A Blast from the Past (A Second Chance Romance)

A
Blast from the Past

(A
Second Chance Romance)

By
Sharon Cummin

Copyright
©
2015 Sharon Cummin

All
Rights Reserved

Warning:
This story contains explicit sexual content that is not intended for
those under the age of 18. All characters appearing in this work are
fictitious and the age of 18 and older. Any resemblance to real
persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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Table
of Contents

Twenty
Years Earlier

Olivia

It
was a day I would never forget for the rest of my life. The trees
were blowing and clouds filled the sky. I woke up to the sound of a
door slamming outside. Summer had just started. You would think I
would've been excited, but I wasn't. I liked school and didn't want
to be home for three months. It was one of the only places I was able
to get away from home and be myself. Our town was pretty small, and
everyone knew each other. I had a couple of friends at school, but my
dad didn't let me have people over. Summer was pretty boring for me.

The
couple that lived next door to me had just moved out. They were old
and said it was too cold for them. I think my mom said they were
going to Florida. When I heard a second car door slam, I was afraid
to look. Who was moving in, I wondered? Was it more old people, or
was it a bunch of bratty kids? I had just turned fourteen and was
going to start high school in the fall. There was no way I wanted a
bunch of tiny ones running around. It would be so loud. When I heard
a third car door close, I knew I had to look.

I
moved to my window and opened my shade the rest of the way. When I
looked over and saw him, my mouth dropped open wide. He was the
cutest boy I had ever seen. How old was he, I wondered? He was taller
than me, but that didn't mean anything. I was pretty short compared
to the other kids my age. He had short, dark hair. I saw a man and a
woman with him. There weren't many cute boys in our town. I had lived
there my whole life, so I knew all of the other kids.

The
boy walked up to the front porch and shook his head. I watched him
look up at my window before he sat down on the top step hanging his
head down. What was he like, I wondered? There were a million things
running wild through my mind. He could be smart, athletic, quiet,
loud, nerdy, mean, nice, or sarcastic. Maybe he didn't want to live
there. Parents made all the decisions for us. I didn't want him to
feel alone. That was a horrible feeling. His mom walked out and said
something to him. He got up, shook his head, and walked into the
house.

The
next morning, I looked out my window and saw him sitting against a
tree with his head in his arms. I wanted to know why he seemed so
sad. That was a feeling I knew well sometimes. I knew how guys could
be, and I knew I needed to appear confident and in charge. I wasn't
sure what I was dealing with and didn't want to end up being bossed
around by some boy. I threw some clothes on, brushed my teeth,
grabbed some flip-flops, and threw my hair up quickly, as I took off
out the door. It was time to welcome him and let him know he was in
my territory.

I
knew he didn't hear me coming, and when he looked up, I almost
stumbled. He was even cuter up close.

"My
name's Olivia," I mumbled.

Nice
going, I thought. That wasn't confident at all. He put his head back
down in his arms without a word. I let out a huff. He was being rude.

"Do
you have a name?" I asked.

"Zander,"
he answered from under his arms.

I
leaned down in front of him.

"How
old are you?" I asked.

"I'm
fourteen," he said, as he lifted his head.

"What's
your problem?" I asked.

"I
didn't want to come here. My dad made us move. He took a stupid job
here. I'm not staying any longer than I have to. As soon as I turn
eighteen, I'm going back to New York."

"Come
with me," I said, as I reached out my hand.

He
rolled his eyes, and I shook my hand in his face. I heard him huff as
he grabbed my hand and stood.

I
took him to my spot. It was in the woods behind our houses. I was
taking him to the one place I could think and get away from
everything, and I hoped it wasn't something I would regret.

"It's
not so bad here. I've lived here my whole life. You could at least
give it a chance. This is my spot. My parents never come out here.
You can come out here by yourself if you want."

He
let out a laugh. I had chairs and a table set up. There were a couple
of plastic boxes with books and other things in them.

"This
is where you hang out," he said with a shake of his head. "Is
this your idea of fun?"

