Accidental Love Read online

  ACCIDENTAL LOVE

  BY

  LYDIA ROSE

  Edited By

  Holly Schneider

  FOR LINDA ALWAYS

  THIS BOOK IS A WORK OF FICTION AND DOES NOT REPRESENT ANY TOWN OR PEOPLE

  COPYRIGHT BY LYDIA ROSE BOOKS 2016

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  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

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Author’s Other Books

  CHAPTER 1

  It was another Monday morning that Marnie Winters was dragging herself into the office with a hangover headache that could knock over a tree. Her sunglasses remained on her face as she walked toward her office. Friday her latest trial ended with a not guilty verdict for a client that she believed was guilty. It was just another in a long line of cases that made her the most sought-after defense attorney. At forty-three-years old she had everything she had wished for when she became an attorney. She had money, an elegant apartment in Manhattan and the most beautiful women who wanted to share her bed when she would beckon them. Her dirty blond shoulder length hair ached at the roots and her blue eyes were bloodshot. So how come she drank to excess? Marnie was tired of this life. She wanted to help someone who was innocent and clear their name, but those people didn’t have the money to pay her fee. Three years after joining the firm of McDonald, Anderson & Thompson, Marnie became a junior partner. It had been four years since a pro-bono case crossed her desk and that’s why she sat here hungover. She looked up as her door opened. Sheila, the firm’s investigator and her best friend walked in and took a seat.

  “You’re hungover again?” Sheila asked shaking her head.

  “I’m fine,” Marnie answered, taking off her sunglasses as if that would prove to Sheila that she was wrong.

  “Put the glasses back on, Marnie. Your eyes are so bloodshot that you look like a vampire,” she said shaking her head side to side. “You can’t go on like this forever.”

  “I know that, but what am I supposed to do?”

  “When was the last time you took a vacation?” Sheila asked leaning her hands on Marnie’s desk.

  “I don’t remember.” Marnie did but she didn’t want to admit that it had been five years ago. She had worked hard to get where she is and taking time off didn’t fit into her plans.

  “If you don’t take some time off, I will go to Thompson and tell him you are unfit to work here.”

  Marnie chuckled. “Yeah, he will really believe that. All he looks at is the bottom line and the clients I pull in. He will work me until I can’t do it anymore.” And she knew that was true. The other partners didn’t care how she felt or if she was happy. All they cared about was how much money she could make for them.

  Sheila moved over to the front of Marnie’s desk and sat on the edge in front of her friend. “Take a month off and clear your mind. Go visit Paul. The weather in Miami will easily make you feel better. This cold here in New York is enough to drive anyone to drink.”

  Marnie sat there thinking about Sheila’s words. She would love to visit Paul who had been her best friend since college. He was always asking her to come down. Paul had a beautiful house on the water and she could see herself lying by the pool clearing her foggy head. “They’ll never let me go, Sheila.”

  “Yes they will. Tell them if you don’t get this time off, you’re going to quit.”

  “Quit?” Marnie asked nearly choking on her coffee. “Suppose they say, go ahead?” She could feel herself start to panic at that aspect.

  Sheila laughed out loud. “They aren’t stupid, honey. They might put up a fight for a minute, but they will let you go.”

  “Come with me,” she said quickly.

  “I can’t, Marnie. Maybe I can come down in a couple of weeks for a long weekend.”

  “Let me think about it, Sheila.” She looked up into Sheila’s face. “Thank you.”

  “No thanks necessary. I love you, you goof.”

  Marnie smiled. “I love you too.”

  CHAPTER 2

  That conversation with Sheila had been two weeks ago. Sheila had been right about the partners. They put up a fight for a few minutes, but caved the moment Marnie threatened to quit. She was now driving down the turnpike headed to Florida. Marnie had initially thought of flying and renting a car once she reached Florida, but thought the ride would clear her head. She wanted to hit Miami with a clear head so she could enjoy herself. Marnie traveled the highway, but always left when she was tired to stop in a small town where she could wander and walk through the quaint towns along the way. She had just entered Georgia and left the main road to travel along the back roads. Marnie traveled for a couple of hours and then punched into her GPS for a hotel where she could spend the night. When she looked up she saw a slow moving pick-up truck overloaded with furniture in its bed. Something flew out of the truck bed and landed on the road. Marnie couldn’t get out of the way of the debris and she ran it over before she could stop. “Shit,” she mumbled as the vehicle began to sputter. The truck in front of her pulled over and a man ran back to her car. Her very expensive Tesla.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Marnie looked up into his face which was covered with his pulled down dirty baseball cap. “I’m fine,” she said opening the car door. “Why didn’t you have those things tied down? Do you know how expensive this car is?” she asked raising her voice. Opening the car door she stood facing the man. Her height gave her an advantage over the man standing in front of her.

  The man pulled off his cap and stared at his feet. “I don’t, but my insurance will pay for your repairs,” he said softly.

