New Beginnings by Cheryl Douglas

his life and a reason to feel hopeful for the first time in a long while.
    He wandered down the expansive hallway, admiring the original oil paintings Sierra had chosen when they built their dream home. Most of the time, her cherished possessions had served as a bitter reminder of the fact she was gone, but today it kindled the hope that had started to stir last night.
    He may have made countless mistakes during their last year together, but nothing could erase the ten amazing years they’d had before that, or the amazing chemistry that still burned hot enough to ignite a raging inferno between them.
    He smiled at the sight of his live-in housekeeper, Valerie, squeezing orange juice into a crystal pitcher at the kitchen counter. She had been the one constant in his life for the past fifteen years.
    She had been with him soon after the release of his first album, throughout his marriage and divorce, the loss of his daughter, and his bouts with alcohol. She had also been one of the few people brave enough to call him out this past year when he’d been hiding from the world. He couldn’t imagine his life without her.
    He bent over to kiss her wrinkled cheek and she giggled like a schoolgirl. “Mornin’, beautiful.” He sat down at the huge mahogany table, anxious to share his news. Val loved Sierra fiercely and was devastated when they gave up on their marriage.
    She glanced over her shoulder. “What put you in such a good mood this morning? It’s been months since you’ve hauled your behind out of bed before eleven o’clock.” She set fresh blueberry muffins in a basket and turned the oven timer off.
    “I ran into an old friend last night.” As he said it, he realized it was true. Sierra had been his best friend for eleven years and he missed having her as his confidante almost as much as he missed having her as his lover.
    Val snorted as she set the muffin basket on the table. “Must be a woman to put a smile like that on your face.” She looked down the hall toward the master suite. “Is she still here?”
    Trey grinned and snagged a warm muffin. “I wish I could say she came home with me last night, but she didn’t.”
    Val turned back to the counter to retrieve the butter dish. “You must be losing your touch.”
    “We’ll see about that.” He checked his watch. “She should be here in about half an hour.”
    Val turned toward him, her hands fisted on her ample waist. “When are you going to grow up, Trey Turner? How do you expect to get your life together if you continue to waste your time with these money-grubbing airheads?”
    Trey placed his tongue firmly in cheek. “This one’s not an airhead, Val. In fact, she has a master’s degree in social work.”
    She fluffed her grey curls and snorted. “Is that what she told you?”
    He laughed as he stirred a lump of sugar into his coffee. “It’s true. She’s amazing. She’s even started a charity for families who’ve lost a child. It’s called The Rainbow Fund.”
    Val sank into the seat across from him, her face ashen. “You saw Sierra last night? She’s coming here?”
    He pointed his butter knife at her. “Ah ha! I knew you’d kept in touch with her after the divorce.”
    Val dismissed his accusation with the wave of her hand. “Of course, we all have.”
    Trey set his knife down carefully. “What does that mean?”
    “Me, Jimmy, Edna, Marisa, your folks.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We loved her too, Trey. Why should we cut all ties just because you were too thick to know a good thing when you had it?”
    Trey laughed and took her hand, kissing the back soundly. Val didn’t pull any punches and it made him love her all the more. “I still can’t believe my folks have maintained a relationship with her. They never said a word to me about it.”
    Val frowned. “I don’t see why that should surprise you. They loved her like she was their own daughter. Hell, we all felt that way. Sierra always tried to be so strong, but there