One Little Letter_A Bad Boy, Second Chance Romance

by Robin Edwards

  “You said you wanted true love the other night?” Sean asked surprised.

  “No, you made the assumption about me. Besides, just because I want it, doesn’t mean it actually exists.”

  “That’s not very romantic of you,” Sean stated.

  “Oh really?” Beth leans in and gives Sean a long first kiss on the lips.

  Chapter Six

  The next morning while playing basketball

  “So, she’s dating random guys. Maybe I should date her.” Patrick joked while playing one-on-one basketball.

  “I don’t think so. She’s a good girl. She’s nice, sweet and kind. She’s practically the perfect woman. She shouldn’t date cynical men like you.” Sean had said before she shot the ball at the hoop and it bounces off and misses.

  “Unbelievable! Well, maybe she should be dating someone more like…say you?” Patrick suggested.

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that it seems like you are very fond of a woman that you aren’t even dating.”

  “I’m allowed to have a friend and a girlfriend. It’s called multitasking.”

  “It’s called being weak. How’s Beth doing, by the way?” Sean inquired.

  “She’s very sexy. That’s how she is. I think she may have a problem sharing personal details in person.”

  “What happened now?” Patrick said as he rolled his eyes.

  “Last night, she had a different take on true love than she did online. She’s confusing to me.”

  “It’s one thing saying it online versus saying it in person,” Patrick says as he shoots the ball into the hoop and misses the basket entirely.

  Monday morning

  “Sean and I stayed up all night looking at the stars, which was fun for about an hour. Here’s a picture of him making a fire with sticks. We ended up toasting marshmallows, but I made him eat them. We even stopped at the outlet stores on the way back.” Beth said as she showed pictures to Bridgette.

  Beth’s phone rings and it’s Sean on the other line. “Kyle keeps asking when Sean is coming over,” Bridgette whispers to Beth.

  Several days later

  It was the following Saturday morning, and Sean suggested they meet him at the local park so Sean could show Kyle how to throw and catch.

  “Okay, let’s see what you got Kyle,” Sean said as Kyle tossed the baseball, barely making it halfway.

  “Okay, that wasn’t bad.”

  “That was so bad. I throw like my mom.”

  “Your skills far surpass hers.” Sean teased. “When I was your age, I didn’t play well either. But I practiced, and I eventually did.”

  Sean showed Kyle how to position his fingers and how to angle his arm when he threw.

  “Give it a try. Watch this mom! Watch this, I have got a good feeling about this.” Sean says to Bridgette. Kyle throws the bar and it head straight for Sean. It was a great pitch.

  “Whoaaaaaaaaaa. One less and he got it. I’m a great coach!” Sean shouted and had Kyle throw him the ball again.

  “Alright, right down the pipe.” It was a great pitch again.

  “Yes...”

  A few minutes later, Sean decided to take a break while Kyle continued throwing and catching to himself.

  “I can’t thank you enough for this,” Bridgette said.

  “Are you kidding? I’ve had a very good time. He’s a great kid, and you’re a great mom.” Sean said. “I don’t want to be intrusive, but where is his father?”

  “Uh…he left when Kyle was one-year-old.”

  “So he’s not in his life at all?” Sean asked curiously.

  “No. It’s his loss and Kyle’s of course.”

  “At least it’s good that your dating again, right?” Sean said.

  “Yeah….right now I’m kind of stalled in that department.”

  “Get out of here! You are a great catch. You deserve a great guy. I’m sure you’ll find him.”

  Monday morning

  “Hey!” Sean snuck up behind Beth at her cubicle.

  “Sean! You surprised me. What are you doing here?” Beth asked.

  “I’m here for Bridgette’s thank you lunch.”

  “Oh, I totally forgot. You know what, I have a lot of work today. I’ll just order in, you two just enjoy yourselves.” Beth apologized.

  “Are you sure?” Bridgette asked.

