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1-928670-41-5 Martha's Madness Mary Taffs 1/10/2001 Awe-Struck E-Books Amour

-Martha's Madness-

Book II of the Second Chances Trilogy

By Mary Taffs

Published by Awe-Struck E-Books

ISBN: 1-928670-41-5

PROLOGUE

September

"Martha's Madness?" Tony asked, his gaze never straying from her face.

Brittany smiled. Tony was the nicest guy she'd ever met, and talk about tall, dark, and handsome! "That's

what people call my Aunt Martha's house in Oregon. It's the greatest house, right on the beach and

designed just how she wanted it. But they call it Martha's Madness because she uses it only in the

summer when it's too hot to stay in Texas, and it's way bigger than she and Uncle Harry need. I've spent

every summer there since I was twelve."

"It sounds nice. You like the ocean, then?"

She nodded and set her empty ice cream cup on the low table next to her. "The waves are so great - and

the sunsets!"

"I agree. Would you like a soda or anything else?"

He'd been generous like that all evening, offering popcorn at the movie, then ice cream, and now pop. He

didn't seem to expect anything in return, either, and that was the part Brittany found the hardest to get

used to. "No, thanks. I've been hoping to get a chance to see the Atlantic Ocean, but I haven't been off

campus since I got here."

"Maybe we could go for a drive down Narragansett Bay sometime," he suggested, his deep voice

making her insides itch.

"You have a car?" That was definitely unusual, even for a sophomore. Brown's location in the middle of

the East Side of Providence made for a lack of space for student parking. The lots were expensive and

on-street parking almost impossible to find.

He nodded. "I'm from Newport, and I go home fairly often for family get-togethers. I had to take the bus

last year, but that was for the birds. So I saved money to buy a car this summer."

He must be from a reasonably well off family, then, if he could save his wages for a car instead of tuition.

Well, maybe not. He could be on a full scholarship, like she was. "What kind of job did you have?"

He made a not-too-successful attempt at looking and sounding modest. "We have a marine products

distributorship - Fiore Marine. My grandfather runs it, but I'm going to take over when I graduate."

Great looking, super nice, sexy as the devil - with a company waiting for him, no less! He could

undoubtedly date any girl on campus, and that realization boggled her mind. She'd get her heart broken, if

she didn't watch out. Guys like Tony ended up with sweet innocent girls. Her roommate, Carolyn, for

example. Never girls like Brittany.

Tony stopped in the middle of the block and looked around. How had he gotten this far from campus?

The answer was a peculiar combination of sexual frustration and exhilaration he'd never felt before. And

it was all Brittany's fault - except he wasn't sure fault was the right word.

Sure, she'd turned that goodnight kiss into the single most sensual experience he'd had in his whole life.

And then, just when he'd been about to suggest going for a drive - all the way to the nearest place to

park - she said they were moving way too fast.

But he could have changed her mind without much trouble. She might have said the words, but she was

just as turned on as he was.

The truth of the matter was that he didn't mind waiting. He and Brittany already had a connection he'd

never felt with anyone else, something that went way beyond the physical. Rushing her into sex would be

almost sacrilegious.

And that, his body reminded him, was a damn shame. She could have been created with every one of his

hot buttons in mind. Those long sandy curls that fell almost to her waist. A mouth that was made for

kissing. And lush but firm breasts.

He was in for some torture, but fifty or a hundred years from now, he'd be glad he waited.

CHAPTER ONE

March, Fifteen Years Later

Brittany set the tray on the table next to Michael and picked up half of her grilled cheese sandwich. She'd

eat while she got their clothes ready. When she heard a commercial come on, she asked, "Which tie do

you want to wear today?"

He laughed rudely. "You know the answer. I want to sit here and watch TV, and I don't need a tie for

that." He picked up his sandwich and bit off a big chunk.

She sighed. "But we promised to go to Carolyn's wedding this afternoon . . ." That sounded awfully close

to whining and she knew very well that whining wasn't the way to deal with Michael. Offering a bribe

would be more effective. "And I was thinking - we could stay overnight in Portland. The reception'll be

over early, so we could go to a club or a movie or something fun like that."

"Oh, right. You forget I've been reading the Portland papers for the past three months, looking for some

halfway decent entertainment. About the best thing was some road company of a Broadway show we

saw five years ago, and that was weeks ago."

Why did he have to be so picky? She was sure there were plenty of places in a city the size of Portland

where they could spend an enjoyable evening. "There's a great bookstore downtown. You'd enjoy going

there, wouldn't you?"

