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Second Chance Romance in Half Moon Bay
By Audrey Carnes
Five years ago…
Sammi used a damp rag to clean off the surface of the mahogany bar, the material clinging to every warp and woof of the wood. She had worked at her parents’ restaurant, Anchor’s Away, since before it was even legal. She knew every scrape and mark on the bartop like the lines on her mother’s face.
The door to the restaurant opened and the background noise dropped for a second as a newcomer arrived. Sammi looked up and froze.Derrick. He was here!
Tall, with curly dark hair and the scruff of a beard covering half his face, Derrick had left Half Moon Bay as captain of the varsity football team and crowned homecoming king to join the military. He was everything that her twelve-year-old self had wanted, and the star of all of her preteen daydreams. She had written to him while he was overseas–long letters about hometown gossip and whatever else she had thought he would like–until he had stopped responding. Even long after that, she had continued to write.
Sammi had heard that he had returned and at first, despite the passage of years, she had still felt a thrill. Then she heard the rumors–late night carousing, endless drinking, womanizing–but she hadn’t wanted to believe them. She wanted Derrick to still be the hero of her dreams.
Now he was here.Her eyes ran over him, comparing the reality to her memory. He was still tall, dark, and handsome, but he had filled out, his shoulders and chest broader than she had remembered. His torn T-shirt showed off the tattoo sleeves that ran down both arms. He wore motorcycle boots and carried a helmet. Rather than the prince she remembered, he appeared now more like a vengeful king. She watched as he walked right over to her and sat down on the barstool. Her heart pounded in her ears.
“Is Brad here?” Derrick asked, his deep voice rolling over her ears.
Sammi stared into his dark, almost black eyes, not even hearing him. “What?”
The side of Derrick’s mouth kicked up in a smirk. “Your brother. Is he here?”
“Yes.” She almost ran to the kitchen. “Brad, Derrick’s here!” She glanced back to find Derrick’s eyes on her and she suddenly couldn’t breathe.
Brad followed her back out to the bar. Sammi moved to the side, rolling silverware into napkins, and pretending she wasn’t desperately eavesdropping. She would still know Derrick anywhere, but this Derrick was a far cry from the one of her childish daydreams.
“Hey, man,” Brad said, reaching out to clasp hands with Derrick. “What are you doing here?”
“Just came by to see if you wanted to go out tonight.”
“Can’t tonight. I’m working. But even if I weren’t, I think my liver still needs to recover from the last time.”
“That’s too bad,” Derrick said. His eyes shot to hers, catching her watching him. Sammi flushed and dropped the silverware she had been working on. It clattered to the floor. She dropped to grab it, cursing. When she stood back up, she couldn’t help from glancing at Derrick to see if he had watched her faux pas and praying he hadn’t.
To her horror, Derrick was still watching her and he had that same little smirk on his face. Sammi wanted to disappear straight through the floor.
“Sorry, man,” Brad said, doing the handshake again. “I’ve gotta get back to the kitchen. Maybe next time.”
“No problem,” Derrick said. “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll grab a drink while I’m here.” Derrick’s eyes rested on her. Her legs started to tremble with nerves.
“It’s on the house,” Brad said over his shoulder as he returned to the kitchen.
Sammi couldn’t look away, couldn’t even move from where she was standing. She was three years out of college and had been on what felt like a million dates, but no one–not a single guy–had ever affected her like this. Like she was trapped in his gaze.
“Well?” he asked. “Are you just going to stand over there?”
Sammi flushed, embarrassment knocking her out of the spell. She quickly moved forward, standing just on the other side of the bar from him, her notepad in her hands. “What can I get you?”
He looked at her for a long moment, and her flush deepened as she imagined what he was thinking. “A drink,” he finally said.
“What kind of drink?”
“A strong one,” he said, both sides of his mouth curling up this time.
Sammi couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, but I’m going to need a little more information than that.”