"No,"
I snapped. "I don't like being in the house when my dad gets
home from work. He's mean to my mom, and sometimes, he's mean to me.
It's my place to be alone without either of them."

"I
don't get along with my dad either," he said. "He's too
busy telling me what I need to do. Nothing I do is ever right in his
eyes."

We
sat out there talking for hours. I heard a woman calling his name,
and he stood up and looked down at me.

"You
coming out here tomorrow, Livie?" he asked.

I
narrowed my eyes at him.

"Olivia,"
I snapped with my face scrunched in disgust.

"Whatever,"
he said.

"I
am," I said. "I come out here every day."

"I'll
see you tomorrow then, Livie," he said.

I
knew in that moment we were going to be friends, even if he was the
most irritating boy I had ever met.

When
I stood up, I walked over with a smile, ruffled his hair, and cocked
my head to the side.

"You're
not so bad. I'm going to marry you one day," I said with a huge
smile.

I
could be irritating too.

"What?"
he yelled out, as I walked away.

"See
you tomorrow, Z," I called back at him from over my shoulder.

Summer
wasn't going to be so bad after all, I thought.

Olivia

I
sat in my bedroom window looking out around the yard. Everything
looked so quiet. It really was a peaceful town. I enjoyed living up
north in Michigan. Normally, by the middle of February I was ready to
run from the snow though. As I watched the house next door, I knew I
needed to get moving. Things had sure changed over the years. I shook
my head and laughed as I rubbed my eyes and forced myself to stand.

I
grabbed my shorts and pulled them on before slipping a t-shirt over
my head. Mrs. Nero's husband had just passed the day before. There
were so many things she needed to do. The first of those was eating.
I knew if I didn't go over and fix her something, she'd let the day
pass without a bit of food in her stomach. The brush pulled quickly
through my hair as I pulled it up into a messy ponytail. The kids
would be up soon and my house would be busy. I shoved my feet into my
flip-flops and headed for the door.

Carol
Nero had lived next door since I was a young girl. Her husband Pete
had been sick for over two years. She had always been a housewife.
They had one son. His name was Zander. He hadn't stepped foot in that
house since he was nineteen. There was something between him and his
dad that was like nothing I had ever seen. Neither of them ever
bothered to take the step to mend their relationship. I had been
helping Carol take care of things the two years her husband was ill.
He had the best doctors, but they weren't able to save him. She was
going to be lost without him. He was everything to her.

I
walked up the driveway to her house which was closer to the woods
than mine. Carol always left her doors unlocked. It wasn't unusual
for our area. I knew she was probably still asleep, so I let myself
in. I could fix her breakfast before I woke her up. The kitchen was
quiet. I could hear every tiny noise in the house. It was something I
wasn't used to. My house was barely ever quiet. She had a small radio
on the counter, so I turned in on low. I pulled some eggs and bacon
from the fridge before turning on the stove. Her kitchen window faced
east. I could see my bedroom window from there if I looked toward the
right. A shiver ran through my body, but I shook it off. I went back
to the stove and started her breakfast.

My
mind wandered to my list of things that needed done for the day. I
would feed her, feed my kids, open the bakery and work for a few
hours, take Carol to make arrangements, get some things done outside,
make dinner, and get everyone ready for bed. Carol wouldn't need help
with Pete anymore, but I knew she would still need someone around for
company. Just as I was flipping a piece of bacon and singing along
with the radio, I heard a noise behind me. It would save me a few
minutes not having to wake her up. I was glad she as moving around.
That was a good sign. I reached in with my fork to flip another piece
of bacon when I heard a manly laugh behind me and jumped.

"Ouch,"
I snapped, just as my wrist landed on the side of the pan I was
using.

The
fork fell to the floor, and I ran for the sink as the hot grease
burned my skin. As soon as the water hit it, I felt a tiny bit of
relief. Within seconds, arms came around each side of me to push my
wrist deeper into the water. My body shook instantly. The arms were
strong and manly and bare I noticed as I looked down at them.

"Shit,
Livie," I heard him say. "Are you okay?"