A Family Reunited Read online

  She’s not here to stay

  Some things can’t be fixed…especially when it comes to Alexandra Peterson’s family. They agree on so little that it’s been best for her to be anywhere else. But with a crisis looming, how can she stay away? She can, however, set some boundaries and not get too involved. That includes encounters with Chase Carrolton, her high school sweetheart.

  It’s hard to keep her distance from him. He was hot and tempting then. Now he’s downright irresistible! With the emotional bombshells coming fast and furious from her family, Chase’s strong support is more appealing than ever. Yet all the things he wants—like a life here in Atlanta, children—Alex has learned not to want. And changing her dreams seems like too big a risk….

  “Why are you doing this?” Alex asked.

  “Because I want you in my life.”

  She looked out the window where a plane taxied away from the gate. “I’m in your life as much as I can be, Chase.”

  He tugged her around until she faced him and then he locked his gaze with hers. “I don’t want us to just be friends, Alex. I want to share my life with you. The way we did before. Don’t you remember how it was? You were my best friend. We told each other everything. I know you and you know me in a way no one else does. Tell me you don’t miss that and I’ll leave you alone.”

  She closed her eyes. Why did he have to do this now, when she was feeling more vulnerable than ever?

  Dear Reader,

  Thanks for checking out my second release with Harlequin Superromance! Whether you have a traditional or not so traditional family, my guess is you’ve had both moments of challenge and triumph with your family. My goal in A Family Reunited was to show that no matter how crazy life can get, our families can be a source of strength.

  Maybe you can relate to Alexandra Peterson’s desire to cut a wide path around her father and siblings. Their attitudes and behavior are a mystery to her and she has little patience to try to decipher them, but when her brother falls victim to cancer and her father calls on her for help, Alex’s response is to return home, not only to assist with her brother’s care, but to also reconcile the broken relationships of her past.

  She’s ill prepared to include ex-boyfriend, Chase Carrolton, in those reconciliations, though. However, when Chase proves to be a vital link in her plan to find her brother a stem-cell donor, she has little choice but to confront her unresolved feelings for her high school sweetheart. How can Alex hope to stay focused on her family when Chase announces his plan to win back her heart?

  I hope you enjoy Alex and Chase’s story. I’m in the process of creating my new website. It should be completed by the time you read this, so stop by and say hi at www.doriegraham.com. I’d love to hear from you.

  Enjoy!

  Dorie Graham

  A Family Reunited

  Dorie Graham

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Dorie was initially struck by the writing muse at the tender age of nine, when she stayed up past her bedtime for the first time ever to finish a short story. That attempt resulted in her teacher reading her work aloud to the class, then submitting her story to Highlights magazine. Unfortunately, Dorie took the magazine’s request to shorten the story as a flat rejection.

  Over the years she followed the muse from time to time, but didn’t get serious about writing until after the birth of her third child. Even then it took about five years of juggling husband, children, nonprofit work and her writing before she finally mastered the art of rejection and landed her first sale in September 2001. Currently, she resides in Roswell, Georgia, a suburb of metro-Atlanta, with her two supportive daughters. A full-time working, single mom, she spends her free time hanging with her daughters and friends, watching movies, running and of course, writing. You can stop by and visit her at www.doriegraham.com.

  Books by Dorie Graham

  HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE

  1823—ESPRESSO IN THE MORNING

  HARLEQUIN BLAZE

  39—THE LAST VIRGIN

  58—TEMPTING ADAM

  130—EYE CANDY

  196—THE MORNING AFTER

  202—SO MANY MEN...

  208—FAKING IT

  Other titles by this author available in ebook format.

  I’ve made dedications to my parents and my sisters in previous books, but I’d be remiss if I dedicated this book to anyone other than my birth family. Theresa and Raymond Buckley, Marion Buckley Shoults, David Buckley, Carol Anderson, Maureen McRorie, Cliff Buckley and Cathleen Breed, thank you all for sharing with me so many ups and downs and especially for standing by me during the worst of the downs. I love you all.

  One of my favorite parts of writing this book came from researching Chase’s profession as a university museum curator. I had the wonderful fortune to meet Julia Brock, curator at a local university and her good friend, A., both of whom supplied me with invaluable information and brainstorming fodder for the scenes involving Chase’s work environment.

  Ladies, I couldn’t have done it without you! A., look for your special thank-you at the end of the book.

  Also, much appreciation to Jamie Latrice Allen, social service case manager/post foster care at Chatham County Department of Family and Children Services for helping me iron out all the details relating to foster care and custody proceedings.

