Second Chances

By Linda Wilson

This book describes the journey of two people who lost at love the fist time around. They fight to overcome their past and the loves they once had to begin a new relationship together. They must overcome issues of trust and fear to learn to love again as they face the uncertain future together. Her characters, Elise and Alex, learn that unconditional love is a gift life offers if we are willing to hope and trust.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483668208

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Linda Wilson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 07/22/2013

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 1

She walked into the dinner party in a short, black strapless dress showing bared, bronzed shoulders. It hugged her body in all the right places, and she looked cool and comfortable yet oh so sultry, perfect for the balmy Florida weather outside. Her blond curls were softly highlighted and framed her pretty face with high cheekbones and classically natural creamy skin. Elise seemed clearly confident as she strolled over to her hostess, Nicole, smiling and extending her toned, tan arms as they greeted one another. They hugged and kissed like dear friends do when they hadn’t seen each other for a while. Nicole was thrilled to see Elise. Elise had been doing some traveling for her job since her divorce. Nicole knew work and travel helped Elise deal with the devastation and humiliation she felt after her very public split from her prominent, well-to-do ex-husband. She was happy Elise found time to be at her party in spite of her busy work schedule, and the warmth in her eyes showed it. Nicole was there for Elise, just as she always had been.

Elise had endured eleven months of transformation with her recent divorce and a new job she had taken. She needed to be busy and work definitely helped. She needed the diversion from the life she was leaving behind. It was a life filled with sadness and despair, and she was doing her best to escape from it.

There was no denying she was a strikingly beautiful woman, and her recently found independence had definitely helped her gain a bit of the confidence she had lost during her tumultuous marriage. Yes, Elise was a definitely a woman in transition, but that didn’t erase the anxiety she hid so well inside. She was afraid tonight there might be a repeat performance of the panic attacks she endured over the last few months, but she had to come because she loved Nicole. Elise knew any time, any place, the panic attack could set in. The doctor had said she needed to be prepared. She had turned down a few opportunities to socialize in recent months; she needed to find her old comfortable self, and she knew she would… eventually. The past few years had been very tough emotionally. First losing the mom she adored to brain cancer and then losing Tom in the divorce. Of course, she had really lost Tom a long time before that.

Although Elise and Nicole began their friendship as happily married wives several years earlier, living in the same affluent gated Florida Gulf Coast community, the years took their toll on their marriages and relationships, and now both Nicole and Elise were without spouses and available for whatever the future might hold. Nicole’s husband had passed away leaving her a very wealthy widow with more financial resources than anyone could imagine. In spite of the disparity in their lifestyles, Nicole and Elise were precisely what one another needed, and over the years they had built a strong and loyal friendship. Nicole was considered the hostess with the mostest. She was caring, kind, and discreet. Elise appreciated how she could trust Nicole with anything she wanted to share. Well, almost anything. She hadn’t told Nicole about the panic attacks nor had she provided all the mortifying events that led up to the conclusion of her marriage. There were some things too hurtful to share. However, there had been so many times Elise called her discouraged, depressed, dejected, and disheartened. Living with an alcoholic was a huge burden, and Elise couldn’t handle it without the support of her trustworthy friend. She certainly needed a confidant during those tough times. Nicole hated what her friend had endured during those years. Elise was too sweet, too nice to Tom, and Nicole understood the loneliness in her heart. Nicole was glad Elise was finally able to get away from him.

Elise gazed at her friend and hostess as she chatted with her guests. Nicole was certainly in her element; she was always charming and was always upbeat—of course, with her money, that was easy! Elise provided the reality that grounded Nicole and enabled her to have a close relationship separate from charitable and political connections that were constantly vying for her support and funding. Nicole was the consummate hostess, and this party was no exception. A stalwart at many society functions, she was a gracious, dynamic lady with all the money anyone would need to afford glamorous, high-end entertaining. She had lived all over the world—Paris, Madrid, London, Rome, Hong Kong—until settling on the serene Gulf Coast of Florida; her social graces were beyond compare. Although Elise and Nicole led vastly different lives, they respected and loved one another and had a deep emotional connection to one another.

