My Second Chance: Gaines University Series, #2

By Alison Post

Taylor Ames had her heartbroken six years ago, and since then he's learned to focus on the good things that life has to offer, like her son, Christopher. She works at a diner during the day and is a full time mother every moment after, sure that She was so sure that her life will never be anything more –that she will never want anything more.

John Lewis came into the diner that she works at during a rainstorm, changing her life forever. He showed her that she's still capable of loving and being loved by another. He's just the man that she's been waiting for and she's finally ready to open her heart to him and share her life. Along with him comes a group of friends that show her what true loyalty really looks like.

When a ghost from her past finds her and upends her life will she learn to lean on her friends, her new family, or push them away?

Mature - Not intended for audiences under 16 years old.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alison Post
• Release date: Jun 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201847036

Book preview

Chapter One

F uck, John muttered to himself; as the wind pelted the rain against his truck harder. He was all for sticking it out and not giving up when the weather got a little rough, but he called it when he could barely see the hood of his truck in this shit.

He immediately sought out shelter. It only took a few more moments before the lights of a little diner came into focus. He flicked his blinker on before carefully pulling into the parking lot and attempting to find a spot in the near-empty space.

Now, he wasn’t normally prone to driving around in severe thunderstorms, but he’d been out watching a hockey game at a bar with a few of his own teammates. There weren’t a lot of times that they could get together now that they were in the middle of their hockey season. The weather was supposed to hold off until later tonight, but John should’ve known better than to play with the weather in the dead of winter here in Minnesota.

With the slush and snow collecting on the road and the rain just adding to the danger, he knew that he would have to wait it out until he could get better visibility. He wasn’t going to risk getting into an accident and screwing his teammates over when they still had more than a handful of games to be played.

He made sure his coat was zipped before he turned the truck off, pocketed the keys, and dashed into the little diner.

He may have been at Gaines University for almost four years, but he hadn’t taken much time to tour the town his school was located in. His life revolved around classes, hockey, and parties. He was a typical 23-year-old college senior with no ties to anything around him. He preferred playing the field instead of being in a relationship.

He wasn’t against relationships, per se. One of his closest friends, Jace Rivers, was in a serious one with an amazing woman, and you would have to be pretty dumb not to see the love that the two of them shared. That didn’t mean he was ready to jump on the bandwagon and give every piece of his soul over to some random girl. No. He was perfectly happy with the way things were right now, thank you very much.

The sound of the little bell over the door to the diner tore John from his thoughts. He was pleasantly surprised as he surveyed the inside. He’d expected something run down with greasy food and vinyl seating, but instead, there was a brick wall on the other side of the door, a handful of tables with chairs on one side, and benches under the windows. The room was separated from the kitchen by a long wooden counter with a white top and green chairs placed in front.

The smell itself almost brought him to his knees. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a home-cooked meal--surely not since his mom had passed--but he suddenly felt like he’d stepped back in time and into his mother’s kitchen. He shook that thought off real quick before it could take root in his mind and found a seat at the counter. There were only two other patrons, one was at a table, and the other was on the opposite end of the counter. John could only guess that they had also come in to wait out the storm instead of weathering the roads.

Just as he went to reach for a menu, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and froze.

She was beautiful.

The first thing he noticed about this woman was the way her blue eyes just pulled him in. He knew right then and there that this girl could ask him to do anything, and he would do it...no questions asked. He forced his attention from her eyes to look at the rest of her. He guessed that she was his age. Her dark blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail with the ends just barely brushing the side of her neck. She had on a black t-shirt, black jeans, and a dark blue apron tied around her waist. The outfit was paired with a pair of tennis shoes that he could tell had seen better days- but that was the last thing on his mind as his eyes trailed up her body and found that she was staring at him with one eyebrow raised. He would’ve been worried that she thought he was a sleazebag, but the slight smile that graced her beautiful lips told him that she found his perusal entertaining.

What can I get you? she asked him.

He was about to say ‘you’ but thought better of that response. This girl didn’t strike him as the type to fall for his usual moves. There was something about that thought that brought him a certain level of excitement. This girl was different.

