Second Chances (Fairshore Series Book 1) Read online

  Before Zach turned to walk away, Amelia said, “Actually, for starters, I’d like to buy the oak bed set.”

  Zach pointed to the bedroom set Amelia pointed at. “That set?” Amelia nodded. He smiled and said, “Perfect. It went on sale today. It’s half off the tag price. I’ll get it loaded into the van while you continue to look around.”

  He winked at Bailey with a smile on his face as he walked away. Bailey grabbed Amelia’s arm in excitement. “He totally just flirted with you! And he gave you one hell of a deal on the bedroom set! He must like you!”

  “Oh, whatever! He probably feels sorry for me is all!” Amelia felt her cheeks getting warm. “Let’s keep looking. I need a living room set and a dining room set. I definitely need a table and chairs.”

  After Amelia bought everything she needed for her house, Zach delivered the furniture. As he carried the furniture into the house, Amelia and Bailey watched him. He placed each piece of furniture where Amelia asked him to.

  Once everything was in its place, Amelia paid him. She handed him crisp hundred dollar bills. “Thank you so much for everything. It was nice to meet you.”

  Zach accepted the payment. “It was nice to meet you and a pleasure doing business with you. Don’t be a stranger now. Come visit my store, and me, whenever you’d like to.”

  Amelia smirked. “Okay, I will. Have a good night.”

  As she shut the door, she sensed Bailey’s excitement. She looked at Bailey. She shrugged her shoulders with a smirk on her face and asked, “What?”

  They burst into laughter. Bailey did a tiny dance as she wiggled in one spot and said, “Somebody likes someone.”

  “Oh, come on, I just moved here. He was just being friendly. I’m a stranger for Pete’s sake.”

  Bailey grinned and snorted. “Like that matters? Ha!”

  Amelia shook her head. Bailey walked to the front door. “I have to head home. I have a list of things to get done. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  Amelia smiled. “Okay. Have a good night.”

  She closed the door behind Bailey. She walked to a box on the counter. She reached into the box and pulled out her phone. She plugged it into the wall jack. She dialed her parents’ number.

  Her mother answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “Mom, it’s me.”

  “Amelia Jean, you had us worried.” Her mother sighed. “You said you’d call as soon as you got there.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I pulled into my driveway and met one of my neighbors,” Amelia explained. “Which I should add, she’s already a really good friend.”

  She could hear her mother smile as she said, “That’s good, honey. I’m glad you’re making friends.”

  “Her name is Bailey Thomas. She lives across the street from me. She’s about my age if not a few years older.”

  “That’s great, Amelia.”

  “She helped me unpack, too,” Amelia stated. “When we finished unpacking, she helped me find a furniture store. This place called Gallagher’s Furniture.”

  “Did you get everything you need?” her mother asked. “If you need more money or anything, will you let us know?”

  “I had enough money to get everything,” Amelia confirmed. “It helped me when Zach gave me half off of everything.”

  “Well, that was nice of him.” Her mother hesitated, and then continued, “Say, do you mind if your father and I come over tomorrow? We could leave here at eight in the morning and get there by at least ten?”

  Amelia became excited. Her voice squeaked as she said, “That’d be great! Did Dad get the night off?”

  “No, he didn’t. We’ll have to leave your house before four so he can make it to work.”

  Amelia frowned. “Okay, but won’t he need sleep?”

  Her mother sighed into the phone. “He says he’ll be fine.”

  Amelia hesitated and said, “Okay, I guess.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. I can’t wait to see you guys!” Amelia bounced on the balls of her feet.

  “I’m excited to see you and your house. It’s only been half a day since I saw you. It already feels like forever.”

  Amelia smiled. “I agree.”

  ‘Okay, honey, we love you. See you tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay. Love you guys.”

