Not This Time by Vicki Hinze Read Free Book Online

her first store. Over the next fifty years, she built an empire. Beth hadn’t known that—few did—until she’d started SaBe with Sara, and Nora made it her mission to help Beth successfully navigate business’s shark-infested waters. She’d saved Beth’s hide a million times, celebrated her every accomplishment, and somehow always knew SaBe’s exact status.
    Sara and Beth had been born to average middle-class families, spent four years as roommates in college, and after graduation started SaBe Inc. They’d worked hard, built a sterling reputation, and in a gutsy move had formed a strategic business alliance to do the software for the patent owner of a semiconductor doping process that revolutionized electronic devices. In five years, their little software business had exploded. They had licensing agreements for their software with every major electronics firm and thousands of feeder firms—enough that SaBe was up to twenty-eight employees, most of whom were attorneys, security, and support staff. They were well paid, and Beth and Sara were beyond rich. Robert Tayton III wanted a big piece of that—Sara’s piece of that.
    For nearly a year, Nora suggested Beth hire a new software developer, but since the lab was Sara’s domain and the one place she seemed like the woman she was before marrying Robert, Beth hadn’t done it. The look in Nora’s eye proved she knew exactly why, and she never uttered a single reprimand. Beth loved that. She was too soft for cutthroat business, but Nora was tough. It took a secure woman to be that comfortable and confident being tough, and no one understood that better than Clyde Parker. How many times had Beth told him if she could find him in a thirty-year-old model, she’d marry him? Dozens. Beth choked up. So hard to believe he was gone.
    He and Nora were there when Max humiliated Beth. They’d nudged her toward Jeff, but when Beth said the x factor just wasn’t there, that was that. They trusted her judgment—even after the Max debacle. That meant a lot to her—and she considered having them lecture her parents. They’d been bad after Max, but after Sara married, they’d been single-minded in their goal to get Beth married so they could live their dream of moving to Europe for a few years. Her mom denied that, of course. “You can take care of yourself, but life gets lonely. It’s nice to have a partner to ride out the storms.”
    Nora’s take was more Beth’s style. “Ain’t but one reason to get married, dearie. Because the idea of not marrying the man makes you want to crawl in a hole and die. Don’t fret. God’ll send the right man to you. Just watch for the signs he’s arrived.”
    That resonated. So until he arrived, Beth was hanging on to single life without remorse, and if Joe made her feel a little wistful, well, she’d just get over it. She didn’t even know his last name—or any of the Shadow Watchers’ last names, except for Mark Taylor’s. Was Joe even Joe? She had no idea. But he was gorgeous and had an easy, laid-back charm that made Beth melt. Frankly, that was too reminiscent of Max—unnerving. Not even a stand-up guy like Joe should have that kind of power over her. Was that a sign? Or just chemistry?
    All in all, if Sara hadn’t issued that bizarre warning to Beth a week ago— “No matter what happens, don’t trust me. I can’t and won’t explain. Just promise me you’ll protect yourself from me — and if you can, protect me from myself” —Bethwould love her life. But when your best friend puts that kind of monkey on your back … well, who could love life lugging that around?
    Her phone rang.
    Who’d be calling this late? She checked caller ID. Sara . “Hey, what’s wrong?”
    “Robert still hasn’t called home. He’s not at the hotel, not answering his phone—Beth, something bad must have happened.” Her voice cracked. “Can you come over?”
    No attacks. Please, no attacks . Beth shut down the computer and slipped