Second Chances (10 page)

Chapter 18

              Paige awoke after a full night of tossing and turning.  Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Nick’s smoldering eyes would appear as he closed in.  Then the feel of his breath on her neck sent her over the edge, as he slid his lips over her neck.

              She stared at the ceiling and let out a frustrated breath, knowing she was in unchartered waters.  Her entire adult life, she’d been married to someone who was cool under pressure.  She never had to wonder what was behind his eyes or think too hard about his intentions.  With Nick, she could get lost in his eyes, as they held endless possibilities.  Although he made his intentions known, there was still so much mystery to him, that Paige wasn’t sure what to expect.

              She rolled over, punched her pillow, and sat up, scanning her room for her running shoes.  She donned her running bra and pants, and grabbed a light jacket before heading for the door.  Although there was a small storm that was passing over, she was intent on a morning run to clear her head.

              As she started her descent down her driveway, last night’s conversation replayed in her mind.  The fact that Nick wanted to know if her divorce was behind her was monumental - not just because he cared but because she could honestly answer that it was.  She felt she’d turned

a corner, and knew Nick had played a part in that.

              At the end of her street, two roads presented themselves. The one to the left would loop around and bring her back home.  The path to the right would lead her further away, but toward Nick’s home.  In a split decision, Paige turned right and smiled as she ran toward his house, hoping she could catch a glimpse of him.

              Within minutes, she saw it on the horizon. As she approached, her heart was racing like she’d run a marathon.  She casually glanced over her shoulder, hoping not to appear too obvious when she saw a very forlorn Katie, who sat on the porch with her head hung in her arms.

              Paige did a quick 180-degree turn and jogged back toward their house.  She hesitated before she closed the gap to the porch, unsure if she should approach.  Only a few feet away, she softly cleared her throat.

              Katie pushed her hoodie from her head to reveal puffy red eyes. As soon as she saw Paige, she softly smiled and waved her over to sit down.

              Paige promptly took her position next to her, thinking that this wasn’t the desired outcome of her run past Nick’s home, but if Katie were in need of a shoulder, she’d gladly oblige.  She felt protective of this young girl, especially since she’d learned how her mother had abandoned her.

              Within a few seconds, the light rain changed to an open downpour, as if the sky broke open. Paige looked to Katie’s covered porch, never more grateful for the timing of her arrival and the shelter Katie provided.

              “Well, that’s fitting.”  She pouted.

“Everything okay?” Paige searched her sad eyes.

              Katie shrugged.  “I guess.”

              Paige kept quiet, unable to think of anything comforting to say.

              Katie lifted her chin, struggling not to cry. “Next week’s my birthday.”

              Paige laid a hand on her arm.  “Happy early birthday.”

              “You’d think, huh?”  She wiped her face dry with the cuffs of her sweatshirt and huffed.  “It’ll be my sixteenth.  Sweet sixteen. Yea…”  She raised her hands in the air and facetiously smiled.

              Paige sadly smiled to herself, recalling her sweet sixteen and how happy she was, wishing nothing less than the same for Katie.

              “Well, my mom was supposed to fly me out for a huge celebration.  She and I were supposed to have a girls weekend.  She promised me I’d have her for three whole days.”  Katie’s voice broke.  “She promised.”

              Paige clamped her lips and waited.

              “But …”  Katie paused.  “Her new husband is taking her to Tahiti instead.  She just called and broke the news to me.”

              Paige saw another tear escape and instinctively reached to pull Katie toward her. 

              “I’m sorry, sweetheart.  That has to be rough.” She couldn’t imagine how a mother could reject her daughter at all – let alone on her birthday.

              Katie laid her head on Paige’s shoulder and let out a half laugh, before saying, “She said she’d make it up to me, but how do you skip your daughter’s birthday and expect that to be okay?”

              Paige shook her head, determined to help.  Even though she had no children of her own, the mother in her ached to bring joy to Katie’s life. 

              Katie sighed. “I know I have my dad – so I won’t be alone but …”  Katie dropped her head once more into her arms and continued.  “I was hoping for something more ...  your sixteenth should be special.”

