The Big One (Second Chance Romantic Comedy)

by Katherine Hastings

  Knowing Liam had the money to help support me while I got settled in had lifted a huge weight off my shoulders, but I knew I wouldn’t want to take advantage of it and would need to find work sooner than later. It was just a matter of figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Something other than loving Liam, which was the easy part. Finding a passion that drove me like being a teacher still eluded me, but I hoped that maybe here, in Italy, I would find a job that brought me joy and gave me purpose again.

  After finishing my coffee, I realized the excitement from last night was still coursing through me, and a nap wouldn’t be possible. Looking around at the beautiful day, I decided if I was going to live in this city, perhaps I should take some time and explore it. I dropped my empty coffee cup back inside and stepped out to the side of the road, hailing a cab as he passed by. Slamming on the brakes, he jerked to the side of the road and pulled to a stop in front of me.

  “Hi, I’m Ellie. I want to see the city,” I said, climbing inside. “Can you take me around for a little while? Say thirty euros worth of driving?”

  His bushy eyebrows that matched his mustache rose as he eyed me in the rearview mirror. “Nowhere in particular, Miss Ellie?”

  I shook my head. “Nowhere in particular. Just take me by some of the sights. It seems I’ll be moving here, so give me the inside tour.”

  “What wonderful news! Welcome! I’m Luigi, and I’ll show you everything this wonderful city has to offer! I’ll show you all the secret spots for locals, since you will soon be one!” he cheerfully answered before stepping on the gas and sending me spilling back into my seat. This time I wasn’t frightened by the speed he moved through the streets. I was adjusting to the way these Italians handled their cars and realizing I was already settling in made me smile. This would soon be my home.

  We darted up and down streets and he pointed out all the history and hidden treasures of the city while I told him about me and Liam. He listened intently, smiling at all the stories and then telling me more about the city that would now be my home. Even though I had been here for several days, I was still in awe of the colors and architecture surrounding me. I hoped that over the years, seeing the city every day wouldn’t dampen the beauty that took my breath away. Knowing I would never grow complacent in my love for Liam, I felt hopeful my love for Italy would burn just as bright decades from now.

  “Here! You must try!” Luigi slammed on the brakes and this time I braced against the back seat and held my position. I was adapting to life in Naples and a proud smile pulled up my lips.

  “What is it?” I asked, peering out the windows at the busy city center.

  “This is Old Town Naples. Best street food around! You must try a slice of margherita pizza! That is Edmondo, he makes the best!” He pointed to the little man on the side of the street nestled into the rows of street vendors.

  “I’ll never say no to pizza! Would you like some, Luigi?” I asked while I stepped out of the cab.

  “I’ll tell you what. You grab me a slice of pizza and I will wait here for you for fifteen minutes free of charge while you explore!”

  “You have yourself a deal.” I smiled and headed to the little man on the street with the pizza that already smelled like heaven. After procuring two slices, I carried one back to Luigi in the car and he took it with a smile.

  “I’ll be back shortly,” I said, before turning around to explore this dynamic little spot in Naples. Stepping down the narrow but bustling streets, I nibbled on the pizza that was some of the best bites of food I’d ever had. If living in Naples means eating pizza this good, I would be crazy to leave, I thought while I savored another bite.

  Following the streets, I made my way through the carts selling bright fruits and crafts, and the smells were so heavenly I had to force myself to keep moving or I’d eat so much Luigi would need to roll me back to the cab. As I soaked in my surroundings, a woman leading a line of small children behind her like little ducklings through the busy street drew my eye. I watched them, drawn to the smiles on their faces as she took them from cart to cart, pointing out different foods and items, using the English word while she pointed.

  “Apple,” she said, and they all repeated it. “Orange.” Their little voices mimicked the sound and it made me smile.

  “Good job, children!” she praised them as they made their way toward me. There was a warmth about her, an openness that drew me in.