  Amelia ended the conversation with her mother and returned the telephone to its cradle. She glanced at the clock above the television. “It’s only nine-thirty? I have plenty of time to get this place ready for company tomorrow,” Amelia said out loud. She cleaned for an hour. She vacuumed, dusted, washed windows, and swept the front porch. After she swept, she went inside and walked to her kitchen. “I need to figure out what to make for lunch tomorrow.” She opened the fridge. The shelves were bare. “How could I have forgotten to buy groceries?” She grabbed a pad of paper and sat down at her kitchen table. She wrote a list for the grocery store. “I can get groceries in the morning.” She finished her list and read it out loud, “Milk, butter, bread, potatoes, veggies, meat, lasagna noodles, and sauce. I think that’s everything.” She put the pen down on the table next to the pad of paper. “I wonder if Bailey will show me where the store is tomorrow.” She looked across the street at Bailey’s house. “I’m so lucky to have a friend here already.” She wondered if Bailey was awake. She looked at the clock. It was ten-thirty. She was wide awake. Amelia grabbed a blanket from the back of the couch. She reached for a book from her coffee table and flipped on the porch light. She walked out onto the porch. The moon provided enough light to light up her street. The stars peeked out between the sheets of clouds. The night air was fresh with a slight nip of chill in it. Amelia walked across her porch and sat down on the top step. She draped the blanket around her shoulders and opened her book. She read until she yawned. Her eyelids were heavy. They drooped as she forced them open. She closed her book and walked inside. She made her way upstairs. She laid the book on the nightstand on her way to her dresser. Her pajamas were neatly folded in the second drawer. She grabbed a pair out of the drawer, and tossed them onto the bed. She changed quickly. She turned on the bathroom light as she walked into the bathroom. She grabbed her tooth brush and toothpaste out of the medicine cabinet and brushed her teeth. She had the same routine since she was little. Her parents had always told her, “Brush the teeth you want to keep.” Her father always added, “Brush them twice a day to keep the cavities away.”

  After she brushed her teeth, she shut the light off and walked to her bed. The comforter she had placed on her bed was fluffy and heavy. The bedding was the color of the walls, a shade lighter than lilacs. She was proud of herself. She had accomplished a lot on her first day on her own. “I’ll have to go to the store right away in the morning.” She said as she climbed into bed. She reached over and set her alarm for seven-thirty. “That should give me enough time to go to the store and get back home before they come over.” She laid her head against the pillow and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Four

  The loud, ear penetrating beeping from the alarm clock woke Amelia from a deep sleep. She hit the alarm clock and the beeping stopped. She hopped out of bed and walked to her closet. She found the perfect outfit, a pair of denim capris and a tank top, and tossed them on the bed. She undressed and walked into the bathroom. She turned the faucets on in the shower. A half hour later, she put makeup on and straightened her hair. Once she was dressed, she walked downstairs in search of her keys. She found them on the coffee table. “I need to hang these by the door.” She made a mental note to buy a key holder to hang by her front door. She opened the front door to walk out, but remembered to grab her purse and the grocery list. “I would forget my head if it wasn’t attached.” She walked to the kitchen and grabbed her purse and the list off of the table.

  The squeak of the front screen door alarmed Amelia. As she peeked around the corner of the kitchen, a familiar voice called out, “Amelia, are you here?”

  A
melia’s body relaxed and she let out the breath she had held in. “Hey, Bailey. I was just grabbing my purse and my grocery list. I need to go to the store. I have no groceries and my parents are coming to visit today.”

  “Okay, I’ll show you where the store is. Anna’s Deli is just down the road. It’s right on Main Street,” Bailey said as they walked out to Amelia’s car. “How was your first night? Did you sleep good?”

  Amelia unlocked her car and opened the door. “Actually, yes, I did. I’m surprised I did.”

  “Sometimes the first night is the worst night for sleep,” Bailey said as she sat in the passenger seat. “I went to bed late last night. I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned all night.”

  Amelia shook her head. “That’s not good.”

  Amelia backed the car out of the driveway. She drove down the street. Bailey pointed out the window. “Your turn is up here. Take a left at the stop sign.” She looked at Amelia. “Did you call Zach yet?”

  “What? No!” Amelia’s face became red and hot. “Why would I?”