This is my first time here. What would you recommend? He gave her his best smile and was rewarded with the slight blushing of her cheeks.

Everything here is pretty good, but for your first time, I would recommend the Bacon Cheeseburger. Maggie’s recipe is to die for, she said with another small smile.

Maggie? he asked.

Her blue eyes shined as she pointed to the menu still sitting in his hands. He noticed ‘Maggie’s Diner’ was printed right there at the top. He just laughed at himself before looking back up into her clear, blue eyes.

Excuse me, I got a little distracted before I was able to look at the menu, he told her in a teasing voice.

Distracted?

When I came in here to find an escape from the rain, I didn’t think I would find myself in the company of one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.

She pursed her lips and looked to the side before looking back at him with laughter dancing in her eyes.

Does that line normally work for you?

What line? He knew what she meant, but wanted to see her roll her eyes at him. He was suddenly very thankful to whatever entity gave them this thunderstorm.

You’re trouble, aren’t you? she asked him.

I’ve been called worse things… he trailed off when he realized he didn’t know this beautiful stranger’s name. What blasphemy, he thought to himself.

Taylor, she supplied for him with another breathtaking smile.

Well, Taylor, my name’s John, he said as he stuck his hand out for her to shake. He was pleased with the feeling of her hand wrapped in his much larger one. She blushed before slowly extracting hers from his, clearing her throat, and looking back to the menu pointedly.

I’ll have the Bacon Cheeseburger, he told her with a wink.

Fries?

Please.

Soda?

Coke.

Anything else? she asked as she put her pen and notepad away. He jumped on this moment, knowing that he would regret not asking this question for the rest of his life.

Some people would call him crazy, but he could just tell that she didn’t care about his reputation as a hockey player. She didn’t even seem to know who he was. It was the breath of fresh air that he hadn’t realized he needed.

What are the chances I can get your number? He lifted both of his eyebrows at her, but she laughed and shook her head.

I’m way more than you can handle, John. Before he could think of a response to that, she started backing away from him. Your food will be out in just a few minutes.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about her response. He’d have to figure out how to show her just what he could handle.

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Taylor was still laughing as she walked back to the kitchen and handed Milo, the chef, the ticket for John’s food.

What’s so funny? Maggie asked her.

Taylor had a lot of jobs throughout her young life, but she could easily say that Maggie was the best boss she’d ever had. She was in her early thirties with dark hair and brown eyes. She was just about the same height as Taylor and was the closest thing that Taylor had to a big sister.

Taylor had been working at Maggie’s Diner for a little over four years now; she couldn’t imagine wanting to leave. Maggie gave her anything she could ever want - bi-annual raises and flexible schedules were the big things Taylor had needed when she’d been hired on. Now she was finally in a spot in her life where she was able to think about a future that wasn’t terrifying.

Maggie was helping Milo with some of his kitchen tasks since it was a little slow due to the rain. She was the first one to admit that she had a problem sitting still, so sitting in her office for eight hours a day was her own version of hell. Most days, Maggie could be found out of her office more than in it.

Nothing; that guy out there is just trying to hit on me, she said with another laugh.

Maggie’s eyebrows shot up on her forehead when she found the guy through the kitchen window that Taylor indicated.

Damn, girl, why don’t you jump on that?

When would I ever have the time for something like that? she asked with no hint of bitterness in her voice. She was used to her life and wasn’t in any rush to change anything.

You know I would help you out with anything. You need to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself, honey.

It’s okay. I have my hands full with one guy right now. I don’t need to add another.

Maggie was going to disagree, but Taylor just gave her a small smile before grabbing John’s drink and taking it back to him.

Here you go, she said as she set the glass down in front of him.

Thanks. So, what’s your story? he asked her before she could make her escape.

She raised her eyebrows at that question. I just met you. What makes you think I’m going to give you my life story?

Okay. No life story. He took a sip from his drink before looking back up at her. What do you do in your free time?

She couldn’t remember the last time she had free time; those two words were mythical in her book.

