Second Look (A New Beginning Book 3) Read online

  “No, son. We were told it would buy very little time, and make what time I have left more miserable. I’d rather they make me comfortable.”

  Adam was stunned. He just kept looking between his parents, wondering when they’d begin to laugh and tell them it was all just a bad joke.

  His dad had a full head of gray hair. He looked fine, better than he had in years. How deceiving looks could be.

  Adam took a breath. “No, this just can’t be. You’re only 57 years old.”

  He looked over at his mom at the other side of the table. She had tears falling silently down her youthful face. She was five years younger than his dad, her hair was still blonde and she could easily have passed for mid-forties.

  His dad got up, his eyes still dry, and hugged his mom. It wasn’t something Adam witnessed very often. It broke his heart to see his mom needing to be comforted by his dad.

  A few minutes earlier, Adam wanted to hear the news and get it over with so he could go on with his day. Now all he wanted was to be able to give the news back and pretend he had never heard it at all.

  *****

  Adam followed his sister out the front door of his parent’s house a couple hours after hearing the news.

  He didn’t want to leave, but could tell his dad was getting tired. His speech was slurred and looked like he could fall asleep in his chair. It wasn’t something he was used to seeing with his dad, the strong man he grew up with.

  Adam walked Mandi to her car and for the first time in a very long while, gave her a hug.

  As soon as he touched her, it triggered a memory of how their parents used to make them “assume the position” when they fought. If they didn’t stop fighting on the count of 3, his dad made them hug until they were smiling and laughing. They hated it back then but it always worked. It almost made him smile.

  When he backed away, he looked at Mandi. She had tears in her eyes.

  “We’re going to have to be strong for them, you know?”

  “I just can’t believe this. It’s not right that he isn’t even going to fight it.”

  Adam could hear the anger in her voice as she tried to stop the tears from falling.

  “I know, Mandi, but if he’s been told there isn’t any use and it would make the little time he has left worse, I guess we need to try and understand his decision.”

  If his dad chose not to do the treatments, there was a damn good reason.

  After several more minutes of talking, he said goodbye to his sister and got into his car. It took him a few more minutes before he finally backed out of the driveway. Thoughts of his dad went through his mind, making him drive on autopilot.

  His dad was always the life of the party, the one who could stay up the latest and never wanted people to leave. For the first time he could remember, when Adam said he and Mandi should get going, his dad didn’t try to talk them into staying.

  No matter how many times he had said it to himself over the past few hours, it still didn’t sound real.

  Scattered bits of their conversation kept popping into his head.

  “…two months to live.”

  How did his dad cope with being told he had such a short time to live? Did he get mad? Deny the possibility? Did he tell the doctor he didn’t know what the hell he was doing? He could picture his dad doing that, especially considering they got three opinions.

  “…need to prepare for the funeral.”

  It’s not something you want to hear your parents say, especially being so young. Adam could see his mom was worried and exhausted, which was hard for him to see considering she was one of the strongest people he knew.

  Adam reached over and turned on the radio. He needed to quit rehashing the depressing evening.

  *****

  When Adam pulled into his driveway, he checked his phone before getting out of his car. He had a couple text messages, one from his co-worker, Jeremy, asking if everything was okay, and two from Sarah.

  Shit, Sarah.

  He’d completely forgotten to let her know he couldn’t meet up with her that night. It slipped his mind he even had plans. Who could blame him?

  But still, he felt like a jerk.

  Sarah, 7:15pm: Hey, handsome. I’m at The Pickle. We still meeting up?

  Sarah, 7:45pm: I take it you can’t make it. I’m heading home. Text me later.

  Adam met her at the bar a couple weeks ago. She was sexy, with dark brown hair, green eyes and a tight little body. She was recently divorced and wanted nothing more from him than no-strings-attached hookups.

  It couldn’t have been more perfect.

  Adam, 8:32pm: Bad night. Didn’t mean to ditch you. Forgive me?

  Sarah, 8:37pm: Depends…

  Adam, 8:37pm: On what?

  Sarah, 8:38pm: On how you make it up to me ;)

  Did that mean she was still game?

  Adam needed his brain to turn off. He planned to go down to the water, sit on his dock with a six pack of beer and drown his sorrows.

  But now that the thought was in his head, escaping with a sexy woman was an even better idea.

  No harm in asking.

  Adam, 8:39pm: What are you doing?

  Sarah, 8:39pm: I just got out of the shower. Still in my towel.

  Adam, 8:40pm: Up for company?

  Sarah, 8:40pm: Maybe

  Adam, 8:40pm: I promise to make it up to you. More than once.

  Sarah, 8:40pm: I could be persuaded.

  Adam, 8:41pm: Be there in a bit.

  Sarah, 8:41pm: See you soon, handsome.

  He smiled and headed towards Sarah’s place. By the time he was ready to come back home shortly before midnight, he’d been able to make it up to her, multiple times.

  Chapter Two

  Jennifer

  Learning from your mistakes

  “I got the job!”

  Jennifer jumped up and down and began to dance around the room, shaking her butt and she was pretty sure she looked ridiculous.

