Free Love's Second Chance (Second Chances Series) by L.P. Dover

Carson. He was one of our best. His accident was such a tragedy. It hasn’t been the same around here with him gone. I know his wife took it really hard when it happened.”
    “I’m sure she did,” I said.
    “I know everyone will appreciate this, son. If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know,” Richard suggested.
    “Will do, Richard. Tell your wife I said hello.”
    “I sure will. She’ll be glad to know you called, and she also knows what this weekend is, too. Sarah mentioned it the other day.”
    I chuckled. “I knew she wouldn’t forget.”
    “She never does.”
    “Take care, and I’ll speak to you again soon,” I said before hanging up. Sarah was Richard’s wife and a wonderful woman. Every year she would make my favorite cake for my birthday … red velvet. This coming weekend happened to be my birthday, and I was going to be thirty-one years old. Sometimes I felt older.
    A knock came at the door and Rebecca poked her head in. “We had another client call and put in a request for Mrs. Anders. Have you asked her yet if she’d come work for us?” she asked me curiously.
    Shaking my head, I replied, “No, not yet. I don’t want to push her or make her feel pressured. I sort of tried once before and failed.”
    “I understand that. Maybe you tried too soon.” She sighed. “Does she not realize how amazing she is? We have clients every day wanting her to decorate their homes. She would be an amazing asset to the company.”
    “She would be worth more than just a mere asset, a whole lot more. I’ll talk to her this weekend about it.”
    Rebecca smiled while chewing on her pen. “Something tells me she’ll accept. She may be hurting, but I think she is stronger than you think.” Rebecca gathered the blueprints of our future projects and left my office. Soon, I was going to offer Korinne the one wish she’d wanted since she started her career. I just hoped she would accept it.
     

     
    The phone rang before I even got out of my car. When I saw who the caller was, I couldn’t stop the smile that took over my face. “I thought I was going to call you,” I said into the phone.
    Korinne laughed. “You did, but I had to ask you something. Or better yet, I had to tell you something because I’m not going to take no for an answer.”
    “Ah, I like this side of you. Tell away then,” I teased, curious to know what she was up to.
    Korinne shrieked excitedly, “We have plans this weekend just me and you!”
    Her excitement had me smiling from ear to ear. “Do we now? What plans might that be?”
    “I’m surprising you this time! Pack a bag, because we’re going out of town for the weekend. I’ll pick you up tomorrow after you get off of work.”
    “I’ll be waiting,” I murmured.
    “Great! I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said excitedly before hanging up the phone.
    Now that was the Korinne I knew peeking out of her shell. She sounded like the happy and care-free girl from the past, but somehow I couldn’t help but be wary. Was she really happy or was it a front? Maybe things would turn around for us after the weekend. Spending more time together alone would surely help. Getting away with her was going to be something we both needed, and now all I had to do was wait for that time to come. Of course, the time wasn’t going to move fast enough for me.
     

Chapter Nine
     

     
    By four in the afternoon my bags were packed and loaded in the car, and I was just waiting for the text from Galen saying he was ready to go. I’d been waiting on him to mention it was his birthday this weekend, but he hadn’t yet. Taking him away was my gift to him, along with something a little more intimate I planned on giving him.
    Galen was my first real love. He made me feel special and understood, and never once had pressured me or belittled me in any way. He was always supportive and full of life. There was never a dull moment when he was around. When my phone rang a few seconds later,