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

  All of it had given her the confidence to believe that when she asked him to go with her to the dance that he would say yes. Oh, how wrong she’d been. As if his words of rejection hadn’t hurt her enough, she’d later heard that he’d taken the head cheerleader to the dance. A girl who was pretty much Adrianne’s opposite in every way. The whole situation had just been hurt upon hurt for her.

  Not wanting to have to be around him again, Adrianne had worked hard to finish the project herself and then had done the presentation on her own since he’d been “sick” the day it was due. He’d gotten a grade he hadn’t earned, and she’d learned a valuable lesson.

  Adrianne brushed her fingertips against her cheek, wiping away the dampness of her tears. It had been a while since she’d cried over what had happened back then, but she supposed that given the conversation, it was only natural. She just wished that she could completely forget what had happened. She had prayed that God would allow those memories of that time to fade. Unfortunately, they never had, and they continued to play a role in how she viewed men and the relationships she had with them.

  Some days the dream she had of falling in love and getting married seemed unattainable. And not because there was anything wrong with the men she dated.Instead, there was something inside of her that wouldn’t allow her to open up to any man. Maybe that would be the one dream she would have to give up, and that thought made her more eager than ever to pursue the dreams that she had left.

  4

  On the Monday following Christmas, Connor found himself at the BlackThorpe offices meeting with Alex and his partner Marcus Black. When Alex had first mentioned that they might be interested in using his skills, Connor had balked. He’d just retired, after all. Did he really want to get back into the game so soon? He still wasn’t sure, but he would do them the courtesy of hearing them out.

  When he had decided to retire, Connor hadn’t really given much thought to what he would do afterward. He’d been paid handsomely in his previous job and had lived very frugally so he’d been able to save a considerable sum of money over the years. There was no need for him to rush into a new job.

  The only thing he’d planned to do was to take some time to enjoy not being at someone’s beck and call twenty-four hours a day. And to also enjoy not having to be constantly looking over his shoulder. Add to that his hope to spend some time with Rebecca and Jordan and that was about the extent of his retirement planning.

  Yet here he was, not even two months into retirement, talking with people who had an interest in his skills. Connor had to admit that the more he talked with Alex and Marcus, the more he realized that maybe retirement was something he’d approached too hastily. Not that he wanted to go back to work for his previous employer, but maybe there was a place for him here at BlackThorpe with his brother-in-law.

  “You don’t have to give us an answer right away,” Marcus said. “But we’d be happy to have you come on board if you’re interested.”

  Connor glanced over at Alex and saw the man nodding his agreement. He’d wondered at first about working alongside family in the company, but he’d learned pretty quickly that there were many different familial relationships present at BlackThorpe.

  “I’ll be honest with you, I retired from my other job because of the desire to be closer to Rebecca and Jordan. I was away a lot and racked up more air miles than I’ll probably ever be able to use. I think I would much prefer to consider working in an advisory capacity rather than continuing to do the type of work I did before.”

  Alex nodded. “That’s perfectly understandable, and I think that we could make that work with the people we already have in place.”

  “I agree,” Marcus said. “Having someone with your knowledge and expertise to consult with before going into certain situations would be a definite bonus for us. You can always begin in an advisory position, but if you later feel the need for something more, you’d be more than welcome to request a change.”

  When he left the meeting a short time later, Connor was feeling a bit like he would be able to have the best of both worlds when it came to his work. To still be able to keep one foot in that world while not having to totally immerse himself in it would be something he could certainly see himself doing.

  Alex walked beside him down the hallway from the boardroom then touched his arm. “Why don’t you come with me so I can introduce you to members of the team who happen to be in the office today. And if you have the time, we could get you set up with security and a pass so that you’re able to come and go as needed.”

  Since Connor didn’t have anywhere else to be at that point, he agreed to spend a bit more time at the office. As he was introduced to the people that might one day be his coworkers, he found them all to be friendly and welcoming. Connor had to admit that the atmosphere at BlackThorpe was much different from the company he’d recently left. Though he didn’t doubt that the company took its work seriously, the environment was much more laid back and at ease. That also became another point in favor of working there at BlackThorpe.

  “Those flowers are just beautiful, Kelsey.”

  Connor recognized Adrianne’s voice just before they came around the corner to the reception area. He saw her standing there dressed in a business suit, looking every inch the competent woman he was sure she was.

  “They are, aren’t they?” The woman behind the desk reached out to touch the petals of one of the flowers in the bouquet on her desk. “They’re from a guy I met a couple weeks ago. We had our first date last night, and then these showed up from him today.”

  “Are you planning for date number two?” Adrianne asked.

  Kelsey nodded. “Even before he sent me the flowers, I was hoping that he would ask me out again.”

  “Well, it looks like he’s doing all the right things,” Adrianne said with a smile. “I hope your next date goes as well as the first.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “Hey, you guys,” Alex said as they approached the desk. When the two women turned toward them, Alex introduced Connor to the woman seated behind the reception desk. “Kelsey, this is Connor Mackenzie. He might be coming to work for us on a consultant basis. I just wanted you to know who he was in case you see him wandering around at some point in the next few weeks.”

