A Trade for Good: The Series

By Bria Daly

Over 30,000 copies sold in 2014!
The story of Sera, Jeff, and the kids is a story about love, passion, family, friendship, deceit, hardship, and fighting to get what you want.
Sera meets Jeff because she owes him money; money for a job her husband ordered from and was never done. Sera's husband is A.W.O.L., but the effects of his selfishness and lack of responsibility unfortunately did not disappear with him. Sera has to pick up the pieces of her broken life while trying to keep her family together. Still, don't expect a depressing story line, Sera's story is filled with real life scenarios and sprinkled with a high dose of humor along the way. Share Sera and Jeff’s story, their quirky relationship, and a finale that will stay warm and fuzzy within you for many years to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bria Daly
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310915635

Bria Daly

I'm a mom, wife, sister, friend, and author.My books are available in paperback, and as eBooks. Writing is something I've always enjoyed doing, but if you ask me what my greatest accomplishment is, I'd have to say it's my children, and with very good reason (I'm a super proud mom).About me...Bria Daly is a pen name created from the names of the most important people in my life: my husband and my two children.I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I moved to the United States when I was young. I married a U.S. military man, and my husband's career took us to wonderful places around the globe. We lived in Japan, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, and seven U.S. states. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to see and experience different worlds and cultures. My experiences, the people I met, and the places I lived in, have made me the person I am today, and someone who appreciates all this wonderful world has to offer.I am also an advocate and defender of children, animals, the elderly, and the disabled. My house is always chaotic and loud. Chaos is not what I aim for, but it is what it is. Still, I don't think I'd want it any other way.My furniture is eclectic, our diets are all different (we have 2 vegans, a vegetarian, and an omnivore - I'm one of the 2 vegans), we have 3 dogs, 3 cats, 3 cockatiels, 2 hermit crabs, and two large fish tanks with a variety of fish (today, who knows what we'll have tomorrow?). And I believe my pets are my muses because they're ALWAYS with me and wherever I go.Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my stories that are mostly family themed, because for me, family is what it's all about.If I can ask for on favor, it would be to please help me reach other readers by leaving a star rating or review whenever you get a chance. Visibility in online searches is based on author ranking and those numbers are generated by reader reviews.And another thing, and I really mean this, go ahead and contact me, I promise will write back. You can also visit me on Facebook, or stop be my website at anytime by going to https://briadaly.wordpress.com/Wishing you and yours my very best,Bria

Book preview

Chapter 1

Jeff looked at his watch. It was nine in the morning; a decent time to call. He dialed the number from memory and prepared himself for another busy signal. Yesterday he had called the same number three times with no success.

The message left on his voicemail from yesterday morning sounded almost hysterical, but not in a funny way. It was apparently from a very distressed client, and in the landscaping business that usually meant a broken pipe, some shifty sprinklers, an industrious gopher, or a neighboring tree dispute. The problem was he had no idea who called!

You’ve reached 555-1347. Jeff got out of his chair and quickly shuffled through the papers on his desk to recheck the number he had scribbled on his desk calendar. The number was the same, but he found it hard to believe he had finally gotten through.

The voices he heard on the recording were those of a couple of kids, followed by the happy trill voice of someone who had to be the children's mother, topped off by some barking in the end. It would have been cute had he been in the mood.

The person who called had left a number, but no name, and unfortunately, Jeff’s files weren’t set up to do a reverse phone lookup, so he had no idea what this was all about.

Hi, this is Jeff Mason, from Mason Landscaping. You left a message yesterday. Please call me back ... Uh,and thank you. Another incomplete task.

He pulled out a cardboard box from the top right drawer of his desk, and sifted through the paper pile. Most of what was in there were letters or bills that were strewn about haphazardly. Others he wasn’t sure what they were, because they were mysteriously hidden under the guise of a generic white envelope.

He looked at the task ahead of going through the endless piles and tapped his fingers on the desk. Moving on … he put the box back into the drawer it came from. He didn’t feel like paying bills, answering letters, making calls or looking at ads. Maybe he’d throw this pile in another box and take them home to work on at home while he watched a game or something.

