Second Chances

by Nicole Andrews Moore

  He leaned back arrogantly. Evan Winters, you dog, he thought, you’re getting through to her. She will be your greatest conquest to date. “Well, then I’m even more thankful than I thought I was,” he said to her. “Let me prove it.”

  Her right eyebrow arched involuntarily as she faced him. “Really, and how do you plan on doing that?” She was a little annoyed with the implication.

  “Let me take you to dinner.” He was putting on the charm now.

  Sarah shook her head resolutely. “Nope. No dinner with students.” She pulled her bag over her shoulder and walked toward the door with her keys in hand.

  “Come on,” he said. “No one will know.”

  “This is a small town. Everyone always knows.” They were in the hall now and she was locking her door behind her.

  “Well, what if we accidentally met at a bar for drinks?” He leaned seductively against the wall while he waited for her response.

  “Nope. I don’t go to bars.” She started walking towards Brian’s office. Evan was still tagging along.

  Brian was in the hall outside of his office waiting for her. He smiled the minute he saw her heading his direction, but frowned when he saw Evan was tailing her. He watched the young man and what he saw didn’t impress him. Sarah stopped in her tracks and turned to face Evan.

  “You don’t have to thank me any more than you already have,” she said seriously. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She started to turn and walk to Brian.

  Evan reached out and grabbed her arm. “One of these days you won’t be turning down my hospitable offers,” he predicted flirtatiously.

  Sarah looked down at his hand on her arm. He removed it instantly. “One of these days you’ll remember who you’re speaking to,” she said through gritted teeth. She turned and found Brian at her side.

  “Is there a problem?” He asked, trying to hide his displeasure.

  “Not really,” she said, more confident now that Brian was by her side. “Mr. Winters stopped by to thank me and got a little carried away.”

  Evan pulled himself to his full height as he addressed his professor. “I think everything is okay now, though. Wouldn’t you agree, Professor?” He addressed Sarah.

  She nodded then looked up at Brian. “So, are you walking me out, sir?”

  He smiled down at her. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’” She glanced over at Evan. “Good afternoon, Mr. Winters.”

  As they left the building, Brian commented on how she addressed the young man. “Mr. Winters?” He queried.

  Sarah stopped. “Yes. I keep hoping that if I show him respect, he’ll be more formal with me as well. He’s too comfortable with me, too at ease.” She shivered. “He makes me a little nervous sometimes.”

  Brian’s eyebrows rose. “How do you mean?”

  “I don’t know how to explain it, really. I guess I just feel like he’s always plotting and planning. He hangs around my office too much.” She shrugged her shoulders, unsure of how else to explain her feelings.

  “Just be careful,” Brian said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. They were standing beside her car now. “You know I’m always close by. In fact, I’ll bet if you just think of me, I’ll be there for you.” He gave her a light hug.

  She looked up at him, pondering his last statement. She wanted to ask for clarification, but was certain he would give no further explanation. It seemed a strange comment at the time, but as she drove home, she knew he meant it. Wasn’t he always there for her? The minute something went wrong in her life, he had an uncanny knack for being there, whether by phone or in person. Sarah didn’t know how he did it, but she knew she could depend on him. She sighed and smiled. She was blessed to have a friend like Brian.

  The first weekend after summer classes began Sarah devoted to cleaning her house and organizing. She never had time to accomplish anything more serious than ordinary cleaning during the semesters, so junk had a way of piling up. By now, she had developed the habit of doing the big jobs in between semesters, but since she had gone away with Brian, she was a bit behind schedule.

  Chloe balked at the cleaning project laid out for her. “But mom,” she argued, “It’s summer.”

  “I know, but if you do this now, I won’t make you do any more big projects until Christmas break,” she promised. “Besides, think how good you’ll feel when we bring these toys to the hospital and the Salvation Army.”

  Chloe thought back on the previous year when the volunteers had made such a big deal of her generosity. She cocked her head to one side. “It does feel pretty good,” she admitted. She scowled. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  Sarah smiled. “Good girl.” She watched Chloe trudge slowly up the stairs to her room, and she returned to the mound of papers in the basket on the counter. She made short work of the pile, finding that mostly it contained junk mail, or items that could quickly be filed in her filing cabinet. With that task accomplished, she turned her attention to her bulging purse. It appeared that she was one business card away from popping a seam. Sighing she emptied the contents. It looked like she had frequent buyer cards for every place in the mall and surrounding areas. In addition there seemed to be huge numbers of slips she’d saved to account for all of her spending. She turned her attention to the business cards. Many she quickly tossed. Why were people always so quick to hand those little cards out? She laughed, as if she could sum up the meaning of her life on one of those miniscule pieces of card stock.

