Second Rate Chances Read online

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  Second Rate Chances

  Holly Stephens

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  Copyright 2013 by Holly Stephens

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Fallon Clark at Snow Editing

  Cover Designed by Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations

  ISBN- 13: 978-1481880138

  For Stephen and HaydenAnd everyone who ever told me I live in a fantasy world.

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgment

  Pg 1

  Prologue

  Pg 3

  Chapter 1

  Pg 5

  Chapter 2

  Pg 10

  Chapter 3

  Pg 15

  Chapter 4

  Pg 18

  Chapter 5

  Pg 30

  Chapter 6

  Pg 34

  Chapter 7

  Pg 43

  Chapter 8

  Pg 50

  Chapter 9

  Pg 58

  Chapter 10

  Pg 68

  Chapter 11

  Pg 75

  Chapter 12

  Pg 82

  Chapter 13

  Pg 92

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  Chapter 14

  Pg 99

  Chapter 15

  Pg 105

  Chapter 16

  Pg 111

  Chapter 17

  Pg 118

  Chapter 18

  Pg 124

  Chapter 19

  Pg 131

  Chapter 20

  Pg 138

  Chapter 21

  Pg 145

  Chapter 22

  Pg 154

  Chapter 23

  Pg 162

  Chapter 24

  Pg 167

  Chapter 25

  Pg 175

  Chapter 26

  Pg 179

  Chapter 27

  Pg 187

  Chapter 28

  Pg 191

  Chapter 29

  Pg 196

  Chapter 30

  Pg 204

  Chapter 31

  Pg 208

  About the Author

  Pg 216

  Upcoming Titles

  Pg 218

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My name might be the one on the cover, but there should a ton of other people listed there as well.

  Kathryn Scott. Where do I begin? You’ve been with me from the very beginning. You’re the only person who has seen the ugly, rough draft right after Nano of 2011. The fact that you’ve stuck with me through that to what it has become makes me love you all the more. And I can’t believe we did it! After so many years and different manuscripts, we did it.

  Heidi McLaughlin. My dear sweet Heidi. I’m not even sure I know where to begin. If anyone’s name belongs on the cover alongside mine, it’s yours. The texts, the phone calls, the emails; you helped shape this from one story to a whole other. I would not be where I am today without your guidance and friendship. A fun little story brought upon an amazing friendship that I simply cherish. You’re my biggest cheerleader, my partner when I need to vent, and most of all, an amazing friend. Thank you for everything. If it weren’t for you I’d probably still be looking at an ugly rough draft on my laptop.

  Fallon Clark. When I was handed lemons, you helped me make the most amazing lemonade. You helped me turn this thing from something that was too much to something that was just right. Thank you for your editing and guidance, your wonderful friendship and for being there when I needed you. I can’t wait to see where the future takes us.

  Beth Suit. If it weren’t for Heidi I wouldn’t have found you. You pushed me harder than anyone else. You wanted to make this happen; you wanted to make this story great. And because of you, I did just that (I hope). Thank you for calling me out on things and making me think outside the box. This story wouldn’t be what it is without you and your very scary red pen. Thank you for everything.

  Sarah Hansen. Wow. There are no other words for what you created for me. The beautiful cover has brought Sam and Lil to life and to you I’ll be forever grateful. Thank you for bringing my story to life.

  Jannie Lund. We’ve stuck together through all the ups and downs and even though a big time difference separates us, you’re still there when I need you. Your encouraging words and your friendship are the most beautiful things I could have asked for when starting this venture. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

  Liz Fong. You feed my reading addiction, you’re there when I need to talk, and you’ve become one of my best friends even though we live so far apart. I’m not sure what I’d ever do without you but I can tell you I don’t want to find out. Of course when in doubt I think, we’ll always have NOLA. (And I hope you, Becci, and Heather caught the reference to our weekend away)

  Carrie Gray. When I need another set of eyes, you never let me down. Thank you for always being up for the challenge and for being such a wonderful friend.

  To my husband, Stephen, who is more than just my life partner. He’s my best friend. Thank you for putting up with me when I tuned you out to focus on the story. Thank you for believing in me and reminding me that I can do this. Thank you for being my anchor that keeps me grounded when I feel like things are going to fall apart. And thank you most of all for giving me the one thing in this world that makes me the happiest; our beautiful baby boy.

  To my parents; Mama, Daddy, and Debbie. Well…I did it! After talking about it for so long, my name is on the cover of a book. Your love and acceptance in pushing me to do what I love means so much. Thank you for always making me believe that I could do anything if I set my mind to it.

