Second Chances Read Online Free PDF Page B

greatest publishing empires in the country.
    Unlike Chad, familial destiny was not something either Ben or Tim had going for them. When they met, Tim had assumed that Bennington Gray was also the product of a long and distinguished heritage, but he quickly realized that Ben, the middle child of a bank manager and a school teacher, was a nondescript, self-motivated go-getter like himself. Equal parts brain and charisma, Ben was a campus favorite among faculty and students and with his enviable looks and athletic prowess, the guy had legions of both women and men vying for his attention.
    To hear Ben tell it, his inherent talent for lawyering became apparent early in life as he was routinely forced to mediate arguments and negotiate settlements between his older and younger sisters. Thanks to them, he’d learned the value of astute listening, the power of carefully chosen words, and the importance of compassion, all of which helped him to develop a commanding triumvirate of skills that set him apart from the pack. In a city full of legal eagles, Ben was a rising star attorney.
    Tim sighed. They were quite the trio: Mr. Money, Mr. Popularity, and Mr. Loser. The sound of Ben’s spoon scraping the now empty bowl brought him back to the present. “Why don’t you just lick it clean?” he growled.
    “Testy, testy, somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or did Amelia kick your sorry ass out?” Ben teased.
    “Shut the fuck up,” he scowled. “She’s not even here.”
    Startled, Ben raised his hands against the sudden outburst and tried to apologize. “Whoa, buddy, I was just joking.” Silence settled between them as a sudden thought made him shift a safe distance away. “Is everything okay with you two?”
    “We’re fine.” He thought about Amelia blossoming in her new role at Dewes. Was it providence or fate that dropped Pashmina in her lap? It didn’t even matter. Just add Miss Lucky to the list.
    “So what’s the problem then? You look mad enough to commit murder.”
    “More like hari kari but that’s not a bad idea.”
    “You lost me.”
    “We won the Wilderness Stores account,” he paused holding up a hand, “but before you get all excited, I didn’t get a promotion to go along with it.”
    Ben paused from rinsing his bowl at the sink. “Well that sucks, but at least you get credit for bringing in the account. That has to count for something, if not now, then in the future.”
    “And that’s exactly what I thought when the president himself came to congratulate me on a job well done and ‘for my efforts above and beyond’ ” he air quoted. “Then he proceeded to tell me that Roger, my dick-head project co-manager was being promoted to Vice President of the consumer division and I’d have full ownership of the new account.”
    Ben was confused. “Full ownership, that’s good isn’t it?”
    “It’s bullshit.” Tim was on a tear. “I had full ownership of the entire pitch project because Roger didn’t do a fucking thing except agree with my ideas and leave me to build the presentation by myself. He’s the fucking head of Creative but I was the one who worked with his team to craft a creative strategy. He didn’t even come up with one damn story board. So is it good that he’s promoted to overseeing an entire division while I stay in the trenches watching over one little account? Not in my book.”
    The men fell silent, Tim staring at his clenched hands as Ben wiped his with a dish towel. Reclaiming his seat at the breakfast bar, he spoke quietly. “I’m sorry buddy.” He stopped then started again. “I know it blows, but is it really the end of the world? I mean nobody died or anything right? “When Tim didn’t respond he asked, “What did Amelia say about it?”
    Tim’s head dipped low and Ben understood. “I don’t get it,” he said shaking his head. “She’s your girlfriend for Christ’s sake. Why wouldn’t you tell her?”
    “Maybe I don’t want to