When he could see that she wasn’t going to respond, he just nodded his head. A mystery girl. I like it. She could see him thinking long and hard about the next question he was going to ask her. She could’ve left, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun at work. What school do you go to?

School? Was he really asking her if she was still in high school? She didn’t know whether to be insulted or take that as a compliment.

Do you go to Gaines U? I feel like I would know you if you did, though, he murmured. A neighboring college, then? He raised his eyebrows as he waited to see if she would respond.

She pursed her lips as she shook her head. Maybe in another life, she thought.

He sat up straight as another thought shot through his head.

You’re not in high school, right?

She laughed at the pure fear in his eyes.

I’m out of high school, yes, she told him, chortling.

She heard her name called and left to retrieve his food. She was still laughing to herself when she brought it back and set it down next to his drink.

You are legal, right? he asked. She could see the mischief behind his eyes and just knew that this guy was nothing but trouble. Good or bad, she couldn’t tell just yet.

Yes! She laughed.

Just making sure, he told her as he picked up the burger. You can never be too careful these days. Once he took a bite of the burger, he froze as he stared at her in shock. She knew just what he was thinking.

It’s good, right?

This is fucking fantastic. Excuse my language. He took another bite before swallowing it down.

Who is this Maggie? She’s a witch, isn’t she? She just shook her head and laughed when she saw a spark of seriousness in his eyes. This is easily the best burger I’ve ever had, he told her.

She chuckled as he took another bite like he was a starving man. There was no more room for talking now that his mouth was busy, so she set to folding towels and cleaning air spots off of the silverware. Faster than she thought possible, he was wiping his mouth with his napkin. Her eyes widened at the empty plate in front of him.

Damn, that was a good burger. I’m definitely coming back here. Amazing food and an even better view, he said as he gave her a pointed glance, which triggered a heavy eye roll. I’ll bring a few teammates next time. They’ll love it.

Teammates? She looked him up and down and knew immediately which sport he played. She felt a small pang in her chest as she met his eyes. Hockey?

How’d you guess? he asked as he dug his wallet out of his pocket.

I once knew a guy that played. You have the same physique, she answered. She knew that she hadn’t been able to hide the dejected look in her eyes when his eyebrows came together, but she was quick to change the subject. That was the last thing she wanted to talk about. 12.50.

She was glad when he didn’t press her for any information. He handed her a twenty, but when she tried to give him his change, he just shook his head and stood up.

Do you work the same shift every day? he asked her as he slipped his jacket on. She noticed belatedly that the rain had lightened up. She suddenly wished that it was still raining so he would have an excuse to stay there with her.

She knew that she could easily tell him that she worked different shifts - something - but she couldn’t bring herself to lie.

Yes, except for weekends.

Weekends were the only time that she was able to spend with a certain someone, and she wasn’t going to throw that away for anything.

Then I’ll be back, he told her. He gave her a smile before leaving her with a warm feeling in her chest. One she hadn’t had for over six years.

Taylor! Maggie called from the kitchen. Taylor turned around to look at her. If everything’s good, you’re clear to go.

Taylor turned to the clock and was shocked to see that her shift was over. The late afternoon waitress would be there any minute to take over for her, and she had an important place to be.

Thanks, she said. She headed into the backroom to drop off her apron, grabbed her jacket and bag, and said goodbye to Milo and Maggie before heading out the back door. She rubbed her hands together as she waited for her heater to warm up in her late model Honda. It wasn’t super flashy, but it got her from point A to point B, and that was all she asked for.

She drove the empty streets as she let her mind drift to John and the way he’d looked at her. She felt a brief pang of guilt, but knew that it wasn’t called for. She tried to tell herself that there was no reason for her to feel guilty, but that didn’t help. She was thankful that her destination was only about ten minutes from the diner. It didn’t leave her with much time to dwell on the past.

She parked and waited.

It wasn’t long before she spotted him striding out the door. She immediately stepped out of her car to make sure that he saw her. He gave her a large smile before crossing the street and heading straight toward her.

How was your day? she asked him as she opened the back door.

