Second Chance Girl (Happily Inc. #2)

“It’s no big deal. I asked the housekeeping service I use to spruce the guest rooms and make sure there were towels.” He turned to Maya. “Do you need more than that?”


“Not at all.” She laughed. “We’ll be fine. Thank you for letting us stay with you until the wedding.” She touched Carol’s arm. “I was terrified to leave my dress in a hotel room for several days. What if Del saw it or stepped on the train?”

“I’d never do that,” her fiancé protested.

“Not on purpose.” Maya smiled at Mathias. “You saved me, little brother-to-be, and I’m very grateful.”

“You’ve been traveling for a couple of days,” Carol said. “You must be exhausted. Let’s get you settled.”

Mathias sighed. “She’s prodding me. Did you see that? It was subtle, but I saw it.”

“Give it up, bro,” Del told him. “You’ll never win.” He whistled for Sophie. The dog raced toward him and jumped. Del caught her in his arms. “Come on. I’ll let you drive if you promise to be careful.”

Sophie barked in agreement.

Maya fell into step with Carol. “I didn’t know you two were dating. Not that Mathias talks about his personal life much, but still.”

“We’re not,” Carol said, careful to keep her voice low. “We live kind of next to each other and we’re friends. He’s the one who convinced Ronan to donate a piece of artwork to raise money for Millie’s herd. I know all three Mitchell brothers who live here. It’s a small-town thing.”

She pressed her lips together when she realized she might just be talking a bit too quickly. Maya’s expression was knowing but all she said was, “I’m glad you’re on the team.”

Carol had no idea what that meant, but decided to simply go with it. Protesting too much would only add to the confusion. If Maya said anything to Mathias, Carol was sure he would set her straight. They were friends. Neighbors. Absolutely nothing more.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE BOARDROOM HAD a warm and friendly feel, or maybe that was more about how Violet hovered at his side. Ulrich knew he would forever link the two in his mind. After nearly a week in his hotel room, he’d insisted on going out for the evening and Violet had suggested a few hours at The Boardroom.

There was a long bar against the far wall and lots of tables and chairs but what truly dominated the space were the floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with boxes of board games. Some were new and some were obscure. Ulrich saw several that he’d played as a child. On the days that his father’s old injuries had made it impossible for him to work, he and Ulrich had spent afternoons playing board games. Summers had meant a table in a shady part of the garden while winters had meant sitting near a warm fire.

“It’s tournament night,” Violet said, sounding happy. “That will be fun.” She pointed to an empty table and led the way. “Now I’ll get to find out how competitive you are.”

“I can hold my own.” If things went badly, he could always blame the concussion.

“We’ll see,” she said with a laugh and pulled out a chair. He sat next to her, leaving two empty seats at their table for four.

The room was filling up. The noise level rose, but not uncomfortably so. Most of the people seemed to know each other and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxing.

“Like the pub back home,” he said, leaning close to Violet. “If only there were darts.”

“And warm beer,” she teased. “And bangers and mash.”

“Someone’s been on the internet.”

She laughed. “Yes, someone has.” She studied him. “You doing all right? There’s not too much noise and the lights are okay?”

“While I appreciate the concern, I assure you that I’m perfectly fine. No headache, no pains of any kind. I’m looking forward to the evening.”

“Me, too.”

Her gaze seemed to linger. Or maybe that was simply wishful thinking on his part. Since his accident, despite how much time they’d spent together, he’d been unable to determine if Violet had any interest in him beyond helping out a friend. He wanted to tell himself that her attitude was her attempt to be professional as she took care of him, but he thought he might be fooling himself. Violet wasn’t in the medical field. She was allowed to act as she would like—which made it very clear she wasn’t all that interested in him.

Too bad. After their first dinner together, he would have sworn they had chemistry. She had reacted positively to his suggestion that she come visit Battenberg Park, but maybe that was more about seeing his grandmother rather than him.

A woman walked over and put her hands on the back of an empty chair. “Mind if I join you?” she asked, her gaze settling on him. “Or is this table royals only?”

She was attractive, with platinum blond hair and blue eyes.

“We only have to curtsy at the beginning and end of the evening,” Violet told her, then grinned. “Although Ulrich does like to be called ‘Your Lordship.’”

“And here I thought Americans prided themselves on their honesty,” Ulrich said as he rose and held out his hand. “Ulrich Sherwood. And it’s not Your Lordship, it’s Your Grace.”

“Silver Tesdal,” she said as she took a seat across from him. “Your Grace.” She flashed him a smile. “How are you feeling? Recovering from the accident?”

“I am. Thank you.”

Ulrich wasn’t surprised Violet’s friend knew about what had happened. He would imagine the news had spread all over the town. It was the same back home—everyone knew everyone’s business. Every now and then the reality irritated, but most of the time he enjoyed being part of the community.

According to his grandmother, all was well at Battenberg Park. So much so, she seemed in no hurry to have him return. Whenever they talked, she insisted he take a few more days to recover. He’d already extended his visit much longer than expected, even taking the accident into account. At some point he was going to have to leave. The truth was—he simply didn’t want to.

He told himself it was because he rarely took a vacation where he got away from all his responsibilities. Even this trip had been work-related—two days in Los Angeles to finalize the rental of the estate for the film company, then a quick trip to Happily Inc to confront Violet. Had he not had a run-in with a giraffe, he would have been home over a week ago and Violet would have been little more than a distant memory.

Perhaps he owed Millie a note of gratitude.

“Tonight is going to be fun,” Silver said. “It’s a Trouble tournament.”

“Trouble?” Ulrich asked.

“It’s a board game,” Violet told him. “I love it when we play kids’ games. They’re the most fun. You’d be amazed at how many adults get annoyed when they’re sent back to home base.”

“You’ve played this game before,” he said.

“I have and I plan to win.”

Silver leaned toward him. “Watch out. She can be competitive.”

A woman who look remarkably like Violet joined them. They both had red hair and similar features. The other woman was more casually dressed, but her mannerisms and smile were just like Violet’s. The sister, he thought, standing up to greet her.