Love's Second Chance (Second Chances Series)

by L. P. Dover

  “But you already ate, Jenna,” I said with an edge to my tone. I knew she clearly understood what I meant by that tone, but she smiled and quickly peeked over at Galen before looking back to me.

  “It’s okay,” Galen interrupted, looking at his brother and my traitorous friend. “I’ll keep her company. She’ll be safe with me.” For some reason I didn’t believe him. No part of my body was safe with Galen around.

  He lightly grasped my elbow and led me to a secluded corner of the room, where we sat on a vacant sofa. “I’m so glad you came. Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.

  I nodded while taking a sip of my champagne. “I am actually. It’s the first time I’ve been out in a while. You seem to be doing very well for yourself,” I pointed out, looking around the room.

  Shrugging, he smiled. “I’m managing pretty well I guess.”

  “I’m actually impressed with the setup you have here. I bet your employees love you! I mean, look at them,” I said, watching the crowd. “They seem happy, all smiling and laughing.” I paused because I was rambling, and Galen knew that rambling is what I do when I get nervous.

  He laughed and took my hand. “Korinne, you don’t need to be nervous.” My face turned scarlet red in that moment, so I bowed my head and bit my lip to hide the embarrassment. Galen released my hand and settled it on my leg. His fingers brushed my thigh and it made everything inside of me burn hot. Shifting in the seat, I cleared my throat and moved over a little bit on the couch so I could have more space.

  Meeting his steady, yet amused, gaze I found my voice to speak again, something to get my mind off of his touch. “How does it feel to be owner of one of the most sought out architectural firms in the United States?”

  Galen shrugged. “When my dad died it was hard, but it was a learning process. I seem to be doing well I think.” He tilted his head to the side and studied me. “How about you? I’ve heard some amazing things about your talents. I believe I saw you in a couple of magazines, if I’m not mistaken.”

  I grinned. “Yes, that was me. It feels like that was a long time ago.” We sat there in silence for a moment, and I hesitated before I spoke my next words. “You know, I always wondered if I would hear from you,” I said softly. Averting my gaze, I took a sip of the champagne. I would have loved to work for M&M, but given mine and Galen’s past, I knew it probably wouldn’t have been such a good idea. I didn’t think Carson would’ve liked it if I worked for a man I used to be in love with.

  “I did,” Galen admitted.

  Choking on my drink, I coughed a couple of times as his admission sunk in. “What do you mean? When ... how?” I sputtered.

  Deep in thought, Galen rubbed his smoothly shaven chin and looked down at the floor. “If I’m not mistaken, it was about four months ago, but I was told you had taken a leave of absence. I’m assuming it was after your husband passed away.”

  “That’s true,” I confessed sadly. “But who did you speak to? I never knew you called.”

  “I believe it was your mother. I didn’t want to pry, so I left you be in hopes that one day you would get back to me,” he added.

  “My life was a bit harder back then,” I stated. “I left Charlotte and moved to Charleston to stay with my family for a while.”

  “Are you back in business now? We could always use your expertise,” he said while playfully nudging me in the side. I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood.

  I smiled at his playfulness, but I knew my eyes showed the sadness I felt. “Actually, I’m not decorating at the moment. I just don’t feel like I’m ready,” I admitted softly.

  “I understand. Take all the time you need, but when you do decide to start back, make sure you let me know,” he pleaded.

  I smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Galen laughed, and I saw the dimple in his left cheek that I used to always love back when we were in college. My fingers ached to touch it, and I almost brought my hand up to do just that. Luckily I caught myself in time and clasped my hands firmly together. It all brought back memories. Memories of a time when we were carefree and happy and of a time when we were always together. Galen sidled closer and reached for my hand again. His hands were warm, and that warmth travelled to every nerve ending of my body. I missed having a man’s touch, and Galen’s was one I remembered very well. Wait, what was I thinking? I shouldn’t be feeling that way. I couldn’t let myself fall for someone again, even if that person was a man I’d already fallen for once.