He didn't answer because his show came back on. That was all he seemed interested in doing anymore -

sprawling on the loveseat in front of the TV, watching shows that were first broadcast in the '50's or

'60's. They'd been here for almost three months in this wonderful oceanfront house, and Michael hadn't

bothered to walk on the beach yet. Most days he probably didn't even look out the windows to watch

the waves. She brought most of his meals to him here in the master suite, and the rest of the time she was

on her own. Of course, she could happily spend her whole life doing nothing more than enjoying the

sights and sounds of this beach. But still, this wasn't exactly what she'd expected when he told her about

the vacation time he'd taken - to cheer her up, as he'd been careful to mention.

The phone rang and he answered it immediately. He always needed to be the first to know who was

calling and why. After a moment, he said, "That's great! I'll be there in half an hour." He hung up and

clicked off the TV. "The part for my car's in and they're going to put it in this afternoon." He stood up and

stretched.

"That's good. We can drop your car off on the way." She wouldn't question his sudden about- face. Any

reason that got him moving was okay with her.

"Jesus, Britt, forget about the wedding, will you? Now that my car's going to be fixed today, we don't

have time for crap like that. You start packing while I take it down there. I'll help when I get back, and if

we're lucky, we can be out of this hick town by tomorrow."

Her stomach twisted. "I thought we weren't leaving until Monday night." She'd been counting on that -

she needed an extra couple of days. She wasn't ready to go back to California and look for a new job.

Not yet. She needed to let go of her last bit of hope first, the hope that Michael would learn to love living

here and agree to stay and build a business with her. She stared out the window at the surf, wishing she

could let go of her dream as easily as the sand relinquished each wave.

"That was just because of my car, you know that." Michael wrapped his arms around her. "Britt honey, I

know you'd like to stay here longer, but we can't. I've got to be at work on Wednesday. If we drive

back tomorrow instead of Monday night, we'll have a couple of days to play first. You've been missing

all those great ethnic restaurants, too - and you know how hot you make me when we go dancing." He

snuggled up close and started exploring her breasts. "Just thinking about it turns me on. Let's do it right

now."

All he had to do was touch her and everything else became unimportant. It had been that way since they

first met. People always said that relationships built on sex couldn't last, but their marriage had outlasted

those of most of their college friends - including the ones they were supposed to see this afternoon.

Carolyn and Tony had been together all through college, just like Brittany and Michael, and they too had

married within weeks of graduation. Their marriage had lasted less than seven years, although their

friendship was still strong. Five years later, Carolyn was getting married again, and Tony would be there

to watch. Brittany and Michael had to be there to support him!

Brittany exerted all her willpower to pull away from Michael and put several feet of distance between

them. "We need to go to the wedding, Michael. Tony's going to be there, and - "

"Don't give me that crap. The Crown Prince is a grown man and doesn't need his hand held all the time.

If he's got any brains, the only reason he's going is to laugh at the guy the Ice Queen's got her mitts into

now." He took a couple of steps toward her and added, "As for you, don't play games. We're either

going to do it right this minute, or I've got to cruise. Which is it?" He punctuated his question by slipping

his hand inside the loose waistband of her sweatpants and squeezing her bottom.

She was aggravated enough that she could almost ignore the melting feeling inside her body. "Agree to go

to the wedding first. It's really important to me - and we don't have to stay overnight. In fact, we'll leave

the reception real early . . ."

His smile dropped away and the playful squeeze turned much less playful. "You think I don't know why

you want to go? You just want to see your precious Tony , and I'm not putting up with any of that shit.

No, I want out of here tomorrow , and that means you spend today packing, not drooling over some

damn wop."

"I'll stay up and pack tonight - " The rising hysteria in her voice wouldn't do her any good. Michael never

agreed to do anything just because she got emotional about it. Forcing herself to sound calm and logical,

she said, "Then I'll go by myself and you can get your car fixed this afternoon. As I said, I'll pack when I

get back, and we'll leave tomorrow."

He glared at her and shook his head. "I said no, Britt. You should have asked me before you accepted

the damn invitation in the first place. The Ice Queen and the Crown Prince can go to hell, for all I care."

He squeezed harder, until she felt like her buttock was clamped in a vise grip. "I'll be back soon, and

you'd damn well better be busy packing when I get here." He released his grip and walked out of the

room.

She heard the front door close, and then the faint sound of his car starting up. She sagged against the

cool glass of the window, not really watching the waves but letting their presence soothe her. He'd never

had any intention of going to the wedding! She'd told him about it last month when Carolyn called - but

now that she thought about it, she'd been surprised at his lack of reaction. He'd grumbled and made a

few sarcastic remarks, but he hadn't refused to go or even made a serious objection to it.