Jeff was tired, and in a rut. It was work, work, work, but he didn’t feel he was getting ahead; he was just working and doing nothing else.

He looked down at the scribbled phone number he had called ten minutes earlier and decided to give it another go.

You’ve reached 555-1347. Sera, P.D., Melle, Charlie, Em, and Buddy are either away from the phone or just don’t want to talk! Please leave your name and number, and who knows, we might just call you back! Jeff slammed the phone in its receiver. That was the second time today he had gotten that same stupid message with the three voices and a dog barking on cue.

Damn it! He didn’t even know why he was fixated on calling the woman back. Maybe it was because of the desperation in the voice he heard on the other end when she left a message the morning before. Or it could also be that he had no idea what it was about and not knowing bothered him. Not that it should. If she had a pipe leaking in her yard, she should have at least left her name and not just a number...

Wait a minute. Jeff looked at the phone number again and decided to check on something. Out came another cardboard box, this time from the bottom drawer of his desk, and in it was a card file of current jobs, or maybe these were the upcoming jobs. It looked like they were all in one place. More things to sort through later.

He looked through the first five and found it. 555-1347 ... there it is! He looked at the number again. Yup, same number, and now that he had the paperwork in front of him, he even remembered the guy who ordered the work; he remembered him well. Some stuck-up asshole who argued over every penny, and even after he was given a discounted rate nothing seemed to please him.

Apparently this guy, Sinclair was his name, had asked around and finally ended up calling Mason Landscaping when he heard they were really good, and their prices were super low.

That’s what everyone said. Apparently that’s what was bringing in clients, reviews and prices. But the only reason why the prices were so low was because Jeff hadn’t bothered to change them. Because it would be a bother; it would be a pain in the ass, that’s what it would be. Jeff had to do something about that. One thing was staying competitive, but another was giving stuff away. The only thing that kept him from raising prices right now was that he had to re-do all financials, forms, and advertising to show the changes. And with all of the work he had on his plate, that prospect was way too daunting.

The guy owed him over ten grand for a landscaping job that was supposed to have started over a month ago, with paid building materials in storage, Jeff was waiting for payment in order to start digging.

Mystery over, Jeff picked up the phone and hit redial.

Sera heard the phone from the other room and yelled out to the kids, Don’t answer that!

She waited, making sure the phone wasn’t picked up, hoping it was a call from Ed McMahon, calling to say she won a gazillion dollars from Publishers Clearing House. Then again, it would most likely be better news for Ed McMahon if he called, since he had died a few years back.

No message? No such luck ... the recording on the machine was probably still going.

"…If Buddy could answer, he would," the message continued as a resonant dog’s bark seemed to respond on cue, "but since he can’t, and we're not home, please leave a message after the beep and we'll be sure to call you back."

What followed were goodbyes from mother, children, and some howling at the end, with the help of the dog.

Holding her breath and to see if it was the landscaping guy, she wondered how on earth she was going to pay for landscaping when she might soon be losing the house.

Jeff sat back down, adjusted himself in his seat, and waited for the recording to end, ready to leave a message. Beep…

Hi, this is Jeff Mason, from Mason Landscaping, I tried calling several times but ... the phone clicked.

Hel ... sorry, hello? The person on the other end was out of breath when she answered and didn’t sound anything like the happy voice he had heard on the recording the day before.

Jeff picked up a paper, looked at it, and turned it over to write on the blank side just in case he had to take notes. He was about to introduce himself once again, when she saved him the trouble.

Hey, I’m so glad you called. I was beginning to wonder if I’d hear from you, she laughed and a loud screeching sound erupted in the background, making it very hard for Jeff to hear what followed. The voice had apparently continued as if she didn’t get the screeching sound on her end. It would have been impossible for her to continue had she heard it.

…So I’m really sorry, but we’ll have to cancel the job.

