Second Chances Read Free

copy of the schedule. If you don't, my assistant, Mark," Brian said, motioning toward a large bear of a man with a full beard standing off to one side, "has spares. Please look it over and if you have any questions, feel free to contact either one of us." He walked to the small table on the side of the stage and took a sip of water. "Now, let’s move on to the questions." The question-and-answer period following his lecture brought a mix of queries from the audience. Most of the questions were business oriented.
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    A beautiful blonde, dressed with corporate killer instincts, waved her dainty hand in the air. "Are you married?"
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    Oh, good question. The general laughter from the audience eased the intrusiveness of the question.
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    The blonde turned her attention to the audience. "What I really want to know is, if he is married, does his wife's views match his? And, if they don't, how do they work around it?"
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    "I was married, and I have a little girl, but am now divorced," Brian answered seriously. "Does she share my views? Yes, to a certain extent. My work was not the cause of our breakup. Does that answer your questions?"
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    Daughter? She hadn't heard that tidbit. She couldn't help wondering how old the girl was.
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    He directed his query back to the blonde with a warm smile. At her nod, he moved on, his gaze skimming over the crowd. Karina's heart thumped as Brian's attention whispered over her to the end of the row, stalled and zipped back to her. His gaze held her locked in place, and she forgot to breathe.
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    Heads turned as the audience tracked the reason for Brian's stillness.
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    The intensity of the moment burned. Oh, God. Did he recognize her?
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    Heat washed over her, raising her temperature higher than if he'd physically touched her.
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    Christ, it was as if he'd laid her soul bare, brought all of her inner thoughts and emotions up to the surface. Heat arced between them.
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    Then he released her, his gaze moving over the audience as if nothing had happened.
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    She shuddered and gasped for breath.
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    Well, that answered that question.
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    He remembered. And how.
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    ***
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    Karina yawned widely over her steaming mug of rich Columbian coffee. She'd talked to first Cat then Serena late into the night, trying to convey both her excitement and her trepidation. For all their soothing support, she'd barely slept. And when she had, she'd been tormented by erotic dreams of Brian. She'd thought about and analyzed that shockingly intimate glance many times over. How could he, in a single, nonverbal exchange, reignite everything she'd spent years trying to extinguish? Damn. The feeling of being so exposed, so vulnerable, had made sleep impossible. She needed to deal with him and get past this. She hadn't had a single meaningful relationship since him. She'd tried, and always came back to the issues behind that last night.
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    She didn't want that. She wanted to be free. To find a partner, have a family, grow old with someone. Not be alone forever.
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    Taking a deep breath, she slugged back her coffee and refocused on her homework assignment in front of her. She'd been at it for almost an hour and the restaurant was starting to fill up.
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    This assignment required a list of the areas in her life that caused her unhappiness. On the opposite side of the page, she was to assess the whys. After this, she was supposed to list the changes she'd like to put into place. All of this constituted the basic groundwork. With partners, they would be sharing their lists and looking at what they could do to create change.
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    She wondered, wryly, if she could just put down one item—her life.
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    "Good morning. May I join you?" a deep, quiet voice asked.
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    Karina looked up, startled. John, a soft-spoken, middle-aged teacher she'd met at last night's coffee meeting, stood uncertainly beside her. Flustered, she set about to organize her papers to create space