Second Chance Summer

by Jennifer Perkins

  “How could I have been so naïve?” She thought back to when they dated, and the summers when they vacationed with their families, spending time at Pleasure Point beach, or jogging along the trails through the lush landscape. Pushing those thoughts aside, Mia decided to walk through the cottage with a pad and pen and make a list of what she needed to finally tackle with redecorating. Jotting down notes from one room to another, she made her way upstairs to the guest bedroom and looked past the slider, to the view beyond. Krista’s right. This room needs more of a beach look, and not one that reminds anyone of a country club.

  She put her notes on the desk and picked up a golf club. It was something her father had left behind after her parents divorced. She gripped the handle and remembered how her father had taught her how to properly hold it. Then she pictured herself making a hole in one. Before putting the club away, she walked out to the balcony, and breathed in the warm ocean breeze.

  Turning, she once again faced the familiar intruder. “What the hell?” Another drone, except this time it wasn’t as close. The drone flew up and back, just out of her reach. “Who are you?”

  The drone looked similar in style and size to the first one, but the color was different, and it looked a little fancier than the first one. Is it possible that this one belonged to someone else? Mia had to find out. She leaned over the balcony to see if she could see who was controlling it, when the drone made a fatal mistake and came too close. Mia raised the golf club, and in Krista’s words, she got a birdie. She ran down the stairs, guessing the drone would be on the ground like the last time, except today she was determined to find out who retrieved it, before they ran off.

  She picked up the mangled machine and several loose pieces fell off. She turned it over in her hands to try to determine if there was any identifying information on it. Made in China. Well, that wasn’t helping.

  “It’s you. You’re destroying my drones.”

  She turned, hearing the familiar voice. “Scott? This is yours?”

  “Was. It was my only replacement in case something went wrong with the first one.” He motioned to her club. “Of course we now know what happened to the first one. Why the hell are you whacking my drones out of the air?”

  “I, um,” She looked at the drone and then back to Scott before pointing the club at him. “What are you doing flying them above my balcony? Are you stalking me?”

  “No! Absolutely not.”

  “Then why did the first one disappear so fast? Why didn’t you stick around to find out who brought it down it the first time?”

  “I took it inside because I thought I could repair it.”

  Okay, she guessed that made sense. “But why are you flying drones over my balcony anyway?”

  “Your balcony? The owner gave me permission to fly my drones over the balcony to help evaluate if it’s structurally sound to make changes or remove it. This house belongs to Doug Bates.”

  “What? No it doesn’t. Doug isn’t the owner, I am. This was my aunt’s cottage. She’s in a nursing home and can’t take care of it anymore. I’m the only one in the family who wanted to refurbish it so I’m taking over the mortgage payments. We made an agreement. Everyone in my family knows this.” Everyone except for Doug. She’d never accepted him as part of their family, especially since no one was able to find much background information on him. Even her dad was skeptical, but since her mom seemed happy, the subject about Doug’s history was dropped.

  They both looked at the house. Mia realized it would need a little more than some updating. The roof was worn and probably wouldn’t last another year, the shady side of the siding was warped, the yard looked dead in too many places, and the driveway needed another layer of gravel before the weeds were out of control, which wasn’t too far off.

  “Hold on, I have something to show you. I’ll be back in a few minutes that is unless you want to come with me,” Scott called back and then took off toward the street. Across the street and three houses down, he walked into the familiar cottage that was smaller than hers but still held a lot of charm. She realized he hadn’t moved. He still lived here. Mia sprinted across the street after him.

  Following him inside, she placed the broken drone on his table and looked around. It was the same house she’d come to know and love. The living room walls were still a light cream color, the charcoal sectional was still in its place flanked by a black end table next to the wooden floor lamp, and the scenic beach pictures that she’d given to him for his birthday years prior held their place on the walls. She heard printing from his office and decided to see what he was up to. Standing in the doorway was like old times. Her gaze lingered on Scott, and all she could think about was dragging him into his bedroom and letting him explore parts of her that he hadn’t in a long time. She cleared her throat and waved her hand across her face.

  “If it’s too warm you can turn on the air conditioning.”

  “What? Oh, no. I’m good. So, what did you need to show me?”

  He gathered the printed papers and briefly looked them over before handing them to her. “This is the contract I signed to work on your house. That’s why I flew the drones over there. I was getting some ideas for expanding the deck and enclosing part of it.”

  “What?” Mia took a step back. “Contract?” She took a seat on a chair in his office and rustled through the pages. She looked at the last page and saw his signature, Scott Chase, in the steady, neat, handwriting that so few people practice. Below his name she saw scratching that was almost unrecognizable. Doug Bates. Her stepfather.

  “So, I’m open to listening to your ideas but you’ll need to run it past Doug first. Here’s what I propose.” He handed her several pages of architectural drawings and pointed to a specific page. “This is my favorite. If you notice, you can come out from the sliders to the screened section and from there, you can saunter over to the side. And here’s a staircase that leads to the backyard.”

