Page 18 of Irresistible Second Chance

“Huh?” He looked confused.

Great, now I was acting insane. “Nothing. I should go.”

“Go where?” he asked.

“Um, back to my place,” I said hoping around, looking for my shoe.

“Why? There’s plenty of room for you here,” he patted the bed beside him, tempting me with thoughts I had no business thinking. “It might not have views like the other house, but you’ll be way more comfortable here. Plus, you have immediate access to yours truly if you stay.”

I made a face, “How is that a perk?”

“You’re kidding me right, have you not seen what I look like?”

“Why are you so cocky?”

“Because I am and I know it annoys the hell out of you,” he stood up and came to stand in front of me. He had bed hair, without thinking I reached up and touched it. “Your hair is everywhere.”

“So is yours, but I’m not complaining. You were always sexy in the morning.”

He reached up and placed his hands on either side of my face, “Listen, I know you’re stubborn as hell and hate to burden others, but I need you to know that you’re never a burden, at least not to me. Let me help you. Get a little rest. Relax. Your job and your life will still be there tomorrow. Today, just let me take care of you.”

He dropped his hands from my face and said, “Deal?”

I told myself not to start crying. Chris was so sweet. I’d been insane to dump him. It was clear to me: he was the one who had gotten away. But he was here now and that’s all that mattered. I nodded, “I guess I could take a day to recuperate before braving the airport with only one good leg.”

“Exactly,” he said.

“But I really need to brush my teeth and take a shower. Do you have extra---”

“Anything you need is in the cabinet in the bathroom. And can you even take a shower in that thing?”

He was right. I’d forgotten about it so quickly.

“I think when my niece hurt her arm and had to wear a cast, Starr would wrap TJ’s arm with a plastic bag. Do you have a plastic bag around?”

He nodded, “I’m sure I can find one. My mom was a plastic bag hoarder and I’m afraid I hoard them too,” he said coming back a few minutes later.

“How’s Starr, by the way?” he asked as he started to wrap my leg in the plastic bag. He had duct tape as well and began working on making a waterproof cover for my cast.

I smiled thinking about her. She would say I was a walking disaster when she saw me. “She’s good. Happy.”

“That’s great. I haven’t seen her in a while but now I come across her face on my social media every other day. She’s kind of famous.”

“Who would have thought one random elective class she took in college about horticulture would turn into a hobby and then a full-fledge business, right?” I shook my head in disbelief, “She turned her gardening hobby into a big business almost overnight. Her marketing skills through social media are impressive. I think her clientele are all B-list actors. She makes more than me now.” I couldn’t help but feel proud of her. She had a rough go at it, and mom leaving had upset her more than anyone else. “And of course, the girls are right along with her. She takes them everywhere with her. Literally. They’re like her mini-mes.”

He laughed, “I’m happy for her. It’s totally unexpected, that’s for sure. I know she had your father worried for a few years there.”

I nodded, “Having your teenage daughter run off and marry some internet stranger is enough to give even the most understanding fathers a heart attack.”

“Is she still with him?”

“With Johnny?”

I shook my head, “No, they’re divorced. He’s off pursuing some new career. I think this time it’s music. His parents are rich enough to fund his flights of fancy.” Thankfully, they were also kind enough to help Starr with the bills before she was able to make it on her own. They’d been equally horrified when their son showed up married when he was barely out of his teens. I didn’t fault Johnny for being an idiot. My sister’s ex-husband was a puppy dog. He couldn’t make a decision to save his life because everything excited him, and he had a lot of growing up to do. He was playful and sweet, but also unreliable and fickle. When he did see his girls, they had the best of times. It was just sad that those times were few and far between. My dad filled in for where Johnny failed. He was the stable father figure they needed. He was used to filling the shoes of an absentee parent. Growing up, he’d had to fill both mom and dad shoes. For years, mom would be ok, and then one day she would just disappear and be gone for weeks, a month, without any word. Until finally, she just never came back home. It was actually Chris’ mother who tracked her down eventually. They had been friends since high school, and she hadn’t given up on my mom, but I had.

At first, I had been upset when she would go missing for months at a time, but then I had become accustomed to it, I guess as accustomed as one can get to being abandoned, and I grew numb to her disappearing acts. When Mrs. Covington had took to me to see my mom once in rehab, I found I barely recognized her or had anything to say to her. I heard she had done rehab again and was now sober. I hoped for her sake, it worked out this time, but I didn’t have the emotional wherewithal to think about her. She was my pain point.

“How’s your mom doing?” Chris asked, as if reading between the lines of my silence.

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