Just One Chance (Just One. Book 3)

by Lynn Stevens

  “So I know you for an hour and you’re already moving in with me? Either I’ve got better game than I thought or I’m a bigger idiot than I realized.”

  “I keep telling her it’s not going to happen.” I took a bite of the deliciousness of Alphonso’s. Grease coated my tongue. “How can I leave this pizza behind?”

  We fell into a tense silence. I wasn’t sure if it was the attraction kind or the uncomfortable kind. It could be hard to tell. I’d had my share of both. I stepped to the kitchen island and leaned against it beside him, brushing my arm against his.

  “So… what’s your major?” I asked, trying to make casual conversation.

  Aiden laughed, and his head fell back. “Worst college pick up line on campus.”

  “You think I was using a pick up line?” I smirked. Okay, so he was hot and funny. I’d never been into gingers before, but my motto was “Try everything once, and the fun things twice.” Aiden fell into the try category. I shook that thought out of my head. Hot guy, yes, but also my best friend’s brother so no. Not a good idea.

  He leaned in front of me, glancing down the hall. His smile turned almost predatory when he turned toward me. “I think you planned on doing something nefarious during training. What was that?”

  “Nefarious?” I raised my eyebrows, the smirk turning sultry. “Like I told you, I know Mountain View like the back of my hand. Every nook, closet, room being rehabbed. Maybe I just wanted to give you the real tour.”

  He nodded, and his fingers grazed over my hand. It sent shivers everywhere. “But now that won’t happen. Too bad. I don’t date my sister’s friends. No matter how tempting.”

  I lifted on my toes, my lips dangerously close to his full, kissable mouth. “Who said anything about dating?”

  “Oh my god,” Lily screeched.

  I stepped back, putting enough distance between us. Aiden moved around to the other side of the island by the time Lily appeared in the kitchen. His hand shifted under the counter, clearly adjusting himself. I’d seen enough guys do it over the years. I raised my eyebrows, my gaze darting to the general area of his crotch. Aiden just grinned.

  “You are not going to believe her,” Lily said as she stomped toward the island. “She totally threatened to take away my car if I threw a party.”

  “Lil, why don’t you just fess up? Tell her the truth.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “The party was amazing, and it was kind of my fault. She hates me anyway.”

  “Kind of?” She stared at me, a smile playing at her lips.

  “Okay, totally my fault. I take ownership of the situation. Have you ever seen me not?” I pressed my hand to my chest.

  “I’m not throwing you under the bus.” She shook her head. “Besides, you weren’t even at the house when they got home.”

  “Oh?” Aiden stared at me. “Where were you then?”

  I smirked. “Rocking a boat.”

  Lily erupted in laughter and slapped my shoulder playfully. “You’re so funny.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her brother, and his gaze heated again. I could have him if I wanted. Guys were so easy to read.

  Did I want?

  Yes, I did. It would be easy, amazing even. I sucked my upper lip between, and Aiden’s gaze shot to my mouth. So easy.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I raised my eyebrows and took it out. My desire to tease Aiden senseless disappeared when I glanced at the text.

  No, I didn’t want Aiden. I wanted Eddie.

  Come over, he’d texted. He knew I would. I knew I would. It didn’t matter if I wanted to or not.

  It always came back to Eddie Blake.

  Chapter Three

  After pizza, I left Lily and Aiden’s blaming exhaustion and a need to actually be on time for school the next day. Then I drove over to Eddie’s. He strolled out the door, twirling his keys around his finger. He walked with confidence, and confidence was sexy.

  “Hey,” he said, getting in the passenger side. “Take the back roads to our spot. I don’t want anyone to see us.”

  “Why?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

  “Too many questions.” He didn’t look at me as I drove.

  “What happened with the freshman? She clamp her legs together?”

  Eddie smirked as his hand slid between my legs. “Not exactly.”