  “I don’t need to change the second story and there’s already a door that goes to the back patio.” She placed the drawings on his desk. “There’s no need to add a staircase. Or even extend the deck. And I don’t want any part of it screened off.”

  “But—”

  “There. Are. No. Buts. It’s my house. It was offered to me. I’m already making payments on it.” Mia turned to leave. “And if you think you’re doing any work at the house, you better get in touch with a lawyer before you start. Especially since I didn’t authorize anything.”

  “Mia. Mia, wait!”

  With tears pricking the backs of her eyes, Mia rushed out of the house and down the street to her own. She didn’t understand how Doug could consider the house his own when she was already paying the mortgage. How is that possible? She knew it didn’t make any sense and she knew it wasn’t right to get mad at Scott. He was caught in the middle. She was angry at her stepfather when she hit speed dial on her phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Doug? Why do you have my mom’s phone? Never mind, put her on the phone.”

  “Is this Mia? Your mother rushed off to sign up at the new gym down the street. It just opened and they’re offering discounts for the first one hundred people who sign up. I guess she forgot to take her phone, but she’ll be back in no time. You know your mother and I haven’t seen you in a while. Why don’t you come to the house for dinner sometime?”

  “I don’t think so, Doug. Have her call me when she gets in. Please?” She wiped her eyes that were starting to tear, and put her phone down when she heard a knock on her door.

  “Mia,” Scott said as he walked inside her house as she had his. “I know you probably don’t like me right now, but I—”

  “It’s not you, Scott,” she interrupted. She noticed he had the contract in his hands and motioned to it. “That has my stepfather’s signature. I don’t know what he’s trying to pull.”

  “Doug Bates is your stepfather? I thought this place had sold. Actually, a lot of people thought the same thing. No o
ne came here for over two years, then Doug showed up and I don’t think anyone questioned him. I know I didn’t.”

  Two years. It was shortly after that time when her mother had remarried while on vacation in Las Vegas. A spur of the moment wedding at one of those drive through chapels, her mother claimed it was love at first sight and, without family around to talk some sense into her, she married Doug. Mia shook her head. “My aunt gave the house to me in exchange for taking over the mortgage. I’m the only one in the family who could, or even wanted, to cover the payments. She’s in a nursing home and can’t take care of this cottage anymore.”

  “So, what are you going to do about Doug?”

  “I have a call in to talk with my mother. I don’t really trust Doug and I’m going to get to the bottom of this. One thing’s for sure, I’m not letting him, or anyone else, call the shots and change any part of this house.” The room was eerily silent after her declaration. She noticed Scott looking at the contract in his hands. Shit. “How much do you already have invested in supplies?”

  “It’s no big deal,” he gave her a half-hearted smile before turning toward the door. “I should go. You can decide how you want to redecorate without my input. I’ll tell Doug I’m not doing the work. It’s no big deal.”

  “Scott! Wait. Please.” His eyes lost that sparkle she was used to seeing and it nearly broke her heart. Damn. He was most likely over extended on this job. Why did he have to look so sexy and exposed at the same time? “I’d love your input.”

  That seemed to stop him in his tracks. “Why?” He raised an eyebrow, so she crossed her arms.

  “Why not?” Two can play this game.

  FIVE

  Scott couldn’t help but laugh which made Mia smile. She oozed confidence and charm and he was eager to help her out, even if it meant taking a loss on the supplies he purchased that Doug insisted he needed to begin renovations. “So, where would you like to start?”

  Mia looked around and then shrugged. Scott took her hand and led her into the kitchen. It felt comfortable to hold her hand again; it felt right and he didn’t want to let go. They stood, not saying anything. Her hand was as soft as he’d remembered and he gently rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, but she stiffened and removed her hand from his.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He noticed how she rubbed her arms as though she were cold, but this was a warm summer day and she didn’t have the air conditioning running. Scott mentally chastised himself for making her uncomfortable, but at some point they were going to have to deal with their past. Obviously, they weren’t there yet. “So.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together hoping it was a good distraction from the awkwardness that suddenly crept into the room. “Do you have your own ideas or do you want my suggestions?”

  “You’re the contractor. Surprise me.”

  He decided to start with the easiest and least costly project. “First, I’d take down the floral wallpaper and paint the room a soft cream color. Wall paper isn’t in style anymore and I think a white on white color scheme with subtle accent colors, like blue, yellow, and red, would be the perfect nautical look.”

  “That sounds nice,” Mia added. “What about a kitchen demo? You know, with new cabinets, countertop, and maybe…”

  “Hold on, hold on. Before you decide to take down cabinets or anything else, you need to have a realistic budget in mind. I can help, but if you don’t have the money to make the right improvements, you’re wasting time and money. Do you have a source of income that can support the budget you’re looking at?”

