The Second Chance

by Ann Maree Craven

  “Hundred percent. Go quit this job and tell your old man to buzz off, you’re working for the city now.”

  “Would that make me a civil servant?” I grinned.

  “Yes.” Harrison nodded with a grin of his own.

  “Dad is going to flip.”

  “He’s going to murder me.” Harrison took another chug of his beer. “Good thing I don’t care.”

  “All right.” I dropped my rag on the counter. “Let’s do this, Mr. Mayor.” I extended my hand.

  “Welcome to the team, Carter.” He shook my hand with a grin, and I shot off through the kitchen to go tell Vic the good news that she no longer had to keep me on the payroll. She’d be thrilled.

  “Director of the Superiore Bay Community Center.” I shook my head as I left the wine bar, checking the time. Harper would still be at her office, and I couldn’t wait to tell her. I hadn’t seen her since her father chased me down the street, and it was killing me. I wanted to give her time with her parents, but I was ready to burst with my news.

  My mind whirled with all the possibilities my new job—no, my new career. It was everything I wanted, and it made me feel like … like I finally had my life in order. And on my terms too.

  “Harps!” I pushed through the doors, my mind still racing.

  “Hey, you!” She beamed at me from her desk. “Your timing is perfect, I’m just finishing up.”

  “Stay here.” The words vomited out of my mouth. “Stay here in Superiore Bay.” I dropped to my knees next to her chair, ignoring Stevie’s snickering.

  “Carter—”

  “Just hear me out. I’m going to marry you one of these days, Harper Chapman. You and me are inevitable. I can wait.” I took her hands in mine.

  “Carter.”

  “Seriously, Harps. We could go through the motions of falling in love all over again, or we could just admit we never fell out of love and get busy building our lives together at our own pace and in our own time.”

  She laughed, shaking her head at me. “What’s gotten into you?”

  I puffed out my chest, feeling proud of myself for the first time in my life. “You’re looking at the new Director of the Superiore Bay Community Center. And it’s all thanks to you and that amazing article you wrote. You’ve given the kids of this town something they really need.”

  “And what’s that, you?” She giggled, and the sound was like magic to me.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” I laced my fingers with hers. “So, will you stay? You run the paper, and I’ll run the community center, and we’ll just be us.”

  “Well. I don’t know, Carter.” She shrugged. “I mean, I’ve already sent my parents back to Boston and changed my address, so, sure, let’s do it.” She threw her arms around me, and the last piece of my puzzle fell into place.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It was amazing what a girl could accomplish in six months when she had secret granny investors who thought they were sneaky. I walked around my new office, handing out paychecks to my four employees, including Stevie, who might still be an intern—a paid one now—but she was also my right hand. I wouldn’t know what to do without her once she left for college.

  “Hey, Martin, your article on the remodel of the old Elk Lodge building wasn’t terrible.” Stevie handed a hard copy to the new reporter. I could see the red lines from my desk on the other side of the large room. The girl would make a great editor in chief one of these days.

  But these days, that was my job. And I loved it. Grandma and her cronies took inspiration from the article I wrote on the community center that brought in tons of donations and pooled their resources together to sponsor a fundraiser for the Weekly Wine. It was a big hit with the town, but they’d also made an anonymous “investment.” A sizable one that allowed me to purchase the paper from Lance Marner and pay myself a good salary. With their help, I was finally able to turn this paper around.

  Red Rayburn was still in the picture. When I met with him, I told him I wasn’t interested in leaving the Weekly Wine, but that wasn’t what he wanted anyway. He was my second investor in the Weekly Wine now, and we were working together to grow it into a regional paper. Our audience expanded daily as we branched out into the areas around Superiore Bay. We were even printing gossip tips from other towns, and it was a hit with the locals. They loved seeing the going ons from other towns. It was like their favorite show just got a new season with tons of new characters, and they were here for it.