  Jenna and Brady were heading our way and I couldn’t have been happier. I feared what my traitorous heart was going to do if I stayed there with Galen much longer. “Kori, it’s getting late. I think we’re about to leave. Are you ready to go?” Jenna asked with a smirk. Letting out a relieved sigh, I quickly stood and moved away from Galen. Jenna saved me from getting too close. It’s too dangerous to be that close to him.

  “I can drive you home if you want to stay,” Galen insisted.

  My heart screamed for me to stay, but my head was telling me to leave and never look back. I glanced from Galen to Jenna. They both appeared hopeful, but I knew I was about to burst both their bubbles.

  “I’m a little tired. I think I’ll go home,” I revealed sheepishly.

  “I’ll be out of town for the next three weeks, but I would love to give you a call when I get back. Maybe we could have coffee or dinner?” he suggested. Galen searched my face for an answer, but I kept my expressions blank. My emotions were everywhere and I didn’t know exactly how I was supposed to feel. It was all so confusing.

  “We’ll see,” were the only words I could muster up.

  “Whenever you’re ready,” Galen offered. Smiling at him, I turned around to follow Brady and Jenna to the elevators. Before the doors closed, the last thing I saw were Galen’s piercing blue eyes staring straight into my soul and into my heart.

  Chapter Five

  Three weeks had passed with no word from Galen. In a way I secretly wished he would call, but I also thought it would be good if he didn’t. Our relationship was full of heat and passion when we were together, and I knew that if we picked up where we left off years ago there would be no protecting my heart. My phone buzzed, and I saw that it was a text from Jenna.

  Twink: Has he called yet?

  Me: Nope.

  Twink: Give it time, I’m sure he will.

  Me: It may be best if he doesn’t.

  Twink: Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that.

  My phone rang only a few seconds after the last text, so I was assuming it was going to be Jenna trying to argue with me. Unfortunately, I didn’t look at the caller ID before answering the phone.

  “Leave me alone about it, Jenna!” I screamed into the phone.

  “Korinne?” a deep, male voice said on the other end. I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the number, not recognizing it, but I would know that voice from anywhere.

  “Hi! Yes, this is Korinne. I’m sorry about yelling in your ear, but can I ask who’s calling?” I asked, trying to sound like I didn’t know who it was.

  “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten about me already?” he teased.

  “Galen?” I asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yes, it’s me. I told you I would call when I got back in town. Did you not believe me?”

  “Honestly? No, I didn’t think you would,” I confessed.

  “Would you have preferred I didn’t?”

  I hesitated. “No, it’s not that.”

  Galen sighed in disbelief. “You know me better than that, Kori. It may have been years since we’ve talked, but I’m still the same.” Hearing that confession, and the way his voice sounded deep and masculine with a hint of desire and longing, made my heart feel things it shouldn’t have been feeling. “Hey, listen … what are your plans for tonight?”

  I paused for a few seconds before I responded, “Umm … nothing I don’t think.”

  “Great!” he exclaimed. “I’ll pick you up at seven o’cl
ock. Oh yeah, make sure to wear comfortable clothes. A T-shirt and jeans would be perfect.” He sounded excited, and I admit I was curious. He was always fun and spontaneous, and I remember loving that about him.

  “Galen, I don’t know what your intentions are, but I’m going as friends. I hope you understand.” He had to know that we couldn’t pick up where things left off.

  “Korinne,” he spoke softly. “I understand more than you know. I’m perfectly fine with taking things slow. Let’s just go out and have some fun. We could both use it.”

  “Then it’s a deal,” I agreed happily, and at least for the time being I knew I was safe.

  Galen arrived on time to pick me up and I was surprised to see that he came in the old blue truck he had when we were in college. I couldn’t believe he still had it after all those years. “With all the money you make, I would think you could afford a newer car,” I teased.