What the ... At this Jeff jumped to his feet and would have pounced on her had she been anywhere near.

What do you mean cancel the job? I’ve got thirty bags of cement, 500 pounds of river rock, and a top-of-the-line sprinkler system on order, not to mention a truck with the best quality soil available, ready and waiting to be delivered to your address! He knew he was yelling into the phone, but he didn't care.

"There is no ‘we’ll just have to cancel’, because we have a contract, and with a slight hesitation he added and it's binding!"

The screech in the background continued and the woman raised her voice higher to be heard, but also to match his volume. Apparently she did hear the screeching, so it wasn’t only on his end.

"Mr. Mason, weren't you listening? You can do the job if you’d like, but I can’t pay you. You'll just be wasting your time and your money."

No, he hadn’t been listening. The screeching in the background had made it hard for him to focus. Jeff started tossing papers all over his desk and shuffling through them as quickly as he could. This was one of those times when he thought that clearing his desk and filing things might actually help his business.

There was a system to the chaos that surrounded him. Basically, his filing system followed the unorthodox order of what job came first. The top papers being jobs that were in progress, and the papers that came next were jobs coming up, and on the bottom he had a small stack of estimates and potential clients. The system had worked for him for the past seven years and he prided himself on being the only one who could understand it.

There. He found the contract he was looking for and pulled it out from under at least two dozen very similar contracts. He looked at one of the contracts and realized it was a few months old; he never said the system was perfect.

A key fell out of the stack as he was pulling out the contract and he gave it a quick glance, not knowing what it was for, he put it in his pants pocket to figure that one out later. Pulling the Sinclair contract from the pile and looking at it more closely, he scratched off a stain on the letterhead that looked suspiciously like mustard and continued.

Listen lady, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s a contract with everything I just told you on it, and I’m looking at it right now. Jeff stretched his long legs and rubbed his eyes with the free hand that was not holding onto the phone.

It says the job starts on June 15th – that’s ... he sat up straighter, that’s tomorrow. Yup, June 15th. It also says the estimated cost of materials plus labor is $14,000.00, which by the way is a bargain, so whoever negotiated this contract got a great deal for you. A great bargain. He added lowering his voice and once again thinking he had to do something about his pricing.

"Listen, and I don't mean to be rude, the woman interjected, but I don’t care what it says. The bottom line is I don’t have any money to pay you, so you'll just have to cancel."

"No, you listen to me. I don't care what your finances are. From the moment you signed this, you had a legal obligation. It says it on the bottom of the page. That’s the only reason we buy the materials ahead of time for you. We use our money in advance, but by buying more, we get the best rates. Everyone wins, that is if I get paid for the money I already put out."

Jeff heard some scraping sound in the background, like furniture being moved, and then the same screeching noise from before.

"This contract is binding. I have your signature here. It’s uh ... right here. There’s a P. Sinclair. Your scribble is right here in front of my face."

The screech in the background grew even louder to the point where Jeff had to pull the phone away from his ear, but somehow, that didn't even phase the harried woman who quickly responded.

"That’s Peter Sinclair for your information, and I’m Sera Henderson Sinclair. So see, it’s not me after all".

Jeff adjusted the phone a little closer to his ear this time, but instead of just listening, he hit the side of his head with the receiver a few times, trying to unclog his brain before speaking. All the while, the screeching in the background grew louder.

He was used to jackhammers, saws, loud cement mixer trucks, but whatever was on the other end of the phone was painfully noisy and almost otherworldly.

Excuse me, Jeff said, almost yelling again to match the noise on the other end. Is that a fax line in the background? Cause I can't even hear what you’re saying?

No Mr. Mason, the woman said exasperated, it’s not a fax, that’s my daughter. And before you ask, no, there’s no way I can quiet her down. She does this all day long.

Jeff had nephews and nieces he claimed were almost inhuman at times. The way they moved nonstop, touched everything, put whatever they were touching in their mouths, and smelled foully, but none of them sounded like that. He almost found himself feeling sorry for Mrs. Sinclair, but not sorry enough to drop the small matter of a $14,000 job she was expecting him to suck up.