  “Morning meeting is at noon tomorrow, guys. I have that interview with Selena and Conner right before their big opening ceremony in the morning over at the new Orchard Hill Farms.” The locals were brimming with excitement now that Selena’s General Store would be opening this week. They were still building the bed and breakfast and the restaurant, and a dozen other buildings that would open next year, but Selena was thrilled to have this first part of her dream actually happening now. I couldn’t be prouder of her.

  Or myself, really. And Carter, of course. Those three kids who were inseparable all those years ago were now taking this town by storm. And all we’d needed was a second chance. Together, we were unstoppable, and I looked forward to a future of double dates with our two Ashford boys.

  As I worked on this week’s edition of the Weekly Wine, I couldn’t help but compare my past work with my current work, consisting of exposés on the future of the Boulevard shops, up close and personal interviews with the small-town mayor, and of course, the ever-thriving gossip section. The more prestigious yet somehow deeply unsatisfying work I did for the Boston Globe just wasn’t me. It took me a long time to see that. That I needed more responsibility and less cutting-edge journalism to make me happy. I discovered that anything could be a life-changing story when I found the right angle and understood my audience.

  And it turned out I loved running a paper. Editor in chief suited me. Superiore Bay suited me. Spending my Saturday afternoons baking with my grandma suited me. I was happier now than I had ever been … and it wasn’t just getting a second chance with Carter. It was getting a second chance at learning who Harper Chapman was. And that was priceless.

  “I’m out, guys.” I turned off my monitor and handed over my articles to Stevie for proofing. “I’m meeting my fiancé for an early dinner, but if anyone needs me, call my cell.” I made rounds to Martin and Joelle’s desks, checking over their progress before I left. “But if anyone needs help before I go, I can hang around for a little longer.” I checked the time. Carter could wait an extra fifteen if necessary.

  “I swear, it’s like we have to pry you out of this office with a spoon.” Martin shook his head, still typing away on his article covering the historical preservation committee’s refusal to approve the addition of a rooftop bar at Brewsers Micro Brewery. The whole town was on pins and needles about this issue. Half the town was for it, and half was against it, believing the addition wouldn’t fit in with the old downtown aesthetic. Most of the naysayers were still reeling from the eyesore of an awning the owner at Breakers Beach Shop put up last year without the historic preservation committee’s permission.

  “Don’t forget to share links to Brewsers’ proposal so people can see why it wasn’t approved.”

  “Of course.” Martin rolled his eyes. “Now, get out of here, missy.”

  “I’m going. I promise.” I shot over to Joelle’s desk for a quick word. “This is amazing, Joelle.” I leaned over her shoulder, checking out the cartoons she was sketching for the gossip section. “You’re brilliant! Is that Rusty? He’s going to have a fit! Who knew I’d find a cartoonist and talented journalist all rolled into one in this little town.” I snapped Joelle up as soon as she came into the old office asking if I could use an illustrator. Every week now, she turned the people of Superiore Bay into caricatures for the gossip column cartoon. The town adored seeing themselves in the comic strip.

  “Go meet Carter, Ms. Harper. We’ve got this.” She shooed me away from her desk.

  “Yeah,
Harps. We’re good,” Stevie said.

  “You guys are the best.” I stopped by Stevie’s desk, ruffling her hair and making her promise she’d go home at a decent time. If that kid had it her way, she’d sleep in the back room.

  The evening sunlight caught the sparkle on my left hand as I pushed through the office doors and headed across the town square to the community center. I still wasn’t used to wearing an engagement ring. Garrett had never given me one, and we’d opted for simple wedding bands that neither of us wore often.

  Carter was adamant that I have the best and the biggest engagement ring he couldn’t afford. The sweet, adorable man even tried to use the insurance money from his Ferrari for it instead of a new car. I shot that down quickly. I was thrilled to have his grandmother’s ring on my hand. I knew how much all the Ashford kids loved and missed their grandmother, so it was a shocker when Carter officially popped the question with the antique ring. It was perfect.