  “Yeah, go.”

  “Okay alright. We’re still on for tonight, right?” Sean asked.

  “Absolutely,” Beth confirmed.

  “Alright bye.”

  At lunch, they decided to play 20 questions and ended up asking little questions about each other. Sean went first, and Bridgette asked him in return.

  “What’s your favorite dessert?” Sean asked.

  “Cheesecake, of course. We talked about that already.”

  “Oh, we certainly did. What about your favorite childhood memory.”

  “My favorite childhood memory? Oh, it’s a big one. That would have to be, riding bikes with my dad at the beach, really early in the morning. Just the two of us.” Bridgette confessed. “My turn. Favorite color.”

  “Blue.”

  “Favorite moment in the last three months,” Beth asked.

  “That would be at Beth’s singles party. I met a new friend that night.” Sean answered.

  Meanwhile, back at the office

  “Interesting. Is the new and improved Bridgette getting awfully cozy with your new man?” Luke whispered in Beth’s ear.

  “What? No, Sean and her are just friends. He did her a favor, and she’s just repaying it.”

  “Does that mean you are free to join me for lunch? I’m buying. Be ready in five minutes.” Luke said and walked away quickly.

  As Sean and Bridgette were walking back to her office, Bridgette wanted to thank him again for spending time teaching her son things that a father normally would do with his son.

  “Thanks for boosting his confidence lately. With all of your talking, he’s going to want to call you again.”

  “That’s okay we can move on to basketball,” Sean said as they ran into Luke and Beth in the parking lot, also walking back.

  “Hi Guys, we were just out for a quick lunch,” Beth confessed quickly.

  “I thought you had a lot of stuff to do?” Sean asked

  “Well, you know what they say. All work and no play makes her no fun for Sean.” Luke joked.

  “We can’t have that now can we,” Beth said uncomfortably.

  “Yeah, I guess we can’t have that. Well, bye, Bridgette and Luke. See you soon, Beth.” Sean said as he headed back to his parked car.

  That night, while on their date cuddling up in front of her cousin’s outdoor fire pit. Sean was starting to come to a realization about how much Beth may not know about him like he had been sharing with her through their email exchanges. He had to say something.

  “I want to know what drives you and what makes you tick. What thrills you and what you value. Maybe those are things that you would want to know about me too.”

  “I’m very interested in you,” Beth said looking Sean in the eyes.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s my favorite color?” Sean started firing questions at her.

  “What?”

  “What’s my favorite color?”

  “Red.”

  “It’s blue, actually. What’s my favorite band?”

  “The Sean Martin Band.” Beth joked.

  “Sean Martin band, no.” Sean feigned laughing. “What position did I play in little league?”

  “How should I know?”

  “Because I played right field,” Sean said. He was starting to get annoyed.

  “Where is this coming from? Is it because I went out to lunch with Luke? Because Luke is a nobody, we just work together.”

  “It’s not. It’s not about Like. Anyway, I’m sorry.” Sean said exasperated, and he kisses her.

  “I know, let’s wat
ch a movie to clear our heads,” Beth suggested.

  “Okay.”

  That same evening, on the other side of town

  Feeling lonely and envious, Bridgette decides to open up her laptop and write to her secret admirer: Why I am a complete loser…

  Remember me?

  “Ugh don’t do this to yourself,” Bridgette says to herself before she clicks the SEND button.

  The next morning

  Sean calls Patrick early in the morning and asks him to meet him at they sat at many times critique women and their lunch options.

  “This better be good for an early in the morning, weekend wake-up call,” Patrick says when he arrives at the bench where Sean has been sitting for the past hour with his dog, Corey.

  “Guess who I received an email from?”

  “I don’t know.” Patrick shrugged.

  “BJohnson.”

  “Beth? That was your big Saturday emergency?”

  “I never gave Beth my email, for obvious reasons.”

  “Whatever, why did she email you?”

