A Second Chance Read Online Free PDF

rest of the meal, she and Laura giggling at Liam’s attempts to speak M andarin to the waiter. He had taken a couple of courses at the university and was eager to try out his new vocabulary ; the waiter’s encouraging grin and enthusiastic nodding prov ed he hadn’t wasted his time.
    ‘See, this is exactly what I ’m talking about, Jade.’ Brian’s voice broke into her thoughts , and she looked up, momentarily confused as she attempted to focus on him once again. ‘ You ’ re miles away from me and this place, even now when we ’re trying to sort out our lives.’ He sighed and shook his head in resignation . ‘I wish things were different, you know that . However, as it is, I just can’t imagine our life together. I don’t know if Veronica is the woman I ’m going to end up with . It’s too early to say. All I know is that I have to take the risk and try to find a relationship that ’s more fulfilling than th e one we have right now.’
    So that was it . S he watched him search his wallet for his credit card with an almost fatalistic fascination , the overpowering sense of watching her life unravel in front of her eyes numbing her into silence. There was nothing to say, really . She knew Brian wasn’t going to listen to any of her arguments in favor of saving their engagement. What argument would it be , anyway?
    Her mouth was dry and her eyes burn ed as she watched him pick up the bill and write down the tip, his concentrated expression achingly familiar. Her fingers felt ice cold when she put her palms on the table. The sparkling light of the engagement ring he had given her just a few months before caught her eye , and she realized what she had to do. She pulled it off, the sensation of the slim golden band slipping of f her finger symbolic and final . She grasped it in her palm for a second, welcoming the discomfort as it dug into her flesh. Feeling pain was real ; it took away the air of surrealism that surrounded their whole conversation. The moment couldn’t last , however. She opened her palm, put the ring on the pristine tablecloth , and slid it toward him with a weak smile.
    ‘This is yours, then.’ How did one break up properly? Did Brian think her heartless and cold because she wasn’t in tears? Was he waiting for her to convince him he was wrong about her? And why on earth wasn’t she doing either of those two things?
    All she could read on his face was r elief that it was over as he took the ring and put it in his pocket, his moves smooth and swift. He smiled at her, the first real smile since they ha d arrived at the restaurant.
    ‘Thank you. I can’t tell you what it means to me for us to part as friends . I was hoping it would stay this way, but I wasn’t sure if you w ould hate me forever.’
    ‘I don’t hate you . ’ I t was true. She was disappointed and hurt , but the very core of her seemed untouched by the unexpected turn their lives were taking.
    ‘I ’ll take care of the explanations . D on’t worry about a thing . ’ His equilibrium appeared to be restored completely. ‘ It ’s only fair, after all . ’
    ‘I think we ’ ll have to talk about the future , though.’ She watched him closely . ‘About our business, I mean. You can’t seriously expect the three of us to work together after this . I think the offer we got from Thomas’s Design is something to think about now, don’t you ?’
    A more established home decorating company had noticed their success on the home designing scene and had offered their budding business a substantial sum of money to join it. They had been hesitant to accept the generous offer , eager to remain in control of the business they ha d built up over the years. But now things ha d changed , and she was sure they needed to consider the proposal once more. If they joined the bigger company , not only would it help their professional career s , but also they could become in dependent of each other . She couldn’t imagine arriving at