Page 1 of Second Chance Christmas

One

“IT WASN’T LIKE THIS when we were growing up, was it?”

Mid-way through disentangling fairy floss from her five year old daughter’s hair, Cassidy froze.

She’d known for over a week that he was coming back, and she thought she’d prepared for it, but the truth was, the sound of Leonardo da Costa’s voice sent all the same shivers down her spine that it always had. She closed her eyes on a wave of bitter anger, their past like a horrible, painful hell-scape to which she attributed every disastrous choice she’d made since then.

It was like being hit by a freight train as unwelcome memories deluged her—memories she’d tried unsuccessfully to forget. It didn’t matter that it had been over six years ago, she’d never forgotten how it had felt to hear her high school sweetheart, the guy she’d thought was the love of her life at one time, tell her that he’d slept with someone else.

She reached down and gripped Audrey’s hand, needing the support, the touchstone, of the familiar contact, and slowly turned.

Against the backdrop of warmly glowing light globes strung from one side of Partridge Street to the other, with market stalls all around them, and happy locals milling about, the prodigal son had returned.

Everything about him hit Cassidy in the solar plexus.

It wasn’t as if she’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. How could she when his image was plastered on Tubes and busses and billboards in Leicester Square, his unique sporting prowess combined with model good looks meaning Leo was the perfect poster boy for, well, just about everything.

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, squeezed Audrey’s hand tighter, so the little girl glanced up curiously at her usually calm mother.

“Hey, Cassie-May.” His voice was just as roughly graveled as she remembered, his face as angular and symmetrical, hair thick and glossy. They’d been friends all Cassidy’s life. She couldn’t even pinpoint the day he became more than that to her. Her sixteenth birthday, when he’d kissed her cheek and given her the football jersey from his old club, asked her to wear it when he played for good luck?

“Nobody calls me that anymore,” she responded, voice terse.

Beside her, Audrey took another huge bite of spun sugar.

Cassidy’s eyes closed on a wave of regret. Her father loved to spoil Audrey—she’s my only grandchild, why shouldn’t I?—but this much sugar before bedtime was going to be a recipe for disaster.

“It’s good to see you.” His eyes, brown like burnt caramel and rimmed in thick dark lashes, held hers, and his smile was easy.

Easy like he hadn’t broken her heart.

Easy like he hadn’t made a fool of her.

Easy like he hadn’t been the catalyst for her life going totally off the rails.

And even though Audrey was the result of that, she’d never forgiven Leo for what he’d done.

“We should get going,” she responded crisply.

Six years. For six years, they’d avoided each other. She’d spent Christmas with Grant’s family if she knew Leo was going to be home, and he’d stayed away a fair bit—he’d had to; his career demanded that of him. But with her divorce through, and Cassidy and Audrey temporarily living back in Partridge street, there was nowhere else for her to go now.

She thought Leonardo would stay away though. She’d presumed they had some kind of unspoken agreement about the territory of the street on which they’d both grown up, but apparently not.

Nonetheless, he wouldn’t remain long. He never did.

This was Leonardo da Costa, after all, one of the highest paid football stars in the world, with homes in Spain and New York, London and Sydney.

“You must be Audrey,” he said, turning his attention, and manifest charms, on the little girl.

“And you’re Leonardo da Costa. I know who you are. You’re famous. How do you know my mummy?”

“Your mummy and I grew up right here in this street.” Something jarred in Cassidy’s mind. His use of the word ‘mummy’. It was too much. There’d been a time when she’d believed, with all her heart, that she and Leo would end up married, having children, living out all her fantasies. She hadn’t even formed those dreams consciously, it had just seemed like what would naturally happen between them. One foot after the other, until happily ever after. Maybe it was the way they’d both been raised by single dads that had made her crave the picture-perfect family life. Or maybe it was just Leonardo—that loving him meant believing she could have it all. Until those dreams had come crashing down around her in the wake of his infidelity.

“Oh.” Audrey stuffed the fairy floss in her mouth.

“Good seeing you again, Leonardo,” Cassidy lied, gently pulling Audrey away. The little girl’s eyes clung to Leo—Cassidy knew the feeling. He was hard to look away from.

She was grateful for the turn out at this year’s street fair. It meant there was enough of a crowd for Cassidy and Audrey to be quickly absorbed, to get some breathing space, and escape the man who’d once meant the world to her.

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