Making Time Read online

  Synopsis

  Mia Daniels has never forgotten the night her first crush sent her running home, humiliated. She has spent the last fifteen years trying to forget Teri Stanton. Just as she thinks her life is moving forward, Mia loses her lover and then must become her parents’ caretaker. She is still determined to make a life without Teri’s ghost haunting her.

  Teri Stanton has sold her soul to her family’s business. She’s tripled the net worth and made it a global company. One day she will be the CEO. That is all she cares about. Until Mia Daniels shows up and keeps telling her to go away. Mia is attractive and smart, and Teri is interested, but Mia has too many responsibilities for Teri to deal with.

  Mia may be Teri’s one chance to regain her soul back, but first she has to make time to prove to Mia she is worth the effort. Teri’s not sure if she can.

  Making Time

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  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

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  Making Time

  © 2014 By C.J. Harte. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-62639-258-8

  This Electronic Book is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, New York 12185

  First Edition: October 2014

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

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Cindy Cresap

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

  By the Author

  Dreams of Bali

  Magic of the Heart

  First Love

  Making Time

  Acknowledgments

  Although writing can be solitary, this book wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the efforts of many people. Thank you to Gail, who reads first drafts and always gives positive feedback. Thank you, Cindy Cresap, my hard-working editor, who takes my good intentions and helps me shape a novel into a fantastic manuscript. To my many friends who give me moral support and provide chicken soup when I get sick—thank you for keeping me going. I want to thank Radclyffe for encouraging so many of us. She is not only a great writer, but an inspiration.

  Dedication

  Mary Harris, December 22, 1952–February 14, 2014.

  She was my first lover, my dearest friend, and my biggest fan. Thank you for making time for me.

  Part One

  Finding Time

  CHAPTER ONE

  Huge mansions dotted the landscape. They oozed wealth and exclusivity. Mia Daniels once again felt like an intruder. She had once been plopped down in the largest and most ostentatious of estates and then banished, permanently. Very little seemed to have changed. She was still an outsider, a fake. The memory of a certain evening fifteen years ago still elicited an intense visceral reaction. Every mile that brought her closer to that destination increased her level of discomfort. Bile rose in her throat.

  Mia slammed her hand against the steering wheel and pulled the car over to the side of the road. The engine was running, but the car wasn’t moving. And neither was she. Natalie’s whispered words danced in circles in her head. You need to let go. Let me love you. You need to let go. Let me love you. You need to let go before you can love me.

  Mia was stuck. She desperately wanted to turn around and go back to her safe life. That life no longer existed. If she moved forward, she had to let go of memories and shattered dreams. That didn’t seem safe, either.

  “This is getting me nowhere.” She wiped a tear, then turned up the radio. The day was too nice to be drowning in such morose thoughts. Her entire adult life was spent stuck in the past. She pushed her sunglasses up on her nose and resumed driving. She knew all too well the fragility of life. She was determined now to grasp it and live it. And not keep making the same mistakes. To do so meant moving forward. She put her foot down on the accelerator.

  The top on the rental convertible was down, and the breeze, blowing through her recently cropped hair, reminded her that she was alive. She could choose to heal. She brushed her hand through her hair and began to hum. The breeze felt like a caress as it gently passed through her hair. The sun covering her face and arms was warm and healing. It was time.

  All too soon, she was turning into a well-manicured drive. Thick grass stopped exactly at the edge of the blacktop. Not one blade even leaned in the wrong direction. The tree limbs were trimmed and hung at least ten feet above the road. She briefly wondered if even nature bent itself to the demands of the dwellers. An eight-foot tall wall separated the residents from the less worthy. Mia had finally arrived at the one place she had carefully avoided all her adult life. Stanton Estate.

  Large wrought iron gates guarded the entrance. Mia drove up and gave her name. The guard, like his surroundings, was formidable and cold. His condescending expression failed to dissuade her. She carefully hid a smile when he found her name on the approved list. The gates opening not only allowed Mia to drive in but to face her ghosts.

  Her father’s promotion to chief financial officer had been her entrance into this magical world. Her family moved from their small apartment in the city to one of the large homes nearby, available only to Stanton’s highest level executives. Mia was ten and had been in awe. Glittering parties, people all dressed up, the music and dancing. How often she had watched and pretended.

  One person, however, always captured her attention. One person occupied her thoughts and dreams. One person aroused such intense emotions that teenaged Mia wandered around in a happy fog imagining herself in love and loved. Until the day her world came crashing down. Mia sighed. Stop! You can’t keep doing this.

  Huge, heavy double doors guarded the entrance to the inner sanctum of the main dwelling. Large, imposing columns rose up to intimidate anyone approaching the front. Mia shivered and stopped short of the entrance just as the front door was opening. Jeremy Stanton was one of her oldest and closest friends. Only their friendship would entice her to visit the Stanton estate. That and knowing no one else would be there.