It was so cool, Mom. Mrs. Russo let us watch a movie and even let me be line monitor, he said like it was the best thing that could’ve happened. She smiled and pushed all lingering thoughts of John from her mind as Christopher recited everything that had happened at school.

This was why she couldn’t go out. Her life revolved around Christopher, and she was perfectly fine with that. Before he was even born, she’d made him a promise that she would always put him first, and she was sticking by that.

Even if she saw a certain brown-eyed man again, she would deny his advances. There was no way that a college hockey player wanted anything to do with a single mom of a six-year-old boy.

Chapter Two

The next morning Taylor woke up a few minutes before her alarm was set to go off. She sighed as she thought through what she had on her plate for the day.

Make breakfast for herself and Christopher.

Drive him to school.

Go to work.

Pick him up after her shift.

Make dinner.

And since it was only Tuesday, that meant she would start the whole thing over the next day.

She wasn’t ignorant enough to think that she would be seeing John again that night. She expected the same routine.

She felt a pang in her chest as she thought of John and how he made her feel the night before. She didn’t even know why she was so hung up on him, and the guilt she felt, she knew, was unwarranted. As she looked at the picture on her nightstand table, she locked eyes with Christopher’s father. He would’ve hated to see her still struggling with guilt after so many years, but that didn’t help the feeling go away.

She shook her head to clear those depressing thoughts as she forced herself to get up and start getting ready for her day. She took her shower, got dressed, and went to wake Christopher up. He took after her with his aversion to mornings, so it was always a chore to get him going for school. She may not have all the answers, but after six years, she knew just what to say to get him moving.

Chris, baby, we gotta get ready for school, she said quietly while she gently shook his shoulders.

Mmmphf, he replied, moving his head so he was facing away from her.

Pancakes? she asked him. He whipped around to look at her with wide eyes.

Chocolate chips? A better mom would tell him no and make sure his breakfast was completely healthy, but that was not her.

As long as you're dressed and in the kitchen in five minutes, she told him.

He didn’t need any other motivation. He hopped from the bed and began to rummage through his dresser for his clothes. He was independent enough that she didn’t have to worry about him coming out in something God awful, so she left him to his own devices and headed to the kitchen.

This house was her pride and joy. She was renting it from an elderly couple that always treated her like an extension of their family. This house went on the market about six months after she found the job with Maggie, and she couldn’t resist putting in an application even though she was pretty sure that it would be far out of her price range.

It had two bedrooms with a spacious living room and open kitchen - everything she could’ve possibly wanted. She ended up having to bring Christopher with her to her first meeting with them. She had been worried that they would judge her like so many others had for being a young single mom, but that was far from what happened. They took to Christopher immediately and showed them around the little house. She was ready to have her heart broken, but once the Jensen’s found out that she worked with Maggie, they had her sign the lease right then and there.

After a life of being disappointed and let down by the adults around her, she was glad to find a few that gave her hope in the rest of the world.

She quickly set to work, mixing the pancake batter, and soon heard little footsteps running down the hallway.

Are they done yet? he asked as he hopped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

Just about, she said as she began to pour out the batter.

She focused on the task at hand and soon set a plate in front of Christopher. The only sounds filling the kitchen were the scrape of forks against their plates and his chewing.

Once they were both finished, she placed all of the dishes in the dishwasher, helped Christopher put his coat on, double-checked that he had brushed his teeth, and then they were out the door.

Christopher told her about everything that he hoped to do today in school, and before she knew it, they were already in the drop-off lane.

Have a good day, baby, she told him.

I will, he said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before shouting, I love you, slamming the car door, and racing towards the school entrance.

As she watched him go, she heard a sharp knock on her driver’s side window. Since she had been looking in the opposite direction, the sudden noise made her jump out of her skin.

God, you scared me, she said to Emma. She was the mother of one of Christopher’s friends. The two of them had become fairly close since Christopher had started first grade. She was also a young single mom, though not as young as Taylor, so they had a lot in common.

Sorry about that, Emma laughed at her. Since I saw you here, I wanted to give you this. She handed Taylor a birthday invitation. Caleb’s birthday is next month, and I wanted to make sure that you had plenty of time since I know you’re very busy, she told her.

