Second Chances Read Online Free PDF Page B

close to James, but at the same time, it allowed her to live in the past too much.
    His brows pinched together and there was a spark of some identified emotion in his eyes. “I do wish to apologize again, on behalf of Sophie as well as myself.” Removing his arm from hers, David leaned one elbow casually on the railing as he faced her.
    Kristin was touched by his sincerity, even if remembering their previous meeting still embarrassed her. “In all honesty, Sophie had no way of knowing her comment would make an already awkward situation even more so.” Kristin was compelled to be polite, even if she considered Sophie’s actions rude.
    David nodded in agreement. “This is true, but Sophie does have a way of not realizing how she affects others at times. She can be quite indelicate in some situations.”
    Kristin tilted her head to the side, perplexed by his words. That sure didn’t sound like someone describing the person they were supposed to be madly in love with.
    “How long have you and Sophie been together?”
    David glanced up, appearing to carefully choose his words before he answered. “We met while filming a television movie a few years ago. I had a small part, but Sophie was the star.”
    The corners of his mouth turned down. No dimple. As if the memory confused him somehow. “We had only one scene together that should have taken no time at all to film, but she kept flubbing her lines. Later that day, while on the set, she admitted she had done it on purpose in order to prolong being near me.”
    Kristin waggled her eyebrows with a grin. “Sounds like Sophie gets what she wants.”
    “Oh yes, that she does.” He laughed, the musical timbre of his voice floating between them. “Sophie saw something she wanted and she went after it. That’s what she does.”
    Note to self, keep what Sophie wants in mind. Kristin enjoyed finding out more about him while the wind rocked the waves along the river. “And where is it that you call home?”
    “Right now, I have a flat here in London, as well as one in Cardiff. My parents still live in the lowlands of Aberdeen, in the same house where I grew up.”
    The name of the city he mentioned struck a familiar chord. “Cardiffthat’s in Wales, right?”
    “Aye, the BBC does a lot of filming there, so it’s easier to have a flat to call home close by after a long day.” David’s hand moved animatedly in the air as he talked about his home and his work.
    “And what about Sophie? Where does she prefer, Cardiff or London?” As soon as the question left Kristin’s lips, David’s eyes became flat and expressionless.
    “Sophie prefers London, where most of the action is. She has a flat of her own in the city.”
    “I see.” Kristin wondered why the two of them had separate homes when they were supposed to be planning a life together.
    “And where is Sophie now?” She hugged her arms, rubbing up and down as the chill started to get to her.
    David ran his hand through his wind-tossed hair. “She’s inside somewhere, probably bending the ear of some journalist or hunting down a photographer.”
    There was something unsettling about how he talked about Sophie. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
    The silver buttons on his jacket glinted in the soft light as his arm moved. His hand had left his previously smooth hair unkempt, giving him a charming, boyish appearance, which she found quite disarming.
    The earlier stiffness of his shoulders disappeared as he leaned casually against the railing. “So, Miss Shepherd, enough about me, I want to know about you.”
    Kristin swallowed hard and hoped he didn’t notice her hesitation. She always found it so hard to share things about herself with other people. Whenever she trusted someone they left her. Or hurt her. Either way, habits of hiding the ache of that loneliness couldn’t be given up in one night. The decision that tonight would be a step toward a new chapter in her life came with a lot of