  He scoffed playfully and caressed the dashboard. “You can’t tell me you didn’t miss ole blue.” The corner of his lip curled into a smirk and he turned to look at me. “I do have other cars, Korinne, but I thought you would enjoy seeing Big Blue again. He’s been kept away for far too long.”

  “I don’t care what car you drive, Galen. Big blue is perfectly fine. It gives you character. Most men with your money would be flaunting it around like crazy and using it to impress people. You’ve never been like that, and I’m glad you aren’t now,” I admitted whole-heartedly.

  He smiled warmly at me, and for the rest of the drive we continued on in silence. It didn’t take long before we reached our destination. Peering out the window, my jaw dropped the instant I saw the sign on the building. I then understood why he told me to wear jeans and a T-shirt. It was because we were at an indoor race track.

  “What exactly are we doing here?” I asked, curious and bewildered. The race cars at that place were known to be fast and powerful. Surely he wasn’t expecting me to race one. Galen must have noticed my hesitance, because he grabbed my hand and tried desperately not to laugh at me. He failed miserably.

  “Trust me, you’ll be fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but it’s really fun. You’ll enjoy it.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and to my surprise I leaned into his touch. That reaction was not what I was expecting, but what really concerned me was that I actually liked it. Get it together, Korinne, I thought to myself.

  No words were spoken as we both smiled at each other before getting out of the truck. Grabbing the two duffel bags out of the backseat, Galen carried them with us inside. We made it to the counter and were given disclaimer forms to fill out before we rode. If I was scared before, this made me even more anxious. Squeezing my shoulder, Galen whispered in my ear, “You’ll be fine. Just relax and have fun, okay?”

  Taking a deep breath, I gave him a nod before signing my life away on that dotted line. “If I die, I’m going to haunt you in your sleep,” I promised.

  He laughed. “Stop being dramatic. They have to make everyone sign those forms just in case something did happen. As far as I know, no one has ever gotten hurt here.”

  I used to not think twice before doing stuff like this, but after Carson’s accident there was always the fear that something could go wrong with anything I did. I knew it wasn’t a way to live life, but I felt more comfortable taking the safe road. When it was time to pay, I reached into my back pocket to pull out my money. Galen pushed me out of the way and laid his own money out for the guy at the counter. When I scowled at him he laughed.

  “Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t pay?” That earned him a smack on the arm and a low growl from me, which in return I was graced with a smug expression.

  “I can pay for myself you know. I don’t expect you to pay for everything,” I argued.

  “You haven’t changed a bit, have you? You used to say the same thing to me when we were in college,” he pointed out.

  “I remember,” I said, laughing. “I felt bad for you paying all of the time.”

  “I tell you what, next time you can pay. How does that sound?” Galen asked.

  Shaking my head, I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s no use. You’ll still find a way around it.”

  “Not if it means I get to spend more time with you. It’s been so long, and I want to catch up,” he admitted.

  “We’ll see,” I told him. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear everything about my life.”

  “Actually, I do,” he said, looking deeply into my eyes.

  I averted my gaze from his hypnotic stare and asked, “So what do we do now?”

  Taking my arm, Galen directed me into another room where there were gray jumpsuits of various sizes hanging on the racks. “We need to get you fitted for your jumpsuit,” he advised.

  “Do I have to take my clothes off in here?” I shrieked. I was definitely not going to undress in front of him.

  Galen shook his head and laughed. “No, you put it on over your clothes.”

  “Whew … thank goodness.” I sighed.

  After getting fitted for our jumpsuits, Galen finally opened the two bags he brought in with us, which happened to be motorcycle helmets.

  “Are you trying to tell me you ride motorcycles now, too?” I asked incredulously.

  “Maybe. Would you want a ride some time?” he asked, giving me a wicked smile. It seemed like Galen had gotten a little more adventurous over the years.

  “No, not really.” I shivered when I spoke.