  Suddenly one in particular caught her. It was the card Bob had given her a few weeks before. She flipped it over, knowing full well that Brenda’s name and number would be there. He had claimed an hour with Brenda would change her life. Was she still in need of change or was her life so vastly improved that this woman would be of absolutely no service? Was she even real, for that matter? Brenda did not seem like a very mystical name. It certainly was far inferior to names like Serena or Tabitha and even Samantha. She smiled. Then again, it could be something that would fill an afternoon with Jamie. Who better to take along?

  Sarah set the card to the side. She would call Jamie later, and then set an appointment with Brenda. It didn’t have to be immediate, since she was in no hurry. And with that course of action decided, she turned her attention back to the task at hand.

  Jamie didn’t give her a chance to call. “I was bored,” she explained as she walked onto the porch with a bag of groceries. “I’m not teaching this summer, I don’t have any research I’m working on or articles, or anything.” She seemed exasperated as she dumped the bag on the counter Sarah had just finished cleaning. “So what are you doing today?”

  “Well,” Sarah began, “cleaning.”

  “Oh, God,” Jamie grumbled. “You aren’t going to try to enlist my help, are you?”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. She’d seen Jamie’s cleaning methods. They left much to be desired. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” she said honestly.

  Jamie began to rifle through some of the papers on the counter. “New hair dresser,” she commented when she came across Bob’s card.

  “Yeah, Brian sent me to him before we went to New York.” Sarah was unloading the bag that Jamie had dumped before her.

  “New York!” Jamie was surprised. “I never had you pegged for a world traveler, Sarah. I pictured you as more of a home body, but Brian seems to be showing you around the globe.”

  Sarah laughed. “Or at least the continental U.S. Anyway, about that card…flip it over.”

  Jamie did as she was told. “Who’s Brenda?”

  “Well, dear friend, she claims to be...I don’t know, a psychic, or witch, or something. Anyway, she is supposed to help people. Bob said I should go see her to get my life together. I called, she said for me to bring a friend.” Sarah waited for it to click.

  “Am I the friend?” Jamie asked somewhat warily.

  Sarah nodded. “Who else could I trust to go on these hair-brained excursions with me?”

  “Fine, make the appointment,” Jamie said. She
tried to act put out by the idea, but Sarah suspected she was truly eager to test this woman’s abilities.

  “Good,” Sarah said, reaching for the phone.

  In less than ten minutes Sarah had arranged for them to go meet with Brenda Thursday evening. She had given them some homework to accomplish in preparation for their visit. They were each to record all their recent dreams, and decide on one question that they wanted answered.

  “Huh,” Jamie said when she was given her assignment. They were swaying gently on the porch swing. “So what are you going to ask?”

  Sarah shook her head. “I’m not sure yet. I have too many questions right now to settle on any one. I think I’ll play it by ear. The dream part will be easier.”

  “Oh, do tell,” Jamie said, turning to Sarah with interest.

  “Why do I always have to share first?” She complained.

  “Because you are far more interesting and complex,” Jamie said before she took a sip of her iced tea. “And because I don’t remember any of my dreams. So come on. Share with me.”

  “I don’t think my dreams are any big mystery right now. I had two distinctly different dreams last night.” She gazed off at the cloudless sky as she tried to remember how the dreams began. “In the first one, I heard Josh coming. I was expecting him. I was on the back deck of the house I had grown up in. You know the one I mean, right?”

  “Yeah, where your mom still lives, right?”

  “That’s the one. Anyway, I am sitting up there and I hear him coming, but he never climbs up the stairs. So, I decide to go down and check, but even before I get to him I know what I’m going to find.” She saw Jamie lean in with interest. “He’s under the deck, leaning up against one of the supports, and he’s making out with Tessa.” Jamie nodded with a wicked look in her eyes. “I don’t hesitate, I walk over to them. He doesn’t even look surprised. I just rip her off him and shove her out into the open. Josh just kind of stands there without remorse, without any feeling whatsoever, watching.” She stopped.

  “So then what happens?” Jamie hung on her every word.

  “Nothing. The dream changes. This time it’s about a student.”

  “A student? How scandalous!” Jamie took another sip of her drink.

  “No, it isn’t like that,” Sarah tried to explain. “He is bothering me. He isn’t even my student; he’s Brian’s. Anyway, in the dream, he keeps making all these attempts to impress me, but he only succeeds in annoying me. So, finally, we are standing near the lake and I just snap on him. He tried to bring me food or something I think.”

  “The bastard,” Jamie mocked.

  Sarah rolled her eyes. “So I say, ‘The days of hunting and gathering have long since passed. I can take care of myself. I don’t need you.’ And then I start showing him all the savings cards I have for all of the grocery stores.”

  “Well that one’s a little strange,” Jamie said.

  “I know. What is strangest is that all of my dreams are so realistic.”

  Jamie gave her a sideways glance. “So, do you still get those other dreams?”

  Sarah shivered then responded in a low voice. “You mean the premonition ones?”

  “Yeah.”

