Beauty from Ashes: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 5) Read online

  “I should probably go make sure that they’re okay,” Adrianne said with barely a glance in Connor’s direction. She did look at Hank, however. “I’m sure the two of you can entertain yourselves.”

  When she followed the two women into the kitchen, she found Janet loading up a plate for Suz. Adrianne smothered a laugh when she got a glimpse of what Janet was putting on the other woman’s plate. Definitely not the sort of thing that diets were made of. Although—Adrianne glanced around the kitchen counters—there didn’t appear to be much that was.

  Once Janet had Suz settled on the stool at the counter with her plate, she came over to where Adrianne stood. “I had absolutely no idea you knew Connor Mackenzie. He friended Jeff on Facebook last night, and they started talking. The next thing I know, Jeff is planning this whole evening. I honestly thought that I’d finally found the perfect guy for you.” Janet gave her a rueful look. “But there must be something wrong with him if you’ve been around him for a few weeks now and you’re not interested, huh?”

  Adrianne figured that she’d come clean with Janet at some point, but it wasn’t going to be that night with Connor standing just a few feet away. “In another lifetime, you would probably have been right. But there’s history between Connor and me that makes any sort of relationship nearly impossible. I’ll tell you about it sometime. Just not right now.”

  “I will definitely hold you to that. And if it’s bad history, I’m going to go ahead and let Suz have her way with him.”

  It was unfortunate, Adrianne decided, that despite what had happened between the two of them, she still didn’t want Suz anywhere near him. It was just one more reminder of how messed up her head was. But in the meantime, she was going to enjoy her evening even if Connor was there. She had desperately needed this night out, and she wasn’t going to let his presence spoil that.

  ~*~

  Connor tried not to let his aggravation show. It wasn’t that he was aggravated at anyone in particular, just at the situation as a whole. The entire objective of his evening had been about reconnecting with old friends in hopes of setting up his own social circle in the Twin Cities so he wouldn’t be reliant on the Thorpes or his sister for socialization. It hadn’t even crossed his mind that the people he was reconnecting with would also be people who knew Adrianne.

  Nothing could have surprised him more than seeing her walk in with Jeff’s wife. And it was clear from her expression that she hadn’t anticipated seeing him there either. He’d thought about leaving, but as it soon became apparent that this wasn’t necessarily a couples’ evening, he figured he’d stay around for a little bit.

  As he talked with Hank, Connor couldn’t keep from watching Adrianne and the woman who had, in a not-so-quiet voice, made her drunken intentions clear. Adrianne was dressed appropriately for the casual party and the time of year, considering the temperature had dropped in the past few days. She wore a deep purple turtleneck sweater over black slacks. A long silver necklace hung down the front of her sweater, adding to the classy look. In contrast, the inebriated woman wore a black strapless dress that barely reached mid-thigh. Her makeup had been applied with a much heavier hand than Adrianne’s, and her nails looked more like claws. She might have blended in at a party or at a bar somewhere, but she was definitely overdressed when compared to Adrian and the other women there at Jeff’s.

  Connor knew it wasn’t right to compare the two women, but it was hard not to when the differences were so glaring. There was no doubt that he found Adrianne’s style more attractive. The funny thing was, it wasn’t the first time over the years that he had compared women to Adrianne.

  Those other times had come up when he’d been reminded of Adrianne’s patience as she’d worked with him on their project. She’d been organized and determined to do her best. In doing so, she’d inadvertently challenged him to do his best as well. It was something he had needed at the time. No other woman had inspired that in him since.

  He also remembered laughing with Adrianne at jokes they’d tell each other. Until that point, he hadn’t realized how attractive sharing a laugh with someone could be. During their time together working on the project, Connor had truly experienced for the first time in his teenage years how there could be so much more to a person than their outward appearance. It had just been too bad that he also hadn’t grown a backbone and stood up for her instead of letting his fears get the better of him.

  After loading up their plates with food, the men gravitated downstairs to a huge rec room. It was obvious from the beautiful home that Jeff and Janet had done well for themselves over the years. Jeff had been a year ahead of Connor in high school, two years ahead of Janet, and none of them had expected the relationship to last once Jeff had left the Twin Cities to attend college in Chicago on a football scholarship. And yet here they were, all these years later, still together and, from what he could see, still happy.

  He’d always known, even back then, that Jeff was a decent guy. Even as a teenager, Jeff hadn’t indulged in a lot of the immature behavior the rest of them had. It wasn’t any surprise that he had been the captain of the football team. The coaches had seen in him leadership qualities despite his young age. While guys would joke around in the locker room about what they’d done with their girlfriends, Connor had never heard Jeff speak in a disrespectful manner regarding Janet. In fact, Jeff had always seemed to go out of his way to treat her like a princess. Not someone he was just passing the time with until someone better came along, but someone he hoped to spend his life with.

  Looking back now, Connor could see that all of those things about Jeff as a teenager were things the rest of them should have strived to emulate instead of teasing him about.

  “So are you planning to stick around now that you’re back?” Jeff asked him as he settled into a chair next to where Connor was sitting.

