The Second Chance

by Morgan Utley

  She was sitting at the lunch table reading her book. Her nose was always in a book. She was in the middle of a sentence when someone sat across from her out of nowhere, and she jumped at the sound of the lunch tray being set down on the table. She looked up from her book and saw it was the new boy, Derek, opening up his milk.

  “You’re Peyton, right?” he asked confidently.

  “Yeah,” she squeaked and cleared her throat, “I mean, yes. I’m Peyton, and you’re Derek?”

  “Yup, that’s me,” he replied, staring at her. It almost made Peyton uncomfortable except that he was nice to look at.

  “Awesome,” she stated simply and picked up where she left off in her book.

  “Are you always reading?” he questioned with a tone of sarcasm. At this point, he finished opening his milk and started drinking it.

  “Pretty much,” Peyton informed the milk drinker and started reading again.

  “How do you read and walk at the same time?” he asked and took a bite of his pizza. “I mean, I swear I almost saw you collide with this poor little freshman, and at the last possible second, you swerved out of the way. Seriously, is it like some superpower?” he asked, clearly trying to keep her away from her book, which Peyton thought was annoying but kind of cute. He took another bite of his pizza with a sort of smirk on his face that hinted he was totally teasing her. Peyton decided to play along.

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe I’m not so much of a superhero, but rather the villain. And I zap people away, so I can read my book.” She smirked and picked up her book, so it was blocking Derek’s face.

  “Now it makes sense.” Peyton peered over the top of her book and saw he was looking straight at her. “I thought you were more the villain type,” he said, trying to look serious, but Peyton could see he was trying not to smile.

  Peyton gave up, marked the page, and slammed the book down. “Really?” she exaggerated.

  “Yup,” he began. “You act like an innocent school girl who pours herself into her books when, really”—he stopped to put his finger on his chin—“the human race drives you crazy, so you're pretending to read and are plotting to take over the world.”

  “Wow, you are so smart,” she put her hands up in the air as if she were being arrested, “because you caught me. Is there something I can help you with?” she snapped.

  “Yeah. I was just wondering if by chance you would put your book down long enough and go on a date with me?” he asked, and Peyton realized he wasn’t as shy as she thought.

  “You are very bold,” she observed out loud to him.

  He shrugged his shoulders, “Only when I want to be, I guess. So, what do you say? Will you risk waiting to read about Prince Charming for one night and spend it with me?”

  “If I said yes, what would we do?” she asked curiously.

  “Well, I can for sure say it will not include a library,” he laughed and finished the rest of his pizza.

  “Bummer, that’s a deal-breaker for me,” she teased and went for her book.

  “If it involves dinner, would that sway you?”

  “Now, you're speaking more my language,” she admitted.

  “Great! If you give me your number, I’ll let you know details,” he reached his hand out. Peyton was tempted to high-five him and say forget it, but she conceded and handed over her phone.

  “There,” he said while looking at her phone. “You just sent me a text.” He pulled out his phone and read the text. “Oh, look, you just asked me if I would walk you to your next class! The answer is yes, I will.” He stood up to put his lunch tray away and stood by the table. “You ready?” He handed her phone back to her and waited for her answer.

  “Yeah, I think I am,” she said. Later that day, her phone had buzzed, and when she looked to see who the text was from, the name read Your Hot Date…

  She walked inside the house after her run and went for a glass of water.

  “You were gone for a while today,” her dad, who was sitting at the dining room table reading his scriptures, pointed out.

  “Yeah, after that nap yesterday, I just had a little more energy, so I pushed a couple more miles out,” she explained and began chugging water.

  “Peyton, you are dripping sweat all over my floor. You either get a rag or go shower before I make you mop,” her mom threatened and sat down next to her dad.

  Peyton grabbed a rag from a drawer and started wiping her face. “You know, Mom. I’m sweating so much that maybe I should mop the floor with it,” she teased and heard her dad start to laugh.

  “Ha ha, very funny. That’s disgusting,” her mom scolded and opened up her own scriptures.

