Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Read online

  Master Table of Contents

  Take a Chance

  I’ll Take a Chance

  Second Chance

  A Fighting Chance

  Unavoidable Chance

  Unexpected Chance

  A Very Wellington Christmas - Novella

  A Christmas Miracle by Chance – Short Story

  Other Books by Annalisa Nicole

  Where you can find Annalisa Nicole

  A little about Annalisa Nicole

  Character Glossary

  Take A Chance

  Book One in the

  Running Into Love Series

  by

  Annalisa Nicole

  Second Edition

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2013 by Annalisa Nicole

  This book is a written act of fiction. Any and all names, places, or similarities are coincidental. No part of this book may be used without written permission except for brief quotations for reviews or blogs. This book may only be distributed by Annalisa Nicole, the owner and Author of this series.

  Take a Chance Table of Contents

  Master Table of Contents

  Take a Chance

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  I’ll Take a Chance

  Second Chance

  A Fighting Chance

  Unavoidable Chance

  Unexpected Chance

  A Very Wellington Christmas - Novella

  A Christmas Miracle by Chance – Short Story

  Other Books by Annalisa Nicole

  Where you can find Annalisa Nicole

  A little about Annalisa Nicole

  Character Glossary

  Dedication

  To my husband

  For supporting me in my dream

  Prologue

  Have you ever heard that silence is deafening? Well, it’s no joke. As I sit and wait for my doctor in his office, I feel as though my head might explode. Silence is loud. And it’s filled with every bad thought imaginable. Every worst case scenario swirls around in a loud jumble in your mind. I don’t even hear the doctor come in; I only see him as he takes a seat behind his desk.

  “Ms. Emery, thank you for coming in. I wanted to go over these test results with you in person,” my very young and handsome doctor says as he places a file on top of his desk. No good news can come from a doctor wanting to see you in his office in person. Right?

  “Willow, please . . . please call me Willow.”

  “OK, Willow, your test results have come in from your biopsy, and I’m afraid, I have some rather bad news. It’s confirmed that you do in fact have breast cancer.”

  As he continues to talk, I don’t hear the words coming out of his mouth. I’m instantly numb. There’s a loud ringing in my ears, and all I can think is this has to be some cruel, sick joke! Is it even possible for life to be so vicious? Why me? What did I ever do to deserve such a punishment?

  I’m just now getting my life back on track. I grew up in a small hick town, in a trailer, in the middle, of Nowheresville, Illinois. After I graduated from high school, it took me a few years to realize that I needed to do something real, something good with my life. So I put myself through college while working two jobs.

  Now I’m an executive assistant to a VP at Wellington Corp., in downtown Seattle. I thought my life had finally turned around. I have a great condo, a nice car, and a little Yorkshire terrier named Lucy. It took me five damn years to put myself through college and get my degree. I put everything on hold; I haven’t been on a date in I don’t know how long.

  As I slowly tune back into my doctor, it starts to sink in. The severity of this life altering thing, this life changing, possibly life-ending thing called cancer is now my reality, and I blurt out, “But today is my birthday. This can’t be happening on my birthday.”

  He hands me information pamphlets and tells me my next steps. I just moved to this town; I’ve only worked at Wellington Corp., for a few months. I don’t even have any friends here. How am I supposed to deal with something like this?

  Chapter 1

  Willow

  “Ms. Emery, come back here, you can’t do this again. You have to have a driver after your chemo.” My nurse, Zoey, yells at me as I try to give her the slip and sneak out.

  I’m halfway done with chemotherapy anyway, and so far I’ve been able to get away without having someone come with me. Why do I have to be driven home anyway? What a stupid policy. Don’t these people understand that I don’t have anyone to drive me home?

  I only have three more treatments then I’m done, and thank all that is holy I’ve gone through this without having to miss a day of work. I’ve been very lucky, and I’ve had only minor nausea. My cancer was caught early, and I’m so thankful for that.

  After I was diagnosed, I went on the internet and read everyone’s stories. Word of advice, not always a good idea. After getting out of the shower one day, I was drying off and noticed a small lump in my left breast. At first I didn’t think anything of it, but as time went on and it didn’t go away, I became concerned and made an appointment with my doctor. After getting a mammogram, I then had a biopsy to confirm that it was in fact cancer. I had a lumpectomy and was told I would need six rounds of chemotherapy.

  “Ms. Emery!” Zoey yells.

  Crap, this is a first.

  She’s actually chasing after me out the door! As I reach the front door of the all glass medical building, I start feeling nauseous. What the hell? It’s not usually this quick. I think I might actually get sick.

  “Ms. Emery,” Nurse Can’t Take A Hint, yells again.

  As I reach my hand to the door, and push it open, the chill from the fall day slaps me in the face and I shiver. I quickly step out while looking back to see how close Zoey is and I run straight into something hard, almost knocking me over.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” is the first thing out of my mouth.