  I hope I managed to ask all the right questions in these areas and apply the answers accurately. Any errors I’ve made are a result of my misinterpretation of the excellent information provided and in no means a reflection on these wonderfully helpful sources.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Excerpt

  CHAPTER ONE

  ALEXANDRA PETERSON PULLED the pillow from her face and squinted at the digital display of the clock on her nightstand. 5:57 a.m.? How had she managed to wake before her alarm after sleeping less than four hours? With a groan, she rolled to sitting. No sense in trying to go back to sleep. She was awake and she might as well get to the office to prepare for her meeting with her boss, the senior vice president of finance, Pete Andrews, and the CFO, Darren Roberts.

  A quick half an hour later, thanks to having laid out her clothes and leaving her computer bag packed and ready by the door the previous night, she sped along I-95 toward her office in midtown Baltimore. At least traffic was still fairly clear at this hour. A record twenty minutes later she counted off the floors as the elevator carried her to six. Thankfully, the management had updated the elevators in the old brick building.

  Subdued lighting greeted her as she swiped into the quiet reception area. Only one or two of her coworkers ever arrived this early and they were at the other end of the floor, closer to the executive suites. She enjoyed arriving at her office before the crowd and the rush.

  Quiet blanketed her as she docked her laptop in the privacy of her office. While the computer whirred to life, she let her gaze drift out her window, over the parking lot of the old church next door. She might not have the best view, but she’d worked hard for the promotion that had snagged her the tiny
back office.

  Not that she’d minded the long hours and extra work. She’d loved her job as a senior finance manager for Mana Health Care, a company specializing in managing long-term-care facilities. Now as vice president of finance, she finally had the SVP of finance’s, as well as the CFO’s, ear and could help implement some of the changes she saw as necessary for making them a more efficient and profitable corporation. That is, efficient now and hopefully profitable down the road.

  Sighing, she settled into her chair. She had to put some finishing touches on the presentation she planned to share with her boss and his boss at their 10:00 a.m. meeting. Confidence filled her. She took pride in always showing up prepared.

  Two hours later she blinked, trying to drum up some moisture to soothe the grit from her eyes. Her head pounded, the result of too little sleep. She grabbed her coffee cup, only to find she’d already sucked down the contents.

  “Well, that won’t do,” she said as she slipped out of her office and headed toward the break room, cup in hand.

  The consultant, who worked in clinical, whose name she could never remember, headed in her direction. Alex worked her mouth into what she hoped was a smile and nodded at the woman. The consultant frowned, passing her without comment.

  Alex shrugged. Maybe the woman was having an off morning. She could certainly relate to that. The scent of strong coffee filled the air as Alex approached the coffeemaker.

  Stifling a yawn, she wavered over the baskets filled with the little liquid creamers before grabbing a handful of French vanilla containers. Only the good stuff would do this morning.

  Whispering sounded over her shoulder. She turned to find a couple of the junior financial analysts standing behind her. They straightened as she smiled.

  “Good morning,” she said. “Sorry, let me get out of your way. I’m moving a little slowly today. Late night.”

  The older guy, George, arched his eyebrows. “Working hard to get all of your reporting turned in, no doubt.”

  “Actually, yes,” she said, satisfaction filling her.

  Staying up until the wee hours completing her efficiency savings report for her boss had been worth it. She’d finished the summary and emailed it to him along with the detailed report before crashing for those few hours of sleep. He’d obviously given her work his seal of approval, since he’d copied her on his forward to the CFO early that morning.

  “Yes, we all know,” the younger analyst said, anger evident in his tone.

  “Oh.” She cradled her full coffee mug in her hands as she began to feel uneasy. Surely word hadn’t gotten out yet about her suggested pay cuts. “Have a good day,” she said, before turning to leave.

  Two more coworkers passed Alex without comment or acknowledgement of her greetings. Dismay filled her as she slipped back into her office. They must have heard about her suggestion. Why else would she be getting the cold shoulder? Did that mean the company was planning to move forward with her plan?

  Shaking off her nerves, she opened the report she’d poured so much of her heart into. The neat rows of numbers and totals at the bottom soothed her. Here in the cells and formulas everything made sense. She might not understand the people around her, especially not this morning, but numbers always spoke to her.

  The printer hummed as it printed the summary spreadsheet. She pulled the page from the output tray and smiled as she reviewed the neat columns, the bold totals that all lined up and told the financial story of Mana Health Care in succinct detail. How satisfying. Darren would be very pleased to see her plan to reduce their spending and eventually increase their profit margin. With her suggestions in place they’d break even for the next quarter or two, then be back in the black by year’s end—quite a feat considering the current state of the economy.

  The long hours over the past week and missed weekends had been worth it. Alex had drilled down into every area of their business, shaving off the extra expenses at each opportunity. Frowning now, she reviewed the savings they would gain from the small across-the-board pay cut. She’d hated to include it, but it meant keeping jobs they’d otherwise have to eliminate.

  Yawning, she glanced at the time display on her monitor. She’d be meeting with them in less than twenty minutes. Surely this was the icing on the cake she needed, just in time for bonus incentive reviews, where she’d recommended only a slight reduction.