  “Hey, Peyton,” her dad called, “will you help me check on Betsy later? I think she’s going to have her calf soon.”

  “Yeah, Dad, just let me know when you need me. I’m going to go shower before Mom has an aneurism,” Peyton joked.

  “Again, you're hilarious,” she said.

  Peyton went upstairs to shower and got ready for the day as she did every morning. After she got dressed, she went downstairs and started working on her dad’s business. She organized her dad's notes, invoices, and receipts, and then she called clients and updated them on the animals. This usually took a few hours because the man had a thing about sticky notes.

  She ran out to the barn to ask him a question about a note and heard him talking to a cow that was lying down in her stall.

  “Peyton, good thing you’re here. Will you get some fresh hay for Betsy and fill her bucket up with water, please? I think she’s about ready to go into labor, and she’s hardly eaten,” he informed her.

  “Sure thing, I’ll do that right now. While I’m getting it, do you mind telling me what this says? It looks like there’s cow poop on it,” Peyton said. She handed him the hot pink sticky note with cow pie on it, and he started laughing.

  “Sorry, Sis!” he bellowed. “This must have happened when I was wrestling Lucy out there.” He turned away from her to check on the poor mama cow.

  Peyton loved being out in the barn. There was something about the smell of the hay and warm sunshine shining into the barn that brought back good memories…

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Derek,” Peyton warned.

  “What are you talking about?” he questioned, laughing in an arrogant tone.

  A baby calf had jumped into the goat pasture and needed to get back to his mama to feed. The heifer had been mooing loudly for an hour, and when Peyton had finally decided to check on the darn animal, she saw that her calf had gotten away. Derek was sitting on the edge of the fence about to jump in with the goats and the lone calf. Little did he realize that the goats loved a good chase.

  “You're going to get your butt kicked,” she said flatly.

  “By you or the goats?” he challenged and looked at her as if he were asking for it.

  “Oh, I won’t need to do that. Billie and Millie, along with their offspring, will do that for me,” she laughed and pointed out the goats that were staring down Derek.

  “Not a chance!” he retorted.

  Peyton put her hands up and chuckled, “You go right ahead then if you're so sure!”

  “I will!” he exclaimed and jumped into the pen. Right as he did that, it was as if all the animals went quiet, except for the mama cow in the background desperately needing her calf to nurse. The calf was walking around eating grass, minding his own business, but the goats were watching him like a hawk. Or goat.

  Derek took a few steps toward the calf, and the goats remained still, with one of the baby goats bleating every once in a while. Peyton knew he was in trouble. He took a few more steps, and the goats started moving together into the corner of the pen. Once Derek was within reaching distance, he made a quick grab for the calf, turning his back on the goats. Peyton knew immediately that was a mistake because when he turned his back, the mama goat started running toward Derek.

  “Derek, get out of there!” Peyton squealed and ran to
ward the gate, ready to open it.

  Derek turned around and realized he had made a big mistake. He picked up the calf and started running, but before he could get to the gate, the mama goat caught up to him and butted him right in the buttocks.

  “Ow!” Derek yelled yet somehow managed to hang onto the calf, which was mooing loudly in his ear. Derek ran faster, only to have the papa goat come up and take his turn at butting him.

  “Ow!” Derek yelled again, still holding firmly onto the calf. “Peyton, open the gate!” He was only a few feet from the gate with a herd of goats behind him bleating and wanting to get their turn.

  At the last minute, Peyton swung the gate open, and Derek rushed out with the calf in his arms, slightly limping now with sweat dripping down his face. Peyton quickly slammed the gate and locked it before any goats could escape.

  She rushed over to Derek, trying not to laugh, and roped the calf, so Derek could put the calf down. Once the rope was around the calf’s neck, he put the cow down and wiped his face. Peyton knelt and scratched the calf behind the ears, trying to hide her face because her laughing was almost impossible to hide now.

  “See?” he said, panting. “I told you it would be no big deal!” He was standing up straight and rubbing his backside, trying not to look like he was in pain.