  “Excuse me,” I asked when she passed by. “Are you a teacher?”

  “Yes, I am,” she answered with a smile. When people used to ask me if I was a teacher, I would answer with a groan.

  “So am I,” I said before shaking my head and sighing. “Well, I was. I’m not anymore.” I suddenly felt awkward talking to her and wasn’t even sure why I’d stopped her in the first place. “Sorry to bother you. Enjoy your day.”

  She didn’t walk off, but instead stepped up in front of me. “You no longer teach?” she asked with her Italian accent, pushing a wisp of the dark hair that framed her olive-skinned face.

  “No, I don’t. I couldn’t hack it. When I did, I was a high school teacher and, well... teenagers.” I grimaced.

  “Oh!” She widened her eyes. “They are awful! You should try the small ones! They are like little sponges and so full of joy!” She reached over and pinched the cheek of a giggly boy at her side.

  Children. I’d thought about it, but I was so traumatized from teaching High School I’d run from any thoughts of teaching at all. But seeing her here and the way they stared at her with such wonder made me burst with excitement, and I felt that spark crackling inside again.

  “Do you speak Italian?” she asked while the children peered up at her, each hanging on every English word.

  “No. Not yet. But I’m planning on moving here, so I’ll be learning soon.”

  “Well, I teach English to Italian children, but I also give private lessons and would be happy to teach you Italian. Once you are proficient, perhaps you could use those teaching skills and start teaching English to the children? I have far more students than I can handle and have been looking for someone to help.”

  I stood stammering, struggling to comprehend the sudden turn of events. Teach English to Italian children? I had a lot to learn before that could happen, but I could teach again and begin making a difference. I could surround myself with children instead of teenagers and I felt the sparks of passion for educating ignite again. My heart beat a little faster thinking about it, and nostalgia enveloped me. I’d felt like this before I’d taken that job at the city high school. Exhilarated and excited. My head nodded before the words would form.

  “My name is Gianna. Here, take my card. Call me and we can get coffee and talk.”

  “Yes. Okay, yes!” My smile stretched so wide it hurt my cheeks. “I can’t believe I just ran into you here. I was just thinking an hour ago about what I would do for work here.”

  “Fate is funny, is it not?” She returned the smile and handed me a card she pulled out of her purse. “Please, call me. I would love to teach you Italian and then have you help me pass on the gift of language to all these little ones.” She rubbed the dark hair of the little boy clinging to her side.

  Looking down at them, my heart swelled at their round faces and inquisitive eyes. “Fate is very powerful,” I admitted and looked back at her. “I’m Ellie. I will be calling you, Gianna. Very soon.”

  “I look forward to it, Ellie. We will talk more. Now I’m off to fill these little minds with English words!”

  “Have fun!” I smiled and moved out of the way.

  “Come along,” she said, and they stepped back into line, following her as she continued pointing out objects and saying the English word.

  “Holy shit,” I mumbled to myself as I let the idea of teaching again back into my heart. Everything was snapping into place. Liam. Naples. Teaching. It was fate, and it was like all the stars had aligned just to bring me here. I took a big sigh and shoved the last of my delicious bi
te of pizza in my mouth. Turning a corner, I wiped the grease from my hands on the small napkin and veered to the garbage can at the end of the street. As I tossed it inside, I looked up and my whole body flushed with excitement when I saw him across the street coming out of a building.

  Liam. Fate. Somehow, fate had brought me to him again, and I smiled wide as I lifted my hand to wave him over. With my hand mid-air, I froze when I saw a woman race out behind him. She caught him by the arm, and I could see the tears streaking down her face. My heart hammered in my chest as I stepped back against the wall, peering out as he turned to face her.

  Her long black hair blew in the breeze and I swallowed hard while I took in her curves that would make Jessica Rabbit green with envy. I couldn’t understand the Italian words coming out of those full, red lips, but every now and then her outbursts would flood out in English. Even when she spoke in English, I had a difficult time following what she was saying with her strong Italian accent and her tearful voice. Liam stood quietly in front of her while she screamed at him, her small fists colliding with his chest in between heated sentences.

