It’s Finally the Release of He’s Always Been the One!

Hello everyone! It’s been a crazy beginning of 2021 already but I’ve finally gotten He’s Always Been the One finalized and published. Yes, I’ve already hit publish on the ebook so hopefully, it will be live soon!!!  I’ll be formatting the paperback so I can have that out within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I’ll be posting the first couple of chapters between here and my blog. I hope you’ll stop by and comment even if you’ve already read the book 🙂 If you’d like to see some of my inspiration board, the Pinterest link is here. Chapter 2 will be on my blog tomorrow and Chapter 3 will be here on Friday. I hope you stop by!

It’s live! Amazon US link!

I hope you’re ready because here’s the first chapter!

Chapter 1

The couple seated across the desk from me was young, very young—high school sweethearts, who had only just graduated from the University of South Carolina and were finally tying the knot. The groom’s affectionate smile while he tenderly held his fiancée’s hand spoke of a contentment I’d yet to know and caused my chest to ache.

The stars in their eyes reminded me of a portrait of my parents that adorned the mantel in my grandmother’s house. Like the twosome in front of me, the pair in the picture was a young interracial couple who’d had more to overcome thirty years ago than, hopefully, the couple in front of me.

While I’d worked for Forever Yours Wedding Planners for several years, planning weddings on my own was still a new role, so I concentrated on appearing confident. I did know what I was doing. After all, I’d assisted Jena, Ellie, and Charlie often enough to understand how the process worked.

I settled back into my chair and picked up my pen to make a note on the small pad I always kept at the ready. “Okay, we’ve nailed down the church and the venue for the reception. Have you made your guest list yet?” They shook their heads. “I need you to prepare it soon so I can contact caterers and bakeries for estimates on the food and the cake. Do you have any ideas for the menu? That might help me narrow down which caterer would better suit your needs.”

A gentle knock at my office door caused us all to turn as Jena, one of my employers, peeked inside. “I’m sorry for the interruption. Maggie, your grandmother’s on the phone. She says it’s urgent.”

My heart dropped like a fifty-pound weight, and I froze solid for a second or two. Gram never called me at work. She was one of the most independent people I’d ever known. Something had to be wrong, very wrong. I lunged forward and picked up the office phone. “Gram?”

“Maggie! Thank goodness! I tried your cell, but it went straight to voicemail.”

My stomach twisted and my muscles tensed into knots. Her voice was breathless and dramatic. My grandmother was never dramatic. “I’m with a client, so my phone’s on silent. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry for interrupting. I swear I wouldn’t have called unless it was important.” Her pitch had risen as she spoke. With Jena getting married in two weeks and Charlie ready to pop with her first child, I’d been given more responsibility. I knew the last thing my grandmother wanted was to interrupt me while I worked.

“I know that, Gram. I need you to tell me what’s going on?”

“I fell on that bad wood on the back steps.” I inhaled sharply, but before I could say a word, Gram jumped in. “I was running out to fetch Harper when it happened. I’m sorry. I tried calling Mrs. Bunting next door and your friend Mei. Neither answered.”

I held up my hand. “I can pick up Harper, but what about you? Are you okay?”

Her voice resumed her usual no-nonsense tone but remained tight. “I’ll be fine, dear. I don’t think I’m hurt. You take care of Harper and don’t worry about me.”

“You know I’m going to worry until I see you for myself. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

My grandmother’s huff was as clear as day through the line. “Margaret Jane Dashwood, finish what you need to at work. I’ll be fine. Now, go pick up your daughter.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Gram hung up, and I placed the receiver on the base as I peered around at everyone now watching me. “I’m so sorry. I have to go.” I grabbed my purse from under the desk and looked toward Jena. “Would you mind scheduling the next appointment for Lydia and Greg? Would two weeks work?” I asked the couple. “You can bring in your initial guest list so we have that ball park figure for estimates and menu selection.”

Jena stepped around my desk and gently pressed me toward the door. “We’ll figure it out. Please call and let me know if your grandmother is well, or if you need anything.”

“Thanks.” I extended my hand to Lydia. “I’m so sorry.”

The young woman waved me off before she took my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“Thank you.” I shook Greg’s hand quickly before I hurried through the door.

As soon as I exited the historic red brick home that housed our offices, I jogged across the street as carefully as my heel-clad feet could carry me into the park, slowing to a brisk walk as I followed the pathway towards the pond.

