Last Chance: A Second Chances Novel (15 page)

“Doesn’t look like much has changed over the last five years.” She laughed. “You still like to sleep until noon.”

I rubbed a hand over my face and groaned. “How did you know I was awake?”

She stepped into the doorway and tapped her ears. “I’m the mother of a rambunctious toddler. I have eagle ears and eyes in the back of my head, otherwise he’d be all over the house, doing God knows what.” Grabbing two cups of coffee, she carefully walked into the living room and handed me one.

“Thanks,” I said. “So where’s your son now?”

She sat down and took a sip of her coffee. “With my husband, Cooper. I figured you could spend the day with me, and next week you can see him. You used to love babysitting him.” She showed me a picture of him on her phone.

“He’s so cute. He looks just like you.”

She snorted. “But he acts like his father.” We both laughed and I saw why she was my best friend. Her smile was infectious and I could see myself in her. It was almost like we were sisters. “What do you want to do today?” she asked.

“Don’t know. What is there to do around here?”

“Since it’s summertime, we can always lay out by my pool and talk. Usually, we’d run together every morning, but since you’re still recovering, it might not be a good idea.”

My muscles were a little sore and I still had a headache that hadn’t gone away yet. “The pool sounds great. I just need to find a bathing suit.”

“Need help? I’m sure you could use an extra set of eyes.”

I chuckled. “Got that right. I don’t even recognize most of the stuff I have.” I finished my coffee and she followed me up to my room. I had two dressers so she took one and I looked through the other.

“Who all have you seen since being back home?” she inquired.

“Only you, my parents, Evan, and Summer. Why?”

She glanced at me over her shoulder. “Just asking. I was curious if you’ve seen Luke or Grayson.”

Clearing my throat, I turned back to my drawers and kept looking for my bathing suit. “Not yet. I’m a little nervous about seeing them.”

“Why?”

I pushed my pajamas aside and found a stack of magazines hidden underneath. When I pulled them out, my heart raced. “Because I don’t know what I’m going to find.”

“I can tell you I just found you a bathing suit,” she exclaimed happily.

“And I found something else.” Turning around, I dropped the magazines on the bed. She handed me my bathing suit, then sat beside the magazines, flipping through them. There was a common theme . . . they were all sports magazines with Luke on the cover.

“I didn’t know you had all of these,” she said.

“Neither did I. I didn’t realize he was so famous.” His name was plastered on all the magazines, with pictures of him in various poses. Some showed him in his gear, sailing through the air off different jumps. Others had close-ups of his face, his emerald gaze making me shiver.

“Oh yes, he is,” she informed me. “He’s one of the best dirt bike riders in the country.”

I stared at his picture, recollecting the way he sounded on the phone; his voice gentle and concerned. When I’d seen his name flash up on my phone screen, I had to answer. I was curious about both of these mystery men. There was a story there, and I was determined to find out the truth.

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slow. “Luke called me last night,” I blurted.

Kate’s eyes went wide. “He did? Did you answer?”

I nodded and looked back down at one of the magazines. “He was going to just leave a message, and I caught him off guard. I could tell he wasn’t expecting me to pick up.”

“What all did you talk about?”

“Not much,” I said with a shrug. “He said the night of the accident he’d told me he loved me. Is it wrong that my whole body shivered when I heard it? My heart literally jumped at his voice.”

She smiled, but it was sad. “You were in love with him for a long time, Lara.”

“What happened between us?”

She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. “A lot of things, I guess. It’s probably best if he explains everything to you. Though, I will tell you he’s grown up a lot this past year.”

“What about Grayson?”

A giggle escaped her lips. “Evan told me what happened between those two buffoons. I must say, you have a challenge on your hands. Looks like you’re going to have to make a choice.” Then her gaze turned serious and she stood, handing me my bathing suit. “Or you could pick neither of them. Luke is a dear friend of mine, and Grayson is an amazing man. My opinion is biased, so I don’t want to say anything to sway your decision. It’s something you’re going to have to do on your own.”

Kate was Evan’s sister, so it was obvious who her choice would be. Although, I did respect that she didn’t want to say anything. It was for the best that I approach both Luke and Grayson with an open mind.

“Now get changed and let’s go. Maybe I can bring Zachary out and we can talk and play at the same time.”

I hurried off to the bathroom. “Sounds good to me.”

Spending the day with Kate was relaxing and fun, but nothing triggered my missing memories. Little Zachary was a hoot and I enjoyed playing with him. Even Cooper joined us in the pool and told me stories. When he and Kate were seeing each other, he told me there were times I had to smack some sense into him.

It was now Saturday, and I was spending the day with Summer and Evan. I often wondered how long they were going to keep taking me down memory lane. It was interesting hearing stories about my missed years, but if my memories didn’t come back, I didn’t want to be permanently stuck in the past.

Summer was downstairs getting dinner started. I’d told her I would help as soon as I changed shirts. Evan was giving Emma-Grace a bath, since she’d decided to rub her sweet peas all in her hair, after tossing a handful onto my shirt.

My phone beeped and I realized the only people who knew I had a phone were Summer and Luke. I looked at the screen and there was a text from Luke.

Luke: Just wanted to say I was thinking about you.

