Chapter One
On a mission, Elisabetta Gardelli walked into Consign or Design, a small shop off Main Street in downtown Serendipity known for high-end outfits bought on consignment and unique items created by the owner, April Mancini. The bells rang over Lissa’s head as she entered and the yapping bark of a small Yorkshire terrier greeted her.
“Hey, Lucy.” Lissa bent down to pet the head of the small dog, whose little tongue licked her, showering her with undying affection.
“Can I help you?” April walked out of the back room. “Oh, Lissa! Long time no see.”
Lissa waved a hand and rose to her feet. “I know. Until now I’ve been able to make do with the clothes in my closet.” She hadn’t had the extra money to splurge on herself.
April smiled. “That’s because you’re a good mom and give everything you can to your gorgeous daughter.” She tucked her vibrant, layered red hair behind her ear.
At the mention of Olivia, Lissa smiled. It was true she’d rather spend her hard-earned money on her ten-year-old than on herself.
“I still think you should have taken Bradley to the cleaners,” April muttered, speaking of Lissa’s no-good, cheating ex, whom she’d married right after high school graduation.
“If I could have proven he had access to his family’s money, maybe I would have.”
Throughout their marriage, it had looked like they had money. The Banks family had all the superficial things covered—a nice house, a Lexus to drive, all the things that looked good to the town. In reality, Brad earned a salary at his father’s dealership that paid for the bare bones of what they needed to live, and he’d kept her on a tight budget. Meanwhile, his parents had financed any and all extracurricular activities Brad wanted, including country club membership and expenses.
Lissa had been the stay-at-home wife and mother Bradley had married out of obligation while he’d continued to live a single lifestyle. Even knowing he had affairs, she’d stayed so her daughter could have a stable childhood, two parents living under one roof. But as Olivia grew up, Lissa realized that if the rest of the town was aware of her husband’s mistresses, it was only a matter of time until Olivia discovered the same. Lissa didn’t want her baby subjected to gossip, nasty comments, and laughing behind her back at school. Finally, enough was enough and Lissa had walked out.
The good news was, their daughter wanted for nothing. Grandma and Grandpa Banks saw to that. At least Lissa had been smart enough to obtain her online college degree. In between colic, feedings and toddlerhood, a B.A. in journalism had taken her more than five years. When it came to the divorce, she’d received exactly half of what Bradley earned, which had only been enough for her to put a down payment on a house for herself and Olivia. She lived on what she earned. The child support went for her daughter.
These days, she only wanted to reach for the goals she’d shelved when she’d stupidly gotten pregnant as a senior in high school. Though Lissa wouldn’t trade Olivia for the world, since her divorce she’d done a one-eighty, determined to teach both herself and her daughter about self-respect.
“Well, I admire you,” April said, unaware of the direction of Lissa’s thoughts. “You’re proof that hard work pays off. I read your interview with Faith Harrington in the News Journal. And I’m sure things are looking up for our resident big-time journalist now,” April said warmly.
Lissa marveled at the description. She still thought of herself as a small-town coffee-server-slash-obit-writer, not a legitimate newswoman. But ever since Faith Harrington had given Lissa the interview every newsperson on the planet coveted, Lissa had arrived in her chosen field.
“Things are definitely looking up. I’ve been hired to do a series of interviews for the News Journal. Thirty Under Thirty, they’re calling it—about men of Fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs who’ve made their mark at an impressively young age.”
“You go, girl!” April pulled her into a huge congratulatory hug.
Lissa wasn’t a warm and fuzzy kind of person, but April was—and in this store, April’s rules applied. Lissa allowed the embrace for as long as she was comfortable, then stepped back.
“So what can I do for you?” April asked.
Lissa was supposed to meet her friend Kate Andrews for this shopping expedition, but as usual, Kate hadn’t yet arrived. Lissa glanced at the items hanging from hooks on the light green walls. Though Lissa couldn’t afford a new couture suit, she knew April would be able to put together the perfect outfit at a reasonable price.
She’d just have to start without Kate. “I need a kick-ass designer suit in order to make a good impression,” Lissa said.
“On one of those Fortune 500 guys?” April asked hopefully.
Lissa drew a deep breath, still unable to believe the subject of her first interview. Just the thought of him set her nerves tingling. “One guy in particular,” she murmured.
“Anyone famous I’d know of?” April asked.
Before Lissa could answer, the bells over the door rang again and Kate came bursting through, out of breath. “I’m here. Sorry I’m late, but I’m here.” Kate’s long hair was in wild disarray, her cheeks flushed pink.
“Let me guess. You overslept?” Lissa laughed, knowing that wasn’t the reason.
Kate exhaled long and hard. “I had to stop by my mom’s, and she started talking, and I just—”
“—lost track of time,” they both said together.
Kate couldn’t manage to account for her time and was chronically late, but Lissa could never be mad at her. Kate was one of the good people in this world. They’d both grown up in Serendipity, gone to the same elementary, middle, and high schools—and had never spoken to each other. Oh, they glared plenty, Kate being one of those girls with money, like Faith Harrington. Lissa had been a townie without.
To her shame, Lissa had carried that attitude into the present, at least where Faith was concerned, and she cringed at the memory of how badly she’d treated the other woman when she’d returned to town. Even though Faith’s father had been convicted of running a Ponzi scheme that rivaled Bernie Madoff’s, Lissa had thought Faith’s life had been easy. How wrong she’d been.
Thank goodness Faith had seen through Lissa’s bitterness about her own life and given her a chance despite her attitude. Faith had taught Lissa the meaning of generosity and of rising above it all. Lissa was more grateful for that hard lesson than for the actual interview.
April clapped her hands, capturing her attention. “Lissa was just about to tell me why she needed a kick-ass designer suit. And which Fortune 500 guy she wanted to impress.” April lifted one perfectly penciled eyebrow.