A Second Chance At A First Love
Authors Note:
This story is a sequel to my series, "Finding Her Way In A Storm." And while it could be read as a stand-alone story, it would make for better reading to go back and read the original tale beforehand.
This first section only has one steamy sex scene that doesn't include the main protagonist of the story. As always, I hope you enjoy the story. And while your votes and favorites are always nice, I really enjoy hearing from my readers, so please make sure and leave a comment. Reading them really helps improve my writing.
CHAPTER ONE
Bree Ann Grace waved goodbye to her date, watching as he drove out of the parking lot before walking to her car. She sighed deeply, the man had been another in a string of unfortunate calamities. Each one of them only seemed to confirm to Bree Ann that there was no one worthy out there to replace the man she'd lost.
Using her keyfob to unlock the door to her SUV, Bree Ann slid in behind the wheel of her vehicle and closed the door, thankful that she'd been smart enough to insist on meeting her date at the restaurant, instead of allowing him to pick her up. It had taken her five other dates before that lesson had sunk in. And in each of those, her dates felt the meal they'd bought her and the cost of gasoline spent picking her up and driving her home entitled said Romeo to kiss her goodnight.
Bree Ann had rebuffed them all.
The widow could hardly remember the last man she'd shared a kiss with a man other than Jon. She supposed it had been her last college boyfriend before she'd been introduced to the man she would eventually marry. His name had been Steve, a fact Bree Ann hadn't thought of in decades.
As she drove home, Bree Ann recalled all the various reasons she'd had for not agreeing to a second date with any of her recent paramours. One had been terribly handsome and gentlemanly enough but had seemed horribly dull and more than a little self-centered.
The next guy hadn't really looked anything like his profile picture, carrying at least forty pounds more than the photo he'd posted on the dating website. But Bree Ann, who'd constantly lectured Skyler on the dangers of being shallow while her daughter was growing up, had given every effort to offer the man a chance. He'd compounded his dishonesty, though, by claiming to be a non-smoker on the site, a fact that she'd discovered untrue when he excused himself between courses to have a smoke outside.
The third had been a fiasco from the get-go. This one had taken a phone call from his ex-wife as they drove to the restaurant. Bree Ann had been held hostage for the next ten miles as she listened to him argue with the woman he'd formally been married to. He'd then compounded that faux pas by spending the two hours of their meal talking about what a heartless bitch his ex was. Bree Ann had left that date feeling hopelessly sorry for a woman she didn't know, for having dealt with him throughout their marriage.
Number four had been okay. He was decent-looking and had a good job. He could carry a nice conversation and seemed interested in learning about Bree Ann. But Bree Ann had felt no spark between them. And if she was truly serious about finding someone to replace Jon, there would have to be some severe voltage between her and her new partner. Good enough just wouldn't do.
Number five had been almost laughable. They'd been at dinner, the conversation between them going well when a woman had approached their table and began to harangue Bree Ann's date. He'd apparently dated this woman long enough to convince her to sleep with him, immediately ghosting her afterward. Bree Ann had sat back amused, as she watched the man stutter and stumble while apologizing to both of them. Apparently, his previous love interest had been unforgiving, a point she made clear by dumping her drink on top of his well-coiffed head of hair.
Tonight's date had been along the lines of number four. He was a good-looking guy who owned a car dealership. He'd turned off his phone as they sat down for their meal, something that Bree Ann had been pleased to see. The conversation between them had flowed smoothly enough, the topics ranging from their past to their thoughts on life in Southern California. But again, Bree Ann had felt no heat, not even the hint that a spark could grow between them.
As she turned off the interstate and onto the road that led into the small suburban town she called home, Bree Ann supposed that she might be setting the bar too high. Consciously or not, she'd invariably found herself comparing each man to her late husband and found them all wanting. That was a depressing thought because Bree Ann doubted seriously that she would ever find a man as decent and loving as Jon.'.
Pulling up to the guard shack of their gated community, Bree Ann waved at the man sitting inside the building as she rolled down her window so he could see her clearly.
"Evening, Ms. Grace," Jerry, the regular security guard said with a tired smile. Bree Ann watched as he pressed a button, the gate beginning to retract.
"Thanks, Jerry!" Bree Ann replied before easing through the opening, accelerating slightly as she began the final few turns before she'd be home.
Bree Ann knew that her daughters would be up waiting for her. The three seemed to have been taking a vested interest in Bree Ann's dating life, along with her friend, Sadie. Bree Ann could only laugh to herself and shake her head. Perhaps that was the problem. Maybe Bree Ann needed to be taking dating advice from someone other than a cadre of lesbians.
She pulled into their driveway and settled into her usual parking spot. Grabbing her bag, she eased out of the vehicle and made her way into the house, closing the garage door as she went.