  “Very well, but I think you would like it if you gave it a try.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  As we waited for our turn to drive, Galen inched closer to me so our arms were lightly touching. It had been a while since I’d been this close to a man, and what made it more complicated was that Galen wasn’t just a man, he was a man that I had fallen in love with and become intimate with many years ago. There was a past there that I couldn’t escape from. The heat from his closeness sent tingles shooting straight through my body. Even the barest of touches had me yearning for more. How could I want the feel of a man so badly? Had I been deprived from a man’s touch for too long, or could it be that it was Galen’s touch I craved?

  “So what are you going to do now that you’re back at home?” he asked, breaking me away from my dangerous thoughts.

  “I haven’t really thought about it,” I confessed truthfully.

  “If you want, you could always come to the firm and I could show you around. I think you would like it. Maybe it would inspire you if you saw some of the things I was working on.”

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you’re trying to persuade me to get my mojo back and go work for you.”

  He smirked, “Maybe … is it working?”

  “All right you two, you’re up!” We both turned to see the guy from the front counter waving at us and pointing to the cars. It was our time to race. When I climbed into the car, I had no clue how to strap myself in.

  “How do all of these straps work?” I asked Galen. He rolled his eyes playfully at me and helped me fasten my harness.

  “Our conversation isn’t over, Korinne. You may have dodged me now, but I’m not going to give up on you. You have a talent and I’m going to make sure you find it again,” he promised before leaving me to settle in the car beside me. His words sent chills down my body. If he could help me find what I’d lost that would be wonderful, but at what cost? My heart would surely be in jeopardy.

  Glancing over at me, Galen smiled before he lowered the tinted visor on his helmet. Thinking of work would come at another time, right now I had to focus on one thing, and that was trying my best not to look like a moron by driving off the track. Lowering my visor, I gripped the steering wheel with all my might. Blisters were going to be all over my hands and fingers once we were done. When the green light appeared, we were off. I was shaky at first, and definitely took the turns with ease, but the adrenaline of the race had me pumped and squealing with delight. I never expect
ed to feel that. Each second I got closer to Galen, he would go faster and take off without me. He kept taunting me by slowing down and letting me catch up, only to speed away and leave me in the dust. He was going to pay for that next time when I’d had a little more practice to get better.

  With my arms crossed at the chest, I eyed him with a determined stare. “I will beat you the next time we go back,” I warned him.

  Galen laughed. “I promise to take you back to give you another chance. You didn’t do too bad your first time. With more practice I think you could beat me.”

  “I know I can beat you.”

  We both laughed, but when we pulled up to my condo, the excitement I was feeling turned into full-out nervousness. I had never thought about what would happen at the end of our night, which was when normal couples usually kissed before ending a date. We weren’t a couple, but we used to be, which made it more complicated. My heart fluttered a million miles a minute when he turned the engine off. Clearing my throat, I intentionally avoided his gaze.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll walk you to your door,” he insisted.

  Turning to him quickly, I said, “Oh no, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can manage by myself.” I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. Is it hot in the car, or is it just me? I wondered. Breathing became harder when I realized what the problem was. I was afraid. Afraid of what this relationship would mean if I gave into it.

  “I know you can manage by yourself, but I want to. I always walked you to your door before.” He gave me his enchanting smile, and like the idiot I was it lured me in.

  “Yeah, but we were in college and it was never safe for the females to walk alone at night on campus,” I said, trying to open the door. Big Blue was always a pain to get out of. Exiting the car, he swiftly came over to my side to open the door. “Thank you. I don’t think Big Blue wanted to let me out.” I laughed.

  “He never did,” he admitted softly. I could feel the hidden meaning behind those words, but I didn’t address it. We walked side by side up the steps to my third floor condo, and the whole way up I gripped the keys tightly in my hand to keep them from shaking. When we reached the door I made no attempt to unlock it for fear that if he came inside there would be a chance he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.