  “Welcome to my humble home,” Jeremy said. He pulled her into a huge hug as soon as she was out of the car. He grabbed her luggage and led her in.

  “Jeremy, you live in a mansion.” Mia snickered. “I live in a two-bedroom apartment in the Parisian arrondissement nearest work, and I think functional would be an accurate description, although I prefer quaint. This….” Mia waved her hand to encompass the grand staircase, the expensive chandeliers, the original priceless artwork, and the custom furniture. “This opulence is overwhelming. I feel as if I should be buying a tour ticket only I’m afraid I’d be told I’m not deserving.”

  “Mia, I can’t change my family. My parents…”

  “Please, you don’t need to justify your family, your surroundings. I’ve never felt comfortable here.”

  “Well, then, I’ll take you to one of the quaint cottages if you prefer.”

  Mia laughed. “Even those are rather intimidating.”

  “Exactly what my grandfather intended.”

  “Looking back, I’m glad my dad got transferred to Europe. After he quit working for your family, he began enjoying life.”

  “Dad and Teri haven’t learned that yet. How are your parents?”


  “They’re off to Wales for the holidays.” Mia followed Jeremy into one of the guest cottages. She wasn’t ready to discuss her parents, even with such a close friend. She still needed to come to terms with the changes in her life. “This is ten times the size of my Paris apartment. The color and decorations are…I think bleak austere would be an appropriate description.”

  “No one ever accused my family of being gauche.”

  “I’ve been in monasteries more ornate.” She wanted to ask about Teri, but the question stuck in her throat. Just as the memories of that evening often did. Instead, she walked around the cottage, opening windows, touching objects. It would do for tonight.

  “My parents wanted everyone to know where the money and power was.”

  “It’s in the manse, not the cottages. Expensive sculptures, art originals, custom white wool carpets, and the crystal glass. All verboten to anyone under the age of eighteen.”

  “Verboten to all but the chosen. And we used to sneak in.” Jeremy paused and turned a light switch on and off. “Teri is well.”

  “Oh?” Mia prayed she wasn’t that transparent. “I guess that’s good.” Her heart was beating much too fast for her head’s contentment.

  “She’s still single and a heart breaker. Work’s her lover, mistress, and only friend, but I’m not her keeper.”

  “Too much information.”

  “She’s my sister and I wish she’d get a life. She wishes I’d show more of her work ethic. We seem to get along less and less.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Jeremy set the bag on a small table against the wall. “Mia, I love my sister, and you’re my best friend. I may not always like what she does or how she treats people, but she’s my sister. I know she hasn’t always been nice to you.”

  Mia’s eyes widened. “Nice? Nice! Jeremy, I was fifteen years old. She called me a selfish, self-centered liar. The next thing I know, we’re all being shipped off to Europe. My whole family was being punished.”

  “Mia, your father’s transfer was a business decision. It had nothing to do with you.”

  “Right! My dad’s moving us to Oregon and then he suddenly discovers all the arrangements, including housing, have been made for us to move to Europe. And that was only five days after Teri’s tirade.” She shook her head. “Jer, I don’t want to talk about this. We’ve hashed and rehashed this whole episode, and I’m done with it.”

  Jeremy smiled. “About damn time.”

  Mia hugged him. “Maybe, but I haven’t forgotten, or forgiven. I’m just moving’ on.” Or at least, trying to. She looked around. Unpleasant memories niggled at the corners of what little peace she had. She pushed them down—as far down as she could without wiping out brain cells.

  “If it makes you feel any better, she treats everyone that way. At least she’s supposed to be out of town for the next several days. You, however, I probably won’t see again unless I go to Europe.”

  “It’s your turn,” Mia reminded him. “I’ve met you in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Miami. You’ve met me in Rome once. Besides, I may be moving back to the States. So you’ll have no excuses then.”

  She opened her luggage and began hanging her few items. “Let me change and you can take me on the grand tour. Surely there have been some changes to the manor.” Her voice was mocking, but her smile was warm.

  Twenty minutes later, they were strolling along the river. Mia wrapped her hand around Jeremy’s arm. “I used to love walking along here.”

  “Not like the Seine?”

  Mia smiled, recalling the many times she had walked from the Sorbonne to the Latin Quarter and then along the river to the Ile de Cite. “No! There is definitely something wonderful about that river.” She paused and looked around. “Don’t get me wrong. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. This place and this river remind of my young, naïve days. B.T.”

  “Before Teri?”

  She nodded. “It was a time of innocence and make-believe.” She looked at Jeremy. “I’m sounding jaded, and I’m not even close to forty. Sorry.”

  Mia leaned against Jeremy and rubbed his arm. “How are things going with you and Elaine? I really like her.” She sat on the grass under a large oak tree and stretched her legs.

  “I want to ask her to marry me. I’m tired of us living apart. I just haven’t found the right moment.”