  I waved to Mrs. Jeffries and her cronies sitting under the gazebo people watching. Who knew what they were up to now that things with me and Carter were settled? They’d have to put their match-making machinations to good use on someone else.

  I wasn’t sure why or how I deserved this kind of happiness, but I was so glad I finally got it right this time.

  This second chance was everything.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Hey, Mr. C.” Little Kimmie Fletcher hit me with a high five on her way into the center after school. Well, high for her. She barely came up to my waist.

  “How was that math test you were so worried about?” I ruffled her short black curls just to irritate her.

  “No hands on the hair, man. We’ve been through this.” She patted her hair back in place.

  I leaned down to her level. “The test, Kims?”

  “I aced it.” She gave me a toothless grin and another high five. “Thanks for the help. I don’t know why you can explain long division better than my teacher.”

  “I doubt that very much.” It was likely Kimmie’s penchant for talking in class that led to her troubles with division. Here at the center, I could set her up in a quiet corner of our new library and help her one on one in a way her teachers just couldn’t in their larger classrooms.

  I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled over the noise of forty kids raising a ruckus in the activities room. “Circle up, K through fifth grade!” I opened the doors to the library, waiting for all my elementary school kids to take their places on the colorful mat. This was how we started our afternoons. I took the little ones, Delia took the junior high school kids, and our new assistant, Nora, took the high schoolers.

  “What are we doing today, Mr. C?” Jamie Russel asked.

  “The same as every other day.” Sherrie Miller rolled her eyes.

  “Do I bore you, Miss Miller?” I put on my most serious face.

  “Um, no. But we do the same kinds of things every day, including when this ding-dong asks what we’re going to do.”

  “That’s not nice, Sherrie. What do I say about name calling?”

  “It’s not name calling if it’s true.” Her big blue eyes widened when she realized she was in trouble. Again.

  “You know better than to pick on another student at this community center, Sherrie.” I pointed toward the corner of the room.

  “Aw, don’t do it, Mr. C.” Her shoulder’s slumped, and she gave me her most pitiful look. After years of working with these kids, I was immune to such looks. I just pointed to the corner and glared.

  She got up with a grumble and headed away from the group. “Why are old people always putting me in the corner?”

  “Because you’ve got sass, kiddo. And I’m not old.”

  “At least I’m not boring,” she muttered, taking her place in the hated corner.

  “I think you’re older than my dad,” Sam Richards piped up. He was one of my kindergartners.

  “That can’t be true.” I took my seat on the brightly colored stool at the center of the circle.

  “He’s twenty-five. Aren’t you like thirty?” He said thirty like it was eighty.

  “Enough rambling. Tell me about the most interesting things you all learned today. Hands in the air. Mason, you first.”

  “We learned about volcanos. They’re so cool!”

  “Definitely the coolest.” I grinned back at him, propping my arms against my knees. That was the worst thing about working with little kids. Tiny chairs and stools. “Is there a volcano in the United States?”

  “Mount Saint Helens,” Mason said proudly. “It erupted a long time ago, but it’s still active.”

  “Wasn’t there a more recent eruption?” I pressed, hoping he would be curious enough to check it out when he did his homework this afternoon. “We might want to look that up today.”

  “Oh, that was way back in 1980.”

  “Yep, that’s the one I was talking about.”

  “See, he’s old,” Sam whispered.

  “Okay, who’s next? Hands in the air.”

  Two dozen hands shot into the air this time.

  “Katie, what was the most interesting thing you learned today?”

  “We learned about the Redwood Forests in California. Did you know there is a big tree with a tunnel you can drive your car through?”

  “Wow!” I feigned surprise while she went on to tell the others about the pictures she saw.

  I caught a glimpse of familiar brown hair through the double doors, and my heart picked up an extra beat the way it did every time I laid eyes on Harper.

  “We’re going to keep talking about cool things we learned today, but Ms. Delia is going to take over for me. I have to leave early today.”