  “I have a small startup software company. It’s struggling a bit, but I’ve developed an app that I think might help turn it around.”

  “Cool.” Scott hooked his thumbs in his belt loop and rocked back on his heels. “What does the app do?”

  “It’s a download that works with specific dating sites. Before going out on a date, you would enter in someone’s name from the dating site, and select the person’s picture. Then you should be able to find out all kinds of information. Their age, any social media websites they have, if they’ve ever been arrested, and a little about their work history. A personal resume of sorts.”

  He quickly assessed what she told him and blew out a breath. “You know, that could cause a few privacy issues.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She shook her head. “That’s why this is still in the development stages. Although I did get the go ahead from the dating company, I don’t know if it’ll be dropped because of privacy concerns.”

  “How about this? Hold off on any major redecorating. With a new company, especially one that’s struggling, you don’t want to get over extended.”

  “You’re right.” She looked down at her feet before facing him again. “I was hoping to avoid talking about a budget before tossing around some ideas.”

  “Hey. If something were to happen, and you had to sell, you could get a lot for this place or break even depending on the mortgage you have. But with smart spending you could get top dollar. From my observations, you’ll at least need to replace the roof and fix the siding on the shady side of the house.” He placed his fingers under her chin, brought her face to his, and kissed her on the nose. “Don’t worry. The house will be fine. You’ll be fine.”

  Like old times. It felt right.

  “Damn,” she said and pulled out her cell when it buzzed. “I have to take this. It’s my mom. She doesn’t always call back, and when she does, she doesn’t always remember. She gets confused sometimes.” Mia walked into the living room to take the call, and her tone sounded irritated. Her voice became louder and the tension she expressed became evident. “No, mom… That’s not what Aunt Cathy said. I don’t know why Doug told you that he owns this…Well, Doug’s wrong… Fine, you talk with her. And then remember to call me!”

  Scott wondered if it was really too late to talk about what happened years ago. He wanted to make it right; he wanted her back in his life. Although he wasn’t sure what set her off or why she’d refused to hear what he had to say about the red haired woman, would she be willing to listen now? He wasn’t sure if either one of them was ready to relive the past. He watched quietly as Mia put her phone in her pocket and stood in place staring out the front window. She turned toward him, her eyes glistened and she walked over to a far wall and leaned against it, as though she held back a dam. “You okay?”

  “Yes,” her voice barely a whisper.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “No.”

  “Okay,” Scott said.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay,” Scott said again.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Okay.” Scott walked up to her and hugged her close. He kissed the top of her head and when she wrapped her arms around him, he could feel her smile against his chest. Then they stood in silence for a moment before she removed herself from his embrace. He didn’t want to see her hurting and wanted to know what the phone call was about so he could make everything better, but being in the middle of a contentious family discussion wasn’t his place. At least not now.

  “So, shall we continue?”

  He cupped her face in his hands and brushed her cheeks with his fingers. “I’d love to.” And with that he brought his lips to hers and kissed her. Gently at first. Her tongue met his and then demanded more, and she raked her hands through his hair.

  “Scott,” her voice was breathless.

  “Mia.” He kissed the sensitive hallow of her neck and she moaned when his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts. He realized they crossed a line he hadn’t meant to cross, especially after she’d walked out on him thinking he cheated with the red head. He didn’t know where things stood with their relationship and wasn’t sure this was the right time to bring up the past. Was there a right time? Would there ever be?

  ***

  Mia pressed her body against him and kissed him like he was going away and never coming back. Her hands trailed down
his arms, and when she reached for his hips, he moved to accommodate her movement. One of her hands lightly brushed against his bulge, causing him to growl in response.

  While nibbling her ear, his hands moved over her breasts. “Baby, you make me so damn crazy. I want you so bad.”

  Her mouth was on his, and his touch sent a jolt of excitement through her. There was raw desire and heat between them, like old times. He tugged her shirt loose from the confines of her shorts and then grabbed her ass and pulled her close. She wanted him, too, but she couldn’t live with the fact that she’d caught him wrapped in the arms of another woman. Shit. Why’d her brain have to go there now?

  Mia stilled and brought her hands to his chest and fisted them on his shirt. “Scott, I’m sorry. I can’t. I can’t do this.”

  “Is it something I said? Something I did?”

  “No. I’m sorry. I just can’t.”

  “Okay. I understand.” But did he really? He placed his head on her shoulder and she felt his heavy breathing, his breath warm against her skin. He lightly kissed her shoulder and backed away and then turned toward the opposite wall. “Okay. Let’s see. I think we should paint this room a color that’ll compliment the kitchen since they’re close in proximity, even though it’s not an open concept.”

  “Sure,” she said. “You’re the professional. I trust you.” She didn’t miss the question in his eyes and how the awkwardness in the room suddenly became apparent. Is this what it was going to feel like being around him? She shook her head and wasn’t sure this was the right time to bring up the past. Was there a right time? Would there ever be?