Second Chances

by Younker, Tracy

  He finally parks the truck in downtown Wake Forest and comes around to help me out. I don't really need his help, but I'm not going to pass up on an opportunity for him to put his hands on me. “Do you like sushi?” he asks as he closes the door behind me.

  I shrug. “I don't know. I've never had it,” I tell him and he smiles. It appears that he likes getting me to try new things. The restaurant that we walk into looks every bit Japanese. Dark woods, bamboo everywhere, and paper lanterns, but all done in a very modern, upscale way. We are seated in a small, round booth tucked back in a corner and I can feel the hostess staring at my black eye. If she could only see beneath the scarf I'm wearing. As we sit down I like that he slides in right beside me, leaving no space between our bodies. He wants to be close to me the same way I do him, and this thought does funny things to the lower portion of my abdomen.

  “I hope this is okay. There are a ton of sushi places in LA, and it quickly became my favorite kind of food,” he explains as he leans his head closer to my ear.

  “I'll try anything once,” I reply and his head snaps to face me, startling me. His eyes are liquid azure, quickly becoming pools of onyx.

  “Really?” he asks. It's more a statement of surprise than it is a question and his lips curve up at one end. Of course, his mind would go there.

  “I would have thought you would know that about me by now,” I smirk wickedly back at him, letting my hand rest on his thigh this time. He sucks in a quick breath and his eyes flash. I have to fight back the proud grin that threatens to escape from knowing how I affect him.

  We're interrupted when our waitress comes by and gives us each a menu. She's a tiny, smooth, dark-haired Asian girl and she only sees one person in this booth, and it isn't me. She never takes her eyes off of Chase as she speaks and smiles and flirts her little ass off. Really, I'm sitting right here beside him, and not just next to him, but right beside him! He speaks the language of sushi and asks her questions about their specials, and they may as well have been speaking in Japanese for all I understand of what they're talking about. If my eyes were death rays, she would be leveled to a pile of dust by now. She finally turns to leave, even coyly glancing back over her shoulder at him. I raise my eyebrows and shake my head.

  Chase seems completely oblivious as he snakes his arm around my lower back and runs his nose along the column of my neck just beneath my ear. I shiver and pull away slightly. He cocks his head to the side and scrunches up one eyebrow. “What's wrong?”

  “Are you telling me you didn't notice our waitress undressing you with her eyes?” I ask in disbelief. It was so obvious, but maybe he's just used to that kind of behavior from women and doesn't even notice anymore. He shakes his head looking at me like I'm crazy.

  “She never even looked at me once, and I'm sitting right next to you. I can almost guarantee you that she'll slip you her name and number on the check or something,” I tell him, and he narrows his eyes at me for a moment.

  “Hayles, are you jealous?” he asks with a smirk.

  “Of course I am!” I hiss. I want to grab my glass of water and dump it over his head. His smile grows to a huge grin, and he leans in to press his lips just beneath my ear. I feel the warmth of his breath on my skin.

  “You're cute when you're jealous,” he whispers against my neck and I can tell that he's still smiling. “But you have nothing to worry about. In case you hadn't noticed, I wasn't even aware of her in that way. I don't even see any other girls anymore. They're invisible. I only see you, Hayles.”

  Okay, I am flattered. And I wasn't ever really mad, just astounded that a woman would act like that right in front of me. I'm new to this dating thing where I actually care about the guy I'm with, and I am floored by the audacity of our waitress. She picks that moment to return with a sushi menu that I guess Chase asked for. One of the perks of being out with Chase, and having the waitress eating out of his hand, is that I get to drink as well even though I'm just shy of nineteen. He orders us something called sake, going with my earlier exclamation that I'll try anything once.

  She brings our drinks in this cute little pottery vase-like thing with two matching shot glasses. I watch what Chase does and follow his lead. It tastes similar to a white wine I'd once had and surprisingly it isn't too bad. Chase just smiles at me while I continue to drink it.