  Peyton couldn’t contain herself any longer. She laughed so loud that the goats freaked out and started bleating loudly, running around their pen and into each other. She was laughing so hard her stomach started to hurt and tears were welling up in her eyes.

  “That was the best moment of my life!” she declared and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “That’s not good,” Derek said, limping toward her.

  “Why?” she asked, her laughter calming down to a chuckle. Now she was worried she had upset him.

  “Because now, I’m going to have to spend every day of the rest of my life trying to top that,” he said quietly, walking closer to her.

  “That sounds like a lot of work for you,” Peyton pointed out, whispering now.

  “It’s worth it,” he whispered back and pulled her in for their very first kiss…

  After she filled up the bucket of water, she brought some hay over to her dad, who was still checking over Betsy.

  “How’s she doing, Dad?” she asked.

  “I think she’s going to be going into labor soon. We’ll have to keep an eye on her. You're okay to help me today, right? You don’t have anything planned?” her dad verified.

  “Besides having a boy come to dinner who was invited by Mom, nothing,” she grumbled.

  “Honey, your mom didn’t mean anything by it. And if she did, which she probably did, you know her heart is in the right place,” he explained.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know, Dad. I’m going to go inside and grab some lunch. Do you want anything?” Peyton offered.

  “I’d take a sandwich or leftovers from last night. Thanks, honey. Oh, and that note says to charge Mrs. Donald for that cow I butchered last week.”

  “You know, Dad, it’s a good thing I go through these notes. Otherwise, you would be working for free.”

  He laughed, “You’re amazing, Sis!”

  “All in a day’s work, Dad,” she chuckled and jogged back to the house.

  Peyton walked into the house and made herself and her dad the lunch she promised. After running it back to her dad, she sat down at the table and started working through all the notes again courtesy of him.

  She didn’t mind working for her dad. When she was married to Derek, she worked as a bank teller, which was a fine job and paid the bills. However, it didn’t ever make her happy, and she didn’t mind saying goodbye to it. Her dad offered her a job helping him with the paperwork and finances because when her mom tried to do it, she would become flustered. It was also so she could have something to do and earn a little money. Not that she needed to though because she had received a lot of settlement money from the insurance company from Derek’s accident. Her parent’s attorney made sure that piece of work who was stupid enough to drive drunk and then kill her husband would pay out the nose. Regardless, working with her dad ensured that she could work whenever she wanted and stay at home.

  After she was done going through all her father’s notes and billing clients, she decided to do a little cleaning before Noah showed up. She cleaned the bathrooms, swept and mopped the floor, and vacuumed the living room. She thought about working her way upstairs when her mom stopped her.

  “Peyton, do you want to help me make dinner?” she asked. Peyton turned around and saw that she had her gardening hat and gloves on.

  “Yeah, I can do that. Let me put the vacuum away,” Peyton replied and wound up the cord and put the vacuum in the coat closet.

  “Thanks, honey. How do tacos sound? I figure that’s easy enough for everyone to personalize in case he’s allergic to something,” she explained.

  “Yeah,” Peyton agreed. “I think it’s a great idea. You can’t go wrong with tacos.”

  “Great, I’ll put you on chopping duty.”

  “Alright, just as long as I don’t have to shred cheese,” Peyton countered.

  Her mom reached into the fridge and pulled out a bag of pre-shredded cheese.

  “Wow, Christmas came early,” she said sarcastically and amazed all at the same time. Her mom never bought shredded cheese. She would tell us only lazy, rich people bought it, and we could easily save money buying a block of it and shredding it ourselves.

  While her mom was in the fridge, she pulled out an onion, tomatoes, cilantro, avocados, and limes and handed it all to Peyton. She sighed and started chopping away on all the vegetables.

  “What time did you invite Noah over, Mom?” Peyton asked.

  “I told him to come at 5:30.”

  “You realize that’s in like twenty minutes, right?” she informed her mother, who appeared as cool as a cucumber. “And you're wanting to make guacamole?”