  Sarah looked away. She hadn’t had one of those in a while. The last time was just before her father died. She was so afraid of the dream that she didn’t tell anyone. It was the first time she had ever had a dream about anyone other than herself. She hadn’t believed it, or she might have been able to change the outcome. She had told no one. In fact, Jamie was the only person she had ever confided in when it came to her dreams.

  “No, not in a while,” she told her friend honestly.

  “Are you afraid that they might start again? I mean, you really have no control over your dreams, Sarah.”

  “I know,” she said quietly, and they leaned their heads together.

  Sarah was in trouble. Brian was overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom every time he was near her. He had never noticed it before. When it first started, after his return from Myrtle Beach, there was just a slight twinge, a mild discomfort. It was a rather indistinct feeling at the time. Now, a week later, the feeling had taken form. And it meant he would have to be around her as much as she would allow. He couldn’t tell her yet. He couldn’t explain it to himself, how could he hope to make any sense of it for her?

  In those few short days, Brian had taken to walking Sarah to and from her car and office. He checked in on her several times a day. On each occasion he managed to somehow play it off so that he didn’t appear to be a stalker or overprotective friend. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no visible end in sight. He couldn’t figure out from where the danger emanated, so he just had to be a continual presence until the situation was dealt with.

  “Any plans tonight?” Brian asked while walking her to her car on Thursday.

  Sarah emitted a nervous laugh. “I do, but you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said shyly.

  He opened the Xterra door for her. “Try me.”

  “Well,” she sighed as she lowered herself into the driver’s seat, “Jamie and I are going to visit a woman who is a psychic or witch or something.”

  Brian felt a wave of relief wash over him at her unexpected admission. “Good,” he said.

  Sarah was confused. This wasn’t the reaction she expected from him. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. “Why is that good?”

  He didn’t know how to respond at first. “Umm, because then you won’t be alone tonight.” He shut the door, leaned in, and added, “Do me a favor?” She nodded. “Please call me to let me know when you get home. I’d love to hear what happened.”

  “Certainly,” she responded. “Just promise you won’t laugh at me.” She really did value his opinion.

  “I won’t.” He was struggling right now. He had leaned into her window, caught a whiff of her hair and perfume, and was fighting the urge to kiss her forehead before she drove away. He closed his eyes and pulled back. “So, I’ll talk to you later,” he said quietly and walked over to his car.

  From the student parking lot, Evan Winters watched and waited. He had seen the routine develop. He saw that Professor White was never alone. Always she seemed to be with Professor Waite. And the way the professor looked at her. He growled. Was the woman blind? Waite was drooling all over her. He smirked as he hopped into his Black Escalade. Things were just getting interesting.

  Jamie was waiting for Sarah on the porch as she pulled into the driveway. Sarah was about to get out; Jamie shook her head and motioned for her to stay where she was. “I dropped Chloe off earlier,” she explained as she hopped in the car. “It was great. I had some iced tea with your mom, she baked cookies...need I say more?”

  Sarah laughed. “I know how you feel about my mother’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. So, did you at least bring me some?” Her look was hopeful.

  “Right here,” Jamie responded, patting her purse. She opened it, pulled out a big zippered storage bag of cookies, and immediately fed one to Sarah as she drove.

  “Mmm,” Sarah murmured appreciatively. “These are so good.”

  They followed the directions Jamie had pulled off of Map Quest, a method which seemed too high tech for their destination. At last they pulled up in front of an ordinary looking ranch house. Immediately Jamie and Sarah leaned over the address on the sheet to make sure they had the right place. They laughed, parked, and exited the vehicle. If the house was common, then Brenda was even more so.

  She stood smiling warmly as they reached her door. Brenda wore a faded denim skirt, a tight fitting red cap-sleeved t-shirt, and black flip-flops. Sarah bit her lip to keep from smiling. Brenda couldn’t have been more than thirty. She was tan and fit, with long blond hair that she kept pulled back in a messy ponytail. “Welcome,” she said as she urged her guests into the kitchen.

  “Hm,” Jamie muttered as she glanced around the room.

  “Not what you expected?” Brenda queried lightly with a smile playin
g at the edge of her lips.

  “I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this.” The room was decorated in country colors. Baskets abounded, some hanging, some sitting on the counter or floor. All of them were in use. There were herbs hanging to dry in various places throughout the room. And the table she waved them to have a seat at was a big wooden rectangular one with matching chairs. The room was cozy, and inviting. They felt at ease the minute they entered.

  “So, I asked you to do some homework prior to our meeting. Did you complete it?” She asked looking from one woman to the other.

  They both nodded and Sarah added, “I had some difficulty with my question. Can you help me with it?”

  “Certainly,” Brenda said, taking a seat across from Sarah. Brenda studied her for a moment. This woman was beautiful, but there was sadness behind her lovely emerald eyes. She leaned in closer. Hmm. This woman had a great gift that lay untapped, unused. A crime. She would fix that. “Tell me about your dreams first.” She hadn’t taken her eyes from Sarah.