Page 61 of First Chance

A BRAND NEW TV.

“Did you? When did you? Why?” I stutter as he comes back into the room. “Oh my. This is so exciting!” I clap my hands together before he can say anything, grabbing for the remote. Then pause. “I’m sorry, did you want to watch something in particular?”

He huffs a short laugh. “I got it for you. I wouldn’t even know what to watch.”

“For me?”

“Whenever you want, come over and watch your movies.” He hits a button on the side of the TV, and a DVD player pops out. “No more depression cave.”

“Lochlan,” I utter happily before launching up and giving him the biggest bear hug around the neck. I’m too happy to care that I’ve never actually hugged him before or that he might not have wanted me to.

I’m too happy to care that I’m hugging a man who made me feel a lot of warm, tingly things two days ago.

I needed a hug.

“Thank you,” I whisper genuinely. “This is the best gift ever.”

“Go get a movie, Jo. I’ll get your ice cream.” His hands caress my back as he steps away, avoiding eye contact… Bashfully?

“I’m going to cry!” I take off with more energy than I’ve had in months, sprinting to the guesthouse to get one of my favorite movies.

I get it set up, and when he hands me a bowl of ice cream, I stare at it for a full minute. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.

The smile stretches across my face as I look over at him sitting in the seat on the opposite side of the couch, then it morphs to confusion. “Are you eating cereal?”

“I don’t like ice cream.” He shrugs.

“I knew there was something wrong with you.”

He rolls his eyes. “What are we watching?”

“This, Lochlan Dane, is Pride & Prejudice.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Lochlan

“Idon’t get it.”

“What do you mean?” She looks so genuinely concerned, I can’t help but give her a hard time.

“She hated him. She told him to fuck off. Then she loved him because…” I raise my hands in confusion. “I don’t get it.”

“He was drawn to her from the very beginning. He looked at her in the ballroom. Did you see him look?”

“Then he called her ugly.”

“He’s a man, he was being dumb.” I don’t have time to be offended, or pretend to be, before she continues passionately. “He was in love with her. He helped her into the carriage, so he had a reason to touch her. His hand, did you see his hand?” She rewinds the movie to show me.

“I don’t get it.”

“Ahhh!!” She launches herself back onto the couch in distress and fake cries. “Did you enjoy it at all?”

I’ve never been someone who gets emotionally attached to fiction. I didn’t watch much TV growing up, only read a few books, and didn’t ever see a movie more than once. I could count on one hand the times I went to a movie theater.

“It was alright.” But if Jo asked me to watch a movie with her every single night. My ass would be here, ready with the remote.

“I should probably go home now,” she sighs, but doesn’t move.

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