  We didn’t talk the rest of the way. So the freshman probably wouldn’t go all the way, but Eddie was bored. He scored quickly with his conquests. I wasn’t one of them. I was the Queen, waiting patiently while the King sowed his royal oats. Not that I hadn’t had my own fun with other guys in the past. It wasn’t always sex with them. Most of the time I made out with them, maybe let them feel me up. There had only been two other guys I’d had sex with, and both were last fall after the incident. They just didn’t mean anything to me. Not like Eddie did.

  He’d always been there. From the first day of school until the last. I had no idea what was going to happen after this summer. He’d never told me where he was going to school. Rumor was Southern Community, but another rumor was some small college in Georgia.

  I parked in our usual spot. A house used to sit here on the lake. It caught fire our freshman year, and nobody had rebuilt. The family refused to sell, so it sat empty. Perfect for our needs.

  Eddie climbed out and walked to the back of my car. I popped the trunk for him. Like I said, this wasn’t new for us. He led the way to the shoreline and laid the blanket out. Then he kissed me. It was wet, sloppy. He wasn’t into it, but kissing wasn’t what Eddie was into. He also wasn’t patient.

  Less than ten minutes later, Eddie was satisfied. He tossed the condom toward the tree line. How many had he tossed over there? He pulled up his pants, then a cigarette. I would’ve refused, but it would have been nice if he offered. I dressed quickly. We laid on the blanket, not cuddling. Eddie wasn’t a cuddler. I’d accepted that about him.

  It had been at another party early in our sophomore year. We went out on a boat, and Eddie took my virginity. Well, I gave it to him. Either way, it was a two-way street. People sometimes forget that when it comes to sex. It was after when things went to shit. He told me he regretted it. We’d shared this beautiful moment, and he wanted to take it back. To say it crushed me would be an understatement.

  The rest of my sophomore year wasn’t great until Jeff Fisher asked me to senior prom. That was the second time I had sex. Iris and Cami believed Jeff took my virginity. I let them, because I was too ashamed of the fact that Eddie didn’t want me. But he’d came when I called after Jeff ditched me at the prom. I sort of sealed my reputation that night.

  We’d been coming to this spot regularly since.

  “We have to stop, Miranda,” Eddie said as he exhaled smoke. It danced around his gorgeous face.

  “Why?” I put my hand on his leg, and he moved out of my reach.

  “I’m leaving for Georgia soon.” He crushed out his cigarette and stared out at the dark lake. “I’m not coming back. My parents… they want me to go at the end of June. They think it will be good for me, straighten me out.”

  My heart clenched and fear wrapped itself around me like a warm blanket. “What about me? Us?”

  Eddie turned to glare at me like I was stupid. “There is no us, Miranda. We fuck. That’s it.” He shook his head and stared at the lake again. “You know I don’t… I don’t love you. Right? This thing between us is just mutual satisfaction.”

  I didn’t say a word as tears streamed down my face.

  “You did know that, right?” There was no hint of regret or even caring.

  I nodded because what else was I supposed to do. My entire body froze. I wasn’t good enough. I was never good enough. Even after last summer, after what I went through because of him, he wouldn’t look at me like I mattered.

  “Good,” he said, sounding totally relieved.

  “Why?” I asked, as something bubbled inside me. Anger? Fear? Regret? I didn’t know what it was, but I went with it. It was time he saw what h
e did to me. What he always did to me.

  “Why what?”

  “Why am I not good enough for you?” I faced him, letting him see how much he really was hurting me. “Why can’t you love me?”

  “Jesus, Miranda, I thought we were past this,” he snapped. How could he be angry? He was destroying me, and he was the one who was mad. “Sex is just sex. It’s not love. You… I don’t love you. If you left tomorrow, I wouldn’t miss you. Why don’t you get that?”

  He might as well have slapped me or stabbed me or even shot me. I died a little in that moment. As much as I wanted to gouge his eyes out, I couldn’t. He didn’t love me, but I have loved him from the day I met him.

  I stood and walked to the car. He yelled something after me, but I wasn’t going to let him win again. I got inside, locked it, and drove away.

  He chased after the car.

  If only he was really chasing me and not just another ride.

