Page 2 of Second Chance at Love (Chance At Love Duet 1)

Chapter One

Present

Iknew this was a bad idea, but I was desperate. And desperate times called for desperate measures.

It all started with the standard weekly Starbucks rendezvous with my long-time friend, Betty. I’ve known her since college. We’d been close friends ever since, regardless of our completely opposite personalities. The connection was sealed when she married Rick, my late husband’s cousin. There were times I preferred avoiding her... like nowadays when I was down on my luck. Her happy and bubbly personality and her perfect life sometimes made it hard to compare. It was really counterintuitive but I have always been more of a suffer alone type. My savings was pretty much nonexistent at this point. I was flat broke, and the mortgage would be due in a few weeks. My home in Croatia had been sitting empty for months and hadn’t brought in much income either. What was that saying... when it rains, it pours! It was completely adequate in my situation, and my children were beginning to notice my despair.

After the entire week of avoiding her, I finally agreed to meet with her. I was so tempted to call her up and offer some last minute excuse, but I didn’t. So here I was, standing in the chilly March weather of Maryland in my white, skinny jeans and light blue turtleneck with matching short uggs. It was ridiculous to have a cold day in spring, but I had gotten used to the unexpected changes in the weather of this state; although, I wistfully thought of the wonderful Mediterranean climate in Croatia. Even after twenty years back in the states, it was hard not to miss it.

My breath was visible in front of me as I pushed through the glass door into the Starbucks in downtown Annapolis.

I skimmed around the place, searching the people crowding the space, but even then I noticed Betty immediately with her beautiful blonde hair falling loose to her mid-back and her latest fashion clothes. She spotted me and a smile spread on her face. She moved her fancy bag off the chair and made a spot for me.

“Genevieve,” she said happily. “I was so worried you’d text me with some poor ass excuse why you couldn’t meet me!”

Her guess was spot on, but I opted not to say that. She was my best friend for good reason; she knew me very well.

“Hi, Betty,” I said, dropping my bag to the floor.

She pushed a cup over to me. “I got you your favorite tea already.”

“I would have gotten it when I got here,” I mumbled. I hated the fact that I couldn’t reciprocate buying her a round. It made me feel inadequate and like a charity case. I knew she meant well but it didn’t help my sentiment.

“I know, I know.” She waved her hand to dismiss my comment. “I wanted to and since I was here early, voila.” She motioned her hand to the cup in front of me before speaking again. “How is job searching going?”

“Ugh,” I groaned. “It's going only as far as me applying, and never getting any further! I even started to apply for admin positions.” I was blowing on my tea, feeling frustrated.

“Admin positions?” Betty asked in surprise, lost in her thoughts for a moment before responding. “You are too good to be an admin.”

“Thanks,” I replied. “That is nice to know, but I’m not getting anywhere. This economy sucks!” In the last twelve months, the stock market and housing market crashed causing a ripple effect. Of course, marketing costs are always first to get cut, and since I worked for a marketing company, we felt the impact fairly early. I thought back to the owners and how desperately they tried to keep me on, even prepared to pay me a salary out of their own bank account, which was unacceptable to me. I had to force them to make the hard decisions before they ended up personally in a bad financial position. So we had to close the company.

“I might know of something.” Betty’s voice was careful, chewing on her lip, hesitating.

That should have been my first clue. I examined Betty’s flushed face as she said, “Kristoff Baldwin is looking for a new assistant.”

“Kristoff Baldwin? What company is that?”

Betty’s eyes widened and she became excited. “Seriously, Genevieve, where have you been? He is the CEO of W&W, and the owner of many other businesses. Word on the street is that he is a trillionaire.”

“I’m sure that is a bit exaggerated,” I said, rolling my eyes. I hated her gossip. I preferred pure facts when evaluating situations and people.

“Either way,” Betty continued, “...he is loaded and successful.”

“Ok, I’m listening,” I replied. “I’ve never heard of him but I have heard of W&W. Getting in the door of that company would be incredibly beneficial.”

Betty’s expression was serious. “So… he wants an intelligent woman and your experience is impressive. And best of all, you could start right away, which is what he is looking for.”

“How did I miss that job posting? I swear, I feel like I’ve applied to all of them,” I wondered, doubting I would even get it. “What if he turns me away as soon as he sees that I am overqualified for an administrative position.”

“He won’t turn you away for being overqualified,” she responded. “The job is not a public posting. The man is brilliant, and you could learn tons from him. You are so smart, driven, and have so much to offer. It would be a foot in the door, and he pays his executive assistants six figures.”

“Betty… that sounds too good to be true,” I said. “Executive assistants don’t usually make six figures.”

“Well,” she hesitated a bit. “His admins make that much. He does require really long hours.”

“I’m ok with long hours,” I said sipping my tea. “Right about now, I’d do anything just to get a job!”

“Well, that is just it, Gemma,” Betty resorted to my nickname. She always complained my name was too mouthful. All our friends agreed it was the perfect nickname, and whether I liked it or not, it sort of stuck. “He works all the time, and...” she trailed off, a troubled look on her face.

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