I glanced at the clock. There was only thirty minutes left until he had to be at the starting line-up.

Me: Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your race?

Luke: I am. Just trying to breathe before I go out.

Me: Good luck!

Luke: Thanks. Can I call you later?

I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face.

Me: Yes
.

“Lara, you okay?” Summer asked, knocking on my door.

I still had Emma-Grace’s peas on my shirt, so I ripped it off and found another one in the closet. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just had to change shirts.”

She opened my door and peeked inside. “For ten minutes? I was getting worried about you.”

Groaning, I tossed my dirty shirt in the hamper and faced her. “You’re seriously going to drive me insane.”

Her lips trembled and she lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being overprotective. I told everyone else to back off, but yet I’m not doing it. It’s just hard knowing I almost lost you.”

I walked over and hugged her tight. “But you didn’t. I’m still here, with a few holes in my brain, but I’m still here. I promise I’m fine.”

She pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Grayson called a few minutes ago. He asked if you would call him back. I told him you got a new phone and that I’d ask you.”

Grabbing my phone, I put it in my back pocket. “I’ll call him after dinner.”

“Thanks. He’ll like that. I know he’s been dying to see you since you got out of the hospital.” We made our way downstairs and Evan was on the couch with Emma-Grace. She had a onesie on, with a dirt bike rider on the front. Summer shook her head and walked back into the kitchen.

I looked closely at her little outfit and realized it had Luke’s number and name on it. “What’s this, peanut?” I asked her.

Evan winked and held her up so I could see the whole outfit. “Luke got it for her. He said it’ll give him luck if she wears it. I texted him a picture a few minutes ago.” He pointed at the TV. “I’m getting ready to watch the race, if you want to join me.”

I glanced at Summer, who waited for me by the kitchen door. I really wanted to watch the race, but I figured she’d want help making dinner. Cooking was a hobby of mine, but it wasn’t my passion. Obviously, I chose to work at the restaurant to help her out, instead of following my own dreams. One of the last things I remembered was being so happy when I graduated college with my marketing degree. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital, in a completely different city, with a whole new life.

Summer waved me off and smiled. “Watch the race. I know you want to.”

“You sure?”

She nodded. “Go. I got dinner.”

“Thanks, sis.” I hurried over to the couch and sat beside Evan. Emma-Grace was falling asleep in his arms, so he set her down in her playpen to take a nap. On the TV, there were racers lining up at the start line. There were so many I couldn’t find Luke. “Where is he?” I asked Evan.

Grinning from ear to ear, he pointed to a rider in blue, orange, and black racing gear. He had a number nineteen on the front of his dirt bike. “That’s him.”

He had a helmet on, so I couldn’t see his face. “Has he ever gotten hurt?”

“Oh yeah, several times, but he keeps coming back stronger than before. You and Kate used to come with me to his house and watch him practice. He has a whole supercross track in his backyard.”

“Wow,” I gasped. “That’s impressive.”

He shrugged. “He needs it to practice. I’ve gone out there many times, but he always kicks my ass.”

“Did I ever try?” I asked.

Summer laughed from the doorway. “Yes, and you’re lucky you didn’t get hurt. Luke had a little mini-bike you tried riding, and you ended up with a sprained wrist. You worked one-handed for six weeks.”

Evan nudged me in the side. “Luke sat with you at the doctor’s office while they fixed you up. He felt responsible for you getting hurt.”

“Were you and I good friends?” I asked.

“Of course,” he said with a nod. “You and I were friends long before I started seeing Summer. It was always you, me, Kate and Luke. That is, until Kate started seeing Cooper.”

“What about me and Luke?”

He stared at me and pursed his lips, clearly thinking about what to say. It was looking like I wasn’t going to get any information from anyone, except from the source himself. “You two were really close friends, but you didn’t get involved with each other until much later.” Then he pointed at the TV. “They’re starting.”

The countdown started and I fixed my gaze on Luke. Engines roared to life and it was so loud I could only imagine what it sounded like in the arena. Once the green lights lit up, they were off. During the first turn, one of the riders got in his way and blocked him. Several other riders raced ahead of him, but it wasn’t long before Luke gained his momentum.

“How many laps do they usually do?” I wondered.

Evan pointed to the screen. “Twenty. You’ll see the countdown there.”

Lap after lap, Luke advanced toward the front, with only three people left to pass. That first hold up at the beginning had cost him a lot of time. There was a large jump where the riders soared about thirty feet in the air, and I held my breath every time Luke crossed it. It took a lot of courage to do something so dangerous.

The laps steadily counted down and Luke had just two more people to pass. “That’s Chance Harris,” Evan informed me, pointing at the other rider on an orange and black KTM bike, similar to Luke’s. “He and Luke have the same sponsor. They’re good friends.”

They battled beside each other until Luke passed him on the left, bolting away from him. There was one lap left and it was as if Luke found a second surge of energy, high-tailing it past the rider in first.

“Wow, he’s amazing,” I said breathlessly.

Evan held out his arms. “Like I said, he’s the best. He’s been riding ever since he could walk.”

“That early, huh?”

“Yeah, his parents never really paid attention to him. It was what got him out of their hair.”