  “The two of us can get it done. No problem!” she encouraged, and as if on cue, Chris and Gloria came through the door. “Oh, look! More help. Chris!” she called, “Get in here and grab a knife.”

  “Let me guess. She told Noah an unrealistic time and is scrambling to get everything done now,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Right on the button, bro!” Peyton pointed her knife in the air and then continued chopping her onion. “Gloria, how are you at making guacamole?” Peyton asked.

  “Oh, man, Pey Pey, she makes a mean guac! Definitely have her make it!” Chris insisted.

  “Are you okay with that, Gloria?” Peyton didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, but she also wanted to include her. She knew how weird it was to adapt to a new family. The first time Peyton had dinner with Derek’s parents, they asked her what she wanted to do for a living. Being Peyton, she wanted to be honest and told them that all she truly ever wanted to be was a mom. She couldn’t find a career that she wanted to do. The looks on their faces told her that they were super nervous, and after she left, Derek’s parents gave him the sex talk again and told him that she and Derek could never be alone together.

  “Yeah, I would love to!” Gloria said enthusiastically. Peyton handed her all the makings for the guacamole, and before she knew it, they all were like a bunch of sous chefs, working together to get dinner out.

  “How much time do we have now?” Peyton asked after she and Chris finished chopping all the vegetables.

  Chris looked at his watch, “Ten minutes.”

  “Okay, let's quickly set the table!” She grabbed a handful of plates while Chris grabbed the silverware, and they scrambled to set the table.

  “Don’t make it look like a bunch of toddlers set it, you two,” her mom chided.

  “Now I want to do it just for spite,” Peyton muttered.

  “Don’t tempt me,” Chris teased. “Hey, Gloria, can I try that guacamole?”

  “No way!” her mother called. “Once you start eating that stuff, you can’t stop! We’re having dinner
any minute, so you can wait.”

  “Not even one chip?” he begged.

  “You can wait,” she repeated.

  Before Chris could try and take a chip, there was a knock on the front door.

  Chapter 11

  “Peyton! Go open the door!” her mom whispered and pointed toward the door.

  “No!” she protested, “You’re the one who invited him, you do it!”

  “Are you kidding me?” She put her hands up in the air to exaggerate that she was irritated even though Peyton already knew she was.

  “No, I’m not! Now, are you going to answer it before he knocks again?” Peyton said, knowing it would bother her mother.

  Her mom set her spoon down and scowled at her daughter, “You're ridiculous!”

  Peyton shrugged her shoulders, “This isn’t news, Mom.”

  Right before she answered the door, she turned around, “Start putting the food on the table! And Chris, keep your fingers out of that guac!” she threatened.

  “Mom, just open it!” Peyton said exasperated.

  Her mom opened the door and put a big smile on her face. You would have never guessed she was just arguing with her kids.

  “Hi, Noah! Come on in!” She waved into the house, and Noah entered.

  “Thank you,” Peyton heard him say in his deep voice. She turned the corner and saw that his hair and his rain jacket were covered in water droplets. She hadn’t even noticed it was raining.

  He took off his shoes and his rain jacket. Before he could wonder where to put it, her mom spoke again, “I can take that, honey. I’ll put it in the coat closet.”

  “Thank you, Cheryl,” Noah said and smiled when he saw Peyton, revealing the laugh lines around his eyes. It looked like he had stepped off the pages of a magazine. He was wearing dark wash jeans with a shirt that clung to his chest and outlined his muscular upper body. He brushed his hand through his hair to get rid of some of the water droplets, and Peyton had to remember to breathe.

  “Hi, Peyton,” he said affectionately.

  “Hi, Noah,” she breathed, taking in his gaze. It was brief, but he looked at her as if no one else were in the room. She was stuck in what felt like a trance, but she didn’t mind. Peyton would never admit it to her mom, but she was so happy he was here. Even though her heart was racing, and she forgot to breathe every once in a while, he brought a sort of peace to her mind. A feeling of comfort and safety she hadn’t felt in a long time.