Page 6 of Second Chance Serenity

I offer him a ball of uncooked cookie dough. “And a day.”

The pain feels so fresh as it tightens in my chest, a vise around my heart.

How is it still so real? It’s been far too long for the grief of losing him to still be eating me alive, right? And if it hasn’t been, how much longer will I be subjected to this torture?

My phone rings, so I reach down and press it to my ear. “Hello?” No one responds, though I hear breathing. “Hello?” Still nothing. Unease settles in my stomach. “If this is a student, you should know that starting off the year by pranking the principal is not going to end well.”

The call disconnects.

CHAPTER 3

Michael

Hope Diner is packed this morning, which is not unusual for this time of day, especially since we’re in the height of tourist season, given that school starts in just a few weeks. Lilly refills the cups of a young couple, smiling happily as she does it, while her husband Alex runs the grill back in the kitchen.

While Alex is a few years older than I am, I know that he and Lilly have lived relatively parallel lives to Reyna and me. He left Lilly behind to join the military as well, but it wasn’t until she returned home after working as a travel photographer that he managed to get her to forgive him.

How? Who knows. Maybe Lilly loves him more than Reyna ever cared for me. Maybe ours was puppy love, like everyone else had called it.

Mood sour, I take a seat at the counter. “Morning, Michael,” Lilly greets happily.

“Coffee, please.”

She arches a brow. “You planning to greet me better than that, or do I need to let your mom know you missed some manners?”

We’ve known each other our whole lives, so I smile. “Fair enough. Good morning, Lilly. How are you? How’s Sarah?”

“Growing. We’re all fine. Thanks so much for asking.” She sets a ceramic mug on the counter in front of me, then fills it with coffee. “How are you this morning?”

“Fantastic. Can’t you tell?”

She laughs and pulls out her notepad. “Your usual?”

“Please. And to go would be great. I need to get into the office.”

“You’ve got it.” She slides the ticket to her husband, then turns back to me. “So what did Reyna do to get you in a twist this morning?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“To me, it is. I’ve known you both forever.”

“Why did you forgive him?” I ask, nodding toward Alex.

Lilly glances at her husband and he grins at her, a lopsided smile that is so full of love that it makes my stomach churn. What I wouldn’t give to have moments like that with Reyna.

“He gave me a reason to.”

“I’ve given Reyna every reason, haven’t I? I volunteer every spare moment of my time, I try to talk to her, to be friends.”

“Have you told her why you left?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“I bet it would to her.”

I swallow hard, then take a drink of coffee. “I doubt it.”

“Well, you’ll never know until you try. As for Alex, he offered me an explanation, and I decided that taking another risk on him was well worth the heartbreak that could follow.”

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