Page 10 of Her Second Chance

I nod, digging in my purse for a pen and something to write on. I jot down my number on an old receipt, signing my name with a heart. Our fingers touch when he takes the paper from me, and I shiver. He grins at my obvious reaction to him, but I notice the reaction isn’t one-sided. He’s as affected by me as I am by him. The way his nipples stand tall on his pecs and pink crawls up his neck tells me he feels what I’m feeling.

Pretending I didn’t feel his touch all the way down to my toes, I give him a pointed look. “You better call me. My taste buds are set for surf and turf. I’ll be terribly disappointed if you don’t follow through.”

“I’m going to call you. But, just so you know I’m serious, plan on meeting me right here tomorrow promptly at 4:41 PM.”

“Why 4:41?” I mash my lips together to keep from grinning. His charms are definitely not lost on me. That supermodel is one lucky woman. I shake my head. Why am I jealous? It’s not like I have a future with Brock.

He shoves his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “We need to get in the line before the offensive line does, or there won’t be any food left.”

I laugh. “I’ll see you then, Brock Martin.”

He takes my hand, kissing my knuckles. “I look forward to it, Hannah Carpenter.”

I remove my hand from his before I do something stupid like mount him here and now. Instead, I head into my dorm, feeling Brock’s eyes on me the entire time.

When I get into my room, I catch my reflection in the mirror. I’m wearing a goofy smile, and my face is flushed. Brock Martin is definitely good for my self-esteem. This do-over is going to be fun.

Brock

Hannah’s so vibrant and her personality is so bold it would be easy to forget how small and fragile she is. The moment I first laid eyes on her, everything about being with her felt right. It was clear to me fate brought us together. I wanted to protect her, to keep her safe from the evils of the world. Unfortunately, I’m learning all too well I can’t always be a hero. Even now, as I watch the internal battle waging inside her, there’s nothing I can do to soothe the tension behind her eyes.

When I spoke to Dad earlier today, he reminded me I have to let things happen on their own time. That includes Hannah. Everything in me says I have to fight for her, and my instincts are usually right. Trusting my gut makes me a great quarterback. Still, it doesn’t make waiting any easier. I have keep reminding myself to be patient.

There’s just one problem. I’ve never been a patient man.

Chapter 4

Hannah

“Tell me again why we’re sneaking around the back of the house to get into the party?” Grace hisses, sidestepping a puddle that’s most likely urine since the rest of the yard is bone dry.

I try not to gag. College guys are disgusting.

“I told you.” I whisper back, frustrated she still doesn’t seem to get it. “Jason and his roommate are already back here. I want to approach him before that Misty girl gets here. She has a crush on him and she’s why we broke up the first time. Jason and his roommate threw a party when I was out of town. I came back and found out she spent the night at their apartment. I was convinced Jason had sex with her, even though he swore he didn’t. That was the beginning of the end for us. Once I stopped trusting him, we fell apart.” Though now that I think about it, why was I so adamant they slept together? What clues did I find that I seem to have forgotten? And why does that memory seem so hazy, like it belongs to someone else? Shouldn’t I remember breaking up with the love of my life better?

She nods as if what I just said wasn’t completely unhinged. “In the future’s past?”

God, I love Grace. She may not believe me, but at least she doesn’t act like I’ve lost my mind.

I grab her arm, pulling her close to the house. “There he is.”

“Where?” Her voice is so loud everyone in the yard turns to look at us. Jason included. She grimaces, shooting me a pained look. “Sorry.”

I sigh. “It’s okay.” And really it is. I’m not mad at her. I’d just hoped to have a sexy entrance, so he’d be enraptured by me when I walked up to him. Instead, I look like a stalker, hiding in the bushes. Great.

I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

I sidle up to Jason, who’s gone back to his conversation with his roommate, and place my hand on his arm.

“Hey,” I say. “Jase, right?”

He nods. His smirk tells me he sees right through what I’m doing. “That’s what my friends call me.”

“Is it short for something?”

“Jason.”

I wait to see if he remembers my name, but if he does, he doesn’t say it. Come to think of it, maybe I didn’t tell him. “I’m Hannah.”

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