Taking Chances by Ann Omasta (best motivational books txt) 📖

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and Seth were over when you were with Sam.”

Annie nodded her agreement with Courtney’s words. “The way I see it, you have a monumental choice to make.”

I shook my head. They weren’t getting it. “No, you don’t understand. Neither of them wants to be with me after what I did.”

“Are you sure?” Court was the one who posed the question. “Maybe you should consider who you would choose, if they both want you.”

“When they both want her, you mean.” Annie tucked a stray brown curl behind my ear as she amended what Courtney had said. “How could either of them resist her?”

I was still shaking my head. These two ladies loved me too much to see the writing on the wall. I had let my lusty body take over my brain, and I had ruined my chances of having a relationship with either of the near-perfect Davis twins.

My thoughts were interrupted by the tinkling of the bells on the front door of the shop. All three of us turned to look as Mr. Finley, the owner of Treats, walked in. His bakery was where Seth and I had gone with the dogs on our first unofficial date, the day we met in the park. That seemed like an eternity ago now.

Mr. Finley was carrying a pink bakery box, which he handed to Annie when she floated, in her distinctly Annie way, over to greet him. He’s the king of impeccable timing, I thought as I eyed the box, wondering what kind of delectable goodness it contained.

Something about Annie’s reaction to him drew my attention away from the pastry container. Was she blushing? Court and I looked at each other in surprise when we heard Annie’s girly giggle as he kissed her hand with a flourish.

After he left, Annie swept back over to us with the pink box in tow. Court was the first to get the words out. “So, what’s going on with you and the Fin-Man?”

“Harry? Pish posh.” She tried to play it off as if there was nothing between them. “I’m sure he makes the rounds delivering baked goods to all the local businesses. It’s good TR or PR, whatever it’s called.”

Court and I raised our eyebrows at each other over her use of Mr. Finley’s first name. Neither of us had ever heard it before.

I thought about the idea of Annie being with Mr. Finley. He was on the shorter side, but not too short. He had graying hair and a slight belly pooch, but he was handsome in a sweet, grandfatherly way. Somehow, it all clicked into place in my mind, and I realized what a fantastic couple they would make. I was slightly annoyed with myself for being too consumed by my own love life to notice how perfect they would be for each other.

Court saw it, too. “Well, I think you two want to TR each other’s PRs, and I for one, think it’s a great idea.”

Annie shook her head, but all three of us erupted into giggles at Court’s play on Annie’s latest word jumble. When the laughter subsided, we all three stood quietly for a moment, consumed by our own thoughts.

Suddenly Court blurted out, “Joe kissed me last night, and it rocked my world!”

Chapter 34

I was so happy for Courtney and Annie. They both deserved a happy, fulfilling love life, and it seemed like they were each on the verge of achieving just that.

Trying to relax in a bubble bath later that evening, my mind kept returning to my disaster of a romantic life. Somehow, I had managed to screw up things with two amazing men.

The rap on my bathroom door startled me out of my thoughts. Court cracked the door open and peeked in. “I’m heading in to work the dinner shift because Grace called-in sick again. There’s someone here to see you.”

She opened the door a little wider to reveal Seth standing in my room behind her. I nodded at Court’s questioning look, to let her know it was fine, so she quietly left.

Seth stayed where he was for a moment, then he walked into the bathroom. I gasped when he stepped into the light, and I saw the cut on his lip. “Are you okay?” I asked him.

“Physically, yes.” His answer made me wince with the knowledge that I had caused his emotional pain. My face must have betrayed my thoughts because he attempted to lighten the mood by saying, “You should see the other guy.”

The thought of Sam being harmed made my stomach roll and the burning watermelon was back in my throat. My face must have crumpled because Seth tried to ease my concern. “He’s okay.”

He was looking down as he said the words, and it made me feel even worse to imagine how it made Seth feel to see my concern over his brother’s wellbeing. I had made such a mess of things. They really were both better off without me.

It was kind of Seth to come back to give me closure, but I decided that he had already done much more than I deserved, so I said, “Thanks for stopping by to let me know you’re okay. It was very thoughtful of you. I’m sorry for any pain I’ve caused you, and I hope that you are able to find happiness with someone who deserves you.”

He responded quietly, “You’ve made your decision, then?” At my perplexed look, he continued with a resigned, “You want to be with Sam.”

“Decision?” I kept the question at one word because I was so taken aback by his words. He seemed to be waiting for me to expand, so I continued. “What I have done is horrible, and you both deserve better.” I looked directly into his eyes as I said sincerely, “I wish you only the best.”

“That sounds like a dismissal.” He moved to kneel beside the bathtub even as he said the words. “Please don’t write me off so quickly, Ab. I don’t like it one bit that you were with Sam, but I accept the responsibility that it was largely my fault. I shouldn’t have left things the way I did. We can work through this. I love you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

I was surprised by his words. How could he still want me after I had bedded Sam? Then realization struck. I had become a pawn in their game of one-upmanship. Neither of them actually wanted me. They just wanted to win, and I had unwittingly become the prize, until they moved on to something else.

I said as much to Seth, who seemed shocked by my accusation. “I can’t speak for my brother,” he responded, “but my feelings for you have nothing to do with him. I want to live my life with you. If you’ll give me the chance, I promise to do my best to make all of your hopes and dreams come true.”

His words were wonderful, perfect. A tear slid down my cheek and he gently brushed it with his lips. “You don’t have to answer me right now. Work through your feelings and let me know what you decide.” He rose to leave, but turned back to say, “I’ll be waiting for you. It seems that you have stolen my heart.” Then he quietly walked out of my bathroom.

Chapter 35

I was still reeling from Seth’s visit. Normally, sitting on our front porch swing, looking out over the water, and drinking hot tea relaxed me, but it was doing nothing to calm my frazzled nerves tonight. I wasn’t even that surprised when the sleek, black Porsche eased into our driveway.

When Sam reached the porch, I saw his black eye. His brother had given him a serious shiner. It was already turning purple and looked extremely painful. It made me wince just looking at it. Seeing my reaction, he tried to play it down. “It’s not as bad as it looks.” He paused before adding, “I deserved much worse.”

He looked like he felt as guilty as I did, and it made me feel dreadful, knowing that I had caused all of this turmoil. He sat down beside me on the swing, but made no attempt to touch me. Even after all that we had been through, I still felt the electricity sizzle between us. My physical reaction to him was undeniable.

We sat there like that for a long while. When he finally broke the silence, his words surprised me. “You deserve a much better man than me. You should be with someone like Seth. He will never let you down. I, on the other hand, am known for loving ‘em and leaving ‘em. I just came to tell you that I care about you both, and I sincerely hope that you are able to work this out.” He looked at me before continuing. “I’ll keep my distance until I’m sure that I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.”

Anger flared inside me at his words. “So, you feel guilty about fucking me, and you have decided to let Seth win this one. Am I the trophy in this round of the competition?” I spat the words out