One More Chance Read online

  She feels a sense of satisfaction knowing it’s finally time to get her sweet revenge on her ex-best friend. Just before she falls asleep, the image of their first and only kiss flashes in her mind. She hates that it still feels special; she wills herself to stop thinking about it.

  ***

  Jimmy is just drifting off to sleep, and he glances over at his nightstand. There’s a picture of him and Hailey from their tenth birthday party. They are dressed as cowboys, both smiling with blue lips from the cake frosting. He grins, realizing Hailey has really grown up a lot.

  She looked really hot in her business attire. He’s never seen her in a pencil skirt and heels, and he suddenly gets a flash of her perched on a desk, beckoning him toward her. He smiles, knowing he has a new goal that is going to keep him motivated. He won’t stop if she turns him down. He will prove to her that he is a nice guy.

  He wonders if there is another guy, maybe even a husband with her across the street. He doesn’t recall seeing a ring on her finger and hopes that she isn’t in love with someone.

  He is still in love with Hailey, and although he dated a few girls in college, he was always thinking about Hailey and their bond. It made everything pale in comparison. He wonders if flowers would be too much for the first day and decides he will pick up a plant on the way in for her desk. Before he drifts off, the memory of his and Hailey’s first kiss flashes in his mind. He remembers how happy they were looking into each other’s eyes afterward, and how nothing else in the world mattered.

  Chapter 2: It Had To Be This Office

  The first day at the new office has arrived, and these once best friends, once lovers, and now complicated mess are going to be working in very close vicinity. With the strong feelings and power difference, it’s likely that games will be played.

  Hailey is already planning to make Jimmy grab everyone coffee and lunch to make him feel like an errand boy. Hailey shows up an hour early and places a folder on each of the new temps’ desks. She includes their new hire paperwork, information about the company, and a survey about their experience. She has five team members joining her team and plans to make Jimmy the office joke.

  She walks into her office and runs her hand on her smooth desk. She feels the leather of her chair before dropping into it. She arranges her business cards on the desk in a holder and organizes the drawers.

  When she starts up her computer, she senses the anger from her past resurfacing. She feels her face cringe a little bit as she feels these strong emotions surfacing. She watches the clock, anxiously anticipating the moment when the employees will arrive so she can begin to berate Jimmy for his incompetence.

  She goes to the main office, writing the office goals on the board. She wants everyone to keep their eyes on the prize and plans to set the tone right away. She wants a hardworking team, not the group that was always goofing off like her last office.

  She checks the phone lines and makes sure office supplies are stocked. She turns on the copier and tests it to make sure it’s working. She glances in the break room, sees that there are no supplies for the coffee station, and makes a mental note to order those.

  When she finally sits down in her office, her mind drifts to her tenth birthday party with Jimmy. They were running around the yard, covered in mud from the tug of war game. She tries to block the memory but can’t. She remembers him sneaking extra cake and hiding under the table as she passed him a napkin.

  She looks at the clock and decides to print out loan applications for each person to finish before the end of the day. She prints extra copies for Jimmy, deciding to make him work harder than everyone, just because she can.

  The boss from corporate calls to wish her a good first day. After the call, she hears the door open, and three of the five employees arrive. There are three middle-aged women who all seem to know each other. They are chipper and chatty, which Hailey is not thrilled about. The last thing she needs is a bunch of women who don’t respect her authority and want to talk about their kids and cats all day.

  She quickly interrupts them and tries to give a warm welcome, but ends up sounding abrupt and forced. She says they can start on their paperwork, and that she’ll give instructions when the other two employees arrive.

  One of the women speaks up, “I hear that new cute guy is working here, too.”

  Another one says, “I do love me some eye candy. Just don’t tell my husband that.” She glances at Hailey. “You’re so beautiful and skinny. I remember when I was like that. It all changes when you have kids, honey.”

  Hailey’s face tenses, knowing the women are going to try to derail and undermine her authority with their mom cards. She ignores their banter, saying, “Ladies, I expect everyone who needs to take time off to notify me three days in advance. If you’re sick, you must call in, and if possible work from home. Our paychecks are determined by how we use our time, which means if we are chatting, our paychecks suffer. If you want to build up that college fund for your kids, keep the chatting outside of work hours. Understood?”

  The ladies nod, looking fearful of Hailey’s sharp tone.