  “I got the jo-ob. I got the jo-ob. The J.O.B. job jo-ob!”

  Her five-year-old daughter, Amber, was still sleeping, or at least she was before Jennifer got so carried away with excitement. She didn’t really care if she woke her up…she got the job!

  She was sitting in her kitchen, sipping on her delicious mint mocha, when the long-awaited phone call came through. She interviewed several weeks prior, and actually began to give up hope of hearing back from them, much less actually getting the job.

  Jennifer strained her ear towards Amber’s room, trying to see if she heard any noise. Not a sound was coming from down the hall, so she figured she was safe for a few more minutes.

  She dashed to her computer and printed her resignation letter, one she crafted after the interview. She gave a deep sigh as she waited for the paper to spit out of the printer.

  Another job, another move, another state. That would make her third major move in less than ten years. At least moving was one thing she was good at when things got tough.

  Jennifer originally moved from Minnesota to California for nursing school after completing her generals in Minnesota. She didn’t want to move there, but she wasn’t able to get into nursing school at home. Although she never intended to be there that long, she stayed for almost six years. She moved from California to Arizona when she needed to disappear and start fresh after the debacle with the man she thought was her child’s father. She took the first job offer she got, changed her phone number and left no forwarding address.

  She lived in Arizona four years. In that time, she concentrated on her daughter and her career.

  Why did she now feel the need to move away from Arizona? That was the best part and she regretted it only a tiny bit.

  A couple months ago she had a fling with a doctor at the hospital. He was sexy as hell, available and very willing. However, he also happened to be her boss. Dumb move, especially since they hadn’t spoken of it since that night. She had to admit she was lonely for male companionship and her hot
boss fit the bill.

  Aside from her embarrassing fling, she missed her parents and her friends. It felt right to finally move back home, even if the past caught up with her.

  This was it, though. No. More. Running.

  “Mommy?”

  Jennifer smiled and answered in a singsong voice, “Yes, honey! I’m in my office!”

  She heard her daughter shuffle down the hallway, so she met her at the door and dropped down on her knees to give her a hug.

  “Good morning, peanut butter! How are you?”

  “I’m good, mommy. Do I have school today?”

  Jennifer looked at her beautiful daughter. She had blonde hair, brown eyes and the sweetest smile in the world. She loved to hear Amber’s soft little voice.

  “Yes, sweetie. We have to leave in a little bit.”

  “Okay. Can I pick out my clothes again, mommy?”

  It took all Jennifer had to answer with a straight face. “Yes, of course you can. Do you want any help picking them out?” Please say yes.

  “No, thank you,” Amber answered proudly. “I can dress myself.”

  Jennifer chuckled and watched her daughter walk towards her room, wondering what clothes she would choose. At least she remembered to be polite.

  She wanted to let Amber have a little independence, but the other day she chose a purple shirt with pink, sparkly hearts all over it, and then blue and black striped leggings. She finished off her outfit with mismatched socks in yellow and teal. Her teacher told her she looked beautiful, so now Amber wanted to dress herself every day.

  She walked back to the kitchen and heated up her cold coffee in the microwave. Jennifer glanced down at her outfit and what she was wearing today wasn’t much better, with her Mickey Mouse top and red scrub bottoms.

  At least I match.

  She took a deep breath as she heard Amber come through the living room. She must not have put on her socks yet because Jennifer could hear her feet as they made a slapping sound on the hard floor as she rushed towards the kitchen.

  Jennifer turned around, opened her eyes and blew out the breath was holding in relief. Today, Amber matched and her outfit looked pretty adorable. She wore a pair of jean shorts with a Minnesota Twins baseball jersey. The shirt was probably on it’s last legs considering it was a bit too tight, but it would do.

  No matter where they lived, she would always teach her daughter to love the Twins. They watched as many games as possible on TV. The Diamondbacks were her close second favorite to watch, but the Twins would always be home.

  “Nice job, Amber!”

  Her daughter beamed. “I know!”

  “I have your breakfast ready. Today, my little sweetheart gets a waffle with raspberry jelly, a banana and some orange juice. How does that sound?” Jennifer smiled at her daughter, her eyes shining.

  “That’s my favorite.”

  Jennifer laughed. That’s exactly what she said every day. Kids were kids, and there were plenty of things Amber did to give her trouble, but all in all she was great and breakfast never seemed to be an issue.

  “I have some really great news, Amber!”

  “What is it, mommy? Are you getting married?”

  Amber’s voice was hopeful when she asked her this question for the hundredth time.

  Jennifer sighed and slapped a smile on her face before answering. “No, honey. I’m not getting married.” I need a man for that.

  “Oh. What then?”

  “Well, do you remember when mommy told you I was looking for a new job? One in Minnesota?”

  Amber nodded while she chewed a bite of her waffle.

  “I got the job, sweetie! That means we’ll be flying on a plane and moving closer to grandma and grandpa.”

  “Really? I haven’t seen grandma and grandpa for a long time!”

  She never brought Amber to visit Minnesota for more reasons than she could count, but her parents came to visit them a couple times a year.