  Bailey laughed. “Your face says it all! You know you like him! I know he likes you!”

  Amelia shook her head and laughed. “You don’t know that!”

  “Yes I do! It’s written all over your face!”

  “He’s cute,” Amelia admitted.

  “I could tell that’s what you thought,” Bailey said as she smirked. She pointed her finger and said, “You’re going to turn right up here. Anna’s Deli will be on the left.”

  Amelia followed Bailey’s directions. She parked the car in a parking spot by the door. “And besides, I don’t have his phone number.”

  Bailey sighed and rolled her eyes. “Of course you don’t! But, there’s something called a phone book. You can look up Gallagher’s Furniture and call him!”

  Amelia rolled her eyes and laughed. “Ha! That’s something a stalker would do!” She shook her head and placed a hand on her forehead. “Oh my, you’re a hoot. Anyways, aside from finding a man, on a serious note, I need to find a job.”

  “No problem there. I’m sure Anna will hire you in a heartbeat. You should apply here. Do you have any experience with customer service?”

  “I worked as a waitress at Susie’s Fine Diner in Linford. I started working there when I was eighteen, about eight years.”

  “Wow, that’s a long time.” Bailey widened her eyes. “That’s good, though. I work at the hospital as a housekeeper. I clean the whole hospital. Even the morgue.”

  Amelia crinkled her nose. “Eww, that’s creepy.”

  Bailey shook her head. “No, actually, it’s kind of cool. It was creepy at first, but now it’s awesome.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Amelia grabbed her purse.

  “You should apply at Gallagher’s.” Bailey smiled and watched Amelia’s face turn beet red. “It’s just a suggestion.”

  “That’d be crossing the psycho stalker line! I couldn’t do that! He’d think I’m crazy!”

  Bailey shrugged. “It’d get you closer to him. And it’d be a job.”

  Amelia shook her head. “Let’s go grocery shopping. I’ll fill out an application while I’m here.”

  The small brick building stood alone. No other buildings surrounded it. Homemade signs covered the automatic sliding doors. They walked through the doors and into the store. Amelia’s jaw dropped. She was impressed at how large the store was inside. She looked around as they walked in.

  “They have everything here. Don’t let how small it looks on the outside fool you.”

  “Looks are very deceiving, that’s for sure. It doesn’t look this big on the outside,” Amelia stated.

  Five long and wide aisles occupied the space inside. Amelia and Bailey walked up and down each aisle twice, to make sure they did not miss anything. When they got to the checkout, an older lady, in her late sixties, greeted them. “Good morning, ladies. Did you find everything?”

  Amelia smiled. “Of course.”

  “Good. Glad to hear that.”

  “Anna, this is Amelia Edwards. She moved here from Linford.”

  “Nice to meet you, Amelia. This is a nice town. You’re going to love it here.”

  Amelia agreed. “Yes, it is. Is this your store?”

  Anna smiled. “It is. I’ve owned it for the last ten years.”

  “Can I get an application, please?”

  Anna nodded. She dug into a folder and handed an application to Amelia. “You sure can, dear. When can you start?”

  Amelia took the application from Anna. She replied, “Tomorrow.”

  “If you fill out the application and bring it back to me, I’ll see what I can do for you.”

  “Thank you. It was nice meeting you.” Amelia grabbed her bags of groceries and walked out to her car with Bailey. “People are so nice here.”

  “Yes, we are,” Bailey said, while she helped Amelia put her groceries into her car.

  “I’ll fill out this application and get it back to Anna soon. I think I’d enjoy working here.”

  Amelia thought back to the time she had first filled out applications for jobs around Linford. It had been a devastating time. Jobs had been scarce. Even though she had been eighteen and right out of high school, it was difficult to get hired. It took three months of applying until she landed her waitress job at Susie’s. She hated the fact she left there after eight years, but it was time for a change. So far, it was a good change.

  “It’s hard to get hired in small towns. I’m positive you’ll get any job you apply for around here. Your personality has you sold when you say hi,” Bailey stated.