  The woman’s face lit up with a smile as she greeted him. With her blonde curls and bright blue eyes, she might’ve been the type of woman Connor would’ve asked out on a date except that it was obvious she was already taken. When Kelsey’s gaze moved from Connor to Adrianne then back to Connor again, it was obvious that she was waiting for Alex to introduce his sister as well.

  “Connor and I already know each other,” Adrianne said, clearly picking up on the same thing Connor had. “Connor is actually Rebecca’s brother. Jordan’s uncle.”

  Once the connection was made, Kelsey seemed to relax. She chatted a bit more with Adrianne and Alex about how their Christmas had gone, but then her phone rang, drawing her attention away from the conversation. As she spoke to the person on the other end of the line, she gave them a quick wave when they moved away from her desk.

  “Adrianne, do you have a few minutes for me?” Alex asked. “I’m just going to walk Connor down to security and then I’ll be back.”

  Though Adrianne seemed to hesitate, she did nod in the end. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  After giving Connor the briefest of nods, she headed down the hall away from them. Alex stood staring after her for a moment then moved in the direction of the elevator. He pushed the elevator button then gave Connor a curious look. “Is there something I should know about you and Adrianne?”

  Connor bit back a frustrated response, trying to think of how Adrianne might want him to respond to Alex’s question. “What do you mean?”

  The elevator doors opened, and Alex gestured for Connor to precede him into the car. Connor hoped for a reprieve from the discussion as Alex followed him in and pressed the button for the main floor.
<
br />   Alex crossed his arms as the elevator began its descent. “It hasn’t exactly escaped my notice that you and Adrianne don’t interact at all.”

  Connor leaned back against the wall of the elevator car. “I don’t think that’s too surprising considering that we don’t really know each other.”

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true, but usually, it doesn’t take this long for Adrianne to warm up to someone new. Especially someone who is essentially family.”

  Feeling a bit trapped, Connor debated what to say next. Would Alex be able to get the whole story out of Adrianne? And if he did, would he be upset that Connor had said nothing? Or would he just be upset that Connor had spoken to his sister the way he had back when they were teenagers? In the end, cowardly though it may be, Connor dumped the whole situation into Adrianne’s court.

  “I suppose you’re just going to have to ask Adrianne about it,” Connor said with a shrug, hoping that he gave off the calm exterior he was going for. It was rather ridiculous that he was this nervous. He had faced down drug lords, radicalized jihadists and the leaders of terrorist cell groups, but none of them had made him as nervous as he was right then.

  “Oh, I plan to,” Alex said as the elevator doors slid open.

  He shook hands with Alex before leaving the building. As he crossed the lot to where he’d parked his vehicle, Connor hoped that Adrianne wouldn’t be upset with him for how he’d handled Alex’s questions. In the end, Alex was her brother, so it was up to her to tell him what she wanted him to know. If she hadn’t told Alex in all these years, it was possible she just didn’t want him to know.

  And Connor found that he was okay with that.

  ~*~

  Adrianne had known that Connor was meeting with Alex and Marcus that morning, but somehow she hadn’t figured that he’d get the tour quite so soon. Seeing him like that as she’d stood talking to Kelsey had been a bit disconcerting. But she was going to have to get used to it since it seemed like the man was going to end up working for BlackThorpe. If that was the case, she was going to have to figure out a way to interact with him that didn’t raise eyebrows.

  Though she couldn’t say for sure that Alex wanted to talk to her about Connor, Adrianne knew her brother well enough to at least consider the possibility. She sank down into the seat behind her desk and shifted so that she could read the email that had come in while she’d gone to get coffee in the lunchroom.

  When Alex appeared in her doorway a short time later, he didn’t bother to wait for her invitation before he came in and settled himself in the chair across from her. Schooling her expression to reveal nothing of her thoughts, Adrianne turned to face him and smiled.

  “So what’s up?” she asked, hoping he wasn’t able to read her as easily as he usually did.

  Her hope was in vain, however, as Alex leaned forward and asked, “So what’s the deal with you and Connor?”

  Adrianne stared at Alex, wondering if he’d posed a similar question to Connor. Figuring he had, but also assuming that Connor probably wouldn’t have given anything away, Adrianne felt relatively safe in her response.

  “There is no deal with Connor and me,” she said, not having to fake the conviction in her voice.

  “You’ve barely said five words to the guy in my presence since he arrived before Christmas. Either there’s something going on between the two of you that you’re both trying to hide, or you really dislike him.” He paused, clearly waiting for her to reply. When she didn’t, he sighed. “I guess you’re both adults and know what you’re doing.”

  “Yes, we are. So what’s with the questioning?” Adrianne thought about asking him what was up with the third degree, but then she would’ve looked like she was overreacting. She’d been subjected to Alex’s third degree before, and this was relatively mild compared to that.