Suddenly she was so mad she felt like smashing something. He was so damn sure of himself - so sure that

she'd do just exactly what he said. It was her fault, too. She always gave in to him, sooner or later. More

often sooner.

Well, she wasn't going to give in this time. She'd go to the wedding, just like she'd planned - and

promised. And she wouldn't sneak out of the reception the minute it started, either. She'd stay a while

and talk to Tony. It had been years since she'd seen him, and talking on the phone just wasn't the same.

She couldn't totally break with her usual habit, though. She'd stay up packing all night when she got back.

They would still be ready to leave tomorrow. Maybe that would satisfy Michael and he wouldn't stay

angry with her for long.

Maybe not. But for once, she'd take the chance.

"Hello. I'm Seth Worthington."

Tony shook his hand and answered, "I'm Tony Fiore." He didn't bother adding "Carolyn's ex- husband,"

because Seth probably already knew that. "You have a lovely home."

The well-dressed man who so fit his surroundings smiled. "Thank you. We like it. The ceremony will be

in the tent right off the patio. It'll be at two o'clock and the ushers will ask everyone to go out there a few

minutes early. In the meantime, we've put a few snacks out, and please make yourself comfortable."

"I'm supposed to meet some friends. Do you happen to know if Brittany and Michael Stone are here

yet?"

Seth frowned slightly. "I haven't seen them. It's still early, though."

He nodded. "They'll probably be along any minute. I guess I'll go watch for them." He moved toward a

small window that looked out on the street, although now he remembered that Brittany was rarely early

for anything. She and Michael would likely arrive just before the ceremony.

He waited until nearly everyone else had gone outside, but still no Brittany and Michael. He took a seat

near the back of the tent and marveled at the size of the crowd. Carolyn had said it would be a "small"

wedding - well, maybe it was in comparison to theirs all those years ago in the Catholic Church in

Newport, but there must be seventy-five or a hundred people here.

Brittany slid into the seat next to him and flashed him a smile in the moment of silence before the wedding

march started. He returned it half-heartedly, shocked at her tense expression and the worry lines it made

so noticeable. To cover his concern, he peered over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the bride.

Carolyn was beautiful; there was no other word for it. Normally, attractive was a more accurate

description of her, but today her happiness spilled out in such radiance that he found himself smiling. For

her, certainly, because she deserved it. But for himself, too. Maybe he would someday find a love to

transform his life, a love like she'd found. A love that would fill the emptiness she'd left behind, but one

that would do more than that. A love the two of them had never felt for each other.

The ceremony passed quickly. He'd wondered for days how he'd feel. Would it be like losing her all over

again to see her make her vows with Scott? Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. She was his best friend and he

was thrilled for her happiness. But still, he felt numb - and more than a little jealous. He wanted to feel the

way he imagined she felt today, like his life was only beginning and full of infinite possibilities.

The new couple was introduced to the assembled well wishers and he joined wholeheartedly in the burst

of applause that greeted them. Brittany looked over, wearing a troubled frown. He didn't need to wonder

if she'd changed her mind. She was still angry with Carolyn for leaving him, and she still thought he was

denying his true feelings about their divorce.

When they returned to the house for the reception, Tony looked around. "Where's Michael? I figured

maybe he'd gone to park the car and was stuck in the back during the ceremony."

"Oh, no. It turns out he couldn't make it today." She quickly changed the subject. "I'm so glad to see you,

Tony! It must have been . . ." She frowned in concentration.

He supplied the answer, "More than four years. I haven't seen either of you since you moved to San

Francisco."

She nodded, still looking more serious than he'd ever seen her. "That's right. I really wish you didn't live

so far away." She looked at all the people surrounding them and asked, "Do you know anyone here

other than Carolyn?"

Perversely, he said, "Well, I've met Scott a couple of times, but I can't say I know him."

She looked shocked, as he'd known she would. "Where did you meet him ?"

"Out here. I don't know if I told you, but we bought a distributor up in Olympia last year, so I've spent a

fair amount of time in Washington State recently. Sometimes, when I'm there for a week or so, I drive

down to see Carolyn. Scott's around once in a while, which is only natural."

"But how can you - I mean, he's the reason you're not married any longer. I'd think . . ."

He smiled slightly, realizing that he'd wanted this opportunity to make Britt understand. "I know, Britt.

But Carolyn loves him and he makes her happy. That's what matters most to me." There was more he

wanted to say, but this was no place to get into such an intensely personal discussion. "I know her family,

too, of course, and I'd better go say hello."

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