"So you're Sera Henderson - Sinclair. Fine, is Peter Sinclair your husband, then?"

Well, uh ... I, you see,

It’s not really that difficult a question you know. Either you're married to him or you're not, but if you are, you're just as responsible for the bill as he is.

Mr. Mason, believe it or not that question is harder to answer than you think, but legally ... yes.

Yes, as in Peter Sinclair is your husband? Jeff wondered if the woman was on drugs. How hard was it to say the P. Sinclair on the contract was in fact her husband?

Well then, that settles it. Your husband signed the contract so you are both responsible for paying the bills.

Hell, Jeff knew he was no businessman. He was a landscaper, so he wasn't even sure about recourse in a case like this, but he was not about to let another client take advantage of him again. He had to at least pretend he had the upper hand. Truthfully though, Jeff was a lousy businessman, but he was an artist in the landscape business when given free reign. He was also really lucky in that he was surrounded by honest people for the most part. Those he worked with who looked after him, and those who loved his work.

The woman had stopped speaking.

Mrs. Sinclair? Are you still there?

Yes, and you’re right. Okay, I'll pay you for the labor then. My husband can pay you for all of the materials.

He smiled at that. Not bad… At least she was a quick thinker when it came to business and striking deals. Too bad she didn't know how landscaping worked.

"Just for your information Mrs. Sinclair, he added putting emphasis on her marital status, labor is more costly than the actual materials."

"I gathered that Mr. Mason, she said smugly, and since the labor won’t be done - because I'm cancelling the job - I have no problem with you billing my husband for the materials, even that top-of-the-line sprinkler system you mentioned earlier. So I guess that pretty much settles my part of the debt."

Quick thinking and smart, he thought reminding himself how lucky he was to be single.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Sinclair. I don’t know what prompted this, or what this is all about, but when we write up a contract, we do the job. The job consists of materials and labor." Jeff was starting to worry about tomorrow's delivery and the bill for specific materials he’d ordered that he wasn't ready to be stuck with, and probably couldn’t return.

Did you change your mind on what you want done? You two – uh ... you and your husband - not agree on the layout? Are you moving, or did you find another landscaper? Then hesitating, I can't even believe I'm saying this, but I need to know what's going on if you want me to work with you on this.

The silence on the other end was followed by a strung out sigh that sounded like the air emptying out of a tire.

No, Mr. Mason, it’s none of the above. The job itself isn't the problem. I'm not moving or shopping around for another landscaper, and I don't even know what layout my husband and you agreed on. She paused, completely deflated, and added in a whisper, I can’t find my husband. I have no idea where he is. If you asked me to look for him, I wouldn’t even know where to start.

Well that was unexpected. Then again, some problems followed him like magnets. Jeff would have to check, but as far as he remembered, the ad he took out in the Yellow Pages said he was a landscaper, not a sucker or a counselor, not even a businessperson, but a landscaper.

The last time something like this had come up, he had promised to protect himself against anything that could screw up getting paid. The last one was the contract with the widow. Well, she wasn't a widow when she signed it, but she had done a lot of crying and now she had a beautiful yard, free of charge, and a new husband only three months after starting widowhood.

The business couldn't stand another case like that. No, there would be no more widows, divorcees, families with hungry children, or missing husbands. He was running a business, and emotions had nothing to do with business, other than the emotion caused from leaving a client with the thrill of a beautiful yard, patio, or garden, and a job well done.

Fine, he suddenly heard a voice from very deep within him say, I’ll cancel tomorrow’s truck and all other deliveries. Then, running his fingers through his dark hair that had just a little bit of gray in it (most likely a result of the outcome of the widow's contract), he paused, and as if to himself, he said, I don’t know what I’m going to do with all of the materials, but I’ll say one thing for your husband, he has good taste. He had me order only the best. Everything is top-of-the-line.