  “So, do I actually get to see the rest of this surprise tonight?” I ask, and he chuckles.

  “Definitely,” he replies and he has this deep, contented expression on his face. The sake is warming my throat and belly and stripping down some of my inhibitions, so I get braver with my questions.

  “Do you think that I'll really be enough for you?” I ask sort of quietly and feel my cheeks burn instantly. I can't lift my face and meet his eyes; I'm so terrified by his answer.

  “What do you mean by that, Hayles?” he asks, obviously perplexed.

  “I mean, you've been with so many women. Do you really believe that I'll be enough now, especially considering my inexperience?” My face is absolutely blazing.

  He takes my right hand in both of his and holds it in his lap while he lowers his head to look me in the eyes. “Haylee, you're all I think about. I think about you as soon as I wake up in the morning. I think about you so much during the day that it's actually distracting. I dream about you at night. It's always been that way, even the four years we spent apart. I never stopped thinking about you from the time I first met you when my family moved into the house across the street. You've always been more than just my best friend. I was just too young then to do anything about it. Your inexperience is refreshing and endearing, but it certainly doesn't hold you back,” the corner of his mouth tilts up at that. “I know you can't understand because you didn't make the stupid mistakes that I did, but making love to you is so profoundly different and new to me. I honestly didn't know that it could be that way. I've never felt so close to anyone before as I do when I'm with you that way. There just aren't words deep enough to describe what I feel for you. So yes, to answer your question, you're all I want and need. I just hope that I'm enough for you.”

  His ice blue eyes are searing right through my soul, and my heart is pounding in my chest as he says those words. I feel beautiful, special, cherished, and I feel tears stinging my eyes at the happiness inside of me. The waitress returns to our table then with two small platters of sushi rolls. I'm not even hungry anymore.

  Once she leaves, Chase picks up his chopsticks and drops one of the pieces onto my plate for me. At least I know how to use chopsticks. I've eaten a lot of Chinese takeout in my life, mostly when Mom isn't home or when she is home but isn't really with it. “That's a California roll. It's really mild and most people start out with that.” I watch as he picks up one of the pieces with his chopsticks and dips it into a soy-wasabi mixture, and then pops the entire thing into his mouth. I do what he does, and after I stick the thing in my mouth, I realize just how large it actually is. I must have looked like a hamster with its cheeks stuffed to capacity. I'm trying to chew, but it's just so big. I start to snicker and Chase looks over at me. I can tell he is trying not to, but a laugh escapes his lips, and then I'm laughing and half choking on the giant wad of rice in my mouth. I get to laughing so hard that tears are rolling down my cheeks and I have to cover my mouth with my hand in case anything happens to fly out. I finally get the thing chewed and swallowed, all the while we are both laughing so hard that people are looking over at us.

  “Isn't there a knife to cut these suckers in half with?” I finally ask once my laughter has settled some.

  He shakes his head and just smiles at me. I'm glad I can be so entertaining. “You'll get used to it. What did you think though? Did you like it?”

  I have to think for a second. Had I really tasted it while I was fighting so hard to keep it from spraying out of my mouth? “It's good,” I tell him, and he places another piece on my plate and tells me what it is, because looking at it, you would never have a clue.

  “Y
ou can be honest, and if you don't really like it, we can go somewhere else,” he tells me. He's so sweet to take me somewhere to try something new and to offer to take me somewhere else if I don't care for it.

  “No, it's really good,” I tell him after I manage to fit another piece into my mouth and chew it up without spewing it all over. When we finally finish and the waitress brings over the check, still only looking at Chase with her little come-hither eyes. As soon as she turns, I reach out and grab the check. Chase leans over me trying to grab it from me. He thinks I'm trying to pay the bill.

  “This is a date, Haylee! I asked you and I plan to pay for it,” he hisses and, once again, patrons are looking our way. With Chase grabbing on either side of my body, it occurs to me that people probably think he's the one who gave me the black eye. I find myself wanting to shout at them that Chase would never do something like that, but I don't, I just glance at the back of the paper check.