Four servers in white jackets strolled casually through the well-heeled crowd, gracefully passing sumptuous appetizers, aperitifs, and lethal cocktails on silver trays as guests mingled and chatted. The guests were engaged in leisurely conversations sipping on their cosmos, wine and martinis. But as Elise circulated among the crowd, she became acutely cognizant of one guest in particular eyeing her as she sipped her white wine. His eyes caught hers a couple of times from across the huge living room in the opulent waterfront mansion. Elise was a stunning woman even if she herself didn’t know it. Her short dress revealed muscled calves and a small waist. She was poised and elegant. Donning a new hairstyle, exquisitely defined facial features, and deeply intense green eyes, she was lovely. A more sophisticated wardrobe along with her daily fitness regimen certainly didn’t hurt either. She was striking, but Elise didn’t realize how sinfully sexy she looked especially to the man watching her from across the room. He didn’t mean to stare, but she really was an ethereal beauty and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

All too quickly Nicole rang a small bell and announced, Dinner is served! Her guests strolled into the palatial dining room with crystal chandeliers and fine china. Nicole’s home, though incredibly beautiful, wasn’t at all ostentatious. It was just magnificently furnished and accessorized. Delicious smells permeated the expansive room. As waiters stood in the entrance, guests looked anxiously for their place cards wondering who their gracious hostess had decided to seat them near.

Nicole was notorious for making her guest list as eclectic as the priceless artwork hanging on her walls. Guests strolled around the long dark cherry table set with Limoges china and sparkling Baccarat crystal searching for their names. Then the room became quieter and guests stood behind chairs at their designated spots. Elise knew she would have a place of honor somewhere near her treasured friend; she eyed the place cards and found her name. She was seated on Nicole’s left, and she felt pleased to know they would have a chance to catch up on family, gossip and travel. As the gentlemen pulled out chairs for the ladies seated next to them, the chatter began again.

On Elise’s left was a tall, lean man; the name Alex was scripted on his place card. She wasn’t familiar with an Alex, but when her eyes drifted up, she found he was the man watching her earlier in the foyer. Their eyes locked, and they melted her. Without hesitation, Elise exchanged a brief greeting to him. She looked up again quickly and smiled. She couldn’t help but think how handsome he was. Dark and wavy, his hair was cut uniformly all over, encouraging his natural waves; it wasn’t short but it wasn’t long either. He was in his early to midthirties with broad, well-defined shoulders, chiseled jaw, and simply beautiful. Elise could tell he was at least six feet tall. He was the type of man you would see on television commercials gracefully emerging from behind the wheel of a BMW or Porsche. Elise smiled kindly and thanked him as Alex slowly pulled her chair out for her. She sat down slowly and thought, Thank you, Nicole! I don’t know where you found Alex but he’s really cute. Elise had no expectations, and had no idea Alex had been handpicked just for her.

It didn’t take long for Alex to begin a conversation introducing himself as Alex Ford, a financier working with one of Nicole’s attorneys. It seems he was reviewing her trust account and updating some investments she held. He was articulate, intelligent, and oh so handsome! Now Elise wondered which one of the ladies at the dinner table was his wife. Certainly such a good-looking guy had to be taken. Quickly, Elise scoured the women seated at the table; she was acquainted with a few of them; however, there were three she didn’t recognize. Two were too old to be partnered with this hunky guy. That left one leggy blonde sitting almost opposite Alex at the table. Yes, they seemed to be a good match, but neither wore wedding bands. Maybe they were dating or maybe they worked together; maybe they were having an affair, or maybe they were like those couples who never felt the need to display the circle of love on their fingers.

Everyone else took their seats. Nicole was busy sending orders and requests to the waitstaff. All of a sudden, Nicole raised her voice and her French Baccarat crystal champagne glass, and the room became silent. All eyes were focused solely on her, her twenty-five-carat diamond choker necklace—an anniversary present from her late husband—and her dazzling four-carat diamond stud earrings. With a broad smile, she welcomed her dinner guests and thanked them for joining her. As if anyone would miss an invitation to one of Nicole’s parties! Glasses clinked softly as a toast was made and guests relaxed and prepared to enjoy a lavishly prepared meal. Elise eyed the leggy blonde whispering to the older gentleman on her right. Then she noticed how the blonde bent oh so close to the older man; that whisper was entirely too intimate, anyone could tell that. Maybe the blonde wasn’t with Alex. She quietly leaned over to express her thanks to Nicole. It was a lovely dinner party, and Elise was happy to attend. Nicole cast a glimpse at Alex and smiled at her. She discreetly said, Are you pleased with the seating arrangement? She grinned as if she had just won the lottery. Elise knew she must have something up her sleeve, and she was perplexed. She leaned closely to Nicole. "Is he with her? She asked glancing across the table toward the attractive blonde.

