more
of the world while attending Cal State, to forget about her past. She'd
excelled in school, made friends, and a new life for herself. But, the time had
come to return to where she'd grown up and repair her reputation. “Are you a
registered member here?” the clerk asked.

She shook her head. “No. A guest.”

At one time, she’d spent every day improving her game under the
guise of being close to Grayson, but she’d dropped her membership and the sport
completely when her dad surprised her and sent her to Cal State. She spun the
handle of her graphite racket. Away from home, she’d waited for her feelings to
change, but instead her feelings for Grayson had grown stronger.

“That’ll be thirty-five dollars.” The man held out his hand, and
proceeded to scan her debit card before handing it back to her. “Grayson will
be finishing his lesson in—” he looked up at the clock “—five minutes. Go ahead
and go through the double doors behind you. You’ll be playing on the clay
court. If you want to warm up now, you’ll be all ready when he’s done. If you
need anything else, my name’s Daniel.”

“Thank you, Daniel.” She kept to the right of the counter, crossed
the large lobby where onlookers gathered to observe the three indoor courts,
and pushed through the double doors leading to the play area. Back to back, the
grass, concrete, and clay surfaces provided every player the opportunity to
practice on different playing fields.

She dawdled behind the ceiling to floor curtain used to block off
the pathway behind the courts from flying tennis balls. She peeked between the
openings of the fabric to the first court. What would one little look hurt?

Six feet away, Grayson stood with his back to her. Her stomach
fluttered. All smooth, firm lines of his six-foot killer body, so close, so
touchable, so out of her league. He hadn’t changed a bit.

He still wore his sandy brown hair longer than most guys did, the
ends only beginning to curl as they skimmed the collar of his T-shirt. His
broad shoulders bunched and bulged beneath his shirt. His strong arm swung the
racket in a smooth arch, showing his raw talent for the sport.

She held her breath, afraid he’d sense her behind him. Her gaze
lowered to the white tennis shorts hugging his muscular ass and pulling tighter
every time he moved his legs. Solid legs that left her clenching the curtain in
her hand for support. Legs she would’ve recognized anywhere.

“Last set, Jason. Let’s make each stroke count.” Grayson reached
into his pocket and pulled out a tennis ball, effortlessly sailing it over the
net with the ease of a lifetime of practice. “Follow through…”

Shauna dropped the curtain, panting. 
Oh my God. What am I
doing?

She hurried down the aisle to the appointed court and jogged out
into the playing area. Keeping her back to the other players on the grass
court, she raised the racket above her head with both hands and leaned to the
side, stretching her back. Then she bounced on her toes and warmed up her leg
muscles. At best, she hoped to muster up enough skill to play a decent game and
hit the ball over the net.

If Grayson were willing to see past their history, if she could
convince him she’d matured, if she proved her worth, maybe he’d believe that
she’d returned a changed woman. She caught herself clutching the end of her
skirt, and quickly rubbed any possible wrinkles out of the material. If she
could step back into the community and erase her reputation as the wild girl of
Cottage Grove, her life would finally get back on track from when she’d
derailed at twelve years old.

She wasn’t coming back as Tony Marino’s daughter, or the child
whose mother had abandoned her, or Grayson’s biggest pain in the ass.

Shauna would never live down all the embarrassing things she did
in the name of love as a teenager. Trailing Grayson around town, telling
everyone who would listen how much she loved him, leaving him gifts, even
throwing herself at him, only to be turned down cold in the end. And all
through it, the whole town was laughing at her, the wild child who was obsessed
with the town's golden boy.

No, she had a much more important job to do.

Two weeks ago, the city of Cottage Grove had hired her to head the
Chamber of Commerce. She had plans, and if it were the last thing she tried to
do, she’d impress everyone. And, maybe then, she could let go of all her guilt

If she failed to prove she wasn't going to hurt Grayson now that
she was back, then she’d have to figure out a way to move on with the black
cloud hovering over her. Granted it would be with a broken heart, but she’d
survive. She always did.

Out of her peripheral vision, the curtain parted. She lowered her
arms and faced her lifelong love with the grace of someone who knew exactly
what she wanted, terrified she’d screw up once again. 
I can do this.
I’ve changed. I’m strong. I’m mature. I’m…such a goner.

“Shauna?” Grayson held out his hand. “I’m your instructor,
Grayson.”

She pried her tongue off the roof of her mouth and met his gaze
while reaching for the handshake. If she accomplished anything, she hoped it
was the ability to keep her game face on for the next hour. “Hello, Grayson.”

Biography

Top Selling Romance
Author, Debra Kayn, lives with her family in the beautiful coastal mountains of
Oregon on a hobby farm. She enjoys riding motorcycles, gardening, playing
tennis, and fishing. A huge animal lover, she always has a dog under her desk
when she writes and chickens standing at the front door looking for a treat.
She's famous in her family for teaching a 270 lb hog named Harley to jog with
her every morning.

Her love of
family ties and laughter makes her a natural to write heartwarming contemporary
stories to the delight of her readers. Oh, let's cut to the chase. She loves to
write about REAL MEN and the WOMEN who love them.

When Debra was
nineteen years old, a man kissed her without introducing himself. When they
finally came up for air, the first words out of his mouth were…will you have my
babies? Considering Debra's weakness for a sexy, badass man, who is strong
enough to survive her attitude, she said yes. A quick wedding at the House of
Amour and four babies later, she's living her own romance book.

You
can visit Debra's website at www.debrakayn.com

Debra
Kayn's books

Chantilly's
Cowboy

Val's
Rancher

Margot's
Lawman

Florentine's
Hero

Biker
Babe in Black

Ride
Free

Double
Agent

Love
Rescued Me

Betraying
the Prince

Resurrecting
Charlie's Girl

Where
There's Smoke

Wildly

Coming
Soon – Suite Cowboy, Homemade Hijinks