  “Exactly,” I reply as I bring the paper back around in front of me. “This is a date, but she still felt it necessary to give you her name and number.” He looks surprised as he glances down at the back of the paper. Sure enough, our waitress is a grade A bitch.

  “That doesn't mean anything, Hayles,” he insistes. “I'm not interested.”

  “It's just rude,” I mutter, and I'm starting to feel like a petulant child. I'm jealous. I had been even when we were kids and some other girl would come up to him at the playground. He was my friend and I didn't want to lose him. I can remember thinking that sooner or later he would find a girl who was cuter than me or more feminine than me and he would stop hanging out with me. I guess the fact that he's sitting here beside me when I'm almost nineteen and he's twenty-one speaks volumes of his feelings for me and his trustworthiness.

  “But I'm leaving with you and that's all that matters,” he whispers right beside my ear making my shiver. As we stand to leave, I watch him set the paper down with the waitress' number on it and walk away. My heart warms and I remind myself that I am being foolish. I guess all the drama with Lexi has set me on edge.

  He helps me into his truck again and once he's inside, he pulls me over next to him. “I don't blame you for the way you feel,” he starts. “I know that if some waiter had done that to you with me sitting right there, I take his ass outside and beat the tar out of him.”

  I laugh, relieved that he can see my perspective and doesn't think I'm a total nutjob. “Thank you for dinner,” I smile and lean in to kiss him. I feel the warmth of his palm against my cheek, but I pull back slightly. He looks confused. “Now can I see the surprise?” I ask with a hopeful grin. I haven't forgotten.

  His head falls back a bit as he laughs at me. “Yes, Hayles, now the surprise,”

  I'm paying attention to where we're going. He's driven back toward the lake the same way that we had come, holding my hand in his lap as he drives. I have no idea what he could be surprising me with, and that makes the suspense even worse. Suddenly, before he turns onto the lake road, he pulls the truck over onto the shoulder. I look around quickly, but there's nothing around here. Chase turns toward me and unties the scarf from around my neck. My mind is racing, right along with my heart.

  “Do you trust me?” he asks in a soft, sexy voice with that half smile that lures every woman in.

  “Of course I trust you,” I tell him. It seems like a silly question, but I guess not so much in light of everything that has happened the last few days. He leans forward and places the scarf over my eyes, tying it behind my head. Oh. . . “Okay, that's not quite what I expected.”

  I can hear him chuckle beside me, and I flinch when the truck starts moving again. Being without sight makes simple things seem so different. “I just didn't want you to see until we actually get there,” he tells me, taking my hand into his lap again. We drive for a few more mintues. I can't say for sure how long, and I feel completely turned around. I've tried to keep track of which direction we've turned but it is impossible. The truck comes to a stop and he cuts the engine. My stomach knots. We must be wherever it is we're going.

  “I'm gonna come around and help you out,” he tells me and I hear his door open. Like a flash, I hear my door open, and he puts his hands on my thighs. “Ready?”

  “Yeah, but if I fall you better catch me,” I tell him, grinning. As I slide toward the door, he slips his arms around my waist and lifts me right out of the truck.

  “How's that?” he asks softly, his breath tickling my ear as he spins me around and then takes my left hand. We walk a few steps slowly. I can tell that we're walking on gravel as it crunches beneath my sandals, and we're walking down a slight decline. I think I can hear and smell the lake air, but I'm not sure about that. We stop walking, and I feel his body behind me. I bite down on my bottom lip as his fingers come up to untie my blindfold. The anticipation is coiling tightly inside of me.

  The blindfold slides free from my eyes and I have to blink a few times to adjust to the light. It's evening and almost dark, but we are standing in front of a house and a floodlight is pointed right at us. I don't recognize the house, and I look around a bit with narrowed eyes trying to determine what it is I'm looking for. I feel Chase move from behind me and come around where he can see my face. I'm sure I look confused as I look at him with one eyebrow lifted. I don't want to disappoint him, but I have no idea what I'm looking for here.

