Chapter 1

Adele’s Pov

“Thanks so much for your help Miss Taylor.” The brown haired woman said, smiling broadly.

“Call me Claire, and it is my pleasure.” I said.

“We really appreciate it,” her fiancé said.

He also had brown hair, in fact they looked like siblings.

“We were so lost as to which design to use then we met you, and now everything is falling into place. You have been a big help.”

“I am just doing my job.” I closed the catalog we had been going over, looking at designs for their new home.

They stood up and I followed them to the door.

“We would like to invite you to the wedding.” The woman said.

“Yes please come Claire.” Her fiancé agreed.

I hesitated. I hadn’t been to a social event in years and didn’t want to go, but they were my clients, I had to refuse carefully.

“It is on Saturday right? I may be busy that day,” I said gently. I saw their faces fall. “But if I am not I will come.” I said quickly. “I promise.”

Their faces brightened. They praised me once more then left.

I watched them go, smiling. They looked good together and seemed very much in love.

This could have been me and Harry if..…..

I shook my head to clear it of such thoughts. I had just concluded another deal, and my customers were satisfied and happy. I was happy too, and wasn’t going to let anything or anyone change it.

“It seems that went well.” Lily my coworker sneered.

“Yeah,” I said.

“You seem to get all the clients, I wonder why? Are you doing something else we don’t know about?”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Yes Claire is doing something you are not doing.” Fiona, my other coworker said. “Smiling. Try it often and you will get clients, you might even get Chet to look at you.” She smirked.

Lilly’s face turned red with embarrassment and anger, then she turned away.

It was the same thing almost every time since I joined the small firm of interior decorators a year ago. Lily always tried to pick on me, and Fiona always defended me. All three of us worked in the same office and Chet was our boss.

Lily had a crush on him, and he had a crush on me. So naturally Lily disliked me, and the fact that most of our clients always seemed to prefer me to decorate their houses instead of her, didn’t make her love me more.

I sat down and began going through the designs I had planned to use for the soon to be wedded couple. I smiled.

They looked so romantic. I missed romance. The only romance I got these days were from the pages of romantic novels.

I sighed heavily.

“You okay?” Fiona asked.

“Yeah just tired, but satisfied. My new clients are fun to work with. They have even invited me to there wedding.”

“Great, you are going right?”

“I don’t know, I am not really a party person.”

“Come on Claire, go out, have fun. You might even meet a very hot, rich guy.” She teased.

“The only hot, rich guys I meet are in my romance novels.” I grinned.

“Less chit chat, more work please ladies.” Chet said as he passed our office on his way out.

We grinned at each other and got back to work. By 5pm we were done for the day.

“Want to grab a drink with me?” Fiona asked.

“Some other time. I have to get to Rachel’s place, Jay is waiting for me.”

“Sure, see you tomorrow.”

We said goodbye at the door and went in opposite directions. Rachel’s place wasn’t very far from here, which is why I had taken the job, so I could walk and save the cab money.

In the five years I had lived in Palo Alto, I had learned to be frugal.

I kept looking back and around me as I walked, like people do in spy movies when they are being followed. I was doing it for the very same reason.

Since last week I’d had a feeling I was being followed. When I had dropped Jay at school, when I went shopping, and when I had been on my way to work, I had noticed a thin ,bald man with a mustache, who seemed to be taking an interest in me.

But then he seemed not to appear whenever I was looking out for him.

I hadn’t noticed him at all yesterday and today, so I decided I was probably imagining it. Who and why would anyone be following me? I wasn’t the rich Adele Turner, daughter of millionaire Chris Turner who lived in a mansion, had her own big car, fat bank account, and a rich, handsome boyfriend. Adele had died five years ago.

I was now Claire Taylor. Working in a small firm, earning a small paycheck, and living in a small flat. I was a nobody. My only family were Jay and Rachel and I looked forward to going home to them every evening.

I stopped at a supermarket to pick up some groceries for Rachel. As I was at the bread section I looked up casually and froze.

The thin bald mustache man was at the other end of the supermarket looking at me. I swallowed and looked down confused. When I looked up again he was gone.

Trembling, I went to pay for my groceries and ran out of the supermarket.