Page 3 of Second Chance Serenity

Wind whips past me as I drive, warm air that kisses my skin. As usual, thoughts of Reyna are at the front of my mind. The girl I’d left behind when I joined the military. I’d promised her a future. A ring. Kids. And then I’d left without so much as a simple goodbye.

Now, I can’t get her to give me the time of day.

Not that I blame her. I’d been focused on myself and wanted a life other than the one my father had set out for me, and she’d been planning for a future that would never come to pass.

Forgiveness. I’d told Geoff a family could be on the horizon for me someday, but the truth is I know it’ll never happen. A family for me doesn’t exist without Reyna. But I’ve been home for almost five years now, and so far, she’s barely even acknowledged my return to town.

Does that mean I’ll stop trying? Absolutely not.

Even if it means watching her marry someone else.

CHAPTER 2

Reyna

“So anyway, that’s the gist of what I do. How about you, Reyna?”

I smile at the handsome man across from me, appreciating that this entire time we’ve been out to eat, he’s been attentive, kind, and charming…so why can’t I feel anything beyond base attraction? Why can’t my stomach fill with butterflies or my legs go weak?

“I’m a principal at the school,” I tell him. “We’re a K-12, so I oversee kids as young as five and as old as eighteen.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“It’s never dull, that’s for sure.” I take a bite of the chocolate cake in front of me. Years of dating. Of searching for anything that even mildly resembles the spark I feel for— No, Reyna. I shove thoughts of Michael Anderson out of my head.

Liam Hollander is handsome, stable, looking for a partner, and would probably never leave me the month before we planned to get married so he could go off and start a new life.

“You grew up in Hope Springs, right? Do you have any family here?”

“My parents,” I tell him with a smile. “My brother lives in Boston with his wife and kids. He’s a prosecutor for the city.”

“Nice. Do you see him often?”

“Once a month,” I reply. “We get together for dinner. Alternating who makes the weekend trip. Sometimes, they come here, other times, my parents and I go there.”

“Your brother is older?”

I nod. “Three years. How about you? Do you have any siblings?”

He shakes his head. “Only child. My parents both live in New Jersey. I see them once every few months.”

“What brought you to Hope Springs?” He moved here only a few months ago and runs a remote finance management company from his house. It’d been the buzz of town for a while, so I knew of him before Mrs. McGinley arranged a meeting for us—without either of us realizing it until we both suddenly had to get to the library to pick up a book she’d ordered.

The woman is a lovable menace.

“I wanted a fresh start. I’d lived in Jersey my entire childhood, then spent some time in Philly. After that, I knew I wanted a small town. When my mom shoved a book into my hand and told me the author was from here, I decided to come visit. I’ve been wanting to write one myself.”

“Who is the author?”

“Eliza Knight. Do you know her?”

Why does it make my stomach churn? I adore Eliza. We attend a girls’ dinner once a month together. But since she’s married to Michael’s boss and close friends with him, that makes our relationship…well…complicated. “She’s really sweet. Married to a guy who runs a security company in town.”

“Yes! I’ve been trying to come up with a way to introduce myself, just to get my copy of her book signed and pick her brain over the route she took with her publishing journey, but I’m not entirely sure how to do it without coming across as creepy.”

I smile because it’s honestly so ridiculously innocent that it makes my heart melt just a bit for him. Michael wouldn’t have hesitated to introduce himself. The man is a bull in a china shop, never fearing anything. “I would be happy to introduce the two of you.”

“Really?” His expression lights up like a kid on Christmas morning.

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