Taylor knew that she hadn’t meant anything by that statement, but it still stung nonetheless; it wasn’t like she’d always envisioned herself spending so much time working and not with her own son. She forced her emotions away so Emma wouldn’t see them and looked at the date on the card. She knew that Christopher would be heartbroken if he didn’t get to go to this, but her heart sank when she saw that it was a sleepover. She hadn’t spent one night away from her child since he was born. After everything she’d been through, she hated to be away from him for long stretches of time.

Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she looked back up at Emma. We’ll try to make it. She knew it would be hard, but she would do just about anything for Christopher, even if it would make her half crazy.

She waved to Emma as she pulled away from the curb and headed to work. She was glad for the distraction since she didn’t want to think about the party next month. Maybe Maggie would have some sound advice for her.

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It’ll be good for him, Maggie said as soon as she heard about the party. Taylor had been hoping that she would see her side, but she should’ve known that was pointless. Maggie was always telling Taylor that she needed to get out more and she would be more than willing to watch Christopher, but Taylor hated accepting help, so she always turned her down.

They had a few minutes of downtime since the few customers in the diner were already served. They normally took advantage of this time to catch up on their lives.

I’m crazy for trying to think of a way out of this, right? Taylor asked as she wiped down the counter.

Yup, Maggie said with no hesitation.

Taylor shook her head dejectedly as she folded the towel and set it under the counter.

I don’t know what I’m going to do for an entire night without him, she grumbled, but Maggie just laughed and shoved her shoulder playfully.

Go out, have fun. A spark lit up her eyes as she thought of something. Come out with me. We’ll go to a bar and find you a guy to lose yourself in for one night.

Taylor immediately shook her head - one night stands were not her thing. She’d only ever been with one guy, and that was Christopher’s father. She could only assume, given how long it had been, that her virginity had grown back.

Maggie set her hand on Taylor’s shoulder. Just because you’re a mom doesn’t mean that you’re an old spinster. No one would judge you for going out and letting loose a little bit. When Taylor still didn’t seem convinced, Maggie squeezed her shoulder. Just think about it.

Taylor nodded her head and turned her attention to the silverware that needed to be folded in napkins. Before she could get lost in the task, Maggie nudged her shoulder.

Is your admirer coming back in later? She wiggled her eyebrows in such a suggestive way that Taylor could only roll her eyes in response.

I doubt it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he forgot I exist, she said sardonically. She knew from the way he held himself that he had a lot of self-confidence. She could only assume he had never heard the word ‘no’ from a woman before. With all of the beautiful college girls on that campus, she couldn’t think of a reason he would come looking for her again.

You want to bet? Maggie asked with a smile in her voice. Taylor looked up and noticed that her eyes were fixed on the door. Taylor followed her gaze and froze when she saw John walking in. She didn’t even spare the two other people with him a glance.

He came back.

He gave her a large smile when he spotted her looking at him. Taylor gave him a small, shy smile in return before looking back at Maggie in surprise.

He came back, she whispered in shock.

He did, now go flirt your ass off, Maggie told her. She gave her a gentle shove towards where John was sitting with his two friends.

Taylor felt flutterings in her stomach, but stamped that down. He was probably just here because of the food - yeah, that was most likely it.

Didn’t get enough last time? she asked him as she stopped in front of his table.

Definitely not, he told her. Was it all in her head or did he look deeply at her when he said that? She internally rolled her eyes at herself, she was going to go crazy if she overanalyzed everything he said. These two haven’t been here before either, he said while pointing to the two people sitting opposite him.

The girl had brown hair, brown eyes, and a beautiful natural tan that immediately made Taylor jealous. The guy that was sitting next to him, Taylor assumed that he was her boyfriend, also had brown eyes, but his hair was a few shades lighter than the girl’s.

This is Jace, one of my roommates, and his girlfriend, Rory, John said, introducing them.

Hi, I’m Taylor, she said as she shook their hands.

It’s a pleasure to meet you, Taylor, Rory said with a knowing glint thrown in John’s direction. Taylor had no idea what that meant so