  Alex shrugged. “Curiosity mainly. I’ve never known you to give anyone the cold shoulder the way you’re giving it to Connor.”

  Adrianne knew that she should probably give him some explanation and finally decided that maybe a partial truth would do. “You’re not the only one who knew him in high school. Let’s just say that due to some of my own interactions with him, I don’t exactly have the highest opinion of the man.”

  “You’re seriously judging the man on how he was in high school?” Alex lifted a brow as he leaned back in his chair. “I think we’ve all changed a lot since then. I mean look at me with Rebecca. She had every right to judge me the way that she did, but thankfully, she was willing to look past all that to see me for the man I am today. Maybe you need to do the same for Connor.”

  Adrianne didn’t think that their two situations were all that similar, but she wasn’t going to argue the point with Alex. So in the end, she nodded and said, “I’ll try, but I make no promises.”

  “That’s all I ask,” Alex said with a smile as he got to his feet. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  As he left her office, Adrianne breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he hadn’t probed for a more detailed account of what had transpired in the past. Clearly, she was going to have to be better about how she interacted with Connor or more questions might be raised. The last thing she wanted was any sort of attention being given to how the two of them got along.

  To that end, Adrianne made sure that in the days ahead she always took the time to say hi to Connor even though she would’ve much preferred to ignore his continued presence in her life. Thankfully, looking for her new home helped take away the sting of memories his presence had brought to the surface. She’d found a few housing options online and planned to arrange to have a look at them once she had a better idea of where she stood financially.

  There was still a part of her that was a little reluctant to go looking for a house by herself. She’d always imagined that when she moved out of the mansion, it would be because she was getting married and moving into a new home with her husband.

  As she looked at potential houses online, she found herself wondering if certain things about it would appeal to a man. She kept running every house she saw through the filter of it possibly being where she would live with her husband one day. That had to stop before she started to look at them in person because there were no guarantees. Her only considerations should be if it was what she wanted and if it met her needs.

  On Wednesday morning, she heard back from the mortgage officer at her bank. Armed with the information on how much she could afford, Adrianne made a call to see if she could schedule a viewing for a couple of the houses she’d seen online. Patsy, her real estate agent, was able to arrange to get her in to see one of the houses that evening since the place was empty.

  Since she didn’t have a significant other to take with her to look at the home, Adrianne phoned Melanie to see if she wanted to accompany her. Grateful for Melanie’s enthusiastic response, Adrianne was able to push aside the longing she had to be doing this with someone else.

  Thankfully, most everyone was caught up in the plans for Alex and Rebecca’s vow renewal so they didn’t notice when she and Melanie slipped out after supper. When they returned a short time later, Adrianne was a bit disappointed, though she knew it had been unrealistic to expect to find the perfect house the very first time she went to look at one. Now any plans she had to pursue finding a house would have to be put aside until after the new year since there was just too much else going on.

  “Are you bringing someone to the wedding?” Rebecca asked when she and Melanie joined them in the kitchen after getting home.

  She glanced over at Melanie and then, crossing her fingers that he’d be available, Adrianne nodded. Hank Williams—no relation to the singer, though named by a mother who loved him—had been Adrianne’s go-to date whenever she didn’t have anyone else. And she was the same for him. Last she’d heard from him, Hank hadn’t been dating anyone, so hopefully that meant he’d be free to accompany her to the ceremony and reception.

  “You’re bringing a date?” Alex asked, a frown on his face.
/>
  “Yes. Or at least that’s the plan. I’m just waiting to hear if it works for his schedule.” Adrianne winced inwardly, realizing she’d told a borderline lie. “Let me just follow up with him now to see if he’s available.”

  She fished her phone out of her purse and quickly brought up Hank’s contact information. Without hesitating, she tapped out a message to him.

  911 — need a date. New Year’s Day at 5 PM. Wedding ceremony with a reception to follow.

  Adrianne had barely hit send before her phone rang. It didn’t surprise her to see Hank’s picture flash on the screen. He had always been more of a phone guy than a text guy.

  “So who’s getting married, darlin’?” Hank asked in his southern drawl.

  Not for the first time, Adrianne wished that there had been something between her and Hank. But after dating for two months, they had both decided that they were better off as friends. She hadn’t felt at peace about continuing a romantic relationship with him, and thankfully, he’d been willing settle for just being friends.

  “Hang on one second,” she said to him before heading out of the kitchen. She made sure she was a good distance from the rest of the group before she said anything further. “First of all, how are you doing?”

  “Can’t complain. Been rushed off my feet with work, though,” Hank said with a sigh. “Seems accidents and injuries are up as usual for this special holiday time of year.”

  Hank worked as an ER doctor, and though he enjoyed the work, Adrianne also knew that it took a toll on him at times. “Have you been able to have any time off?”

  “Much to my mama’s dismay, I was not able to get holidays at Christmas. I do however have the next five days off, but Mama and Pops are heading out on a cruise, so now I’ll just be hanging around here.”