  And last but not least, to my special friend, Kristina Hatfield. She’s my friend first and the lady who signs my paycheck second. Thank you for being the Oats to my Hall. Thank you for not yelling when I used company time to write a couple of pages. Thank you for being so awesome that I can spend eight hours a day sharing a desk with you. You make work fun. You make selling plumbing fun!

  And if I’ve left you out, I’m truly sorry. There are so many people who have stuck by me since I wrote the first three words to my very first story. You know who you are. Just because you’re name isn’t listed doesn’t mean I don’t thank you.

  PROLOGUE

  They stood in front of their house, arms wrapped tightly around one another. Today was a dream. They had signed their names on all of the dotted lines. Neither was certain what each piece of paper meant, but they knew one thing; they now owned a house.

  Together.

  The craftsman-style home, barely twelve hundred square feet, sat on a shaded lot, in part because of the large oak tree that sat in the front. Its limbs hung freely, the mossy green of the stucco matched the ferns planted around the porch. White gardenias mixed with purple freesia added a spark of color to the yard. The idea to add a swing for lazy afternoons clouded her mind. She could imagine a witch and her broom sticking out of the tree for Halloween. Bright white lights wrapped around the trunk at Christmas. S
he smiled at the ideas forming in her head. He didn't have to see her face to see the light in her eyes; it radiated all around her.

  With their fingers intertwined, he pointed to the porch where her thoughts had just been.

  “I see a swing there,” he said.

  Her smile grew even bigger. “Me too.”

  “Can you believe it?” he asked. She shook her head no. “We own a house. You and me.”

  “Yup, you and me.”

  “You know what this means?”

  She turned so that they were face to face, studying the man before her. Since the first moment she had seen him, his eyes drew her in. His big brown pools always looked at things with so much wonder. Like it was a puzzle he was trying to work out. What she loved was that he looked at her that way too. She hoped that he always would. There were always surprises for the two of them, always that realm of intrigue that kept them drawn to one another. She smiled and ran her fingers through his shaggy hair.

  “What’s this mean?” she asked.

  He pulled her closer, nearly crushing her to his chest. His words were a whisper against her lips. “You’re stuck with me now.”

  “I can’t be stuck with someone I have no intention of ever letting go.”

  He buried his head deep into the crook of her neck. With a feather-light touch, he kissed the spot under her ear that made her shiver, then moved his kisses across her cheek, down her jaw, and finally onto her lips.

  “I love you.”

  ”I love you too,” she said.

  “Nothing can come between us.”

  “Nothing.”

  5

  SECOND RATE CHANCES

  cHAPTER 1

  Three Years Later

  The sun and its early morning rays shone brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Sam Travers’ high-rise. Dust particles floated around, dancing in the light as it beamed down on the bamboo floors. Sam bustled around his spacious, open living room looking for his watch. Much like that rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, he was late. Whether or not what he was late for could be considered a "very important date" was debatable, but it was still his job, and today, of all days, was not one to show up five minutes late for.

  The Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday was one of the biggest number-crunching days for the retail industry. Today, as it were, marked how high the sales from the previous weekend fared. The official kick off to holiday spending.

  As the head of the development division for Titan Gaming it wasn’t Sam’s job to question the ethics of the American people. However, as the youngest department head, his job was to oversee the gamers that tested all of the latest games. The testers were responsible for finding bugs in the programming before the games were released to the public.

  Titan also ran a quarterly magazine on the latest and greatest in the gaming world. The November issue was the most anticipated – and crucial – for holiday spending. Titan needed to be the best in video gaming development. The manufacturers depended on them to spread the holiday cheer, as it were, when it came to their next big money maker. And since Titan itself had a hand in the honey pot, for every game that they reviewed and recommended to consumers, they were given a portion of the sales.

  Sam frantically searched under couch cushions, being careful to place them just as they were, looking for his watch. It may have seemed trivial to some, but his watch was like a child's blanket. He felt naked without it – much like someone else he knew who felt equally naked leaving the house with no makeup on. Loud footsteps, made by a pair of four-inch stilettos, began to trot their way toward him. Sam checked to make sure the cushions on the couch were just right. The last thing he needed this morning was "a word" about the upkeep of a home. He stood, eying the way the sofa sat just so and spun around in a circle, his hands firmly planted on his hips. His eyes roamed over the open area for any clues as to where his timepiece could be hiding. The footfalls come to a stop but that wasn't what told him he was no longer alone. It was the unmistakable scent of Chanel No. 5.

  “Sam, darling,” Chloe called out to him.