  It warmed my heart and left me kind of choked up when they groaned. I still couldn’t figure out why or how I had formed such a strong bond with these kids the way I had, but they were part of me now.

  “All right, come on, group hug.” I held my arms wide, and they swarmed me, toppling me over onto the rug. Someone poked a finger in my eye, another kicked me somewhere unpleasant, and more than a few pulled my hair, but their shrieks of joy more than made up for it.

  “Has anyone seen Mr. C?” Harper tiptoed into the room and the kids all left me and charged across the room to her.

  “Ms. H!” The girls all adored my Harper. They hugged her and pulled on her hands to guide her into the room. I sat up on the floor, grinning at my fiancée. I still couldn’t believe she’d said yes. It was finally happening for us.

  Harper crouched down to Katie’s level and listened to her whispers and giggled. Harper nodded. “His hair does look like a Muppet’s.” She tried to hide her laughter. “Let’s go see if we can fix it.”

  I grabbed Harper’s hand, pulling her down on the floor beside me. “You like my Muppet hair, don’t you?” I ruffled her brown hair, and the kids all piled in around us. I was excited to have a few of our own, but I wanted it to just be us for a while yet.

  “Carter!” She squealed. “Don’t mess up my hair.” I pulled her close, draping an arm around her. “Okay, circle up, guys.” I used my authoritative teachery voice they knew not to test.

  “Ms. Delia will be here soon, and she’s planned all kinds of fun activities for you.”

  “Where are you going, Mr. C?” Kimmie asked.

  “I have a surprise for Ms. H.” I winked at the girls sitting next to Harper.

  “Oh! Is it a baby?” squealed Lily Anders.

  “No, silly. Ms. H would be the one surprising him with a baby. Don’t you know anything?” Katie rolled her eyes.

  “He could get her a baby,” Lily pouted.

  “Where do babies come from?” one of the kindergartners asked.

  “Nope.” I surged to my feet, pulling Harper up with me. “Not having that conversation.” I clapped my hands to get their attention. “Activity time is coming up soon, but everyone needs to go get at least one homework assignment done first.”

  The kids scrambled to retrie
ve their backpacks, and I wiped the sweat off my brow.

  “Nice save, Mr. C.” Harper leaned in. “But I would like to know what my surprise is.”

  “It is not a baby.” I grinned at her, squeezing her hand in mine.

  “Thank goodness for that. We’re not ready for kiddos yet. We don’t even have a house.”

  “Hello, kids!” Delia entered with a smile. “Is everyone working on homework?”

  “Yes, Ms. Delia.”

  “All right, then let’s let Mr. Carter and Ms. Harper get going. They have a big night to get to.”

  “You’re the best, Delia. I really appreciate this.”

  “Any time.” She shooed us out the door.

  “See you guys tomorrow!” I called to the kids, hoping for a quick exit so we didn’t miss our appointment.

  “Okay, what are you up to?” Harper narrowed her eyes at me.

  Stepping into the cold yet sunny afternoon, I took Harper’s hand and we headed across the town square.

  “Where are we going?” Harper tugged on my arm. “I’m dying here.”

  “Just for a walk.” I grinned, slipping my sunglasses on. “It’s such a nice day for a walk.” I turned us away from the Boulevard, and suddenly we were walking the path we took the first night I saw her back in town.

  “Are we going to Grandma’s?” She peered ahead as if expecting to see her grandma waiting in the street for us.

  “Nope.” I waved to Mrs. Peterson as we walked past her house.

  “You’re going to be late if you two don’t pick up the pace,” Mrs. Peterson called from her porch.

  “Okay, now I’m just mad I’m the only one who doesn’t know what we’re doing. And why are we going to be late? I thought we were going to dinner.”

  “When am I ever on time for anything?” I laughed, swinging our hands as we walked. “We’ll do dinner after.”

  “Just don’t be late to our wedding.” She grinned back at me. “I might change my mind.”