Just in Time

By E E Montgomery

Sequel to Just Like a Date
Just Life: Book Three

Mark Mendelson’s life is close to perfect: he has good friends, a successful business, and a solid reputation in the jewelry industry. He fought hard to get what he has after nearly losing it all fifteen years ago, when his then boyfriend, Cole Porter, stole his designs.

When a handsome man enters Mark’s store to request a commitment ring—a design Mark made specifically for Cole—Mark wants nothing to do with him. All he can think about is his rage at Cole’s betrayal, something he thought he’d dealt with long ago. But Mark’s would-be customer, Dr. Liam Watson, returns to the shop, thinking Mark might provide some answers. For years Liam has tried to convince his cousin Jon to leave Cole, who abuses him. As the relationship between Jon and Cole disintegrates, a fragile new one forms between Liam and Mark—but Mark can’t move on until he confronts Cole once and for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
• Release date: Feb 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781623803391

E E Montgomery

For E E Montgomery, writing is the thread that stitches the fragments of a curious mind into myriad imaginary worlds.  A dedicated people-watcher, E E finds stories everywhere. In a cafe, a cemetery, a book on space exploration or on the news: there’ll be a story of personal growth, love, and unconditional acceptance there somewhere. E E Montgomery has published short stories, novellas and novels across genres (contemporary, historical, romance, science fiction and fantasy) since 2011. You can contact E E Montgomery at [e-mail]; on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewynelaine.montgomery; on Twitter: @EEMontgomery1; on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EEMontgomery; or at her web site: http://www.eemontgomery.com/ and blog: http://www.eemontgomery.com/blog.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

MARK flipped to the next receipt on the glass counter before looking up and through the front window to the coffee shop at the other side of the mall walkway. Jeremy, tall and thin, wove his way around the tables, balancing plates and drinks like a magician. Nostalgia gripped Mark as he watched the young man work, a melancholy sigh catching him unawares.

You’re the one who broke up with him, remember.

Mark smiled as Daron came into the jewelry store, the electronic door swishing closed behind him. He didn’t bother responding because Daron was right. Mark didn’t love Jeremy; he was just lonely. You’re looking particularly pleased with yourself, he said, noting the excited gleam shining in his friend’s blue eyes.

Daron grinned, the two small diamond studs at the bottom of his lip shimmering in the subdued golden light of the store. Peter’s going to move in with me. He bounced a little as he walked the length of the store to where Mark was standing behind the counter. Mark snapped a rubber band around the receipts and put them aside as he leaned on the counter to talk to Daron.

That’s very quick. He’d never seen Daron as happy as he’d been since meeting Peter.

Daron shrugged. Four weeks. He hasn’t been back to his place for more than clothes since the barbecue at Rebel’s.

Mark nodded. When’s all this happening?

This weekend. That’s why I’m here. Daron’s face flushed. Well, apart from wanting to say ‘hello’ because I haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks.

You want to borrow the van? Mark smiled as Daron’s flush deepened. The younger man probably thought Mark felt used, but he didn’t. He liked helping his friends. Do you want me to drive? I have a trailer too.

You’re the greatest. Are you free this weekend?

Mark mentally reviewed the staff roster for the weekend and decided he could ask Jen to work so he could help Daron and Peter. Absolutely. Give me Peter’s address, and I can meet you there early. If he doesn’t have too much stuff we’ll be able to finish in one day and you guys can have the Sunday to settle in properly.

Daron’s grin was brighter and wider than Mark had ever seen it before, and he felt a small stab of envy twist his stomach. He hadn’t felt that sort of pure joy himself, not since… and even then most of it had been his own wishful thinking. Mark heaved a sigh and forced a cheerful smile to his lips. Go tell him it’s all settled. He waved his hands at Daron, shooing him from the store. As Daron bounced his way outside, Mark called out, Remember to give me the address by Friday.

