Page 7 of Second Chance with Seth

“So, there was no-one else involved?”

“Well…”

He frowns. “What aren’t you saying, Seth?”

“There was someone.”

“Another woman?”

“Yeah. Helen. Helen Rogers. She’s a teacher at the elementary school in Hart’s Creek. She used to flirt with me… a lot.”

I can still remember what it felt like to be the center of her world. And I won’t lie, I enjoyed it. It was good to feel as though there was someone out there who gave a damn, who smiled every time she saw me, and whose eyes lit up just because I was there, especially when Everly was so wrapped up in everything else in her life, except me. Besides, I didn’t realize Everly had even noticed. Not until that last day, when my world fell apart in front of me.

“So, you didn’t shut her down?” Aiden says, and my stomach feels like lead as I remember the look on Everly’s face.

“No.”

He shakes his head. “Big mistake, man.”

“I know. But we didn’t break up because of Helen. We broke up because… because I felt Everly was shutting me out.”

“Shutting you out?”

“Yeah.”

“Meaning?” he says, sounding confused.

“Meaning, she wouldn’t let me help her… she wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t spend any time with me. We never saw each other because everything in her life revolved around the coffee shop.”

“This would be the coffee shop she inherited from her aunt?” he asks, frowning.

“Yeah. Although she owned half of it before Aunt Clare died.”

“Okay, but it had to be hard taking on the entire thing.”

“I get that,” I say, raising my voice just slightly. “That’s why I wanted to help. Only she wouldn’t let me.”

“And that’s why you left?”

“Yeah… and before you tell me it’s not a good enough reason, I already know that. I get that I fucked up.”

“Did you, though? Aside from allowing someone to flirt with you, which is a clear breach of trust, did you fuck up?”

“Yes. I—I gave her an ultimatum. Even though I didn’t mean to.”

“What do you mean?”

“It came out wrong.” Spectacularly wrong.

“Don’t tell me… you asked her to choose. You or the coffee shop?”

“Yeah.”

“And she chose the coffee shop?”

“No, she said she couldn’t choose, which is pretty much the same thing.”

He pulls a face, which shows he agrees, and then leans forward. “Okay, but I still don’t understand why you haven’t been back there. Surely you could apologize for the flirting and for not shutting that woman down, and you could explain about the ultimatum. It’s gotta be worth a shot, hasn’t it? So, why don’t you go?”

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