Taking A Chance On The Heartbreaker (Taking Chances On Love Book 1) Read online

  Sighing, she swallowed past the lump in her throat. Usually she welcomed working with her hands, but today she just wanted to be distracted. She had been in the middle of reading for her developmental psychology class when the tears in her eyes caused the text to blur. The chapter about aging tugged at her heartstrings, especially when she came across a picture of a couple holding hands. The way the man gazed at the woman reminded her of her parents. Oh, how she missed seeing them like that.

  As a child, she had always reacted in disgust whenever her dad snuck up behind her mom to kiss her. It had all been an act though. She had loved seeing her parents’ affection for each other. Their exchanges had both fascinated and overwhelmed her. The level of trust and intimacy they’d shared made her believe in romance. The love stories in fairy tales like Rapunzel were possible in real life. She didn’t need magical hair, seven dwarves or a fairy godmother; she just needed to find someone who would love her like her dad had loved her mom. Surely God would give her a man like that … wouldn’t He? At this point in her life, however, she might have more luck winning the lottery or being struck by lightning. Or maybe both on the same day.

  Taking a deep breath, Ashlynn squinted her eyes and tried once more to pry the link open. On her third try, she succeeded. She paused to consider the design she wanted to make for the necklace. After a minute, the ringing of her cell phone stirred her out of her creative trance.

  She didn’t recognize the number on the screen. She answered with a tentative, “Hello?”

  “Ashlynn?” The deep voice on the other end conjured up an image of gorgeous blue eyes. “This is Jeremy, Jeremy Adams. How are you?”

  “Jeremy!” She cringed at the high pitch of her voice. Way to play it cool. She swallowed and tried to keep her tone even. “I’m good, thanks.”

  “I actually dropped by the store today, but the owner said you weren’t scheduled to work until tomorrow. She offered to give me your number; I hope you don’t mind.”

  Mind? After a week of looking up anxiously whenever the front door at work opened, she had given up on ever seeing Jeremy again. Thank you, Zoe! She made a mental note to give her boss a hug for meddling. “Of course not,” she replied. “Yeah, I interned at a school this morning and then had class in the afternoon. It’s good to hear from you. How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing well, thanks. It’s been a little crazy at work, but things are calming down now.”

  “Oh, yeah? What do you do? I didn’t get to ask you last time.”

  “I’m a Strategic Negotiator.”

  “A what?”

  Jeremy chuckled. “The job sounds more complicated than it really is. Basically, I negotiate contracts and find the best pricing for computer services and products.”

  “I see. I’m guessing you need to do a lot of smooth talking for that kind of work?”

  “You could say that. There’s also some mind games involved, which I love. You can find out so much about a person’s intentions by the tone of their voice and the words they use. If you can also see their facial expressions, you can easily pinpoint their weaknesses.”

  “Wow. It sounds like you’ve got people all figured out. I sure wouldn’t want to be on the other end of a negotiation with you.”

  “Well, I remember you had trouble playing Two Truths and a Lie,” he teased. “I could always tell by the color of your cheeks which statement you made was the lie.”

  “Ugh, yes. Unfortunately my cheeks often have a mind of their own.” She covered her eyes as she recalled their encounter at the store. “You, however, never had any problems keeping a straight face. I guess you found the perfect way to put your skills to good use.”

  “And get paid for it, too. Can’t complain about that.”

  “You’ve found your dream job then.”

  “I have.” He paused, then cleared his throat. “Hey, the reason I called is I wanted to let you know my mom loved your jewelry. She wore the set to church and said she got so many compliments on it.”

  “Oh yeah? I’m so glad she liked it. Thanks for letting me know.”

  “Her exact words were, ‘You got some help with this one, didn’t you?’ ”

  Ashlynn let out a giggle. “I’m afraid to ask, but what kind of gifts do you usually buy for your mom?”

  “Let’s just say she has enough gloves to keep her and half the city of Boston warm.”