  “Please, Liam! You cannot do this!” she shouted in English and I tried to quiet my heart that beat so loud I worried it would drown her out.

  “How can you do this? I am your wife!” she cried, lifting her hand and pressing the shiny diamond in front of his face. Liam dropped his eyes to the ground and turned away, walking off without a word. The woman across the street watched him go and twisted the diamond ring on her finger with tears streaming down her face. I followed her eyes to see Liam one last time before he disappeared around the corner

  I stood frozen while I struggled to inhale my next breath. Wife? No. I must have misheard. There’s no way he’s married. Liam can’t be married. He can’t.

  I remained unable to move as I tried to process what she said, trying to find some other explanation for what I’d just seen. While scenario after scenario flew through my mind, each one sent my heart hammering faster when every answer ended with “he’s married.” As I searched harder for any glimmer of hope I’d misunderstood their interaction, she crossed the street toward me, sobs wracking her body. With tear-filled eyes, she stepped up onto the curb and cast a glance back to where Liam had last been. Her stiletto heel caught on a stone and she stumbled forward. For the first time since I’d seen them on the street, my body responded to my pleas to move. I caught her in my arms, straightening her back up again.

  “Grazie,” she said as she stood, her voice wavering with her emotions.

  Wife? No. I definitely misunderstood. There was no way Liam was married and I was currently standing beside his wife. But I needed to know. I had to know.

  “It’s okay. Are you hurt?” I asked while she fixed her dress.

  “I’m fine. I’m sorry,” she answered back in English.

  “Good. I’m glad you’re okay. And... was that your,” I took a deep breath while I pointed to where Liam had been standing, “husband?”

  It can’t be. Please don’t let it be real.

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded her head. “Yes. We had a... a fight and I’m upset. I’m sorry I ran into you. I... I have to go.” With a trembling lip, she forced a smile and walked away.

  There was no explaining it away now. She was his wife.

  Wife? When that word ripped through me, I could almost hear my heart shattering into pieces. Pain seared through my gut so hot that I could feel the butterflies succumb and burn up, their charred remains joining the shards of my heart that pooled in a place of misery so deep I knew they could never return. The air grew so thick I struggled to force down a breath, and I grabbed the edge of the garbage can for balance when my legs wobbled and threatened to give out.

  I started running. My heels clicked along the stones while tears burned from my eyes as I ran back through the streets that had looked so different just moments ago. Through hazy eyes I pushed through the crowds, struggling for each breath while I forced myself to stay upright. When I saw Luigi leaning on his car, the stream of tears erupted into sobs and he looked up, worry lining his face when he saw me running.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, moving toward me. I didn’t answer. Even though I hardly knew him, I launched myself into his arms. I clung to him, the agony racking my body while he wrapped his arms around me.

  “What is it, Miss Ellie? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”

  “He’s married,” I breathed, barely able to form the words. “Liam. He’s married.” I said it again, more to make it sink in than anything else.

  “Oh no, Miss Ellie. I am so sorry,” he said, stroking my hair.

  As my new reality sank in, I realized how inappropriate it was to be sobbing into the shoulder of the cab driver I’d only known for less than an hour. Pulling back, I wiped my eyes and sniffled. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m hugging you. I’m just so freaked out. I’m sorry.”

  “You do not need to apologize. My wife cheated on me. I have no tolerance for cheaters.” He scowled. “I am so sorry you were betrayed. You seem like a nice girl. Where can I take you?”

  “Home,” I answered, and the weight of that word punched me in the gut again. Just when I started looking at Naples as my home, even that was being ripped away from me. “I need to stop at my hotel and then I need to go to the airport.”

  “Whatever you need, Miss Ellie. Let us go.”