  “Thanks. It took me three months out of high school to get hired at Susie’s. I know how hard it is to land a job in small towns,” Amelia said and frowned. “I hope I can get a job here sooner than three months.”

  “Maybe tomorrow I can go with you and help you find places to apply at?” Bailey stated questioningly. “Maybe I can get you hired at the hospital, and then you can work with me.”

  “That’d be great!” Amelia exclaimed.

  As they drove to Amelia’s house, they talked about Anna’s Deli and the hospital. Amelia thought she would enjoy working with Bailey.

  “Do you have plans tonight?” Amelia asked Bailey, as she pulled the car into the driveway and shifted into park.

  “No, not that I can think of. Why? What’s up?”

  Amelia grabbed the keys from the ignition and turned toward Bailey. “I’d love to have you over for lunch. I want you to meet my parents!” Excitement beamed from Amelia.

  Bailey did not hesitate. Instead she returned the excitement and said, “Yes! That’d be awesome! I’d love to meet them!”

  They walked into the house, and each of them carried a few grocery bags. They placed the bags on the counters and on the table. Bailey helped Amelia put the food away. They left out what they needed to make lunch.

  “What time is it?” Amelia asked. She quickly prepared the food and put the pan in the oven. She set the timer for two hours.

  “Nine-thirty. What time are they coming?”

  “My mom said they’d be here by ten,” Amelia said as she picked up a few things around the house.

  “Your house is spotless. With the food in the oven, it’s going to smell amazing, too.”

  “It should be spotless. My mom won’t be able to find a speck of dust anywhere. I cleaned this place from top to bottom last night.”

  “Is your mom the type to be picky about how clean your house is?” Bailey asked.

  Amelia paused and shook her head. “Oh no, not at all. I was just saying.” Amelia chuckled. “My mom couldn’t care less.”

  There was a knock at the front door. “Amelia Jean, are you home?” her mother called out to her through the screen.

  Her parents stood on the front porch at the front door. Amelia and Bailey walked into the living room.

  Amelia opened the screen door. “Come on in.”

  Her mother hugged her and kissed her ch
eek. Her father hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. Her mother walked to the kitchen and placed the dessert tray on the counter. “I brought dessert. There is some apple cobbler, fruit salad, and some chocolate pretzels.” Her mother had a cheery face with a wide smile.

  “We’ve got enough to feed an army,” her father joked.

  They stood in the kitchen for a minute before Amelia introduced them to Bailey. “Mom, Dad, this is my new friend, Bailey. Bailey, this is my mom, Diane, and my dad, Richard.”

  They shook hands and exchanged nice-to-meet-yous.

  Amelia clasped her hands together and let them fall to her sides. “Well, would you like a tour of the house?”

  Her parents nodded and smiled. Amelia showed them each room of the house.

  Once the tour was done, her father spoke softly, “A.J., I’m…” He glanced at her mother and continued, “We’re very proud of you. You’ve done so well for yourself.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Amelia hugged her parents. “Do you want to sit out on the front porch?”

  As they made their way outside, Bailey smiled at Amelia and mouthed, “Your parents are so nice.” Amelia smiled and gave her the ‘I told you so’ look.

  The morning was gorgeous. The sun was bright and warm. There was not a single cloud in sight.

  “It’s a beautiful morning,” her mother stated. “Not many warm days are left until fall comes.”

  “Don’t remind us.” Her father shook his head while he sighed. “Harvest brings a lot of business for us.”

  Bailey chimed in, “That’s a good thing, right?”

  Amelia’s father glanced at Bailey and acknowledged her question. “Yes, it is. It means more hours of work is all. Sometimes it can be a bit stressful for family.”

  “We manage. We always do,” Amelia’s mother reassured Amelia’s father. “Amelia, dear, do you have a coffee pot?”

  Amelia did not drink coffee, but she had bought a coffee pot with her parents in mind. “Yes, I bought one yesterday.”

  “I hope you didn’t buy it just for us. I know how much you hate coffee.”