Page 4 of Coming for His Second Chance
"I did too, but life threw him some curve balls."
I'm about to ask my dad what he means, when my phone pings, and I look, finding a text from Grayson.
Grayson:You looked good, Starshine.
Me:You looked pretty good there yourself.
Me:So, contract work?
Grayson:Talking to your dad about me?
Me:Of course.
Grayson:Have dinner with me tonight?
Me:I don't know...
Grayson:Come on, let's catch up.
I put my phone down and find my dad watching me.
"Grayson wants to have dinner tonight and catch up," I tell him.
Dad stands, and so do I. We are walking down the hall back to the elevator, before he speaks.
"So, go have dinner with him. I think it will be good for you to catch up." Then, my phone goes off again.
Grayson:Come on, you know you want, too. I look even better out of my work clothes.
Oh, lord! I know he didn't mean it as anything dirty, but now, that image of a naked Grayson is in my head.
I do want to spend some time with him; to catch up and see what led to him getting out of The Army. An added bonus would be getting to know him better, and I wouldn't mind looking at him more, either.
Though, if a simple sentence can get me this hot and bothered, maybe going to dinner with him isn't a good idea. This isn’t how I should feel on a lunch with my dad.
I have Mom's journal, and one of my favorite quotes in it says, you’ll always regret the chances you didn't take. I don't want to live with regrets.
Me:Okay.
Grayson:Where should I pick you up?
I text him the address of the cabin I'm staying at.
"You’re going to go?" My dad asks, as we cross the street to a little cafe on base.
"Yeah, it’ll be good to catch up."
We place our order, and I grab a table and our drinks, while my dad waits for our food.
"I always liked Grayson," Dad says, as we sit down with our food. "What ever happened between you two?"
I never told him the real story. It would have caused more drama, and I just want Dad happy. If Linda and her mom make him happy, so be it. I may not understand it, but I accept it.
"Things didn't work out. I went off to school, he deployed, and we lost contact. When we reconnected again a few years ago, I was seeing someone and in school. We haven't really talked until now."
"Well, maybe this is your second chance. Your mother and I were together, because of a second chance. Don't be afraid to take it, because you might miss out on the happiest years of your life."
My mother died of breast cancer, when I was eleven. Though it was hard, it brought Dad and me closer. We bonded together and took care of each other, until he met Helen, when I was fifteen. They dated for a while, and then got married, when I was seventeen.