Yes, that sounds like him ... her voice trailed off. Then, You sound like a nice guy.

Jeff was getting tired of hearing that.

I'll tell you what, she continued softly, if you feel bad about charging my husband for materials that won’t be used, then as soon as I find out where he lives, I'll give you his address so you can dump every ounce of cement and rocks he ordered right on his doorstep. I’m hoping he’ll be standing there when you do.

Jeff chuckled at that.

Oh, and I'm sorry for yelling. It seems that’s all I do these days. That and stopping checks, calling contractors, utility and mortgage companies, and specializing in a lot of creative financing.

Hell, Jeff was just about to tell her that she still owed him at least a portion of the money no matter what her personal problems were, and here he was, almost crying from the sob story.

This part was definitely the downside of the business. He hated collecting money, dealing with people directly, and had a hard time escaping the personal problems they brought forth. He almost wished he was still working for Freddie, but although Freddie took care of his business, he was a con man and that's the only reason why Jeff had gone out on his own. Better a sucker than a user.

"Listen lady, I’ll have to call you back and come up with a plan. I just can’t eat all of the expenses. In the meantime, worry about the other contractors on your list, and I’ll come up with something. Don't worry. I'll see what I can do."

Thank you Mr. Mason, she was obviously touched, and by the way, my name is Sera.

"Yeah. I’m Jeff. Okay, I’ll keep in touch ... Sera". As he hung up the phone he wondered, Why don't I just make this a non-profit enterprise and avoid the pain of it all.

Chapter 2

Jeff arrived at his office on Monday morning much later than his usual 7:30 show up time. He had been up since five that morning, going over a pile of outstanding bills and skeptically looking over a list of prospective clients. By seven that morning, he had had two pots of strong coffee, a box of stale doughnuts he found in the back of the kitchen cabinet while looking for some sugar, and was ready to call it a day. He reached the conclusion that the business aspect of his job was taking all the fun out of what he loved to do. By the time he dragged himself into work, he was emotionally drained.

As soon as he walked into his office, he knew something was amiss because it was Monday morning and Todd and Alan were all smiles. As soon as he stepped in, Mitch seemed to come out of nowhere, slapping him on the back and telling him what a glorious Monday morning it was.

In his seven years working with Todd and Alan, Jeff had never seen them smile; he didn’t even know they could smile. And as for Mitch ... he must have smelled too many of those weeds they were taking out of their clients’ yards.

Completely dumbfounded, he turned the corner into his office and immediately realized it wasn't weeds or weed. The reason behind the smiles on and the cheery disposition of these clowns on this glorious Monday morning took another shape altogether.

Stumbling into his office after being caught off guard and slapped on the back, he was immediately greeted by the most gorgeous, ass-thetically pleasing tush in tight jeans he had seen in a long, long time.

He wondered what the face looked like and quickly decided it didn't really matter as he focused on her assets while she was bent down shuffling through some papers and totally unaware of the eight eyes boring through her. Four pair of eyes who should have been working on something, but couldn't disengage.

The fact that she was rummaging through his papers didn’t immediately register.

The woman turned around without looking up and carried a stack of papers to a file cabinet that had come with the building and had never been used. As far as he could recall, the cabinet had never been opened, and so far, had been used as a shelf for a silk plant his mother gave him as a gift when he started the business.

To his dismay, the plant was now in the trash bin next to the file cabinet. That hurt.

The woman was oblivious to the attention she was getting and after depositing the stack of papers in a neat pile in the top drawer of the file cabinet, she turned around to see a gaping Jeff standing before her.

The first thing Jeff thought before hinging his jaw back into place was that the woman's front-side was just as pretty as her backside. She looked to be in her early thirties, and not only wore the jeans very well, but the white t-shirt she had on was filled out in all the right places and looked like an advertisement for trouble.

She was petite, but disproportionately bigger where it really mattered. Her hair was tied with one of those elastic fabric bands his nieces always wore, and her eyes were as green as the silk plant had once been.