Paige stroked her hair, as her mind was running through different scenarios of how she could make Katie’s birthday better.  “Hey. I know nothing could make up for your mother not being there, but I have an idea.” 

              She leaned back and turned toward an expectant set of eyes.

              “How about – we have a girls day?  I could take you to dinner and a movie or whatever you want … my treat.  Would that be okay?”

A small part of Katie’s heart filled with hope.  She smiled and grabbed Paige full-force.

              Paige almost choked with the impact of Katie’s hug.

              “Would it be okay?” Katie was grinning from ear to ear as she pulled back to look Paige in the eyes.  “No one has ever offered to do something that nice for me before – I mean, other than dad.”

              “Well, of course.  He’s a great dad.”  Paige’s heart warmed, at how much Katie’s spirits had lifted.  A small part of her fell harder for Katie than she knew was possible. 

              Just then, the rumble of Nick’s engine cut through the rain and their conversation. 

“Speak of your dad.”  She grinned and watched Nick’s face light up with surprise as he stepped from his truck.  He ran to the porch for cover, as the last round of the storm was showering down around him.

              “Hey, stranger.”  Nick’s joy soon turned to confusion, as he looked from Paige to his daughter.

              “Everything okay, Katie-pie?”  Nick asked, using a childhood nickname.  He quickly stepped up the porch, to sit next to her.  He lightly stroked her face and searched her eyes.

              “Mom called.”

              Nick’s eyes knowing eyes beckoned.

              Katie shrugged her shoulders.  “The trip is off.”

              “What?”  Nick tried hard to hold in the outburst that was threatening to overtake him.

              Feeling as if she was intruding, Paige lifted from the step and sent them a small wave.

              “Hey, I’m off.  Katie, it was nice running into you.”

              Katie half-laughed at her pun.  “You too.  Thank you.  You really helped a lot.”

              “So we’re on for dinner?”  She raised her eyebrows, as she turned back toward them taking a step down closer to the rain behind her.

              Katie grinned.  “And a movie.  I’ll get your number from dad.”

              “Your dad doesn’t have my number.”  Paige sent Nick a mischevious grin. 

Nick, who was curiously watching the exchange, waved her back up the steps to hand her his phone. 

“You don’t have to go. It’s still raining out there.”

              Although he wanted to get down to the details of his ex’s latest drama, he equally was invested in spending more time with Paige.

              She punched her number into his phone and called herself, before slowly handing it back to him. She held his intense gaze, wishing they were alone and blinked before diverting her attention back to his daughter.

              “Katie, call me - and we’ll set up your birthday.”

              Katie rose to hug her once more.  “Thank you.”

              Nick watched the two of them and cleared his throat.  To see Katie have a female role model in her life like Paige meant the world to him.

              “When will I see you again?”  He whispered in her ear, out of shot from his daughter. 

              Paige dropped her arms from around Katie, and slowly looked up to meet his serious gaze.  The way he searched her face sent a shiver down her spine, that she tried to attribute to the weather but knew it wasn’t.

“You have my number now.  Call me.”  Paige watched Nick’s eyes dilate and slowly smiled for effect.  She looked down to Katie and waved, before stepping back out into the elements. 

“See you guys!” She yelled over her shoulder.

              Nick watched her run away in a stupor.  Every time he saw her, she seemed to be getting more and more bold. He loved seeing this side of her, and couldn’t wait until he could spend more time alone. He looked down to his phone and saved her number, before turning back to his daughter.

              He pulled Katie into his side, and said, “Now tell me what happened with your mom.”

              She blew a puff of air out of the side of her mouth, pushing her dark locks away from her eyes.  She groaned and dropped her head back as she came to a conclusion.  The burden she’d been lamenting over on the porch slowly released.  Although she hurt right now, she had people in her life that cared for her – like her dad and Paige.

              “She’s going on a trip and promises to make up for missing my birthday.”

              Nick shook his head, holding in the murderous thoughts that crossed his mind. 