  “Well, you know it’s the thought that counts. I’m sure she appreciates the fact you’re concerned about her well-being, or at least the well-being of her hands.”

  “Ah, thanks for the sentiment. You may have the makings of a smooth talker in you yet.” After they shared a laugh, Jeremy continued. “But the credit for this recent gift really does go to you. So I’ve been thinking, I’d like to take you out for dinner to thank you for helping me out.”

  Ashlynn’s eyes grew wide. Was this his indirect way of inviting her on a date? What were the odds that Mr. Perfect did exist and he might actually be interested in her? In her world, not very high. More than likely, he was just being polite. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. I mean, it was no big deal. I was just doing my job.”

  “Hmm, I see my powers of persuasion aren’t working on you.”

  Ashlynn detected a lighthearted tone to his words. She decided to play along. “I’m just trying to see how good your negotiation skills are.”

  “I’m afraid I’m at a disadvantage since I can’t read your expressions,” he replied good-naturedly. “But they are definitely better than my dancing skills, that much I can tell you.”

  “Oh, the Macarena!” An image of Jeremy swaying his hips awkwardly in a circle popped into her mind. “Your comment just reminded me of that one game night at church. Remember the time when we played Pictionary, boys versus girls?”

  “How could I forget? You girls had some telepathic thing going on. One of you would barely get a straight line down and someone would guess the right answer.”

  “I know, the boys didn’t stand a chance! But you were all such good sports about losing that I almost felt bad we made you guys dance.”

  “You sure about that? Because the huge smile on your face sure didn’t look like you felt bad.”

  Her eyes widened. Had he noticed her that night? “It’s only because you guys did such a great job, it was so entertaining to watch.”

  “Good comeback.” He laughed. “Well, how about this. If you agree to dinner, I’ll see if I can show you some of those moves again. You wouldn’t want to miss this twice in a lifetime event, now would you?”

  “Really?” Ashlynn grinned as she realized he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Maybe his offer wasn’t merely out of obligation. A girl could only hope. “Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse. It would be fun to get together and catch up.”

  “Great. How about tomorrow?”

  “Sure, I’m free.”

  “Why don’t you text me your address and I’ll pick you up at seven?”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll see you then.”

  “See you then. Bye.”

  Ashlynn hung up the phone and ran downstairs, excitement bubbling up within her. She popped into the living room just as her brother jumped up from the couch with both hands in the air.

  “Yes!” Ben yelped in triumph. “Thirty-six points!”

  A petite Chinese woman wearing white sweatpants and a tie-dyed T-shirt sat next to him. She stared at the Scrabble board and shook her head, her black ponytail swinging from side to side. “What in the world is whizzbang?”

  “Don’t you know? It’s the sound of fireworks when we ...” He wiggled his eyebrows at his wife who playfully hit him on the arm.

  “Eww, guys, get a room.” Ashlynn wrinkled her nose as Ben and Melanie laughed. She loved how sweet her brother and sister-in-law were with each other, but she often felt like a third wheel at home. Moving out wasn’t an option though until she graduated and found a stable job. Or, she mused with a smile, got married—a possibility that didn’t seem so out of reach at the moment. Still, she couldn’t help teasing her brother. “It’s been four years and you’re still acting like newlyweds?”

  “Come on Ash, aren’t you the romantic here?” Ben smirked. “As I recall, you were the one who watched 23 Dresses about twenty-three times.”

  “It’s 27 Dresses and I only watched it seven times. Anyway, I just don’t like imagining my stinky brother doing you know what,” Ashlynn added with a shudder. “I’m sure you’d no sooner want to think about me—”

  “Oh, no no no!” he exclaimed in horror. As her older brother by eight years, Ben had always been more of a parental figure to her, but he’d stepped up his game even more in the past decade. Even though she was an adult now, he was still as protective as ever. “Any guy who lays a finger on my baby sister’s going to have to deal with me.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet of you, Ben,” Melanie piped up. She traded an amused glance with Ashlynn. They both knew Ben, a high school math teacher, had never been in a physical fight before. “It’s a good thing I know a doctor who can tend to your, I mean, the poor guy’s wounds after you get through with him.”

