Only One Chance (Only One 2)

After grabbing a pair of blue jeans and a white spaghetti strap shirt that I tuck into the front, I slip my beige cashmere long sweater over it. My open-toed boots complete the look. I toss my phone into my bag without looking at it again and then grab my coffee and make my way over to the studio.

I see Brian when I walk into the studio, and he holds up his hand to wave to me. I put my coffee and my water down on the desk and grab the earphones. “Testing,” I say, and he nods.

The show begins, and I start off. “Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show. I’m your host Layla Paterson with my trusted producer, Brian.”

“Happy Monday, everyone,” Brian says. “How was your weekend?”

“Uneventful.” I look at him, and he just smiles at me like he knows something.

“Well, I heard that you won a certain auction over the weekend,” he says, and I nod my head.

“I did, and I’m so excited to say that one lucky listener is going to be attending the winter classic game right here in Dallas.” He shakes his head. “With a meet and greet with five of the Dallas players.”

“Wow,” Brian says. “Nice giveaway.”

“It is. Why don’t we take a caller and see what they thought of the game on Saturday,” I say, and I click on the first flashing button. “Welcome to the show.”

“Hey, Layla,” the male caller says. “Hey, Brian. I have a beef to pick with the team.”

“I’m here for all this,” I say, leaning back and waiting.

“I just think they had an amazing time on the road. They won games by playing some smart hockey, but then they come home and play like amateurs.”

“Well,” I say, “I think they played a good game. It wasn’t their best game, but I’ve seen them play worse.”

“Oh, that is for sure. Miller looked like he had two left skates on,” he says, “and Manning and Ralph played like they had oil on their gloves.”

“I’m going to disagree with you on those,” I say, trying not to get irritated about him talking about Miller. “They had a couple of bad shifts, that is for sure, but by the second period, I think everyone was doing what needed to be done. They went into the third period trailing by two goals to come out and win in overtime. They hustled their asses. Thanks for calling. Who do we have next?” I ask the next caller, and we go on and on until I sign off at the end of the show.

“That was a good show,” Brian says, coming into the room when I take off my headphones and place them down. “Word on the street is your bank account is twenty-five K lighter.”

“It’s for charity,” I say, getting up. “It’s a tax write-off.” I get up and grab my stuff, listening to him laugh. “See you tomorrow.” I walk out of the door and into my office, grabbing my bag and phone.

“You’re running out already?” the receptionist asks. “Beat the Monday traffic.”

“You got it,” I say, getting into the elevator. I check my phone and see that I have four texts from Miller.

Miller: Your voice is that of an angel.

Miller: That guy was a dick.

Miller: Do you want to go out for ice cream tonight?

Miller: Unless you want to have dinner also.

I don’t answer him back because the elevator door opens, and I walk to my car. I make my way home, singing at the top of my lungs to the radio.

Slipping off my jeans and putting on my shorts and a tank top, I grab my hair and pin it at the top of my head. I click on the television while I go to the fridge to start preparing my dinner. I’m just turning off the stove when I hear the doorbell ring, so I put the pan down and grab a cloth to wipe my hands. The doorbell rings again as I head to the front door.

“I’m coming!” I shout and then open the door, coming face-to-face with the man I’ve been avoiding all day.

“Figured it would be hard to ignore me if I was right in front of you,” he says, coming into the house and kissing my cheek. “It smells great in here.”Chapter 16MillerStanding at her front door, I’m not sure I’m doing the right thing as I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans and ring the bell. “Here goes nothing,” I tell myself, and I’m that much of a creep that I lean in and put my ear to the door. The sound of the television is playing. “Is that SportsCenter?” I try to listen for a second more. “God, this woman is all that,” I say and ring the bell again.

“I’m coming!” I hear her shout, and the smile fills my face. All day, I’ve been texting her, and it’s been radio silence. The sound of the door unlocking makes my heart speed up even more.