Nicole quickly responded in whisper, No! Of course not! Why the heck do you think you are sitting where you are sitting? Elise, get a life! she retorted, dripping with sarcasm. Nicole leaned close and whispered, Elise, he’s phenomenal! Take advantage of tonight! He is such a nice guy! I mean it! All at once she got it! Alex was here for her but Nicole had never mentioned a word to her about him. She wanted to be excited, but something inside her tempered her mood. She smiled at Nicole and then took a deep breath. She wanted to be able to meet someone and move on with her life, but what she wanted wasn’t always what she got.

Elise quickly turned toward Alex and noticed he was staring directly at her, and it made her heart beat quicker. His gaze was intoxicating. Was he as intrigued by her as she was of him? His deep blue eyes the color of cobalt were fixated totally on hers and the slight brush of his arm as he placed the linen dinner napkin in his lap gave her body a tingle she found exhilarating; their arms were in such close proximity and Elise could feel his thigh ever so near. And oh, those lips, they were so sensuous! She was almost in a hypnotic spell. She was actually turned on by this guy and he had hardly spoken to her. Elise wondered how she could actually carry on an intelligent conversation with her head spinning, her knees knocking, and her body tingling. This is the first time in a very long time Elise had considered any man sexy. Sex had been the farthest thing on her mind since the divorce; it actually was one of the reasons she and Tom split. There had been no sex… for years.

The divorce. No matter where Elise was, the divorce seemed to loom over her like a dark cloud in an ominous sky. She never dreamed she would love anyone other than Tom, but over the years things changed in many ways, especially in the bedroom. At first, she concluded he didn’t want her; she thought maybe he had a lover or maybe this is what happens to some couples after years of marriage. Maybe passion just silently diminishes and they no longer feel the intensity. Maybe after several years, feelings wane and intrigue is lost to monotony. When she and her girlfriends got together for lunch, the conversation inevitably turned to husbands and sex; Elise always managed to escape to the ladies’ room about that time because Tom’s needs never mirrored that of her friends’ husbands. But deep inside, she had felt the passion she and Tom had would one day come back. She thought that imaginary wall between them would disappear and feelings would resurface, and she stood by him knowing their love would return. Nope. Those feelings didn’t come back. It took many heated conversations between them over the years, but after a while she came to the disheartening realization it wasn’t her, it had never been her. She wasn’t the problem. It was Tom’s inability to perform. Alcoholism had taken its toll on his body and on his desire. It wasn’t that Elise hadn’t known Tom, she knew him as well as she knew herself. The problem was she didn’t know the path life would take them down would veer off so sharply from the dreams they once shared.

Although he was an experienced, successful contractor, he loved his booze. Lunch with his contacts and clients inevitably meant a drinking lunch. His drinking was the cause of all friction and dissension in their lives, including the bedroom. Elise tried all she could, medications and prescriptions, therapy. Tom refused to go. She even resorted to counseling, but Tom flatly spurned the idea. Oh, sometimes he made promises and sometimes he made a bit of an effort, but he could never follow through. She attended AA meetings without him only to return home to the same scenario she found every other day. And the discord continued and the love waned.

It hadn’t started out that way though. Tom and Elise met during her junior year in college; they met while taking a finance class at the University of Georgia. He was immediately smitten with the very attractive blonde who always arrived late to class. When she smiled at the professor, he never commented or said a word… she was just that pretty and, Tom later found out, just that smart. The professor just smiled back, halting his lecture until she was seated because he wanted her full attention. Tom was the fraternity president at a school where fraternity life was highly regarded and very popular; she became the fraternity sweetheart. And that’s how their love affair began. In those days they were the most sought after guests at any party. She wore his fraternity pin and was a fixture at all the social events. When she pledged Tri Delt, he sent her a dozen roses at the sorority house informing the world she was his. At a candlelight ceremony at the end of her junior year, the sisters all passed the candle until it reached Elise and she blew it out to signal her engagement to Tom. Those were happy days, days neither of them would trade for anything.