              Katie could feel the tension that ran through his body, and laid her hand on his arm, before saying,  “Dad.  It’s never going to be okay between her and me. I have to learn to live with that.”

              “Katie, that’s not okay with me.”

              “It’s not okay with me either.  But if I keep getting my hopes up only to keep getting hurt – it does me no good.  It’s not fair.  And I don’t want to be that person, who holds on to every bitter thought.  I won’t do it.”  She spun around to face him, grinning.  “Besides, Paige is taking me out for my birthday.”

              “You’re incredible.  You know that?”  His heart lifted, as he took in his daughter, who was more mature than he’d ever given her credit for.

              “Yup.”  Katie smiled and opened their front door.

              “And just how did you guys work that out?”  Nick followed her in, still not aware of how it all came together.

              As she divulged the details, he peeked outside once more catch a glimpse of Paige’s small silhouette vanishing out of sight.  He quietly closed his door in time to see the joyous look on his daughter’s face, and silently thanked God for the woman, who was opening both their hearts.

Chapter 19

              Veronica dragged her friend by the arm through the parking lot with laser beam focus on the front door of Tight Ends.  She couldn’t wait to see Paige’s tortured face, as she finally revealed her identity.

              “Will you slow down?”  Tanya yanked her arm free.  “What’s your rush?”

              “I’m hungry.”  Veronica cut her eyes down toward her friend.  “And I’m dying to see how Davis’ tired and old ex-wife looks in her uniform.  I mean … I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard she was working here.  Can you imagine?  She’s in her forties!”

              Both giggled as they reached the door.  Tanya pushed it open and held the door, saying, “I know, right?”

              “You think she’ll put two and two together?”  Veronica stepped through, letting her eyes adjust to the dimly lit lobby.  She flicked her hair over her shoulder and scanned the room.

              “Hi! Welcome to Tight Ends.”  A cute bubbly hostess approached them.

              Veronica smirked in her direction.  “We’d like to sit in Paige’s section, please.”

              “Um, okay.”  She scanned her hostess stand, and replied, “Well, Paige doesn’t start for about fifteen minutes.”

              Veronica lifted her chin in defiance.  “We’ll wait.”

              “Would you like to sit in the bar while you wait?”
            Tanya nodded and started inside when Veronica pulled her back by the arm.  She squinted to read the hostesses’ name tag, and sent her a fake smile. 

“Jaime, is it?” She waited for the young girl to nod, before finishing, “Can’t we wait in her station?  We’ve driven a long time to get here, and we just want to see Paige.”

              Jaime looked over her shoulder to an empty booth and contemplated her options.  Usually, if she sat someone early, Linley would have her head.  However, Linley wasn’t scheduled to be there for another hour, and her assistant manager was a bit less structured.

              Jamie grabbed two menus and led them toward the table closest to the bar.  “Sure.  In the meantime – if you need anything, the bartender can help you.” 

              Tanya’s eyes gleamed as she watched Veronica in action. Her friend was relentless.

              “Thank you.”  Veronica slid in the booth, and waited until the hostess walked away before saying, “Now, we wait for her highness to get here.”

              Nick watched - or more like heard the commotion in the lobby, as he and his buddy sat in the bar.  Once he heard Paige’s name being thrown around, his interest was more than peaked – so much so that he lost track of Tyler’s conversation all together.

              When the girls confidently strode by, he gave them the once over wondering who they were and how they fit into Paige’s life.  They didn’t look like anyone she would mix with, but he reminded himself she had a whole other life outside of Granite.

              “Hey, Granger – hello?”  Tyler elbowed his friend and followed his gaze.  “If it’s a date you want.  I can get you one.”

              Nick swung his head back toward Tyler and slyly smiled. 

              “I’m sure you could.  If I ever need help – I’ll let you know.”

              Tyler eyeballed the women, who sat only a few feet away, and grinned.  He tipped his ball cap to them and turned his attention back to his friend.

              “They’re lookers.”  He reached for his beer.