In no time, my silk tank began sticking to me. September weather in South Carolina was never predictable. The weather could cool a little early or the scorching heat of August could carry through until November if Mother Nature felt more than a little capricious. Since this was merely the first week of September, we still had the heat rather than a quick relief from the higher summer temperatures.

I pulled my phone from the side pocket of my purse and pressed a button for the time. I had five minutes to get to Marysville Elementary before the final bell, and probably another two or three minutes before Harper came barreling through the front doors looking for Gram. Driving had been out of the question since traffic around the school was hellacious at this time of day. The last thing I wanted to deal with was those holier than thou mothers who volunteered for car pick-up. I never knew why they gave me the evil eye, and frankly, I ceased to care a long time ago. Instead, I boycotted the Marysville mom mafia. Don’t get me wrong, I volunteered in the classrooms when I had a day off, and I provided any supplies the teachers requested. I simply didn’t need to socialize with a bunch of superficial, hoity-toity society belles to help out at the school.

The bell rang not long after I joined the throng of parents waiting in the designated spot for school pick up. Within seconds, children began pouring from the doors like a flash flood, and a minute later Harper’s dark red space buns flew through the center of the surge until she saw me. She stopped and a huge smile lit her face. “Mommy!” She bounded forward and grabbed my hand. “Where’s Gram?”

“She fell on the back stairs, so as soon as we make it back to the office and get the car, we’re going to have to go home and see if she’s hurt.” We turned and began walking back toward the park, which was the quickest path between the two points. “Did you do anything fun at school today?”

“Mrs. Traub brought in a guinea pig for us to take care of. His name’s Herschel.”

“Herschel?”

“Yeah, his little nose does this when he eats lettuce.” She wiggled her little freckled nose in the cutest way, and I laughed.

“He does?”

“Can we get a guinea pig?”

“You said you wanted a kitten like Bacon. Would you really rather have a guinea pig?” I’d taken her to the office once on a Saturday to pick up a file, and she fell in love with Jena’s little calico ball of fluff. Of course, Bacon wasn’t so little anymore, but she was still adorable and full of kittenish mischief. I hoped Harper would change her mind on the guinea pig. I did not want an over-grown rat in the house.

“Can’t we have both? Gram won’t mind. She likes animals. She’s always telling me stories about growing up on her daddy’s farm.”

“We’ll see.” We hurried across the street as I clicked the button on my key to unlock my more than a decade old crossover. My car wasn’t flashy, but it was reliable and not an eyesore when I needed to transport clients.

Once Harper was buckled in the back, I carefully pulled out and started for home. “I’m simply not sure about having an animal yet. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

“I can feed it. It could sleep in my bed.”

“Harp, a guinea pig wouldn’t sleep all night in your bed. A cat wouldn’t even sleep with you the entire night because they like to roam around. At least a cat would be easier to find in the morning.” That wasn’t even taking into account vet bills, food, kitty litter, or shavings for a cage. I’d made decent money the last few years as an assistant in the office, but Jena, Charlie, and Ellie had recently given me the opportunity to be more—to actually plan weddings instead of helping and answering phones. Yes, the pay was better so I’d hoped to start a college fund for Harper and purchase a newer car, not get a pet.

In less than five minutes, we’d pulled into the garage behind the house. Like the office, my grandmother’s home was located in the historic district of Marysville. I loved the old brick homes and vast front porches—although Gram’s was off an alley and had no front porch. Another benefit of living downtown was being within walking distance to anything we needed, though I drove to work in the event I needed to run an errand in Charleston or one of the surrounding small towns.

I helped Harper grab her Stitch backpack and lunchbox. If there was one thing my little girl adored, it was anything Lilo and Stitch. I’d had to search this style online. The star struck look on her face when she saw it was worth the effort. Thank heavens for Ebay!

I steered my daughter around the car to the door that led to the backyard. No sooner had we stepped through than Gram came into view, reclined on a stretcher on the back porch. A uniformed man stood on either side of her.

“Gram!” cried Harper, who broke into a run.

“You said you were okay.” Yes, my voice held a tone of accusation. I really couldn’t help it. She should’ve told me she was hurt. What if I’d decided to take Harper with me to work to finish as she’d suggested? She could’ve been sitting there for hours—except she didn’t wait for me. She’d apparently handled matters herself.