  Chapter Four

  Last day of school was a half day. Principal Gibbons gave me one last glare as I left the building. Instead of lingering around after the final bell like some of the other seniors, I clocked in for my first shift at Mountain Valley Resort. Camilla, aka Blondie, sneered at me with a quivering lip. It was like she wanted to hate me, but she didn’t want to get caught. Whatever. I just smiled and looked at my job for the next four hours.

  Great, I got lobby duty. Easy peasy, plus I’d get to talk to Michelle at the front desk. She graduated with Carly. They hadn’t been friends or even friendly, but I liked her. Michelle had eyes on the comings and goings of not just the guests but the staff too.

  I strolled to get my supplies when I ran into Aiden.

  “Hey, you bolted kind of fast last night.” He shoved his hands into his khaki shorts. Not many people could pull off a turquoise polo shirt, but he was definitely one of them. “Hot date?”

  I scoffed. Like a quickie by the lake counts as a date. “Something like that.”

  “Guy wasn’t good enough for you? That the problem?” He waggled his eyebrows, but my sudden scowl must have tuned him in to how off he was. He stepped back. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

  “You have no idea.” I walked around him but stopped halfway down the hall. When I turned around, he was still there. “Sorry, it’s… actually the opposite. But don’t worry. I’m used to it.”

  “Randi—”

  “Don’t.” I held up my hand, palm out, to stop him. It wasn’t his fault he’d struck a nerve. I dialed back the attitude. “Lily’s the only person who calls me that. I’m not a fan, but she’s got this crazy thing about nicknames.”

  “She calls me Aidy,” he deadpanned.

  “I’ve heard.” I swallowed my pride and walked back toward him. “It’s complicated. And I don’t want to deal with it or with him at the moment.”

  “Okay.” He nodded as if he truly wasn’t going to say another word.

  “Thank you.” I headed back down the hall toward the supply closet. I half expected him to say something else, but when I glanced over my shoulder, he was gone.

  It was better that he didn’t. The last thing I needed was to hook up with my best friend’s brother. My only friend’s brother. I wouldn’t be any better than Cami. It didn’t matter that she claimed Eddie started it all. It didn’t matter that she claimed she told him no. Everyone at the party saw them. Even her damn boyfriend Dylan, and he actually was dumb enough to believe her. I’d let it get to me. Too much. Mom put me in therapy at Hopewell, and I cleaned up my act just to get out of it. Then I found Dr. Hale on my own. The damage I did last summer was too much. Even Iris ditched me the minute she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me. There was no way I was losing Lily because of my stupidity.

  Aiden was one hundred percent off limits.

  I grabbed my cleaning gear, put in one AirPod and covered my ear with my hair, and headed to the lobby with a vacuum cleaner in tow. Time to focus. I definitely didn’t need Dad on my back more than normal. Or for him to get Mom on his side.

  The lobby at Mountain View had a gorgeous oak front desk that spanned half of the back wall. Stairs flanked it, leading to the second floor. Three leather couches faced a dormant fireplace with a square coffee table in the center. The opposite side of the room had four oak tables and matching chairs. It was all so warm and fuzzy. I hated this place. Nothing was real, just make believe so the guests felt like they’d escaped their mundane lives.

  I went through the motions, cleaning up after guests who just didn’t care what they dragged in. “Creep” by Radiohead played through the tiny speaker nestled in my ear, and it never felt more appropriate. Just one of the many songs perky Lily introduced me to from her massive music collection. It wasn’t until I met Lily last fall that I had any taste in music. Before, I’d listen to whatever was on the radio just because that was what was on. Lily introduced me to songs with meaning. I’d gone down her musical rabbit hole and wasn’t going to look back any time soon.

  A finger tapped against my shoulder, and I spun around like I was on fire. Dad reached up and pulled the AirPod out.

  “I’ll let this slide tonight but no more.” He handed it back to me. “Your sister called.” His face lit up at the thought of my now perfect sister. Carly terrorized him, but since she wanted in on the family business Dad’s attitude had changed. “I’m afraid she’s not going to be able to make it back this weekend for your graduation.”