Jeff gave himself a few seconds before giving in to reason. Regretfully, he decided it was time to put an end to his enjoyment - nice tush or not. After all, this was his office, he was the boss, and he had no idea what the hell was going on.

What did you do to my plant?! was somehow the first thing that came out of his mouth. As if realizing how stupid his remark was, Jeff rather forcefully shoved his amused employees out of the way and out of his office.

She looked down at the trash bin he was pointing to, suddenly seeming very confused as she looked back up to see his expectant and slightly flushed face.

It’s dead. I don't think it can be saved, so I threw it out. Bending down to get it, she added, I can put it back up he ...

Now that really hurt. Not to mention the fact that her bending down again completely disarmed him.

"How can silk be dead?" he snapped.

That was silk? she replied smiling. I never met anyone who could kill silk before.

Jeff tried to ignore the chuckles coming from the room next door, but just as he was about to snap at them, the intruder approached him with a smile and a hand extended as if welcoming him into her office instead of the other way around.

Her hand dangled in the air for a few seconds without his acknowledgement, and unperturbed she turned away and sat on his chair behind the big metal desk.

You must be Mr. Mason. Nice to meet you. I’m Sera. She noticed she had yet to get a reaction from him, so she turned around and started going through another new neat pile that was stacked on his desk.

Jeff was still wondering who Sera was, and then it dawned on him. The lady with the kid who sounded like a fax machine.

"This is my office," he announced ominously only to hear the chuckles from behind him grow louder.

"Don’t any of you have any work to do?!" The quick shuffle of feet and the roar of laughter that exploded as a door slammed behind him meant the men had retreated outside the building.

Good, three problems down, and one to go.

He turned to find the woman still waiting for some recognition from him.

I came to discuss my bill. Sera said as she put some paper clips into a little container in the drawer.

She was still sitting behind his desk on his chair and Jeff decided he would lose even more ground if he brought in another chair to sit across from her. Had she been the one standing, he wouldn’t have hesitated to get another chair. After all, his mother and his two older sisters had raised him well, but he was at a loss right now on how to proceed.

Jeff stood at the doorway, suddenly feeling very out of place in his own office and decided to walk over to the desk and search for the contract.

"Sinclair, right? He looked up. Her eyes were really green. Sinclair, yes, let me see ..."

It’s filed under ‘S’ over there. She said pointing to the file cabinet next to the trash bin where his silk plant was still resting.

Jeff moved toward the file cabinet, pretending he had some control, and opened the drawer to find folders filed alphabetically and labeled with bold printed letters in Sharpie black. Yes, of course. Here it is, Sinclair. Hmm, let me see…

Sera was leaning over him and had her finger on the bottom of the sheet, pointing to something she had obviously already looked at.

Jeff’s vision was blurred and he was consumed by another sense; how good she smelled. She moved away and tucked in a wisp of hair threatening to come loose from the pink scrunchy she was wearing.

That about made him melt, and then she surprised him by asking if he wanted her chair.

No, I'm fine standing. Go ahead, sit down.

Thank you, she said taking her seat behind the desk again. I came to discuss the cost of the materials for the job I cancelled last night. As I mentioned before, she had picked up one of the paper clips and was tying it in knots and staring down at it. When she looked up, her face had turned a slight pink, and embarrassed she added quickly, I don’t know where my husband is and I don’t have any money to spare until I can find out what we're going to do. Now, she looked up to him proudly, if you would just look at the notes I made over here on the bottom of the contract ...

You made notes on the contract? he blurted out. There had to be something illegal about that. How long have you been going through my desk? Do you always waltz into an office, go through a desk, mess with the filing system, and tamper with contracts? he paused to catch his breath. Or is this a new thing?

Jeff went around the desk and pointed to his chair. "I think I will sit down now. On my chair. Lady, you've got more problems than you know."

"I – I, I’m sorry. I’m really, really, really sorry. You’re absolutely right. I, I always do this and I don't know why. Not, she stopped and furrowed her brow. What did you say? Waltzing? No, not waltzing into offices, but ... I ..."