  They didn’t want to destroy employee morale, after all.

  The chirp of an incoming instant message drew her attention again to the screen. Anticipation filled her. A little balloon with Darren’s name displayed the incoming message. Reviewed report. Please stop by to discuss.

  Now? she replied, glancing at her calendar and their 10:00 a.m. meeting entry.

  Yes.

  What about her boss, Pete? Had he also been called in early? Surely, he’d want to be present in any review of the report.

  Her heart thudded as she typed, On my way.

  The scent of overheated coffee wafted over her as she passed the employee break room and headed toward the CFO’s office at the far end of the floor, three fresh copies of her presentation in hand. She padded along the carpet, pacing herself so as not to arrive too soon while remaining prompt. She didn’t want to give the impression she was overly anxious.

  Instant messages offered little insight into the sender’s mood. Had Darren been pleased with all her hard work? Did he want her to find more savings opportunities in any of the departments? Did he agree with her assessment on where they could trim the fat from their company?

  She stopped outside the CFO’s closed door and turned questioningly to his executive assistant, who was stationed at a desk across the aisle. Alex said, “He asked me to drop by.”

  The young woman continued typing without looking up, saying, “Stevens is in with him.”

  Alex nodded, though the woman remained focused on her typing. Mark Stevens was head of procurement, and that department had played heavily in her report. She’d identified some serious savings opportunities in both their capital expenditures and daily operational expenses. Was Darren discussing her findings with Mark?

  “Did he call Pete in, as well?”

  Again without looking up, the woman shook her head. “I believe he’s taking the morning off.”

  “Oh,” Alex said, surprised. Maybe Pete would call in for their meeting.

  She faced the closed door and squared her shoulders. The CFO had summoned her. She tapped lightly, then pushed the door open far enough to duck her head in.

  Darren glanced at her and held up his index finger. “Give us a minute, Alex.”

  “Sure,” she said. She withdrew and quietly closed the door, stifling her impatience. Why had he asked for her if he wasn’t ready? The efficiency report was only the beginning. She had a pile of spreadsheets waiting for her to review, a conference call and committee meetings to prepare for.

  She hovered outside Darren’s office as muffled laughter sounded from inside. She frowned. They couldn’t be discussing her report. Her recommendations hadn’t included anything laughable.

  She glanced at the two upholstered chairs in the nook between the CFO’s and CEO’s offices. Should she take a seat to wait? She glanced again at the CFO’s executive assistant. The woman continued her intent typing.

  Alex settled into the closest chair, folding her hands over her notebook and presentations. Too bad she’d left her smartphone in her office. She could at least have been tackling some of her email.

  Anticipation filled her as the moments ticked by and more laughter sounded through the door. Obviously, Darren was in a good mood. Could his good spirits be a result of her report? She’d presented a solid plan for putting them in the black by year’s end. Certainly this was reason to celebrate.

  Five minutes later the CFO’s door opened. Darren stood in the doorway, shaking Mark Stevens’s hand. “I’m glad we’re on the same page in this, Mark,” Darren said. “We’ve got to hit the ground running with this new initiative.
I knew I could count on you.”

  New initiative? She’d suggested a very specific action plan to go along with her report. Could that be this new initiative? Alex straightened all five feet four inches of herself, still feeling small next to Mark’s six plus feet of bulk. All smiles, the man seemed to be taking the cuts to his department in stride. Plastering on a smile, she waited patiently while the men exchanged pleasantries.

  At last, Mark headed down the hall and Darren turned to her, gesturing toward his open door. “After you.”

  With a nod she stepped into the lush inner sanctum of the CFO’s office. Mahogany gleamed among the splashes of potted plants strategically placed throughout the space. She perched in one of the chairs at the conference table dominating the area near the floor-to-ceiling windows. Where her view reflected the gray of the worn parking lot next door, his view took in the leafy green trails of the park below.

  “Good morning, Alex,” Darren said as he took the seat across from her, his hands steepled before him.

  “Good morning, Darren,” she said, gripping her pen. “Mark seemed to be in a good mood.”

  Her boss nodded. “His son is headed for regionals.”

  “That’s great,” Alex said, though she had no idea what regionals were, or that Mark even had a son, for that matter.

  “It is, actually. My daughter was into competitive swimming at that age. She made it to state.”

  Again, Alex was at a loss, so she smiled and nodded. “Is Pete calling in?”

  He frowned. “Pete has personal business he’s attending to this morning.”

  “Oh. I guess I can follow up with him later.” She slid a copy of the presentation over to him. “I put together this slide presentation to show how we can implement the new strategies we’ll need to execute some of the savings in my report.”

  He flattened his hand on the presentation without looking at it. “How’s your family, Alex?”