  “That’s the plan. At least for the moment. I’m going to be doing some consulting work with BlackThorpe Security while I try to figure out what I want to do next with my life.”

  Jeff nodded. “It’s probably a good idea to take your time when you’ve just come out of a long-term career. I’ve heard good things about BlackThorpe. And that’s not just because Janet’s best friend happens to work for them.”

  “I didn’t realize that Janet and Adrianne knew each other,” Connor said as he poked his fork into the piece of lasagna he’d taken. “They didn’t hang around each other in high school, did they?”

  “Probably not while you were still there. When they were both seniors, they had some classes together and ended up as partners a few times. Ever since then, they’ve been really good friends. Adrianne was actually Janet’s maid of honor when we got married.” Connor caught Jeff giving him a sideways glance. “Are you currently involved with anyone?”

  Connor took his time answering the question, swallowing the bite of lasagna he’d taken and then lifting his cup to take a sip of water. “No. My job was not very conducive to any sort of long-term relationship. I was gone a lot and often out of touch for long stretches of time. With much of my life still in upheaval, however, I’m not sure the time is right for anything too serious yet.”

  “You’re probably right about that, but if you are interested in a relationship, I can vouch for Adrianne being a wonderful woman. The only reason she’s still single is that she seems to have extremely high standards. Even Hank couldn’t get past the friend zone after several dates.”

  Connor wondered how much he was to blame for Adrianne’s approach to men now. Or was he just giving himself more importance than was truly his?

  “Did you miss hearing the part where Adrianne and I already know each other?”

  Jeff’s eyebrows rose slightly, and Connor wasn’t sure if it was because of the question or the slightly testy tone of his voice.

  “Actually, yes, I did. How is it, exactly, that you know each other?”

  “I knew her a bit in high school, but it’s only recently we were brought back into contact aga
in when her brother and my sister got together.” Connor didn’t go into the whole situation between Rebecca and Alex as he wasn’t sure that it was necessary.

  “Alex is dating your sister?” Jeff asked, surprise in his voice.

  “Alex and Rebecca are actually married.” Connor sighed then went on to explain the situation and his current living situation.

  Jeff was staring at him, his mouth slightly open. “Well, what a small world. I know Alex from our church. We’ve been part of the same men’s group for a few years now.” His gaze stayed on Connor’s face. “So even though you already know Adrianne, there’s still nothing there that interests you?”

  “I never figured you for the matchmaking type, Jeff,” Connor said, trying to brush aside the question. But he should’ve known better than to try to redirect a lawyer.

  “I’ve never really tried my hand at matchmaking before, but when Janet mentioned that she thought introducing you two might be a good idea, I thought maybe she was right. You seemed like a decent enough guy when we chatted the other night. So, to remind you of my question, does Adrianne not interest you?”

  Connor glanced around at the other men in the room, hoping for a rescue of some nature, but none was forthcoming. He knew if he didn’t nip this in the bud, the matchmaking would persist. If he had any desire to maintain a friendship with Jeff, Connor knew he needed to make sure that he and his wife weren’t constantly trying to throw him together with Adrianne. It would just be awkward all around.

  “Adrianne and I have a bit of history together from back in high school.” At Jeff’s hopeful look, Connor hurried on to say, “Not at dating history. And not a good history either. Let’s just say that it involved a crush, an ignorant teenage boy who couldn’t see past an awkward appearance, and badly hurt feelings. Even if I were interested in Adrianne, I would be the absolute last person she would want to be in a relationship with. And rightfully so. I treated her horribly back then.”

  9

  Jeff’s brows drew together over his piercing blue eyes, and Connor tried not to squirm under his intense gaze. If he hadn’t already confessed to what he’d done in high school, the intensity of Jeff’s attention on him would’ve made him want to. No doubt that was just one more reason why the man was a good lawyer.

  Finally, Jeff’s gaze softened a bit, and he nodded. “High school was a rough time for a lot of people. I was glad I had Janet and didn’t have to deal with much of that stuff. That was a long time ago, however. Surely Adrianne understands that you’ve grown and changed over the years. Or at least I’m assuming you have, given what you just told me.”

  “I’m not interested in trying to convince Adrianne that I’ve changed. She’s entitled to the hurt she felt about what I said to her, and she has every right to be angry about it. And what would it say about me if I did express an interest in her now?”

  “I don’t get what you’re saying,” Jeff said.

  “I knew she was a nice person back then. We were forced together because of a project that we were assigned to work on as a team. I went out of my way to make sure that none of my friends knew I was meeting with her to work on the project. You know how the guys on the team were about the girls and rating them. I knew what they thought about her. But the thing is, the more we hung out together, the more I discovered how nice she was. It wasn’t enough, though.” Connor shifted in his seat. “If I couldn’t see past her appearance then, how does it make me look now if I let her know that I’m interested in her? She’s beautiful. She’d never believe that I’m interested in her for anything but her looks. And maybe she’s right. If I’ve changed over the years, she probably has as well. I don’t really know her anymore, so expressing an interest really is just based on how she looks now. Given our past, that would just never work.”