  As the person turns around and grabs my arms to steady me, the first thing I notice is this man’s eyes. They’re the most amazing vivid blue eyes I’ve ever seen. He’s wearing a three-piece tailored, navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt. His tie is undone and laying around his tan neck, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He’s tall, maybe six two, six three. He has dark, sandy blonde hair, broad shoulders, and from the feel of his arms on mine, muscular.

  Zoey reaches the door right as the second thing comes out of my mouth. Without warning, I throw up on Mr. Gorgeous Eyes’ expensive Italian leather shoes. I’m a girl, after all, and I do love shoes. It’s a tragic misfortune.

  I look back up at the man’s face, and he hasn’t changed his expression. I pull out of his grasp, tell him I’m so sorry again, and then just walk away. I can’t even look back. That has to be the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to me! I start to hear the nurse talking to Gorgeous Eyes, but I
’m so mortified I just want to get home, take a nice hot bath, and curl up in my nice warm bed with my dog and sleep. I seriously want to imagine that this day never happened.

  Asher

  I’m standing on the sidewalk enjoying the cool air waiting for my driver, Simon, to pull my car up so I can head to my next meeting across town, when someone barrels into my back almost knocking me over. I turn around to see a beautiful redhead with stunning green eyes, pale as a ghost, almost falling over.

  I reach out to steady her as she says, “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”

  I know it sounds cliché, but as soon as my fingers touch her bare arms a shock of electricity rushes up my arm and straight to my heart. What in the hell is that feeling? I gave up dating and women altogether when my late wife died three years ago.

  For some reason, I just stand there staring at her. She’s beautiful, but she doesn’t look like she’s feeling well. No sooner do I have that thought when she hunches over and throws up on my pant legs and shoes. Um, OK, not what I expected when I came out here to get some fresh air before my meeting. I’m stunned speechless; I just stare at the top of her head. She slowly looks up, and it looks like she’s going to cry. She tells me she’s sorry again, and then just turns around and walks away.

  “Ms. Emery,” a woman yells after her. The woman turns back to me and says, “Are you Ms. Emery’s friend, are you supposed to be taking her home?”

  “Uh . . .” I’m not quite sure what to tell this woman.

  She looks down at my pants and shoes and says, “Well, that’s what she gets for always trying to sneak out of here. Here, this is her appointment reminder for the week after next. Tell her not to bother showing up unless she has someone sitting with her the entire time and can take her home.”

  I take the card just as my driver pulls up and steps out of the car to open my door. Simon discretely looks down at my shoes and I can see the little pull of a smile on his lips. Trying to stifle his smile, he clears his throat.

  Quickly, he pulls it under control and asks, “Mr. Wellington, Sir, should we stop at home first so you can change before your meeting?”

  “Yes, Simon, thank you,” I say as I take another look down the street to see if I can see the redhead, but she’s nowhere in sight.

  “Simon, did you see a redhead walking down the street when you drove up?” I ask.

  “No, sir,” he answers.

  Chapter 2

  Willow

  After last week’s embarrassing run-in with Gorgeous Eyes, I need to be more careful at my next appointment. I’m glad I was able to get it under control and make it home with no other side effects. But, now I’m scared about my next appointment. I don’t think nurse Zoey is going to let me get away with being by myself anymore. Well, she’s just going to have to deal with it. I have no one to help me unless she wants me to ask my crazy next door neighbor Bertha, who is an eighty-year-old woman with ten cats.

  My thoughts return to the man I ran into. He was definitely a handsome man. He fit the tall, dark, and handsome mark right on the head. Those eyes, they were stunning. I wonder if they’re his real eye color. There’s no way. They had to have been colored contacts. Do people even wear those things anymore?

  He looked devastatingly gorgeous in that suit. It had to have cost more than my car! I’ve seen gorgeous men before, but damn, there was just something about him. When he looked in my eyes, I’m not even sure what it was, but what I wouldn’t do to have a run-in with him again.

  What the hell am I saying? I can’t date. I’m not bad looking; at least I don’t think I am. I have long red hair and green eyes, I’m five feet eight inches, and I’ve never been embarrassed by my body. Well, except for now. Who in their right mind would want to look at me now? I’ve lost about ten pounds during chemo, which isn’t a big deal, but it has taken a toll on my body. I have a port in my chest for chemo, and scars from the surgeries on my left breast. I need to stop thinking about Gorgeous Eyes and get back to reality. No one wants damaged goods, especially a man that looks like him. I’ll have my fourth round of chemo late next week, I just need to figure out how to get around that dang nurse.

  Asher

  Since that run in with the stunning redhead, I can’t keep my thoughts straight. I haven’t had an interest in looking at another woman since Olivia died. But this woman has sent feelings through me that I thought I buried along with my wife.