  He slides his hands into the front pockets of jeans, and his expression is pure pride. I'm dying here waiting for him to say something. “Surprise, Hayles. This is my house.”

  My eyes fly wide as I really begin to look at the house. It's a small, two-story, cottage-type house in excellent shape, painted a deep, barn-red color. I furrow my brow at him, and he smiles at my confusion.

  “How did you. . . ?” I start to ask. This is so far beyond anything that I had been thinking of as a surprise!

  “I looked into some real estate when I was here a month ago and kept in touch with a real estate agent when I got back to LA. I saw this place online, and I had Griff come over to check it out with my agent. I bought it and ordered all the furnishings online. I had Griff come over one day to unlock it when the stuff got delivered.”

  I am in shock for sure. I had absolutely no idea he was doing this! I guess I've never really given any thought to the fact that he wouldn't live in Griff's brother's bedroom forever. “Chase. . .that's. . .this is. . .amazing,” I whisper, still taking it all in. He takes a step closer, bringing him right in front of me. He reaches his hands up and places them on my arms.

  “I have a place here now. I'm here to stay, Hayles,” his light blue eyes are searching mine, but I find a lump forming in my throat. “I haven't shown you the best part though.” I don't think his face could beam anymore, but he lights up when he says it. He takes my hand, and we walk down a path to the back of the house. I'm trying to take it all in as we go. Since I don't have a clue where we are because of being blindfolded, I'm surprised to see the lake in his backyard. I shouldn't have been though. “You can't see it so well at night, but out there is a huge, partially covered dock and three separate lifts.” He's talking quickly and excitedly. I can tell that the backyard is large for a lake house, flatter than over where Griff lives and quite open. “I'm going to start a business here, Hayles. In my backyard. I'm opening a ski and wakeboard school.”

  I spin to face him, utterly floored. I don't know where to look first, what to think first. . .I just throw my arms around his neck and start to cry. I feel his chest shaking; he's laughing at me, but I can tell it's in a good way. I step back a fraction. “I'm in shock. . .I. . . this. . .holy shit.”

  He laughs again and pulls me back against his chest. “This was always my dream, and I'm finally making it happen. I want you and Griff to help me too. Brynn too, if she wants. I have my own place now. In Wake Forest.”

  I'm crying and laughing, and when I pull back again, I can tell that he is too. He wipes the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs and the look on his face melts my
heart. He's so happy, so alive, so proud. ”Wanna see inside?” I nod my head frantically. He takes my hand and we hurry back to the small front porch. His new truck is sitting in the driveway to his new house. I feel like I'm in the twilight zone.

  Chapter 35 - Chase

  I unlock the front door to my house; it's going to take some getting used to, saying that. I flick on the light beside the front door and look immediately to see Haylee's reaction. Her eyes are wide and wet from crying. I've never known her to be so speechless. She looks all around the living room, which is where you enter from the front door. I can't believe that Haylee is actually standing in my house. All of a sudden, my dog comes charging at us and I quickly grab his collar before he knocks Haylee right over.

  “Colt!” she gasps as she kneels down to stroke his fur. Haylee is the reason I have Colt. She'd found him with a bullet wound and had Dr. Michaels fix him up. She'd batted those long lashes of her baby blues at me and, like always, I caved and offered to give the dog a home.

  “He was my only friend for a while out in LA,” I tell her as she stands up again and begins to look around.

  “Chase, it's. . .beautiful,” she whispers, and I pull her along to the office and then into the kitchen. The place is newly remodeled, so the kitchen is all granite and stainless steel, sleek and modern. I had been nervous about ordering all the furniture online without seeing it to decide how it would fit, but I'm not a patient man, and I wanted it perfect when Haylee walked in. Everything had worked out well, and I still have a few things to get yet. Haylee releases my hand as she walks slowly around the small island in the kitchen, her hand trailing along the granite surface.