  The plastic bottle of glass cleaner fell from my hand, bouncing on the floor between us. “Bullshit.”

  “Language, young lady. You’re still at work.” He stared down at me. The typical Dad glare saying everything with how stern it was. “She can’t get off work. There’s a big production of some musical at the theater, and they won’t let her off. Not if she’s going to be off over the 4th of July.”

  I shrugged, but anger bubbled inside me like hot magma ready to blow. How could she? It wasn’t like I was going to graduate from high school again. “No biggie.”

  Dad put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you’ve gotten such a level head recently, Miranda. Despite the … trouble last year, you’ve really pulled yourself together. I’m proud of you.”

  I nodded and wished he meant it. Dad always had a reason for every compliment, and it usually involved doing something for him. I’d given up on really making him proud. Maybe one day I would by accident, but I wasn’t going to try.

  “I need you to clean at the theater, too. One of the other staff quit today.” He scowled like it was my fault. “With no notice.”

  And there was the other shoe dropping right on my head. If I hated the resort, I hated the theater just as much. Both were always more important than anything else. Luke had the resort when Dad stepped down. Carly would get the theater when she was ready. Then there was me. I got nothing. Not that I wanted either, but the option would’ve been nice.

  “Yeah, okay,” I muttered just loud enough for him to hear.

  “Good. I’ll put you on the schedule and text it to you.” He pulled out his phone, frowning deeper. “See you at home.”

  I opened my mouth to say bye, but he was already walking away with his phone pressed to his ear. After putting my AirPod back in, just in time for “Numb” by Linkin Park, I finished cleaning the lobby. There was only fifteen minutes left on my shift, so I meander down to storage and put my supplies away very slowly. I even reorganized a shelf just to kill the time. That last thing I wanted was another project that would make me stay later. I managed to time it perfectly.

  The rest of the night was mine to do as I pleased. I strolled to the parking lot, checking my social media. It hadn’t changed. I was still persona non grata. The last day of school party was still raging at the lake, and it sounded like the perfect place to blow off some steam.

  Until I noticed the white coupe from Lily’s house parked beside my green Kia Soul. With its hood up.

  Aiden slammed the trunk and stepped toward the front of the car.


  “Oh, hey,” he said, wiping his hands on a nasty looking rag. Once upon a time, it might have been white, or maybe it had always been that gray color normally reserved for whites that never saw bleach.

  “When was the last time that thing was clean? The day you bought it?”

  He glanced at the rag and shook his head. “I honestly have no idea.”

  “What’s wrong with your car?” I asked, pointing at the exposed engine.

  “Again, I say I honestly have no idea.” He moved toward the car and wiggled some tubes. “Cars aren’t my thing. I can change the oil on my own, but nothing other than that.”

  I handed him my bag and stuck my head inside. “What’s it doing or not doing?”

  “It’s trying to turn over, but it’s not quite catching.” He leaned down beside me. “You know about this stuff?”

  “Would it impress you if I did?” I turned on my phone’s flashlight and aimed it at the battery.

  “Actually, yeah.”

  “Your battery cables are corroded.” I glanced toward him with a grin. “Not rocket science.”

  “How’d you learn about cars?”

  “My …” I closed my eyes. Eddie wasn’t the one person I ever wanted to talk about again. “A former friend’s dad fixed cars. He taught me a few things when I’d hang out at their house.”

  “Former? I see.” Aiden touched the corrosion. “That is kind of obvious if you know what to look for.”

  “Kinda, but I won’t hold it against you.” I straightened, careful not to hit my head on the hood. My dad insisted I keep a toolbox in the car in case I needed it. I went to my trunk and grabbed a wrench, but I needed something else. Something I didn’t normally have in my car. I stepped back to his hood. “Got any soda?”

  “Soda?”

  I nodded.

  Aiden shrugged, and I noticed the nice curve of his shoulders. He strolled around the car to the passenger side. I watched every step he took. He was so fine.