  “Hey, if you need to practice your medical expertise, Dr. Peters, I’m your man,” he said to Melanie who was a pediatrician. They exchanged a smile before he turned to Ashlynn. “But you, young lady, should take note that I’ve been working out.” He flexed both arms to allow his biceps to peek through the short sleeves of his green V-neck shirt.

  “Please, Ben. I’m twenty-four, not fourteen,” Ashlynn said with an exaggerated eye roll. “Besides, you don’t have to worry about the next guy I’m going out with. He’s a perfect gentleman.” A gorgeous, perfect gentleman in her opinion, but her older brother didn’t need to kn
ow that.

  Melanie clapped her hands in delight. “Ooh, do tell. Who’s the lucky guy?”

  “Do you remember Jeremy Adams from First Pres.?” She directed her question at Ben, then filled Melanie in on their history. “We went to the same church before he moved away during high school. Well, he’s back in the area and he came into the store last week. I sold him a set of my jewelry for his mom and apparently she loves it. So he’s taking me out tomorrow to thank me.”

  Ben looked less than impressed. “Jeremy Adams? Yeah, I remember him. Isn’t he the one who had all those girls staring at him with googly eyes?” He batted his brown eyes so his lashes fluttered like butterfly wings. “Every time I came back home from college, I saw him surrounded by girls. He seemed to love the attention, too. I don’t know, Ash. He sounds like trouble to me.”

  “He sounds cute.” Melanie winked at Ashlynn. “Not cuter than you, of course.” She reached over to stroke Ben’s hand.

  “He was cute before, but now he’s … whizzbang!” Ashlynn held her hands to her chest as she pictured Jeremy’s face. “That’s the perfect word for him. He swept me off my feet with his baby blues—whizz—and I almost fainted when he smiled at me—bang!” She held up one hand to her forehead and fell back against the couch, laughing at her own silliness.

  “Whoa now.” Ben raised his hands as if trying to deter cupid’s arrow from piercing his sister’s heart. “Is he picking you up here?”

  She nodded.

  “Good. Then I can make sure he understands the rules.” Ben held up an index finger. “Rule number one: No whizzbanging of any kind allowed on my watch.”

  Ashlynn groaned. As much as she appreciated her brother’s concern, she doubted he’d have any reason to worry where Jeremy was concerned. Her former youth group leader had always been and still was respectful of women. In her eyes, he was practically a saint. Okay, saint was taking it a bit far, considering how hot he was, but he was definitely a gentleman. One who would never take advantage of her, of that she was certain. She hoped though that didn’t mean all physical contact was off limits because she sure wouldn’t mind being kissed by Jeremy Adams.

  Jeremy

  Jeremy glanced over at Ashlynn sitting in the passenger seat of his sports car. They were on their way to a popular seafood in Silicon Valley for their first official date. His heart thumped excitedly in his chest, surprising him with how nervous he was. If he’d thought asking her out had been nerve-wracking, he had no idea her very presence would be making it difficult to drive. He wanted to go full-speed ahead and move their relationship forward, but he also longed to enjoy every second of the evening. In many ways, he felt like a teenager again, completely caught up in the beautiful woman beside him.

  She looked amazing in a cream-colored spaghetti strap dress that fell to just above her knees. He liked how she had pulled her hair into a loose braid which rested over her left shoulder. Having her as his date boosted his confidence a hundred-fold, not that his ego needed any boosting. He considered himself an expert on people—and women in particular. However, Ashlynn wasn’t like any of the women he had dated or was used to dating. He wondered if he wasn’t the kind of man she usually went out with either. The thought sobered him, but he shook his fears aside. He wasn’t the old him anymore. He’d turned over a new leaf and was trying to live according to God’s ways now.

  Smiling, Ashlynn turned and met his gaze. “Hey, I’m glad you weren’t fazed by Ben. He’s usually not so overbearing, but I think he’s under the impression you have a reputation with the ladies.”

