Second Chance at Love

Chapter 17

I love my weekend morning run’s. They make me feel so refreshed. I love the feel of the soft forest ground under my shoes. The smell of the morning dew on the trees. Running in the forest remains me of the good days back home with my family. The trips to my favorite little secret place in the back of my family’s property where there is a beautiful hidden waterfall and lake. It’s my favorite place in the world. I haven’t nee there in years.

Maybe I should take Kaylee one of these days?! It could be fun.

Taking the same path I always take, I think back at my conversation earlier with Sandy. Oh, my dear Sandy, I love her, but she can be a nightmare sometimes.

*Flashback*

Why do I feel like I can’t breathe?

Opening my tired eyes, I see Sandy laying on top of me, staring,

“Get off, Sandy! What the hell!?” I say, trying to push her off of me.

“I’ve been waiting for an hour for you to wake up. I got annoyed you didn’t. It’s already past 9. Get your little but out of bed and come chat with me. I need details about your date with Mathieu!” She says excitedly leaving my bedroom.

“I hate you!” I yell out to her, rolling on my stomach, grunting into my pillow. I hear her yell back.

“I love you too, now get up! You Ice Cap is half-melted already.”

Giving up, I get up and put on my bathrobe. I’ll get dressed later.

Walking into the kitchen I smell something delicious. I see she’s got breakfast ready.

“Smells good. What did you make?” I ask her, sitting down at the dining table.

“I made your favorite ham omelet.” She says, handing me a plate.

“Thank you. I’ll forgive you for waking me up just because you made me breakfast.” I say, taking a bit out of my omelet.

“So, now, spill! How did it go with Mathieu last night?” She asks, sitting down in front of me, sipping on her coffee.

“It was a bit weird at first. We talked about his mom. I didn’t know she was sick. She was like a second mom to me growing up. It was quite the chock to learn this. But she ok now. That’s the main reason he moved here in the first place. He wanted to be closer to her. He felt so bad not being here will she was sick, but his contract prevented him from leaving. Now that he could, he wants to spend time with her. You just never know when someone can be taken from your life. I should know. We talked about Kaylee… And Michael. Or more about what append last year. About my miscarriages too. The atmosphere got quite heavy after that, but he seems to genuinely want to know. I was telling him about how Kaylee and I are each other’s rock in the past year, so he asked why. I didn’t have to tell him, but if I’m going to give him a chance, I’ll never hie my past with Michael. He was my husband and is Kaylee’s father. We were together for so long, I will never diminish his memories, not for anyone!” I tell her, taking the last bit of my breakfast.

“Wow, at least he was open to listening to you. That’s great. So, you guys really didn’t do the nasty last night?” She says with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

“No, we did not! What kind of girl do you take me for?!” I tell her, throwing my dirty napkin at her.

“I know, I’m just teasing you. But in all seriousness. Hod did you find him last night? Do you think he really is genuine toward you?” She asks, looking at me seriously.

“You know, from the way he looks at me and talks to me, I think he is. It did feel good to talk with him. It reminded me of when we were younger. We used to do this all the time.” I say with a melancholic smile on my face. “We used to spend hours talking about everything and anything. I’m still worried that I’ll get burned in the end, but a small part of me is telling me he’s might be worth it. I was in love with him for so long. And these feelings have been coming back to me since he first showed up. I’m probably too scared to admit to them fully.”

“Take it one day at a time. Only his action will make all your doubts go away. And if he’s not it in the end, you know Lanie and I will be here for you. Always. We might make fun of you and tease you a lot, but you are our best friends and we will always be here for you, no matter what!” She says, making me tear up.

*End of Flashback*

I’m so lucky to have my best friends support in all this. I’d have a hell of a hard time trying to figure all this if it wasn’t for them. That’s for sure!

Adjusting my headphones, I take a turn in a different trail, but at the same time, I see a shadow in my peripheral vision.

What was that?!

Feeling a bit nervous, I start running a little faster, but that shadow just seems to be catching up with me. I try turning my head slightly to see who or what is behind me, only to see a hooded figure catching up to me pretty quickly.

Is this just another jogger? Am I freaking out for nothing, this is a popular place to run, right? He looks so tall.

Speeding again a little more, I make another turn into a less popular track. He shouldn’t follow me here, I hope.

Looking over my shoulder again, I see that the hooded figure followed me in the same trail.

What the hell! I need to get out of here!  I tell myself, starting to panic more and more each second that person’s getting closer to me.

I’m running and running until my lungs start to burn. I’m starting to run out of energy, s**t!

Suddenly, I feel a big and strong hand catch my arms, pulling me backward.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”