  He opened the door to the cab, and I climbed inside. We started down the road and I pulled out my phone. Nita answered and just the sound of her voice sent my lip quivering.

  “Well? How was it? What did you decide?” she asked excitedly. “Are we going to be visiting you in Naples?”

  “He’s married,” I said, the words barely a whisper.

  “What?” I could hear the protective infection in her voice rise.

  “I can’t talk right now but I need to come home. Can you figure out how to change my ticket so I can come home? The next flight. I can’t see him. I can’t. I need to come home. Today.”

  As much as part of me wanted to meet him face to face and pummel him with the weight of my anger, I knew one look in those eyes and he could unravel my resolve. Twist the truth to make me question what I’d just seen with my own eyes. Make me want to toss away my good sense and tumble back into his arms. No. There was no question. No uncertainty to be explained away with a lengthy conversation. Not after what I’d seen. Liam was a liar. A married liar, and I wouldn’t give him one second to suck me back into his web of lies.

  “Oh my God, Ellie. I’m so sorry. Of course. Just go to the airport and I’ll take care of everything. I’m so sorry, honey. We’ll be waiting.”

  “Thank you, Nita.”

  “Just get home safe. I’ll text you the flight details. I love you, Ellie.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Hanging up the phone I looked out the window with tear-filled eyes and said goodbye to the dream of Liam and my newfound dream of teaching in Italy. All I wanted now was take my shattered heart home and forget that Liam and this trip had ever happened to me.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Liam

  I finished paying at the grocery store, double checking I had everything on my list I needed to make my grandma’s famous lasagna recipe. Tonight needed to be perfect. I knew my mother would love her, how could anyone not? But would Ellie be all right living with my mother? It was a lot to ask, I knew that all too well, but even having her at an apartment seemed too far away. We had so much lost time to make up for and I didn’t want to waste another minute. However, that wasn’t what had me tied up in knots. Tonight, I also had to tell her about Sophia. After my meeting today, I finally had my answers, and I could move forward and tell her everything without a cloud of confusion and uncertainty hanging over us. Now I could only hope she’d forgive me for not telling her sooner.

  I tucked the bouquet of flowers under my arm and carried my bags back to the car. When I turned the key, I had it in gear within secon
ds, the drive to see her pushing my foot down to the floor. Traffic was backed up, and I drummed my fingers on the wheel, checking the clock to count the minutes again. One hundred ninety-two minutes had gone by since I’d last tasted those succulent lips. One hundred ninety-two minutes too long. The cars finally started up again, and I took a shortcut to avoid the worst of the traffic.

  When I saw the lights of her hotel, my blood pulsed in my veins the way it did only in her presence. I remembered the feeling well, and the first time I’d felt it that day at Wilson’s when I saw her. And it wasn’t just Ellie’s beauty that ensnared me... there were lots of beautiful college girls in Door County that summer. It was her. Her soul, her being, that special energy that radiated from her that collided with my own. When our eyes locked, the world slipped away. We were on our own little planet and now here we were again, and I still felt exactly like I had at eighteen years old.

  I used to count the minutes until I could get done with work giving sailing lessons to scoop her up in my arms and hear that infectious laughter. Seconds seemed like hours until I could taste those sweet lips and look into the depths of the eyes that enraptured me. While I put my car in park, the familiar flutter in my stomach started up and I struggled to keep from running up to her room. Forcing myself to walk, I carried my flowers to the elevator and pressed the button, tapping my foot while I watched the numbers count down. Those seconds felt like hours again and I blew out a breath when the doors popped open.

  I reached her room and rapped on the door, stepping back to smile into the peep hole. Despite the paper-thin walls, I didn’t hear movement from the other side. I knocked again, leaning against the door and listening. She must be sleeping, I thought and smiled. After pulling my phone out of my pocket I dialed the direct line to her room and listened to the phone ring on the other side of the door. Surely this would wake her.

  It rang and rang, and worry quickened my pulse now rather than excitement to see her.