Jill and Brandon had been so caught up in the all-consuming intensity of first love, their social and economic backgrounds never entered into the equation. Despite the opposition of those around them, Jill had believed with all her heart and soul they were meant to be together. She believed their love was strong enough to withstand the test of time and she would have bet her life that Brandon felt the same way.
That was why she had been so devastated when it ended so abruptly ... and permanently.
A Valentine card lost at the post office and delivered twenty-five years later gives Jillian a reason to contact her high school sweetheart, the one great love of her life, a love she’d lost but never forgotten.
Was fate playing another cruel trick, allowing her to receive the card twenty-five years later, six weeks after Brandon returned to town to pick up the reins of Sinclair Publishing? As rumor would have it, a divorced, available Brandon Sinclair. Or, as insane as it sounded, was fate stepping in to set things right?
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"Blue Ribbon Rating: FIVE! “Hold on to your hearts romance lovers because this one is sure to touch it like it’s never been touched before. Twenty-five years is a long time to be cheated out of with the one you truly love. Jill and Brandon’s story is sad and touches you deeply, but never fear, there is sure to be a happy ending. Although you may not have much faith in the post office afterwards. SECOND CHANCES is sure to give you the romance fix you need this month.” Romance Junkies
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"Five Flames! “This passionate, tender short story had me in tears. Jillian and Brandon’s romance was so heartwarming. Ms. Wilde did an outstanding job of making them real and believable characters. It’s a well-written, satisfying romance that I highly recommend.” Sizzling Romances
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"Four/Five Stars! “I am a sucker for this type of story, love lost and found again years later. I’m also a sucker for short stories that are full of emotion, passion, and have that "completed" feel to them. Second Chances is well-rounded; it’s not rushed and doesn’t leave loose ends. The two characters are as "filled out" as any short story would need. We see that the ending of their relationship devastated both Jill and Brandon and how it affected their relationships in the interim twenty-five years. This story was so good for me that I had to immediately re-read it once I finished reading it the first time, making it a definite "keeper" for me.” Just Erotic Romance Reviews
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Five Angels! “One night after a disagreement, he walks out on Jill and she never hears from him again; until a lost Valentine's Day card arrives 25 years later. After reading the card, Jill's mind is overcome with memories of Brandon. She decides to contact him, and wonders if they can recapture the love they once felt so long ago. Second Chances is a short but sweet story full of emotion and romance. It is a tale of love lost and once again found that will warm you heart with every turn of the page.” Fallen Angels Review
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Originally released as part of the Tempting Fate Holiday Fantasies collection
WARNING - This story contains hot, explicit love scenes.
Excerpt:
Perched precariously near the top of a ladder, covered with pale yellow speckles as she rolled paint onto the dingy tan walls, Jill Dennis tried to ignore the persistent ringing of the doorbell. Just when she thought her unexpected visitor had given up, the ringing started again.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. Things were slow at work so she'd taken three vacation days to paint, clean and redecorate her living room. Since she started painting this morning, she'd had three phone calls from friends, two from the office, and now the doorbell. If she kept getting interrupted she wouldn't finish before she returned to work.
Laying the roller in the paint pan attached to the top of the ladder, she backed carefully down the steps and picked up a dish towel, wiping paint from her hands as she made her way to the front door.
"I'm sorry for the interruption, ma'am," the female mail carrier apologized after she took in Jill's disheveled, paint spattered appearance.
"Can I help you?" Jill asked, trying to keep the impatience from her voice.
"I hope so. You wouldn't by any chance know a Jillian Williams, who used to live at this address, would you?"
"I'm Jillian Williams, or I was. Williams is my maiden name."
"I thought that might be the case. At least I hoped so. I mean, Jillian isn't that common a name. And two Jillians at the same address..."
"Excuse me?" Jill interrupted, thinking of the paint roller drying out in the pan. The mail carrier was rambling and not making much sense.
"Maybe I should explain," the mail carrier responded. "During our move to the new post office, we found several pieces of mail that had fallen between a bank of file cabinets and the wall. The Post Master felt, if possible, those pieces of mail should be delivered."
"I imagine so," Jill agreed somewhat reluctantly. Knowing her luck, after years of struggling, now that she was relatively debt free, they'd probably discovered some long overdue bill which remained unpaid.
"This belongs to you." The mail carrier handed a red envelope to Jill ... a greeting card sized, red envelope.
If Jill was surprised by the twenty cent stamp on the upper right hand corner, she was even more shocked by the date on the postmark: February 13, 1984. Directly under it, was another postmark with yesterday's date: February 10, 2009. And then the distinctive script on the envelope caught her attention.
Even after twenty-five years, she immediately recognized the bold, masculine scrawl. Jill's hand began to tremble. Her heart began to flutter within her chest like a trapped wild thing struggling to escape. The mail carrier's apology sounded like an incomprehensible roar in Jill's ears.
Barely conscious of doing so, Jill accepted the rest of her mail, closed the door and walked into the living room where she sank onto the sofa. In a stunned daze, she laid her mail aside, except for the card, and sat staring at the handwriting. As much as she wanted to open the card, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she laid her head back, closed her eyes, and allowed her mind to travel twenty-five years into the past.
Brandon Sinclair’s image and status fit perfectly with the red Corvette convertible his parents had given him for high school graduation. No one expected to see Jill driving anything better than her mother's second hand Ford Pinto, which was in the shop more often than not. He was the only son and heir to the family's publishing company who lived on an estate at the outskirts of town. Jill was the daughter of a divorcee who tended bar at a downtown lounge and lived from paycheck to paycheck. Jill and her mother lived in a modest, two bedroom, tract style home with a postage stamp sized yard.
Jill and Brandon started dating toward the end of their sophomore year of high school and had remained inseparable throughout their junior and senior years. Much to the chagrin of the doom sayers who claimed they wouldn't last, those years were spent with few harsh words or disagreements between them. They'd been best friends and confidants who brought out the best qualities in each other, loving each other without reservation or conditions.
Brandon's parents strongly disapproved of the relationship and never missed an opportunity to make their opinion of their son's choice brutally clear. Jill's mother didn't approve either. She believed boys from Brandon's social class dated girls like Jill for one reason only. Once they got what they wanted, they would move on to the next naive victim, ultimately marrying someone considered suitable, within their own circle.
Jill and Brandon had been so caught up in the all-consuming intensity of first love, their social and economic backgrounds never entered into the equation. Despite the opposition of those around them, Jill had believed with all her heart and soul they were meant to be together. She believed their love was strong enough to withstand the test of time and she would have bet her life that Brandon felt the same way.
That was why she had been so devastated when it ended so abruptly ... and permanently.
Nearly to the very day twenty-five years later, despite everything that had happened during the intervening years, there was still a part of Jill that had never been able to let go of the fantasy.
Jill's mind wandered to the last time she and Brandon had been together, and to the subsequent argument which had severed their relationship with absolute finality. That night remained in her mind with such vivid clarity it seemed as if it had happened mere days ago, instead of on February 12, 1984 ... two days before Valentine's Day.
