Free [Second Chances 02]California Dreams by Morris Fenris

sixty years.”
    Samuel grinned, “Wouldn’t that be a great way to start out the New Year? It’d be like an early Christmas present; twelve months early, but worth it.”
    Stan and Samuel bumped knuckles and then Samuel jogged down the courthouse steps, “Tell Joanna ‘Hi’ from me.”
    “I will. Have good time tonight.”
    “You know it.” There was no doubt in Samuel’s mind that he and Jane were destined to have a good time together. So far, every time together had left him waiting for the next one to occur. He loved spending time with her, even if they were only sitting around and not doing much of anything. He loved being with her!

Chapter 14
Samuel picked Jane up and they stopped at a small diner on the way out of town. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, Samuel hustled her out to the car, “We need to get going, and we still have a bit of a drive ahead of us.”
    “Where exactly are we going?” Jane asked.
    “To see the stars,” Samuel replied.
    “What are you talking about? It’s not even close to getting dark.” Jane looked out at the sky and wondered what he could be talking about.
    “Well, we have about two hours until we get there. Ever heard of the Hale telescope?”
    Jane looked at him with her mouth open, “You’re taking me to Palomar? But I thought it was up in the mountains.”
    “It is, about a two hour drive from here.”
    Jane looked out the window, but all she could see were buildings. “I didn’t realize it was within easy driving distance.”
    Samuel nodded, “A buddy of mine works there and is going to give us a private tour. They actually close around 4 p.m., but when I spoke to him yesterday, he said there was no one else scheduled this evening and we were more than welcome to join him.”
    Jane smiled, rubbing her hands together, “This is going to be so much fun. Trent is going to be so jealous. He’s the reason I first got interested in stars to begin with.
    “Right after my husband died, and I moved in with Trent and his family, he came home from school one day upset and angry. He had decided to take an astronomy class because he thought it would be easy.
    “The teacher actually expected these high school boys to study the stars at night. Anyway, I pulled Kenneth’s telescope out of storage and set it up in the backyard. Every evening around midnight, Trent would join me and we would watch the stars, count the shooting stars, and identify the constellations.”
    Samuel grinned at her. That was the most she had spoken to him voluntarily in…ever. “So, what’s your favorite constellation?”
    “No, it’s your turn. Tell me something about Samuel Drackett that I don’t already know.”
    “What do you want to know?” Samuel asked.
    “What were you like in school?” Jane requested, trying to envision the strong man sitting next to her as a young boy. The adult Samuel was 6’6” tall, had shoulders that looked strong enough to carry whatever needed carrying, his blue eyes were dark – almost black, and his tanned body was a testimony to the amount of time he spent in the sun.
    “Well, regardless of what my teachers might say, I was a model student. No, really, I was a good kid. I can only remember one time when I got sent to the principal’s office.”
    “Oh, yeah! What for?”
    “Smoking in the boy’s bathroom. I was fourteen and had just learned my mom was probably going to die sooner than later. I was trying to skip class by hiding out in the bathroom, when a couple of seniors caught me. They convinced me that smoking would help take the edge off the pain I was feeling. It sounded good, but the reality was horrible.
    “I coughed and felt like throwing up. My mother was less than pleased with her favorite son, and I can still see the disappointment in her eyes. Knowing I had disappointed her was worse than anything else that could have happened to me.”
    “So, the principal caught you?” Jane queried.
    “Yeah. I wasn’t quick enough to ditch