“I didn’t want to worry you.” Gram winced as they carefully tightened a belt across her legs. Harper, meanwhile, had wheedled into a free space to hold Gram’s hand. “It’ll probably be the only time in my life I’m thankful for those dratted cell phones,” she said in a weak laugh. “After I called you, I dialed 911, and in no time, these two handsome men showed up to take care of me.”

The EMT with his back to me turned his head, his hazel eyes met mine, and I suddenly couldn’t move my legs and my heart thrummed in this strange rhythm against my sternum. Elliot?

“Hi, Maggie.”

Gram’s face perked like a child when ice cream was mentioned. “Oh? Do the two of you know one another?” She’d been pushing me these last two years to do more than curl up on the sofa with a book on Friday nights. The last thing I wanted her to know was that I was acquainted with a hunky EMT.

“Elliot is friends with Charlie from work. They play volleyball together.” I wasn’t about to mention how the man could make me sweat faster than burpees in a sauna. My palms were already slick, and he hadn’t said more than two words to me.

“We’ve got her ready to take her to the ER,” said Elliot as they lifted the stretcher. He turned and pointed at the rotten wood steps leading off the porch. “If you can’t fix that, they should be ripped out. They’re dangerous—for all of you.”

I bristled at his reprimand, regardless of how well-meaning it was. “I’ve planned on fixing them, but I’ve been busy at work. Where are you taking my grandmother?”

“Just to the local hospital.” His partner stepped off the deck, and between the two of them, they gently lowered my grandmother off the porch. “We’d offer you a ride, but we only have room for one.”

“It’s fine. I need to see if Jena minds watching Harper so I can go. I’ll be there as soon as I can, Gram.”

“Take your time. It’s not like I’m going to be ready to leave anytime soon.” She dismissively waved me off; however, the grimace when she shifted clearly told how much pain she was trying to hide.

Harper and I followed them through the gate to the ambulance out front. Once Gram was loaded into the van with his colleague, Elliot placed a hand on my upper arm. “I’m no doctor, but I’d bet anything she’s broken her hip. She might need surgery then rehabilitation once she’s released. I normally don’t tell family this much. I just don’t want you to get caught off-guard when the doctors get the x-rays.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He squeezed my arm and leaned a hair closer, prompting a prickling of goosebumps across the back of my neck. “You might want to make that phone call to Jena. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure,” I said in this weird voice I’d never heard before. Why did I feel like a freshman in high school and the senior captain of the football team had smiled at me? I was a twenty-seven-year-old single mother, for Pete’s sakes, not some dreamy young girl who’d never kissed a boy. That ship had sailed a long time ago.

“Is Gram going to be okay?”

Suddenly, what Elliot said hit me, and I squatted down beside Harper. “Let’s go inside and pack Gram a bag before we go.”

“Is she going to have to stay at the hospital?” Harper’s wide eyes practically begged me to say no.

“She might. You need to remember that she’ll be fine. You know how tough Gram is. You don’t need to worry.”

“Can we pack Stitch to keep her company?”

I smiled and squeezed her hand in mine. “Of course. Why don’t you go and pick out which Stitch you think would be best.”

Once we were inside, I grabbed an overnighter and put a few of Gram’s nightgowns, under things, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a brush inside and met Harper in the hall. “Are you ready?” She nodded while she clutched her favorite Stitch, the one with droopy ears and huge eyes, to her chest.

I loaded Harper back into the car, pulled up the office phone number, and pressed send, swapping my cell phone to speaker before I pulled out of the driveway.

“Forever Yours. This is Greta.” Greta had originally worked part-time for the company helping at events. Since she’d graduated college and I’d been promoted, she’d started periodically working my former place at the front desk.

“Hi Greta, it’s Maggie.”

“Hi there. Jena told me you had to leave early. Is everything okay?”

“Kind of hectic at the moment. Is Jena available?”

Greta giggled. “She must have ESP because she just peered around the corner. Let me put you on hold so she can pick up.”

After a bit, the line clicked. “You could’ve called my cell phone.”

I stopped at the light and drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. “I didn’t want to interrupt in the event you had a walk-in.”