  “I don’t know. She ended it with the internet me because she was into the real me and now she emails the internet me again.”

  “She’s cheating on you with you.” Patrick laughs.

  “It’s not that funny.”

  “It kind of is funny. Why happened?” Patrick asked.

  “It was a small thing. Certainly not a deal breaker?”

  “Maybe not to you. Look, you have to meet BJohnson and nip it in the bud before you lose her entirely.” Patrick urged.

  That night, unable to sleep Sean decides to reply and suggest meeting up like Patrick and him talked about that morning:

  B, it’s great to hear from you. I think it’s time for us to meet in person. Please say yes.

  After clicking send, he gets a response right away:

  Okay, let’s do it. How about 1 pm at the tables at the marketplace.

  Monday morning

  “So you guys don’t think I’m crazy?” Bridgette asked Monica and Beth.

  “You’re meeting him in a crowded place in broad daylight. It’ll be fine.” Beth said.

  “If he looks at all crazy, then you scream,” Monica suggested.

  “You know it’s crazy to think that you still don’t know what he looks like.” Beth mulled over the thought.

  “Well, none of us wanted to send photos of ourselves to each other,” Bernadette said.

  “What the heck…I’ll go with you. I want to see this guy.” Beth suggested.

  That afternoon, Beth went with Bridgette to the marketplace to meet her secret admirer.

  “So, what’s your mental picture of him,” Beth asked.

  “Tall, a little scruffy with kind, soulful eyes. Oh, I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.” Bridgette said nervously.

  “If he’s half as great as he seems to be, you should have met him a long time go,” Beth said.

  “Oh now. What if he’s here right now? I don’t want him to know you’re my bodyguard.” Bridgette gasped.

  “I’ll just casually go over to the boutique over there and then casually sit close by. If it gets uncomfortable, sneeze twice, and I will call your cell phone with a fake emergency.” Beth hugs Bridgette. “Good luck.”

  Fifteen minutes pass while Beth is casually sifting through the racks of the outdoor boutique near the marketplace dining area. Bridgette sat there waiting for her secret admirer who hadn’t shown up yet.

  “BJohnson?”

  A familiar face spoke behind her. It was Sean.

  “Sean? It’s you?” Beth said confused.

  “Yes, BJohnson it’s me. Sean.” He said as he kissed Beth lightly on the lips.

  “What brought that on?”

  “The sum of all of our online experience. You know, I feel like it is the first time I kissed the real BJohnson. I thought you were going to be at the tables. Are you okay?”

  Beth was horrified as the realization of what was happening hit her. Sean thought she was Bridgette! “Yeah.”

  “It’s just the picture coming clear huh?” Sean suggested.

  “Yeah, you can say that.”

  “You really didn’t know?”

  Beth told Sean that she wasn’t feeling quite herself and he took her to his office nearby to the marketplace and had her sit in his office. He quickly made her green tea.

  “Here you go, I made your green tea. It’s kind of hot. I also ordered lunch.” Sean said.

  “Thanks. Sean, how did you first get my email address?”

  “I overheard you giving it to Allison, and I wrote it down. I know that’s crazy, and it is wrong, but I don’t regret it. We got to meet each other. Beth, when I first saw you in the park, I was taken. Your blonde hair and yellow sundress were just flowing in the wind. To me, you looked like an angel.”

  “Sean, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  The phone rings and interrupts their conversation. When answered it, Sean found out that an important package had arrived and he had to go downstairs to sign for it.

  “I’ll be right back, I have to sign for the delivery. Five minutes and I’ll be right back. Keep drinking the tea, you’re looking better already. I’ll be right back.” He kisses the top of her head and runs downstairs.

  Beth hops quickly on his computer and emails the real BJohnson:

  B, I’m sorry, I didn’t show up today. I know it was wrong. I apologize if I hurt you but I realized that all we had was a fantasy. It was foolish to think that it could ever be matched in reality. Please know that you will always live in my heart and know that no one can take away the joy we shared.