  Jeremy frowned. So much for leaving his past behind. He tried to keep his tone light. “Is that so? This is the first I’ve seen of him in over a decade. Why would he think that?”

  “He just remembers how all the junior high girls used to like you.”

  “Ah, that.” It was hard to read her expression in the glow of the sunset, but there was amusement in her voice. “All the junior high girls? Did that include you as well?”

  “You flatter yourself.”

  Jeremy laughed at the sight of her cheeky grin. He liked her quick thinking.

  “Anyways, he was just being silly and overprotective,” she continued. “But I think you gained his trust by the time we left the house.”

  He eased the car to a stop as the signal light ahead of them turned red. “Good thing I figured out he likes to talk about math.”

  “And since no one else I know does, that puts you in really good standing.” Her dimple flashed when she smiled.

  “I’m glad.” He reached over to turn down the air conditioning now that the sun had set. After turning the dial, he rested his elbow on the center console. He intended to move slowly with Ashlynn, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be strategic about his actions. He purposely bridged the distance between them to see how she would respond. Even though he was certain of their chemistry, this was the perfect opportunity to gauge her interest.

  As he hoped, she made a move toward him. She unclasped her hands and reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her left ear. When she lowered her arm, she moved it to rest on the console as well. She giggled when her elbow bumped his. “Sorry about that.”

  “No worries.” He flashed her a grin, which caused her complexion to redden. He suspected the heat in her cheeks was similar to the warmth emanating from her bare skin. He shifted his arm closer so that their forearms fully touched beneath the cuff of his rolled-up sleeve. “See, there’s plenty of room for both of us.”

  “There sure is.” Her words came out a little breathless, but she didn’t move from her spot.

  Jeremy took this as a good sign. He relaxed considerably when the light changed, and he stepped on the gas to cross the intersection. Their date was going as planned, or so he thought, until he heard Ashlynn gasp.

  “What happened there?” She pointed to several short ridges that ran across his tanned forearm. “I don’t remember you having these before.”

  Jeremy winced at the mention of his scars. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep them a secret, but timing was everything. Even though his family and closest friends knew about his past, it was too soon to tell Ashlynn the truth behind them. “Oh that, I had a run-in with a cat a while ago.”

  “Ouch! It must have been one mad cat. Those look like they were really deep scratches. What happened?”

  “Ah, well, you know how sharp their claws can be. It’s not a big deal, really. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He went to work unrolling and buttoning both sleeves of his light blue dress shirt.

  Ashlynn nodded, seeming to understand that he didn’t want to answer any more questions. She grew quiet and turned to look out the passenger side window.

  Jeremy chastised himself for not handling the situation better. He was eager to move past this uncomfortable silence. Fortunately, a bright sign up ahead with an image of a lobster on it confirmed they were close to their destination. He pulled into a small lot and announced, “We’re here.” After parking the car, he stepped out and made his way to the passenger side to open Ashlynn’s door.

  She reached up to take hold of the hand he offered her. “Thank you. I don’t think any guy’s ever opened the door for me before, besides my dad.”

  Her appreciative smile erased any signs of discomfort from a few moments ago. With a prayer of gratitude in his heart, he stated, “There’s no other way to treat a lady.”

  They made their way into the restaurant and were soon seated at a candlelit table. A server brought over house bread with butter, and took their order. They made small talk until their meals arrived, and they settled into a comfortable conversation.

  Jeremy said grace, then asked Ashlynn, “How do you like your salmon?”

  She looked up from her plate. “It’s delicious. You picked a great restaurant. I’ve been wanting to try this place out.”

  Jeremy breathed an inward sigh of relief that he had chosen the right place to take her. “My coworker Bobby recommended it. I wasn’t sure if you were a big seafood fan though.”

  “I’ll pretty much eat anything. Unless it’s moving of course, that’s where I cross the line.” Ashlynn’s eyes twinkled.

  “So I guess you wouldn’t be interested in eating live shrimp then?”