  Marnie took a deep breath to calm herself. The man looked embarrassed, but more importantly he looked scared. “I’m sorry for yelling. I know this was an accident.” But she wanted to sue this kid for everything he owned because of his carelessness. Although, it probably wouldn’t be much.

  “I’ll call a tow truck. Waterville is only five miles from here and they have a body shop there.”

  “Do they have a hotel?”

  “Yes,” he said gripping his cap. “Best in town.”

  Marnie smirked. Probably the only one in town too. “Do you live there?” she asked.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he answered, still afraid of this tall woman.

  The tow truck arrived and the driver got out. “Whoa, Buddy. You couldn’t find a cheaper car to destroy?” As the man spoke, Buddy went pale. The guy looked under the Tesla. “Yeah, you ripped a lot of stuff under here.” He turned to Marnie. “You can ride with me or Buddy can take you to town.”

  “I’ll drive her, Dave,” Buddy said quickly.

  Marnie grabbed her purse and suitcase out of the trunk and walked over to the pickup truck with her things.

  “I’ll drop her off at Arnie’s.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll be right behind you in a few.”

  Marnie watched as Buddy grabbed the wheel tightly still looking pale. She decided to start the c
onversation. She had always been a friendly person who could talk to anyone, but over the years being a criminal attorney had changed her. “Tell me about this town of yours.”

  “It’s a nice and friendly town. We have lots of tourists in the summer and everyone is welcome.” He laughed softly. “We aren’t all rednecks in the south.”

  Marnie looked at his face for the first time and could see he was only in his mid-twenties. “Are you moving?” she asked pointing to the back.

  “I’m an antique dealer with my mom. These were things she bought at an estate sale,” he answered.

  “I hope I didn’t destroy something of value?” Marnie asked with a slight chuckle.

  “I hope not too.” He glanced at Marnie. “Whatever it was couldn’t have been more valuable than your car.”

  Damn right. “My car can be fixed, but if that was an expensive antique, it can’t be easily replaced.” Marnie watched as Buddy swallowed hard. She almost laughed, but fought the urge. “I’m sure your mom won’t be too upset.”

  “You’ve never met my mother,” he said wiping his brow with his hand.

  “I’m an attorney,” she said laughing. “So if you need me to get you out of jail or something, here’s my card.” Marnie handed him her card.

  “Gee thanks,” he answered, putting the card in his top pocket. They pulled up in front of the body shop and exchanged insurance information. “My insurance company is in town. I’ll stop by and see Ralph after I unload.” He opened the truck door to get Marnie’s suitcase. He placed it at her feet and took off his cap. “I really am sorry, Ma’am.”

  “Marnie,” she said grinning. “It was an accident, Buddy.” She couldn’t believe she had been so calm with watching her most prized possession nearly destroyed by his carelessness. Maybe the trip down had really cleared her head?

  “If you need a ride or anything while you’re here, you have my phone number. Day or night.”

  “Thanks, Buddy.” She waved as he climbed back into the truck and drove away. Now she watched her car coming down the street on the flatbed truck and walked into the body shop’s office.

  “Howdy, can I help you?” Hank Aster asked as she walked inside.

  Marnie smiled and pointed to the car that was now being backed up into the yard. “That’s my car.”

  “Wow, a Tesla,” he said going over to the window. “What happened?”

  The tow truck driver walked in before Marnie could answer. “Buddy lost something on the road and she ran it over.” Marnie nodded at his answer.

  “I’ll get Ralph in here before we work on the car. He’ll want to see the damage and take pictures.” He looked at Dave. “Is it badly damaged?”

  Dave nodded his head. “Buddy’s mother is going to have a fit.”

  “It was an accident,” Marnie quickly said, standing up for the young man. Again her brain couldn’t register the compassion she felt toward Buddy.

  “Yeah, but he could have tied the load down. His mother has told him that so many times,” Dave added.

  Marnie handed Hank her business card. “My cellphone number is on there. Call me when you have some information for me. Where is the nearest hotel?”

  “Down the street on your right. Cells don’t work so well here in town. I’ll call the hotel when I have information for you.”

  “Thank you.” She left the shop and went in search of the hotel.

  Hank looked at the card and said, “Damn, she’s a New York defense attorney and good looking to boot.” He had noticed the expensive clothes she wore and her jewelry gleamed even in the dim lights in the office.

  “I know. Buddy was so intimated by her.” He shook his hand. “Those tight jeans and sweater. Man, I knew she wasn’t from around here.”

  “I should call Leslie and let her know,” Hank said picking up the phone.

  “Do you think she’ll help?” Dave asked

  “There’s only way to find out.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Marnie walked through the front door of the small hotel pulling her suitcase with her. Her sandals clapped against the tile floor as she walked over to the front desk. “Don’t you look pretty,” the woman behind the desk said.

  Marnie smiled. “Would you happen to have a room?”

  “Sure, honey. I’ve got a real nice room for you. Nice and bright for this time of year.” She turned the registry book around so Marnie could sign in. “By the way, I’m Wilma, the owner of this hotel.”