  “Beth, where have you been?” Bridgette asked her as it was some time since she last saw her in the marketplace.

  “Oh, Vince had some questions. So did he show?”

  “No, warm heart but cold feet,” Bridgette said and shows Beth the email.

  “I’m so sorry.” Beth apologized.

  “It’s not your fault. You know, even though I didn’t meet him. I really felt like I knew him because we talked about so many things. Like those little life things. I’d like to think at least that part of the experience was real.”

  “Ladies, meeting in the conference.”

  The women were surprised by the impromptu meeting, but Monica quickly finds out it is a going away celebration but the announcement of her replacement. The girls were rooting for Bridgette.

  “Monica is leaving us for the windy side of Chicago. Here’s a winter jacket from all us.” Vince said handing over the big box to Monica. She opens it, and it’s a thick and poofy winter coat.

  “I also wanted to give a shout out to Monica’s replacement, and despite talented people applying from the outside, I decided to promote from within these walls. So put your hands together for our new Director of Marketing, Luke Burke.

  Beth, Bridgette, and Monica are speechless while the rest of the office cheered and high-fived luke.

  Sometime later while in Monica’s office, Monica consoles Bridgette.

  “Vince is an idiot, and he doesn’t deserve you. You deserve better. I was going to wait, but they said, I can bring someone to run my office.” Monica said.

  “In Chicago?” Bridgette asked.

  “I’m not gonna lie, it’s very cold there but if you are up to the challenge, please think about it and get back to me okay?” Monica said hugging Bridgette.

  A few hours later, Bridgette runs into Beth.

  “Hey Beth, still working?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Trying to impress your new boss?”

  “You should have gotten the job,” Beth said.

  “It’s actually quite refreshing, not getting what your heart is set on twice in a day. Frees you from all expectation.”

  “Listen, Bridgette, about the internet guy,” Beth said

  “Last thing I want to do is talk about that man.”

  “Bridgette…”

  “I refuse to dedicate one mor
e minute on that man. But I will say this, I got to him. That much I know.”

  Meanwhile, Beth confused decides to avoid dealing with Sean. He wasn’t quite sure what to do about him or Bridgette, and despite his calls, she never picks up:

  Beth, it's Sean. I think we should talk. So uh…just call me whenever you’re ready. Okay, bye.

  That weekend, he decides to meet up with Bridgette and Kyle to teach him how to play basketball until Sean is worn out and takes a break to sit on the bench next to Bridgette.

  “He’s going to really miss it here when we leave,” Bridgette says.

  “What are you talking about?” Sean asked confused.

  “Chances are that I’ll take that job in Chicago.”

  “Wait, you might be moving?”

  “I haven’t told anyone yet, not even Kyle. But I’m just waiting for it to actually happen first.”

  “Right…okay. That’s uh, quite a surprise.”

  “I’m not exactly loading up my trailer just yet.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m gonna really miss that kid.”

  “Yeah, he’ll miss you too.” She said.

  “What’s the job?”

  “Maddison Hotels.”

  “What? We just made a proposal for them recently. We may get the gig.”

  “Whether or not I’m up there, I’ll be sure to tell Monica about it. I’m sure she’ll help you guys out.”

  “I meant that if I got the job, we might end up in the same city you know,” Sean said as he held Bridgette’s hand subconsciously.

  After their Monday mid-morning meeting, Luke approached Beth and Bridgette.

  “Hey, Beautiful.” He said.

  “Are you talking to me?’ Beth asks.

  “There’s a table waiting for us at lunch time.”

  “Nice. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  “Great! Looking good, Bridgette.”

  “Thanks Luke. Hey, what’s the deal with you and him?” Bridgette asked.

  “I don’t know. He likes taking me lunch, and he’s kinda fun.” Beth replied.

  “More fun than Sean?”