Page 51 of Second Chance Serenity

“This is amazing. Better than most of the red-carpet parties we’ve gone to.”

“Red carpet—” And then it clicks. Sunny Rune. “You’re an actress,” I blurt.

She laughs. “I am. Though apparently not a very good one.”

“What? No. Sorry. I don’t see many movies. But I know who you are.”

“I’m just toying with you,” Sunny says with another laugh. “Sorry, this is the first outing we’ve had since the baby, and I’m both excited and desperate to get home. But when Michael called and told us, we knew that we had to fly out and support such a great cause. Our son is back at the hotel with my mother-in-law.”

I look from her to Michael, feeling foolish that I thought he might have invited her as a date. “How do you all know each other?”

Geoff wraps an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “He works for us from time to time. Managed to save our son when a paparazzi tried to rip him from Sunny’s arms so he could get photographs of him before we were ready for anyone to know about the birth. Michael is our hero.”

“It was nothing.”

“It was everything,” Sunny replies, reaching out to touch his arm gently. “Don’t be modest.”

“She’s right,” Geoff adds. “Most bodyguards wouldn’t have chased the man through L.A. to get his phone and handle the pictures.”

“It was only a few blocks,” Michael replies with a laugh.

“Still. We’re eternally grateful,” Sunny says. “Now, how did you two meet?”

Michael looks at me, then back to her. “We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet! High school sweethearts?”

“Something like that,” Michael replies.

The music shifts, turning to a slow song, and Geoff takes his wife’s hand. “May I have this dance, my love?”

Sunny blushes. “Absolutely. Excuse us.”

“No problem. Have fun.” As they walk away, I try to keep myself from looking at Michael, but then his hand goes to the middle of my back again and I lose myself in the feeling of comfort.

“Want to dance?”

I look up at him. “I have about an hour before I need to speak. But, wait, are you sure that you still know how?”

Michael grins. A real, unguarded smile that steals my breath once more and turns my legs to jelly. “I’m even better now.” He tugs me onto the dance floor, one hand resting on the middle of my back, the other holding mine.

I snake my free arm around his neck and breathe through the nerves as we begin to move on the floor. The world around us fades away, leaving just him and me together, moving to the slow beat.

“Do you remember our senior prom?” Michael asks.

“A bit of it.” Truth is, I remember every single moment. From Michael slipping that corsage over my wrist to sharing stolen kisses on the dance floor and hoping the teachers didn’t see us.

Stupid teenagers who didn’t realize their entire lives were about to change.

“It was a good night.”

“It was.” A month later, he was gone. Right before the graduation we’d both been so excited for. And in the darkest moments of my pain, I’d recalled the way he’d looked down at me when we were dancing. The way the light cast shadows over his expression.

“You looked so beautiful in that dress. It was nearly the same shade of green as this one.”

“You remember what I was wearing?”

“I remember all of it,” Michael replies.

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