"I'm home!" Bree Ann announced loudly, as she entered their home.
"We're in her in the kitchen!" came the sound of Skyler's voice. "Come have a glass of wine with us, and tell us how your date went!"
Bree Ann found the three women seated at the large island that dominated their kitchen space. Kaia was holding a sleeping Jonathan. Little Aaron, meanwhile, was sitting in Lisa's arms, his chubby little hands constantly trying to grab his mother's nose as he laughed at each failed attempt.
"How are my grandsons?" Bree Ann asked cheerfully as she set her bag down and took the glass of wine her daughter offered.
"Well, we think Jonathan is likely cutting another tooth. He was a bit grumpy all night and has diarrhea. I finally rubbed some baby Orajel on his gums and gave him a baby aspirin. He passed out not too long after," Skyler said, looking over at her sleeping son.
"And what about this little monster," Bree Ann said, her voice going into an animated growl as she said the last word, her fingers tickling the little boy's chest.
Lisa laughed and said, "Well, this little pervert has taken to sprouting wood every time we take his diaper off. And he thinks it's the height of hilarity to grab it and pull on it."
"Oh, boy," Bree Ann said, her hand coming to her mouth to cover the giggle that escaped from within her.
"Yeah," Skyler added, with a roll of her eyes. "And poor Macey already thinks there's something wrong with his little dingus. She told him tonight that if he didn't stop, he would break it."
That caused them all to laugh, little Aaron joining in as if he understood exactly what they were talking about.
"You're avoiding talking about what we all want to know," Kaia announced, once the laughter had faded. She always had been able to read Bree Ann like a book.
"I was getting around to it," Bree Ann replied defensively, forgiving herself the tiny fib. She had been hoping that they'd let the topic drop, but in all reality, she had known they wouldn't.
All their eyes turned to Bree Ann, even the awake baby staring at his beloved Mimi as if waiting on her to go on. Still, Bree Ann paused, trying to find the words that would least painfully get her out of this inquisition.
"It was a good date," Bree Ann finally said. "He was charming and handsome."
"But?" Skyler said with a bit of exasperation.
"And he'll likely make some lucky woman an excellent husband, but not me," Bree Ann said quickly, already formulating in her mind the answers to all the questions that would come next.
"Why not you, Mom?" Lisa asked with exasperation as she attempted to dislodge the one-year-old's finger that had found its way up her nose. "If he's such a great guy, then why not you?"
"Because he wasn't Jonathan," Kaia said wisely, her knowing eyes studying Bree Ann carefully.
"Well, no man is going to be daddy," Skyler declared, her response telling Bree Ann that her daughter had a point of view that was far too in favor of her father's memory to be trusted for an unbiased opinion. "That's an impossible standard for you to measure these guys against," Skyler added, her revelation surprising Bree Ann.
"I'm aware of that," Bree Ann replied, holding her hands up in a supplicant gesture. "And I'd already decided that it wasn't fair for me to do that. But the truth is, there was absolutely no spark with this guy or any of the men I've gone out with so far. And if a man is going to replace your father in my bed, then there will have to be some strong chemistry between us."
"Sometimes that has to develop, Mom," Skyler explained. "You know, the way it did with Lisa and me."
Touching her daughter's shoulder, Bree Ann said, "Whether you knew it or not when you first met her, there was always some chemistry between you two. The circumstances and negative emotions under which you met just managed to obscure them."
"And there was nothing with this man, tonight?" Lisa asked. "Not even the tiniest smidgen?"
"He might as well have been my brother," Bree Ann replied with a shrug, before turning to the daughter she'd given birth to. "With your father, it was instantaneous. I was utterly enamored with him the first night I met him. And even with my other college boyfriends, there was a spark, or I'd never have gone out with them."
"What about the guy from church that asked you out?" Kaia asked.
"Clifton?" Bree Ann replied, with a frown. "No, definitely not, Clifton. There's nothing there for me."
"Why, Mom?" Lisa asked, sounding perplexed. "Clifton is a nice-looking man. You're both the same age, and like you, he's a widower. You both seem to have so much in common."
With a sigh, Bree Ann said, "Clifton might make a good friend, but he doesn't excite me. I want a partner that makes my heart flutter and leaves me breathless. Jonathan did that, and I'm unwilling to settle for anything less. Without that, I'm just as well off staying here with you girls, and being the best Mimi I can be to my grandchildren."
And with that, Bree Ann stood and made her way around the bar, holding her hands out to Kaia, her unspoken request one that the blonde-headed, former Marine didn't dare deny her. Kaia carefully transferred little Jonathan's sleeping form to the older woman, leaning over to kiss the baby's head.
