When You Were Mine (Second Chances 2)

Taryn smirked and said, “Good. Justice has been served?”

Cora waved her off and said, “Probably as much as I’m going to get.”

Taryn nodded and then redirected her attention back to the television.

She tried to settle back in and pick up the threads of the television show she was watching, but eventually she just gave up and said, “I’m gonna get going, I think.”

Taryn made a pouty face and said, “If you must...”

“Alas,” Cora said. “I must.”

It took her a minute, but Taryn managed to get off the sofa and walk Cora to the door. She gave her a hug and said, “If you need to talk, I can offer you minimal judgments and complete secrecy.”

“I may need to take you up on that at some point,” Cora said, smiling. “Love you, babe.”

“Love you too. Drive careful.”

Before she even hit the bottom of the stairs, Cora called Jamie. They had some things to discuss. Primarily his inability to keep a secret for more than twenty-four hours.

When he picked up the line, it was clear that he’d been asleep. “Hey,” he said, his voice groggy. “You done at Taryn’s?”

“I am,” she said. “But you’re asleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “Uh-uh. Come over. It’s been almost two days since I’ve seen you.”

Cora felt herself weakening. She said, “I guess it’s hard to say no to that. See you in a few minutes. I’m just leaving now.”

“See you in a bit. Bye,” Jamie said, disconnecting the line.

“Bye.”

He was right. All necessary discussions aside, it had been two days. She had missed him.

Chapter Ten

It was after eleven when Cora knocked on the door of his apartment. Jamie had been asleep in front of the television when she’d called. He had been hoping to hear from her, though. They’d only had a couple of brief conversations over the last couple of days. He had really missed her.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, as she stepped through the door. “Missed you.”

A soft smile played on her lips as she said, “I missed you too.”

Jamie leaned in and brushed his lips against hers before settling in for a long, slow kiss. He took her hands in his, linking their fingers and pulled her toward the couch.

When they eventually broke apart and Cora sat down on his couch, he could tell something was clearly on her mind. He had a sneaking suspicion as to what that something was, too, so he bit the bullet and asked, “Is everything okay? You seem a little distracted.”

“I’m a little annoyed,” she admitted. “Taryn told me about the bet.”

Jamie winced and said, “My family really sucks sometimes. For the record, I didn’t know about it and I’m kind of pissed off, too.”

“What happened to not telling anyone, Jamie? Less than twenty-four hours later, and your entire family knows.”

“Evan asked me point-blank, Cora. What was I supposed to do? I told him to leave it alone, but when has anyone in my family ever responded well to that? Besides, we both know I’m a crappy liar,” Jamie said.

She grumbled, but eventually relaxed against the back of the sofa. “I love ‘em but they really suck. I did punch Evan in the arm, though. That was nice.”

“I hope he squealed like a girl,” he said, grumpily.

Cora nodded and then shifted to face him on the couch. “How much crap did you get from your mom?” she asked curiously.