Silence filled the shop after Daron left. It was a quiet afternoon, Jen was on her break, there were no customers in the shop, and the music in the center rolled gently through the half-filled complex. The weeks after Christmas were always like this. The frenzy of buying, and then after the New Year sales had died down, people paused before the shops filled again for what Mark called the Valentine Panic. With the exception of the few organized people ordering handmade pieces for their loved ones, business was slow. Mark hated it. It gave him too much time to think. To brood.

He stood there, thirty-eight, fit, owner of his own exclusive jewelry story, and he had no one. He even had all his own hair, albeit prematurely gray. No, silver. He was alone, and, except for the occasional dalliance with someone like Jeremy, he always would be.

Mark gathered the bundles of receipts and took them into the rear of the shop. He’d finish them later. Right now he needed to choose something for Daron and Peter’s housewarming and finish a new design he was working on. He chose a set of Vera Wang wine glasses that would be perfect for them.

"I’M OFF, Mark."

Mark looked up at Jen as she walked past and then glanced at the quietly ticking grandfather clock in the corner. The shop was warm from the lights, and the scent of aged wood and gently heated leather was almost soporific. It was still ten minutes to closing.

I have that appointment for Ryan, remember?

Jen’s son had diabetes, and while the condition was generally under control, the boy needed regular check-ups. Mark smiled and nodded. Of course I remember. See you tomorrow. Jen was almost to the door before Mark remembered. Jen, I forgot. Can you work on Saturday? Daron wants me to help Peter move in with him.

They’re moving in together? Jen’s smile was radiant. That’s great. I’ll check with Warren to make sure he can take Ryan to practice, but it should be fine. And she and her light floral scent were gone with a swoosh of the doors. Since he was alone in the shop, Mark flipped the switch so customers had to buzz him for entry and then focused on the papers in front of him.

He’d spent the entire afternoon finishing one design for a customer and then working on The Ring. The design had been plaguing him for years, but he couldn’t get it right. He wasn’t even sure why he continued with it. While it would be another of his signature pieces, with the mixture of platinum and diamonds making it a piece that was spectacular while still suitable for everyday wear, the reason he’d designed it in the first place was long gone, disappeared in a furor of scandal and betrayal. Just thinking about that time in his life brought the anger and pain back to the surface. Mark didn’t know why he continued to torture himself like this. It was all so long ago and surely it was time he just built a bloody bridge and got over it.

He looked at the most recent drawing, tilting his head as if that would help him see around the sides of the ring. It was getting close to what he wanted: something that was reminiscent of the original One Ring, yet showed growth and maturity, but there was still something missing. He suspected there always would be.

The door buzzer sounded, and Mark looked up to find a tall, well-dressed man looking through the door at him. He buzzed the man in, shuffled his papers together, and rested his hands on top. Good afternoon. How can I help you? He smiled his best professional smile even though the man’s looming presence made him feel uncomfortably vulnerable. The golden light in the shop gleamed dully on the stranger’s dark chocolate skin and seemed to become absorbed in the tightly curled hair. The man stared at the paper under Mark’s hands, his hooded gaze intent. Finally he looked up, and the intensity in the black diamond of his eyes was startling. Mark took a small step away from the counter, revealing the paper to the man again.

It’s beautiful but there’s something not quite right, isn’t there? The man spun the pages toward him.

What are you doing? Mark stepped forward and wrested his designs away from the stranger. That’s my ring. He clutched the papers to his chest and took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Any other design and it wouldn’t have bothered him. But this one…. Is there anything I can help you with? The chill in his voice would warn away his nosey Aunt Lil, and it seemed to work with the stranger too because the breath he took was audible.

After an interminable second, the man finally pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and flattened it on the glass bench. I want you to make this for me.

Intrigued but still wary, Mark stepped forward and leaned over the counter to see the diagram more clearly. He froze, unable to tear his gaze from the scrap of paper in front of him, vaguely aware the papers he had held were fluttering unheeded to the floor. "Where did