  She leaned against the tree and relived her own regrets. “There’s never the right time, Jeremy. You’ve got to make the time.” A large boat pulling up to the nearby dock served as a healthy distraction. “You’re perfect for each other, but…” Mia paused, trying her best to maintain a serious expression. “I can’t imagine Elaine getting really excited with you getting down on one knee without a ring.”

  Jeremy grinned. “Don’t worry. I plan on having flowers, a wonderful dinner, and the ring.”

  “When are you going to tell your family?” Jeremy grimaced. Mia laughed. “You have to tell them.”

  “I will. I’m going to ask Elaine to marry me first. I want to make sure she says yes.”

  “You, idiot. She’s madly in love with you.”

  Jeremy blushed. “I hope so.” He was silent for so long Mia wondered what he was thinking. “Mia, I’m so sorry about Nat.” Mia shrugged. “Maybe you’ll find someone, too.”

  “Maybe,” Mia said. “Maybe,” she said again with more optimism in her voice. “I’ve sabotaged too many relationships and I’m done with that. Nat changed that. She made me realize life is too precious. Now I have Michel, and I want to get my life together for him. I need to get it together.”

  Jeremy turned and stared at the boat at the dock. “Oh, shit. Mia, I’m so sorry. Teri is here. She was supposed to be heading for California.”

  Mia stood and dusted the grass off her pants. “This was a bad idea. I think I should go.” Run is what I should do. I can’t believe my worst nightmare is happening.

  “Mia, don’t go. Maybe she just forgot something.”

  This was ridiculous. The fight-flight battle was in full swing. Mia was fifteen and being called a conniving liar. At the same time, she recognized she was no longer the heartbroken teenager. If she was truly determined to move on with her life, then she had to face her nemesis. That meant dealing with Teri. If Jeremy and Brenna were to be her friends, she would also have to deal with the rest of their family. “I’ll gird my loins and grit my teeth. My dentist won’t be happy, but I’m a good gritter.”

  Jeremy rolled his eyes. “I’ve missed you. Come on. Might as well get it over.”

  “Why do you continue to work for her?”

  “I don’t. I work for the family business.”

  “Come on, Jer. Isn’t Teri C.O.O. now? Not bad for someone who’s thirty-eight.”

  “She is, but Dad’s still C.E.O. and chair of the board. You, dear friend, are only thirty-two and cultural attaché at our French embassy.”

  “The correct term is cultural affairs officer. I’m the assistant CAO in the Paris office. Bottom line, it’s a government job, Jeremy, and fortunately, one I enjoy. Not that glamorous but I get to meet some amazing people.”

  Any response was halted by Teri’s shouts. “Jeremy, come grab the ropes and tie the boat.”

  It was a command. Mia couldn’t ever remember Teri asking for anything, or anyone. Teri’s voice boomed across the dock and trilled down Mia’s spine. After all these years. Remember, you’re letting go of the past.

  Mia walked over with Jeremy and helped anchor the boat to the dock. It was a task she hadn’t done in years, but muscle memory kicked in. They unloaded whatever Teri handed them onto the dock. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be noticed. Or remembered.

  CHAPTER TWO

  It wasn’t until the boat was unloaded that Teri even acknowledged the presence of a third person. As long as people did what she said, she didn’t care who it was. No, that wasn’t true. She wasn’t too thrilled with Jeremy out walking with the staff. She would have a chat with him later. Being a Stanton entai
led certain responsibilities and behavior. When the hell is he going to grow up and start accepting his role in the family and the business?

  Teri turned toward the female and carefully scrutinized her brother’s companion. She looked familiar. The blond-haired beauty was attractive. Curved hips set off by the khaki pants. The powder blue top had a V-neck that showed enough of well-formed breasts that Teri declared them delicious. Ice-blue eyes stared back at her.

  Teri started to walk away. It had been years since she had seen eyes that color. The only person she knew with those color eyes was….

  “Mia Daniels?” Teri turned and stared at her.

  “Hello, Teri.” Mia’s expression was grim.

  “Well, you’ve certainly…grown up.” Her gaze slowly moved down and then back up until she was again staring into the remarkable bright eyes. The unexpected pleasure of seeing Mia stunned her. She quickly closed that door. What the hell is she doing here now? Teri had sent Mia away once. Was she going to have to do it again?

  Mia folded her arms across her chest and stared back.

  “What’re you doing here?” Teri asked.

  “I invited her,” Jeremy said.

  “Why?” Teri asked.

  “Why do I have to explain?”

  Teri glared at him. She definitely needed to have another chat with him. As if it would do any good. “You don’t. Nice to see you, Mia. Are you staying long?”

  “No. Are you?” Mia looked pained, as if she regretted the comment. Teri doubted it.

  “Touché.” Teri ran her eyes over Mia one more time. Her appraisal was thorough and dispassionate. Mia may be an attractive woman, but she didn’t belong here. Teri had business to conduct, and she didn’t need any distractions. Certainly not from someone so impudent. “You, however, are at my home. I have a right to be here any time I want.” She stared into the bright blue eyes. There was a brief flare and then calm returned.