Free Second Chance by Audra North Page A

made of compressed air. “Are we still talking about Collin?”
    “No.” It came out small and weary, and in that second, Marnie realized that, in so many ways, she’d been like Bill. Needing to prove herself, somehow. But that she never really had to, in the first place.
    She had let Collin go.
    She’d been a fool.
    “I always felt like it was my fault. First dad leaving, and then Mom’s cancer not getting diagnosed in time. I blamed myself for that, you know. For somehow…I don’t know. Not checking in on her enough. Or something. For so long, I felt responsible for her death. Like it was somehow my fault for her getting taken away from me, too.”
    Bill stared at her agape, looking horrified and contrite and awkward for the first time. “Hell. I’m sorry, Marnie.”
    “It’s okay. I—I needed to say it to someone. I’ve felt this way for so long and didn’t even realize it until just now. It makes sense that I pushed Collin away before he could leave me. I’d know it was my fault if he did that. I make everyone do that. I make—I make everyone leave.”
    “You don’t, Marnie. You know you don’t. Just like Etta didn’t make me leave by choosing to stay here. I chose to leave. I’m the one that broke us apart by doing nothing to show my love. That’s what I’m worried about for you. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did and have to spend eternity haunting a library.”
    Is that really what would happen? The very prospect spurred her to action.
    “I’m going to try to find him.” She stood up to go to her office, to get on the computer and look up his name and development company, but she’d barely taken a step when someone banged on the front doors.
    “At least one of you has good sense,” Bill muttered.
    He must be talking about Collin.
    Oh God. Collin.
    She practically ran to front entrance, sliding the lock back and flinging the door open.
    “Collin,” she breathed.
    He stood on the other side of the threshold, looking a bit rumpled. Sexy.
    Her smile nearly hurt her face, it was so big. “What are you doing back here?”
    He gave her a wary smile. “Uh…trick or treating?”
    “This had better not be a trick.” She said it teasingly, and the wariness fell from his face.
    “Is it okay if I come in? I forgot—I mean, I need to tell you something.” He took a step forward, just over the threshold, and she took a step back to let him in.
    “Yes?” Another step forward. Only half a step back this time.
    “I wanted to know if maybe I could have a second chance.” One more step. She stayed where she was. They were standing so close together that the fabric of his shirt brushed against hers.
    Second chance? Yes. Please, yes.
    The allure of forgetting past mistakes. The promise of something better this time.
    Even though he’d asked her to give him a second chance, she felt like she was the one getting the opportunity to try again.
    It was the greatest thing he could have offered her.
    She didn’t answer with words. Just tipped her head back, letting his lips land on hers, and she didn’t pull away. This time, she felt worthy of his kiss, and everything that she knew would come with it.
    When they finally parted, a glimmer in the foyer caught her eyes. She turned to see—not surprisingly—Bill, standing there and watching them with a loopy grin on his face. But what surprised her wasn’t his sappy smile. It was the shadowy figure standing next to him, of a petite woman with long, dark hair, wearing an old-fashioned dress and grinning just as widely as Bill.
    Etta .
    “A second chance,” she whispered, watching as Bill and Etta faded away just before Collin kissed her again so thoroughly that neither of them noticed the library lights fading into a soft glow.
     

Thank you!
     
    Thank you so much for reading Second Chance ! This story is a slight departure from my usual works, because it contains light paranormal elements. So I hope you enjoyed it!
     
    If you’d