              Nick thought of Paige again and smiled down into his glass.  Ever since she’d come to town, no one else even compared.

              Tyler knew that look and angled closer.  “So - who is she?”

              “What?”

              “You heard me.  I mention how good looking those girls are over there, and you start grinning like you‘ve got a secret without even a glance to the booth behind us.  Who is she?”

              “Aw, man.  It’s nothing.”  Although his mind was still spinning with possibilities when it came to Paige, he wasn’t ready to share anything.  He shifted his weight on the barstool and changed the subject.  “You’re the one that wanted to meet – what’s up?” His former teammate had him reliving his glory days, and he’d be kidding himself if he said he didn’t miss it.

              “We’re good.  We miss you, bruh.”  Tyler laid his hand on Nick’s shoulder.  “And I know life came down hard on you all at once … the injury, your ex.”

              “Yeah?”  Nick was unsure of where this was going.

              “Coach and I were talking the other day, and he wanted to know if we were still in touch.  I think he’s looking to make some changes.  He told me to have you call him.”

              Nick blinked.  “Really?  What kind of changes?”

              “He just said to have you call him.”

              Nick rubbed his jaw.  “I just got Katie settled in school this year.”

              “It’s just a phone call.”

              Nick nodded and reached for his soda.

              Tanya watched the two men in awe, and leaned toward her friend, whispering, “Ronnie, do you know who that is?”

              Veronica looked over her shoulder to see a very handsome athletic man nod in their direction.  She turned back toward her friend and shook her head, frowning.

              “Should I?”

              “Do you live under a rock?  Don’t you watch football?”

              Veronica grunted.  “Davis hates football.”

              Tanya scoffed.  “That’s Tyler Hanes.  He’s the starting quarterback for the Skins.  And he’s sitting next to Nick Granger, who used to be their leading receiver.”

              Veronica glanced over her shoulder once more and raised her eyebrow in appreciation.  Both men were above average in looks.  Suddenly she had the urge to approach the bar.

              “I’m impressed. You thirsty?”  Veronica scooted to the edge of the booth, without taking her eyes off the pair.

              Tanya grinned, one step ahead of her friend.  “Sure am.  Think they’d give me an autograph?”

              She grimaced.  “Our mission is to target Paige.  Don’t lose your focus - but a little harmless flirting couldn’t hurt until then.”

              Nick’s ears perked up. 
Why would they target Paige?

He was about to turn and ask them what they were up to when Paige came rushing in, with cocktail napkins in each hand.

              Veronica saw Paige briskly walking across the room, and instantly slid back to her booth intently waiting.  She eyed her from head to toe, hoping to find something she could tear apart.  She expected to see a haggard old woman, who was heartbroken and desolate, but saw a vibrant woman who’s face lit up in greeting. Hoping to find something she could critique, she looked to her figure searching for any unsightliness that was hidden beneath her tight jersey and pants.  Instead, her form-fitting uniform showcased a firm and very curvy figure.  Instantly, Veronica hated her even more.

              Tanya saw her friend’s eyes narrow with disdain and craned her neck.  She saw a beautiful redhead approaching with a glowing smile.

              “That’s her?”  She blinked in disbelief.  “She’s gorgeous.”

              Veronica sneered.  “Shut up.” 

              Paige glanced over to Nick and winked before approaching her table.  She curiously looked toward the two women, who were staring intently at her, like she’d already rubbed them the wrong way without even saying a word.  She bit her bottom lip thinking it was going to be a long day if her first table started out like this.  She wondered why they had insisted on waiting for her section when she couldn’t remember them from anywhere.             

              “Hi,” she whispered to Nick, in passing.  He smiled in return and sent her a look that left no interpretation.  Any nerves she’d experienced when he was around being slowly dissipating until he’d send her a look like that and send her stomach into fits.  

              Tyler watched the exchange between the bombshell redhead and his former teammate and had to hold back a laugh.  Now he knew why Nick had insisted on meeting at Tight Ends for dinner.

              “So, she’s the one?”  Tyler nudged his buddy.