After college they married in a huge Southern wedding with four hundred guests. Elise loved Tom’s friends and family and Tom adored his beautiful wife. Things were good, really good, but it didn’t take long for life to change. Fifteen months after the wedding, Tom’s parents were killed in their private plane as they traveled to a golf tournament in North Carolina. Both died instantly as the plane’s engine died and collided into a mountain one hour from their destination. The accident shocked friends and family and thrust Tom into a depression from which he would never recover.

Tom was always well liked and familiar to so many people in the area; he was destined to follow in the family business, and stepping into his father’s shoes helped secure a place of prominence in their coastal community. Tom welcomed the challenge of taking over his father’s well-established company. Tom was great with people; he was smart and he wanted to make his parents proud. Tom didn’t realize it only added more pressure to be successful like his dad. He knew it would be work, but it didn’t take him long to realize it was impossible to fill his father’s big shoes. In the beginning, Tom was very successful not only because he knew what he was doing, but he had an affable personality his friends and associates enjoyed. Elise slipped into the routine of the well-to-do; she was involved doing charity work, luncheons with friends, playing tennis, and entertaining. But their happiness didn’t last long. The loss of his family, the pressures of being Tom Cantrell, and life in general was beginning to be too much for him. Tom always had drinks with the guys after golf or during lunch meetings. It didn’t take long before Tom was drinking daily at lunch and started every Saturday and Sunday morning with a Bloody Mary, which inevitably led to more. When Elise would comment, he would scowl at her and become belligerent. He said she didn’t want him to enjoy life or have any fun. He said she was a bitch and nagged him. He said he had earned the right to drink whenever he wanted, and he wasn’t doing anyone any harm. Let him alone. She did. She ignored it. For a while. Then, it only got worse.

Alcohol was a drug Tom needed to survive. He would drive home from dinner with friends when he never should have been behind the wheel. It didn’t take long before friends would always insist meeting the couple at a restaurant or picking them up rather than let Tom behind the wheel. That was until Tom couldn’t be seen without a glass in his hand wherever he went—even in the car and even walking into the restaurant. At first, Elise would demand he leave his drink in the car insisting he could surely go thirty minutes without a sip. But Tom needed his glass, and if she pushed, there would be an argument. Elise was mortified, but she always acquiesced. She loved him, and he loved that drink. There were nights of utter silence when they didn’t argue, but there were also nights when she couldn’t find anything nice to say to him for hours on end because he had picked on her so much—either because she played tennis, or because she always made plans without consulting him, or because she didn’t value his job, or because the sun was shining or the rain was falling. Of course, these were Tom’s excuses, never Elise’s. There were many times his drinking was so excessive that everyone eyed her with pity. Falling asleep in chairs, chastising her like she was a child in front of others, demanding he have just one more before leaving. It didn’t take long for friends to hear the gossip about incidents at restaurants like when he tripped on the leg of a chair and landed on his face or when he spilled a full glass of Scotch and went into a tirade blaming the waiter for being inept, clumsy, and stupid. Sometimes if there was a band or live music, he goaded Elise into dancing with him. He wasn’t the smooth, skillful dancer he had been in college. Now he stepped all over her feet, gyrating foolishly embarrassing them both, or yelling at the band for not playing the music he wanted. Humiliated, Elise would always find a way to sit down only after whispers and stares filled the room. Debased and humbled, Elise began to withdraw. Her personality disappeared and depression, complacency, and anxiety set in.

Soon their relationship morphed into one of companionship, nothing more. No hand-holding, no passion, and certainly no sex. He never had any desire to make love to her. In spite of everything, she was determined to stay with Tom. He had been through so much, and she loved him more than life itself. But there was another reason she stayed. She wanted a baby. Early on, she envisioned that once she got pregnant, he would come around. Once he had his own family, he would change. It would go back the way it was someday, and they would be happy again. After all, hadn’t she and Tom endured many trials and tribulations over the years with family, his business, and other disappointments? If you love one another, that’s all that matters. Elise never gave Tom a reason to be jealous; she was totally devoted to him. Were there ever men who found her attractive? Of course, plenty; but she was Tom’s and he was hers. Even with all his faults, she would stick by him. She took a vow—’til death do us part. And one day, when things were better, they would have the family they dreamed about years ago.

Things never did get better. He was more selfish and controlling than ever. She remembered one day she needed minor eye surgery. He