  “You’ve obviously given this some thought,” Jeff pointed out as he set his plate on a nearby end table. “But never say never. Friendship might be the best goal for you to work toward. It sounds like you were friends once upon a time.”

  Connor nodded. “We were, but I’m not sure how much friendship will even work at this point. I feel at times like my mere presence is a reminder of a horrible time in her life. Right now, I’m just trying to give her space, which is why I reached out to you and a couple of other guys from the team.”

  “I guess that kinda backfired on you,” Jeff said with a grin. “Although, I think I can safely say that you won’t run into this situation with any of the other guys from the team. As far as I know, we’re the only ones who are in contact with Adrianne.” Jeff paused, his expression sobering. “I hope it won’t keep you away, though. Usually with gatherings like these, as you can see, we break up into groups so the women can spend time together and so can the men. And sometimes us guys just get together as well. If you’re looking for friends, you won’t find any better than the guys here in this room.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Connor still wasn’t sure what he planned to do about the whole situation, but there was a reason why he’d reached out to Jeff first before the other two guys he’d friended on Facebook. He’d admired Jeff as a teen, and he could see that he was a man worthy of admiration now as well.

  Jeff spent the next little while introducing Connor into conversations he had with the other men in the room. Even though Connor knew why he was doing it, he found that he enjoyed connecting with the guys. Maybe he could just make it clear to Jeff that as long as it was just the guys, he would like to be included in their group. Though he was frustrated at having to put limitations on the types of socialization he’d have with them, he knew he owed it to Adrianne to not intrude on the times she spent with her friends.

  At one point, Jeff disappeared upstairs then returned a short time later with news that coffee and dessert were ready. Connor thought about staying behind while the others went upstairs, but in the end, he followed them up the carpeted steps that led into the kitchen.

  The ladies were already there, plates with desserts on them in their hands. Connor’s gaze immediately found Adrianne where she stood near the coffee maker, leaning a hip against the counter as she lifted a mug to her lips. Hank stood next to her, but Connor couldn’t see his face as he was angled away from him. He had no idea how much Adrianne might have told the man about their past, but Hank seemed to have no issues hanging out with him.

  “There’s lots here, so don’t be afraid to load your plate up,” Janet said as she laid her hand on his arm. Her dark brown gaze was still friendly, so Connor was going to assume that Adrianne hadn’t shared their past with her either.

  Connor had no idea why Adrianne wasn’t telling those closest to her about what had gone on back then. Did she think what had happened painted her in a bad light as well as him? He didn’t imagine for a minute that she wasn’t telling people for his sake. Well, except for Alex. Telling him what had happened would definitely make for a tense situation with the family. So while he appreciated her discretion there, he certainly didn’t understand it in situations like this one.

  “It all looks very good.” Connor reached for a brownie from a pan next to a plate of cookies. “I’m going to have to spend some more time in the gym after all the food tonight.”

  “Won’t we all,” Janet said, a frown tugging down the corners of her mouth. “Oh well, it’s just for one night. And it’s all so yummy. Adrianne made those brownies, as well as those little cream puffs. Whenever we get together, I make sure that Adrianne is in charge of bringing some desserts. Hers are always the best.”

  Connor glanced at the woman as he debated whether or not he should take a cream puff. He’d taken the brownie before he’d known Adrianne had made it, but if Janet was trying to talk Adrianne up to him, maybe taking a cream puff wasn’t such a good idea. But in the end, his sweet tooth won out, and he plucked two tiny cream puffs from the platter and put them on his plate.

  “If you want a cup of coffee, there’s a machine over there where you can just choose the flavor you want and ru
n it through. Cream and sugar are sitting right next to it.” Janet gestured in the direction of the counter which was close to where Adrianne and Hank were standing.

  “Thank you,” Connor said to Janet. “And thank you for including me in this evening. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jeff again and meeting a few new guys.”

  “It was so strange to find out that you and Adrianne already knew each other,” Janet said as she put a few more desserts on his plate. When she glanced at him, Connor lifted a brow. Janet just smiled. “Don’t worry. I washed my hands.”

  When she took his arm and tugged him towards the coffee machine, Connor let himself be led in that direction. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He didn’t doubt that anything she set her mind to she accomplished. He just hoped that didn’t include setting him up with Adrianne.

  For Adrianne’s sake.

  “Here you go. Have you used one of these before?” Janet asked as she waved her hand toward the Keurig machine.

  “Yep. I have one in my apartment.” Aware of Hank and Adrianne on the other side of the island counter, Connor bent his head to look at the different flavors on the carousel next to the machine. Janet placed a mug on the counter in front of him then turned her attention to the other two.

  “Did you get enough to eat, Hank?” Janet asked.

  Before Hank could reply, Connor heard a slurred greeting. As he slipped a pod of French Vanilla into the machine, he glanced over to see that Suz had joined them. She looked a little worse for wear, and the smudges under her eyes made him think that perhaps she’d been crying. She looked at the four of them standing there and frowned.

  “Do you have to hog all the single men, Adrianne?”