              “Huh?” Nick blinked and turned back to his friend.

              “Yup.” Tyler grinned.  “It’s her.”

              Paige gently placed the cocktail napkins on the table, in front of her two customers, and smiled, saying, “Welcome to Tight Ends, ladies.  We’ve got a few drink specials today.  Has anyone gone over them with you?”

              She stared down into two hard sets of eyes and held her breath waiting for the inevitable.

              “It’s about time.  We’ve been waiting forever!” Veronica frowned. 

“I’m sorry.”  Paige wanted to tell her that she still had five more minutes before her shift even started, but thought it would be pointless.  “How about some queso and chips?”

              Tanya smiled as she saw the obvious frustration cross Paige’s face.  She could tell she was holding back and grinned in triumph to Veronica, waiting to see what she did next.

              “I’ll take that, and we’d like two glasses of your cab sav.  Whatever brand you carry at a place like this.”  Veronica’s face twisted with disdain.  “I’d like the salmon with lemon on the side, hold the sauce that the menu describes.  And a side of steamed veggies, but none of those baby carrots!”  Veronica watched Paige furiously write her order on her notepad, and turned to Tanya, saying, “And you?”

              “Um.”  Tanya looked the menu over in delight.  She saw the game that Veronica was playing and was eager to play.  “I’ll take a caesar salad, but hold the dressing … no, put the dressing on the side.  And make sure it comes out before my meal, which will be a grilled chicken sandwich, but make sure it’s moist and tender.  Don’t dry it out!”

              Paige continued writing out their instructions, as her brain was spinning.  Who were these girls?  Why did they insist on waiting in her section, and why were they acting like such brats?

              As she slid her pen into her pocket, she curiously stared into to Veronica’s eyes, wondering if she dared ask how she knew them.  It might set them off further if they felt like she didn’t recognize them from where ever they thought they knew her from. 

             
Well, it couldn’t get any worse,
Paige thought. There probably wasn’t a huge tip at the end of this anyway.

              She put a finger to her chin and took the leap. “I’m sorry, but they told me you asked for my section specifically, and I’m having a hard time placing where we’ve met.  Can you fill me in?”

              Although Nick was deep in conversation a few feet away, he placed a hand on his friend’s arm.  He was interested in what they had to say as well.

              Veronica’s eyes lit up.  She raised her eyebrows and said with an almost evil grin, “I’d love to.”

              Paige internally groaned.
Uh oh.  That doesn’t sound good.

             
“I live in Alexandria.”  She adjusted in her seat so that she sat a little taller, and pushed the hair from her shoulders to expose her low cut blouse and necklace.

              “Oh – Okay.”  Paige’s eyes were drawn to her necklace as it caught the light and what she saw made her catch her breath.  It looked exactly like one Davis had bought her for their last anniversary, but had gone missing.  She wasn’t sure where this was leading but delved on.  “So - we know each other from Alexandria?”

              “You could say that.  We have a friend in common.  My name is Veronica, but my good friends, the ones that know me best, call me Ronnie.”

              Paige felt like she’d been sucker punched, and all eyes were on her.  As much as she’d like to sit, with the shocking news that Davis’ mistress was in front of her, she knew that’s exactly what this young - really young girl wanted. She braced herself against the table and stood firm.

              “So, you’re her.” Her voice sounded just above a whisper.

              Veronica’s hard eyes glistened with anticipation for what came next.

              “I am.”

              Paige nodded, remembering the late nights Davis spent with his co-workers on so-called important cases.  One name in particular repeatedly came up - Ronnie.  Paige quickly did the math to when his or rather, her name appeared. Originally she thought Davis found someone right before they’d split, but know she was aware that he’d been cheating on her for long over a year before he left her.

              Humiliated didn’t even come close to how she felt.  She wasn’t just angry that he’d deceived her for so long, but that she’d been so stupid not to question any of his lies.

              Tyler and Nick watched the play between Paige and the women and sat in awe of her control.

              Tyler whispered, “So your woman’s just out of a relationship?”