  As I twirl the appointment card in my hand, I wonder what she would think if I just showed up at her next appointment. What is this appointment for anyway? The medical building next door to mine has several specialty departments in it. She obviously needs someone with her. What am I thinking? This is crazy. I can’t just show up?

  Take a chance.

  The words enter my thoughts on their own. I recognize the voice that’s speaking them. I still hear Olivia in my dreams, but this is the first time I’ve heard her while not sleeping. Shaking my head, I think, damn I must be working too many hours. Now I’m hearing things.

  To shake off my earlier thoughts and the busy day of endless meetings, I decide to head to the gym, then home to try to break out of this funk. I say good night to my assistant, Charlotte, then head down to my car. With a slight grin, I take a look at my baby, one of the few things that still makes me smile. My sleek black Lamborghini Aventador LP700–4. She can go from zero to sixty in 2.9 seconds. As I slip into the seat, take a chance, again rolls through my thoughts. This is impossible.

  After two hours of running on the treadmill and lifting weights, I’m dead tired and just want to shower and sleep. Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully, I can have a clear head and stop thinking of redheads and hearing my late wife in my conscious thoughts.

  First thing in the morning, after Charlotte places coffee on my desk, that damn appointment card is sitting smack dab in the middle of my desk. How the hell did that get there? As I look at it again, I notice the appointment is tomorrow.

  Take a chance.

  Oh God, you can’t be serious with the voice again. Maybe I just need to hang out with my family a little more. I’ll text one of my brothers, maybe we can hang out tonight and get a few beers. Funny, I think of beer. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol in nearly three years.

  After texting my older brother, Adrian, we make plans to meet up after work. I really think I need this. Out of all of my four siblings, Adrian will be able to get my head on straight.

  Work breezes by. Being the CEO of a large company comes with large responsibilities, and I usually work about sixty to seventy hours a week. I usually only take Sundays off. I used to get together at my parent’s house for family dinner with my two brothers and two sisters, but I haven’t gone in a few months. I keep making excuses, saying I have too much work, but maybe it’s time to start going again.

  As I enter the restaurant, I see Adrian sitting at the bar with my younger sister, Ava. I wasn’t expecting her to be here too, but it’s a nice surprise to see her.

  “Well, looky there. If it isn’t . . . wait? What’s your name again?” Ava says.

  That smart mouth of my sisters is going to get her in trouble one of these days.

  “Haha, you’re so funny, I forgot to laugh,” I reply like a five-year-old.

  I give her my best angry face, but it comes off as a smirk. I could never be angry at Ava. She’s one of the sweetest people I know.

  “I didn’t know you were coming. What’s the occasion?” I say, leaning down, kissing her cheek.

  “Well, when Adrian called and said you two were having drinks tonight, I just had to come. I’ve missed you at Mom and Dad’s. I needed to make sure you were doing alright and by the looks of it, I can see that you aren’t and that you’ve been working way too much.”

  “Nah, don’t worry about me, nothing I can’t handle. So, how is the new job going, Sis? Did you make partner yet?” I tease.

  “You know, you’re not funny, but mark my words, one day I will!” she says, shaking her finger at me.
r />   “That a girl, I don’t doubt that for one second!”

  “Hey, I thought you called me to this shindig, you can’t even say hello to me?” Adrian punches my arm as I take a seat on the stool next to him.

  “Oh yeah, well if I knew Ava was available, I would have just called her. But I suppose you can stay. You know, you’re looking a bit worn out yourself. Is that construction company of yours kicking your lazy ass?”

  “I’ll show you an ass kicking!” he says and gets off his stool, pretending to punch me.

  “Boys knock it off. Asher, what’s really going on? You kind of scare me. You haven’t been showing up for dinner at Mom and Dad’s. Is everything OK?”

  “Well, I did want to talk about something, but I’m just glad to see the two of you. It’s no big deal, I’m feeling better already, let’s order some dinner and catch up.”

  I would have confided in Adrian about the little voice in my head, but not in front of Ava too. I’ll just have to try and meet up with him again another time. I don’t want her to worry more than she already has about me since Olivia died. But that woman’s appointment is tomorrow. Ah, what the hell, I’ll go. If she kicks me out, no big deal. Right? But for some reason I have this feeling I just need to be there.

  Take a chance.

  The next morning in my office I pick up the card and read her name, Willow Emery. That’s a pretty name. The time of the appointment is only an hour from now. I buzz Charlotte and tell her to clear my schedule for the rest of the day. I wrap up the loose ends on my desk, then grab my laptop and head next door.

  Chapter 3

  Willow

  OK, so round four of chemo. I can do this. We’re more than halfway done. I keep repeating that to myself and try to talk myself into believing it. As I walk into the building to check in, I hope that nurse Zoey is sick today, and I can pull this off.