  “Well, they came to visit only a couple months ago, sweetie. But now we’ll be able to see them a lot more.” Jennifer gave her a grin. “Guess what else!”

  “What?”

  “You know how you always wanted to see and feel snow?”

  Amber nodded her head and her eyes grew wide, but she didn’t say a word.

  “Minnesota has lots of snow in the winter.”

  We have it practically six months out of the year, but no need to scare her.

  Her face lit up with a bright smile.

  “In the fall, sometime after we go trick-or-treating, you’ll get to see your first snowfall.”

  Please let it hold out until after Halloween.

  “Yes!”

  Amber pumped her fist in the air, surprising Jennifer by her action and making her laugh so hard she snorted.

  Where the heck did she learn that?

  “I’m glad that excites you,” Jennifer told her, still laughing.

  “Can we make a snowman, mommy? Like Olaf?”

  “Of course we can!”

  “Yippie!”

  All of a sudden, Amber’s mouth turned downwards. Jennifer was surprised at the fast change.

  “What’s the matter, honey?”

  “Well, if we move to Minnesota, when will I see Carmen? My other friends? My teachers?”

  “Well, you’ll make new friends, sweetie. And maybe someday we can come back and see Carmen again.”

  “Oh. I’ll miss Carmen a lot, mommy.”

  “I know, sweetie. I’m going to miss my friends too. But I promise we’ll be ok.”

  Amber nodded and took another bite of her breakfast.

  “Well, peanut butter, time to get going. Get your shoes on and grab your bag. Let’s get out the door.”

  Amber quickly drank the last of her juice.

  “Okay. I’m ready to go.”

  “Hey, don’t forget to go brush your teeth.”

  “Aww, do I have to?”

  “No, I guess not,” Jennifer told her and then continued as Amber’s face lit up. “You really only have to brush the ones you want to keep.”

  Amber’s face fell again. “Okay, I’ll go brush them.”

  Jennifer laughed.

  Works every time.

  After Amber brushed her teeth, she and Jennifer walked outside to a furnace blasting in her face. The summer heat was definitely one thing she wouldn’t miss in Arizona.

  *****

  “Dr. Taylor? Do you have a sec?”

  Sam’s head was lowered and he was writing furiously on a sheet of paper. He looked up quickly, lifted one finger and then looked back down to resume what he was doing.

  Jennifer took the rare opportunity to stare.

  Sam was handsome, someone who seemed to only grow finer as he aged. She figured he was about 45 years old, although she wasn’t entirely sure because she never asked. That would make him at least 15 years older.

  He still had a full head of dark gray hair, but as long as he kept it short it looked more black than gray and made him look years younger. His eyes were a shocking ice blue and his strong jaw, full lips and a slightly crooked nose added to his appeal. He always wore his beard with a couple days’ growth, neatly trimmed to the perfect length, which made him look even sexier.

  To add to his good looks, Sam was well respected by the entire staff at the hospital. He rarely socialized outside of the workplace, unless it was a charity event or benefit. His reputation was solid.

  Although it was a complete surprise, it really was no wonder she couldn’t resist sleeping with him when the opportunity presented itself. It had been a really long time for her and she’d been lonely. At the time she didn’t realize it would be a one-night stand.

  She blushed just thinking back to that night. She was completely changing her life because of it.

  But damn, it was so worth it.

  Just when she was about to walk away, Sam looked up and said, “Sorry, Jennifer. Come on in. And I’ve told you a million times to call me Sam.”


  “Of course, sorry.”

  He studied her with his beautiful blue eyes for several long seconds. “What can I do for you?”

  Jennifer walked farther into his office with her head held high and handed him her letter. “I’m here to resign.”

  He froze and continued to stare with his eyes wide open. She bit her lip to hide her smile.

  He scanned the letter and then stood up from behind his desk to move around to lean against the front, putting them only inches apart. He crossed his arms and looked into her eyes.

  His deep, sexy voice dropped very low. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  She nodded and fought the urge to back up a few steps.

  “Is it something that you aren’t happy with here?”

  He motioned between the two of them, so close he almost touched her. It made her flinch.

  Was he seriously bringing up what had happened between them? After ignoring it for so long?

  Jennifer lifted her chin and maintained eye contact.

  “No, it’s nothing that’s wrong.” Liar. “It’s time for me to move on. I’ve been looking for something new and I was just offered my dream job.”

  Sam frowned. “I see.”

  “Please consider this my two weeks notice.”

  After she said that, he started firing off questions so fast she didn’t even know if he was listening to her answers.

  “When do you start?”

  Jennifer hesitated. “In four weeks. It gives me time to get moved and settle into my new place.”

  “Is it the same position?”

  She smiled. “Actually it’s a promotion.”

  Sam’s face lit up. “There’s a job opening being posted soon and I think you’d be perfect for it. I planned to mention it to you once it was official.”

  Jennifer froze. Is he serious?

  “Thank you, Dr. Taylor,” she began and then corrected herself when she saw his raised brow. “Sorry, Sam. I’ve already accepted the position.”

  Sam tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Wait, why do you need four weeks? Two weeks is a long time to get settled into a new place.”