  His thoughts stopped as if they had been willed to do so. He turned to face his fiancée, unable to even plaster on a fake smile. The couch was upturned, Chloe’s perfume invaded the entire room, and he couldn’t find his watch. It was turning out to be shitty Monday. He didn’t see the point in hiding that fact from her with a polite smile that really screamed, I’d love nothing more than to waste time with idle chit chat when really, I’m late for work.

  He tapped his pointer finger to his wrist where his watch would normally lie. “I'm late,” he said matter-of-factly. “You don't know where I left my watch do you?”

  “You and that stupid watch,” she said with an eye roll. She didn’t move an inch to help him. Crossing her arms over her chest, Chloe huffed, “you won’t see me crying because it’s come up missing. I mean, really Sam, who can take a man seriously when he wears a lime green Swatch?”

  Sam was resigned to the fact that Chloe would never fully understand him. He wore suits and ties to work because it was expected of him. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have worn his beat up Chuck Taylor’s as well. Apparently, scuffed toes were frowned upon at Titan Gaming. The watch, however, was his and his alone. He had had it since he first began working at Titan, a lowly gamer in the basement fresh out of college. It was a gift and one he had refused to part with after all of these years.

  Looking at the modern art deco clock that hung above the minimalistic fireplace mantel in the corner, Sam realized he was going to be more than five minutes late now.

  Her name came out of his mouth in a frustrated groan as she approached to adjust his tie. She looked up at him through long, fake eyelashes, batting them as she spoke.

  “Yes?”

  “My watch. Do you know where I left it?”

  She huffed in annoyance. “Look under the towel in the hamper. I'm pretty sure I saw something lime green and offensive when I picked up your towel from the floor after your shower.”

  He knew his messiness was a pet peeve of hers. This was his apartment, though. If he wanted to leave towels or clothes lying around, he should be able to. They would get picked up, eventually. Then again, had he thrown his towel in the hamper to begin with, maybe he would have seen his watch and this whole fiasco could have been avoided.

  Just like Chloe had said, Sam’s watch was lying under the towel he had used that morning. He strapped it on his wrist, vowing to never take it off, when he heard Chloe clear her throat from behind him. She stood in the doorway, smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

  “Don't forget, I'm leaving for New York today to finalize a few last-minute details for the wedding. I’ll be back in time for dinner tonight at eight with Marvin. He has some ideas he wants to share with us regarding the photography.”

  As their wedding drew nearer, Chloe started to spend more and more time in New York. With it only being an hour’s plane ride away, she could shop the designers she was accustomed to. Though Fair Haven had its own quaint stores, it wasn’t what Chloe desired.

  Fair Haven, as a whole, was divided into two areas. Downtown, where Sam lived now – with its corporate buildings and young, hip hangouts – and the Village, where Sam was from, with its mom-and-pop stores and old fashioned delis.

  Four weeks was all they had before their New Years Eve nuptials. He had proposed eight months ago. And eight months ago, they had decided to say their vows on New Years Eve, in front of their family and friends, with a huge party that would last well into the early morning hours. At midnight they were to depart for their honeymoon – an undisclosed location and one of the few surprises Sam was granted in the whole production.

  To speed the morning along, Sam simply smiled and nodded. “New York, dinner with Marvin. Got it.”

  “Love you, babe,” Chloe called out, blowing air kisses to his retreating form.

  Sam went into full blown panic mode, cursing that he lived on the top floor where
it was damn near impossible to take the stairs but praying that no one else was running as late as him so that he didn't have to stop at every other floor on the way down. When the elevator finally dinged that he had made it to the lobby, he sprinted out of the door.

  Cosmo, the doorman, stood by his perch, watching Sam move with grace out from under the eave that led to the street where morning commuter’s cars waited. Sam's BMW M3 was the only vehicle parked out front this morning.

  “Cosmo!” Sam said cheerfully. “My man. How goes it this morning?”

  “Oh, no different than yesterday. Your car is ready, sir. Should be nice and warm on this chilly morning. Make sure you're careful on the roads. Reports of black ice everywhere.”

  Sam smiled as Cosmo walked around the car to open the door for him. As his hand reached for the handle, Sam turned on his heel, preparing to show off his fancy footwork on the slick pavement. Instead, his footing caught on the edge of the curb. Sam reached for Cosmo’s outstretched hand, but he wasn't fast enough. His foot caught the curb at an awkward angle, causing him to lose his balance.

  Sam's whole body twisted like a contortionist's. His waist dipped back and his feet flew out from underneath him before Cosmo could help him from his fall. As Sam's head came closer to the curb of the sidewalk, he expected his life to start flashing before his eyes. Instead he had one final, fleeting thought as his head made contact with the concrete and his vision turned the same murky color of the shiny car he was now staring at through hooded eyes.