The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner

Author:Melissa Wiesner [WIESNER, MELISSA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2023-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

August

Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to dinner with my parents. The memory of their disappointment at my inability to hold on to a great guy is still raw from the first time around. When Alex and I broke up during my Very Bad Year, my dad couldn’t speak for over an hour, and I’m pretty sure my mom cried in the bathroom. I’m not in the mood to sit through round two of that scenario, especially because they’ll try to convince me to get back together with him.

I’m feeling vulnerable enough that I just might do it.

In a complete reversal from my Very Bad Year, Alex has been calling and begging me to get back together with him. So far, I’ve been muting his calls and sending him to voicemail. But I loved him for years, and I admit that when I hear that familiar voice asking for a second chance, it’s hard to not be swayed. So, when I find my parents’ table at Russo’s and my dad’s first question is, “Where’s Alex?” I avoid eye contact and mumble that he had to work.

It’s not a total lie. I mean, Alex probably is at work.

Luckily, Owen shows up before they can ask any more questions. “Hey,” my brother says, coming up to the table from behind me. My mom jumps up to give him a hug, and then instead of sitting down, she reaches for someone else.

“You brought Jacob! How wonderful to see you, honey!”

I spin in my seat as Jacob is released from my mom’s embrace and leans over to shake my dad’s hand. Owen grabs the seat at the head of the table, which means Jacob ends up directly across from me.

“Hey, Sadie,” he says, ducking his head. It’s a sign of his shyness that, in the past, I might have dismissed as weird. But now I know better. It’s almost like he needs a moment to work up to it, and then his eyes slowly drift to mine.

Jacob is one of those guys who unfairly has eyelashes for days, and I don’t know how he avoids them brushing against his glasses when he blinks. He hasn’t shaved today, and my gaze drops to his jaw. The memory of his bristled cheek marking my skin as his mouth moved across my neck sends a shiver through me. How is it possible that I can have such a visceral reaction to an experience that doesn’t exist for him?

Jacob looks at me sideways, probably because I’m staring at him with a blush working its way across my cheeks. I blink and force a smile that aspires for casual but probably lands somewhere closer to clownish. The server comes to the rescue before I can pull out my nervous babble, thank God. She drops the menus on the table and asks if we’re interested in seeing the wine list.

“Yes, we’re absolutely interested in wine.” It’s my only hope of getting through this dinner.

Once we’ve ordered our wilted

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