  “Marnie Winters,” she said signing the book. “Does the hotel serve food?”

  “No, but there is a lovely café next door.” She turned around and picked up a key. “Leslie will take good care of you.”

  “Leslie?” Marnie asked.

  “Yes, Leslie Reynolds. She owns the café.” Wilma looked at the book. “New York. You are a long way from home. Are you here on vacation?”

  “I was on my way to Miami and had an accident.” She shrugged. “I don’t know how long it will take to fix my car.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. We will take good care of you while you are here in Waterville.”

  “Can I leave my suitcase here while I go get something to eat?” Marnie asked as her stomach began to growl.

  “I’ll take care of that for you. Go get something to eat,” she said smiling.

  “Thanks.” Marnie went out the front door happy that so far everyone in this town seemed to be friendly. What surprised her the most was that she had pretty much kept her temper. She had been away from work for less than a week and her body seemed to drain away all the tension she had had for the last five years.

  Leslie had been watching the front door for the last ten minutes ever since Hank had called to tell her about Marnie Winters. She was still on her laptop reading Marnie’s information when the bell dinged over the door. Leslie looked up and recognized her immediately from her picture that was on the screen. The picture didn’t do justice to the woman who had just walked into her establishment. Her dirty blond hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, but it was the large blue eyes that caught Leslie’s attention. She closed the lid on her laptop and walked toward her. “Take a seat where you’d like,” she said with a wide smile. Marnie took a seat near the window and Leslie handed her the menu. “We have some lunch specials up on the board,” she said pointing to the blackboard.

  “Can I still get breakfast?” Marnie asked cutting her off.

  “Of course. We had a special this morning that was two eggs, toast, grits, bacon and sausage or you can get anything you’d like off the menu.”

  “Thanks,” Marnie said looking through the breakfast section of the menu. “Can I get a cup of black coffee?” she asked before Leslie walked away.

  “Coming right up.”

  Dot walked over to Marnie’s table. “Do you know what you want?” she asked standing there with her pad and pen.

  “I think the other woman was taking care of me,” she said pointing to Leslie.

  “Leslie?” Dot chuckled. “She’s the owner. I work the tables.”

  Leslie returned with the coffee and put it in front of Marnie. “I’ll have the breakfast special,” Marnie said to Dot.

  “That ended at eleven o’clock.”

  Leslie interrupted. “I told Ms. Winters she could still get it, Dot.”

  Dot grinned. “How would you like your eggs?”

  “Up and rye toast if you have it,” Marnie answered, but now wondered how Leslie knew her name. After Dot walked away, Marnie looked to see if Leslie was still nearby, but she was at the other end of the restaurant on her computer. When Marnie’s food arrived, she dug into the meal as if it were her last meal. These grits taste like heaven. Taking the last of her bread and wiping the plate clean, she sat back.

  “More coffee?” Leslie asked standing there with the pot in her hand.

  “Please. That special was out of this world and those grits. I’ve had them a lot since I crossed the Mason/Dixon line, but none as good as these.” She now looked at the woma
n who was standing in front of her. Leslie’s brown hair was worn in a short shaggy style and her green eyes watched her closely.

  “Where are you from?” Leslie asked pretending she didn’t know.

  “New York, but I have a feeling you already know that,” Marnie said with a grin. “You used my name to Dot.”

  “Oh,” she said blushing at her obvious slip earlier.

  “I guess someone called you. Small towns, huh?” Marnie asked staring intently at the petite woman standing in front of her. She had used that glare in court.

  “Yeah. Something like that,” Leslie answered looking away from Marnie’s stare.

  Marnie chuckled as her face relaxed and she looked more closely now and noticed that Leslie was younger than herself and her light green eyes looked kind. She couldn’t be much over five feet compared to her own five- foot-eleven height. Leslie’s shorter hairstyle looked great with her petite features. She wondered if Leslie had to shop in the children’s department with her tiny frame. The only part of her body that looked like an adult were her breasts. As far as Marnie was concerned, they were perfect.

  “Listen, the café closes at three. Can I buy you dinner tonight?” Marnie raised an eyebrow at her invitation. “It’s not a date or anything,” she answered blushing again. “I need to speak to you about something.”

  Again Marnie’s eyebrows came up. “What could you possibly need to ask me? You don’t know me.”

  “I know you are a criminal defense attorney.”

  “Are you in trouble?” Marnie asked softening her voice.

  “In a way, yes.”

  She looked hard at the petite woman before answering and she found herself saying, “Pick me up at the hotel at seven.” Marnie picked up her check, but Leslie took it out of her hand.

  “Breakfast is on me.” Leslie watched as Marnie dropped a five-dollar bill on the table for Dot’s tip. She watched Marnie leave without another word.

  Dot approached the table. “Did she pay you?” she asked taking the five-dollar bill off the table.

  Leslie nodded and walked away. She was going to owe Marnie Winters a lot more than a breakfast and dinner if she agreed to help her.