Head hanging low, Sera bent down to get her purse, and all Jeff could think of this time was not her tush, but that these were the biggest tear-filled, and most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen.

He felt like an ass.

She was still mumbling something he couldn't hear because she kept her head down, and was talking into her white t-shirt. Then she looked up, and with quivering lips said, "I’m sorry, I just meant to help.

I’m constantly trying to fix things, help out, and make things better. Not that there was a problem here, she added quickly pointing to the desk and the cabinet, but I thought I could do it a little better, she blushed. "Snap. I did it again, didn't I?"

Jeff stood staring at her. Snap? Who said snap these days?

Before he knew it, she was running out of the office and into the street outside of the building, where her car was parked. And, before Jeff realized what he was doing, he was chasing after her to tell her she could snoop in his office any time she wanted.

Wait Sera, wait a minute. Mrs. Sinclair, come back here! He yelled out and saw that his voice had attracted the attention of his three co-workers, and they were all fixing a dirty look on him. He shook his head in frustration and gave them the bird.

Here he was trying to make amends with someone who ransacked his office, stuck him with over $6,000.00 worth of materials, and tampered with the document that was his only hope to use if he took the case to a small claims court, and he was the bad guy. Just because he made a woman run off in tears? Didn’t it at least matter that it was his silk plant that was now being given an improper burial in a trashcan? Life was definitely not fair.

Chapter 3

Sera pushed her way past Jeff and ran off to the street where her car was parked. The tears she had held back for so long suddenly started pouring out like a floodgate had just opened.

She had messed up. She came to right a wrong, and she had screwed up. Jeff seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Last night after she hung up with him she had felt really, really bad. Peter had messed everything up for her and the kids. In fact, he left not only family and friends hanging, but business partners and others he owed a lot of money to as well. But Jeff Mason hadn't married Peter, she had.

I'm a nuisance.

She wondered what ever possessed her to go and organize Jeff Mason’s desk and start filing his papers. She came to his office to explain how things were and thank him for his patience, but made him lose his patience instead. Eventually she'd pay him back. That was what she had come here to tell him. But instead…

The guy was absolutely right. Jeff had basically called her a lunatic, and he was absolutely right. Peter had told her she was crazy, her family constantly told her she was insane for trying to fix everything all the time, and now Jeff Mason, a total stranger, had her pegged for a loony almost at first sight.

Sera got to her car and opened the door she had apparently left unlocked. She sat in the driver's seat, with shoulders shaking. She was due for a good cry and this was as good a time as any.

The tears wouldn't stop pouring down her cheeks, but it didn't matter, it was raining outside anyway.

Sera hugged the steering wheel and put her head down. She knew she had to get a job because she had no idea how long she could last with the little money she had in the bank, or if Peter would ever deposit money in their account again. If not for her, he should at least do it for the kids. He had deposited two checks in the past four months and not even the bank had been able to trace where the deposit had come from. In fact, Sera had wondered if it was Peter who had sent that money to her in the first place. It was possible it had been someone from his work, but she really doubted it. He had a lot of people fooled, but…

Peter was a jewel. Like a diamond that looks beautiful and can slice you open.

She met him in high school. The first day she saw him, she was a goner. He had a way about him; he was charming. He was an actor and a manipulator, but she didn’t pick up on that until much later. Too late.

After high school, they went off to college together. Sera would have followed him to the end of the earth, but she was lucky, college was only a few hundred miles away.

Of course, he was a jock at school, and Sera wasn't one of the popular girls. She was pretty, but she was nerdy. And it took a while for her to grow in places that made the popular girls, more popular. And speaking of popularity, that’s exactly what she gained when Greg, her ex, had started spreading rumors about her and ruining her reputation. Greg had done it out of spite when he got tired of hearing her say no.

Interestingly, Greg broke up with her, and the previously not-so-popular girl started getting asked out a lot more. Just as quickly, she was dumped and decided she’d had it with guys, but that was when Peter