“Maggie, you’ve never called in sick, you’ve never had a family emergency until now, and you rarely bring Harper into the office, even though we’ve told you she’s more than welcome whenever you need it. You wouldn’t have left today if it wasn’t important, so even in a meeting, I would answer. I’m sure the client would understand.”

“Okay, got it.” I took a deep breath as the light turned green, and I pressed on the gas pedal. “I need a favor. Gram may have broken her hip. After she called me, she called 911.”

“Oh, crap!”

“Yeah, anyway, I can’t bring Harper to the emergency room.”

Before I could continue, Jena cut me off. “Bring her in. Let Aunt Jena spoil her rotten for a couple of hours. She can even spend the night if you need it.”

“I didn’t pack her a bag, and she has school tomorrow. The teacher usually sends home handwriting assignments that she might need help with. She’s allergic to nuts. I have an epi-pen in my purse that I can leave with you. If you don’t mind, please read the label on any food you might give her.”

“No problem. I’ll call Brandon. We can grill burgers and make home fries.”

“She’ll love that. Thank you.”

“You’ve covered for us and always ensured we had help when we needed it. It’s no bother. Any of us would be happy to help—even Charlie.” Because she was due soon, Charlie was working from home unless she had a meeting. I was covering her weddings. “I’ve already let Ellie know your grandmother was sick, and she was going to pass the news along to Charlie. We’re here for you. You can call any of us at any time. I hope you know that.”

“I just pulled up in front.”

“Gotcha,” said Jena as the line clicked.

Twenty minutes later, I walked through the sliding electric doors of the emergency room. I’d have arrived earlier, but Jena had never used an epi-pen, so I gave her a quickie lesson before I left. In all fairness, Harper was fully capable of teaching Jena, however, my overprotective OCD niggle insisted I ensure it was done by me.

I strode up to the window, and the woman behind the desk shoved a panel open. “May I help you?”

“Yes, I’m here for Cordelia Dashwood. She was brought in by ambulance.”

“Maggie!” I whipped around to Elliot, who held open a door to the side of the waiting room. He motioned for me to follow him. “I’ve got it, Leanne.”

Without waiting for Leanne’s permission, I hurried after Elliot. “Thank you.”

We hurried down a corridor, and he motioned where I should turn down another hallway. “It’s been pretty quiet here today. After giving your grandmother something for pain, they sent her straight down to radiology for x-rays. She shouldn’t be too long. Do you want some coffee while you wait?”

“I’m good for the moment.” I glanced back and forth around me. “Don’t you need to go back to work?”

“No, I’m off, but I wanted to make sure you and your grandmother didn’t need anything.” He barked out a laugh and scratched the back of his neck. “That woman’s a pistol. She asked me how old I am, where I live, and whether I had a ‘young lady’ in my life.” He air-quoted “young lady.”

My cheeks warmed. I already needed to wipe my sweaty palms down my skirt without Gram mortifying me. Why did she have to do that?

He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced down to his feet. “Despite the efficiency of the local gossip mill, I hadn’t realized you have a daughter.”

“Oh?” I scraped my teeth along my bottom lip. “Perhaps because that’s old news. Usually, I see you at the fitness center, work, or the grocery store, and I always make grocery runs on my way home from the office. Gram picks up Harper from school for me, so she’s never with me. If we go somewhere, it’s usually on weekends. Somehow, I doubt you frequent the Animal Forest or the aquarium.”

After he chuckled, he shook his head. “No, those aren’t my usual haunts.” He cleared his throat. “Your grandmother is fairly active then?”

“She walks to school and back every day, helps keep the house clean, and cooks dinner most weekdays. She also quilts and sews. For eighty-two, she does pretty well.”

“Being active will be good for her recovery.”

We shifted to one side of the hallway for a nurse, pushing a patient in a wheelchair, to pass. “You don’t have to wait with me, you know.”

“What if I’d like to?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall. It’d been so long since I’d even looked at a man. I had no clue what to do when Elliot made comments like that.

He stepped closer and nearly touched his shoulder to mine. “Are you sure you don’t want that coffee?”

I watched my feet, avoiding his eye, while I tried to breathe away the butterflies and concentrate on what was important—Harper, Gram, my job in that order. I had no time to let whims and feelings get in the way. I may have liked Elliot Martin, yet I needed him to find another woman. I was still trying to understand why he seemed to be pursuing me. “We’ll see,” I said, wincing at how non-committal that sounded.

 

 

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