Forever and Ever by Z.L. Arkadie

Author:Z.L. Arkadie
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-942857-07-5
Publisher: Z.L. Arkadie

The sun had gone down by the time they reached Sterling Manor. Stacks of lumber and cement bags were pushed up against the wall in the carport. When they walked into the main house, Chance could see that lots of walls had been torn down. The two rooms on the right, which used to be a reading room and Grandmother’s favorite sitting room, were now one big wide-open space. New off-white marble flooring had already been laid throughout the space. New frames had been erected. The grand stairway had been torn down, and bones for a refurbished one were in its place. The smell of recently erected drywall sort of refreshed the air, signaling out with the old and in with the new.

Rosalie’s gaze scanned the area. “Wow.”

Teresa entered from the left hallway that still seemed to be intact. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks,” Chance said, still taking in all the work that had been done.

“If you’re ready for dinner, just go to the dining room, and they’re having dinner there now.”

When Chance turned to Rosalie, she was already watching him with raised eyebrows. He suspected they were both on the same page.

“Could we have our meal in the carriage house tonight?” he asked as he put an arm around Rosalie’s waist.

Teresa’s surprised gaze went exactly where he wanted them to go. Her posture straightened. “Oh, yes, sure,” she said.

“You don’t want to join me, Chance Sterling?” a woman sang.

He turned to see Cindy—or Carolyn Edmonds—sashaying in their direction. She wore extremely short cutoff denim shorts and a tight light-pink sweater that was almost the same color as her flesh. She had on tan cowboy boots too. It was hard to picture her as part of the family. Sterling women could be fashionably sexy, but they never crossed the line to trashy.

“Hi, Carolyn,” Chance said in a stern voice. But then he realized he was treating her like his father would, so he relaxed his shoulders.

“It’s Cindy.” She hugged him, even though he still had his arm around Rosalie’s waist.

Rosalie waved at her. “Hello, Cindy.”

“Oh, hi,” Cindy said with a fake smile. She pinned her gaze back on Chance’s face. “Well, I don’t want to eat alone, and you two are hungry, aren’t you?”

“Well…” Rosalie said.

“Not tonight,” Chance said.

Rosalie watched him with her lips parted.

He put his mouth next to her ear and whispered, “Come to bed with me.”

“Oh,” she said.

Cindy’s finger shifted between Rosalie and Chance. “You two are a couple?” She sounded as if she could hardly believe it.

“Yes,” they said at the same time.

“Have you always been a couple? I’ve seen the both of you with Edna but never together.”

Now that Cindy mentioned his grandmother, an important question came to mind. “Did you know that you were…”

“A bastard daughter?”

Chance could only watch her with his mouth open.

“I knew I was someone’s bastard daughter but not Edna’s ex-husband’s. No wonder she was all interested in me.” Cindy twisted her mouth defiantly. Chance felt as though there was something bitter and hard inside of her that framed the expression on her face.

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