  Just then, Jimmy and a guy Hailey recognizes as one of Jimmy’s friends walk into the office. Jimmy is dressed very nicely, carrying a tray of coffees and a food bag.

  “Good morning,” Jimmy says with a smile.

  His chipper-ness is what Hailey is ready to hit with her authoritative bat as she says, “Guys, if you can take your seats, we have a lot to go over today.”

  Jimmy tries to walk toward Hailey to offer her breakfast and a coffee, but Hailey stops him saying, “Ah,” and points to his chair.

  He concedes, trying to show her the food was for her. When he starts to speak, Hailey cuts him off. “Okay, welcome everyone. My name is Hailey. I am your office manager. Your regional manager is Steve Cross. If you do well in this position, you may get hired for a permanent full-time role. If you excel, you may be made manager one day. There is a lot of potential for fast upward movement within the company, but I need each of you to be focused while you’re on the clock.”

  She glances at Jimmy, who’s trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. She continues, “I’ve put your new hire paperwork on your desk. Information about the company and a skills questionnaire are in the folders.” She especially feels Jimmy gazing at her even though everyone is looking her way. “Go ahead and read through the information and fill out the forms.”

  She quickly walks to her office and closes the door, as if she has something pressing to do. She leans on her desk trying to get her head straight.

  Having Jimmy in the office is distracting her. She finds herself thinking about how he’s looking at her instead of how to best lead the office. She sits down and furiously makes a list of bullet points to go over about loan processing.

  When she hears a knock on her door, she says, “Come in.”

  Jimmy strides in with a smile, presenting his completed paperwork. “Wow, nice suit, Hailey. You’re so professional. I hope I’m not overdressed?”

  Hailey looks at his waistcoat. “I think business casual attire will be fine. You’re not a fucking butler.” She feels a bit of glee as she insults his effort to look professional. She doesn’t look him in the eye, pretending to check something on her computer. “Please read the information written on the whiteboard.”

  He is still standing with a grin on his face, as if waiting for her to look at him. But her words finally register. “Oh, okay,” he answers and walks out bewildered.

  Hailey feels a headache coming on and realizes she hasn’t had her coffee, so she goes out and grabs one from the tray on Jimmy’s desk without acknowledging him.

  “Okay, you can finish that in a minute,” she announces to the room. Everyone looks up, and she takes a sip of coffee.

  She feels confident knowing she’s the hottest woman in the office. “On the board, I have listed the steps to loan processing. The more loans you process, the better our numbers are, and the more likely you are to
advance your career. Any questions?”

  Jimmy’s hand shoots up. She ignores it and continues, “Process the loans on your desk by the end of the day. Lunch breaks are twenty minutes long. Please try not to ask questions, so you can actually learn how to do this. It’s not rocket science.” She sips her coffee again. “If you’re unable to be productive, you’ll find yourself replaced by someone who is.”

  At this, Jimmy laughs. “That’s not scary.”

  Hailey smiles with her mouth closed and speaks to him a child. “Not everyone is cut out for this type of work.”

  She walks back into her office thinking about how she made it clear that she is setting high expectations. She spends the morning processing new hire paperwork, and she finds herself extra attentive to Jimmy’s every move.

  She assumes it is her anger that is making her extra aware of him, not realizing she still has feelings for him.

  ***

  Jimmy tries to focus as he reads about the company history and founders in the information packet. He realizes he is sweating with his jacket and waistcoat, so he peels his jacket off. He can feel the three women looking at him. They are practically drooling as they take extended gazes in his direction. Jimmy is fit and has the look of a movie star with his dark hair combed back. He played football in college so his physique is perfectly sculpted.

  He keeps getting images of Hailey’s beautiful legs in his mind as his eyes move across the page on his desk. He opens his loan processing software and hears the ladies chatting about lunch. He tries to block out their long debate over where to order from, realizing he has a huge amount of work to finish if he’s going to impress Hailey.

  He really wants to get on her good side, and so far she is treating him like a random employee. Not her lifelong best friend. He is motivated to show her how much he loves her.

  When she comes out of her office, he says, “Oh I got you a breakfast sandwich.”

  “That’s not going to get you special treatment.”

  “Oh yeah I just… Well, it’s here if you want it.” He grins, determined not to let her grumpy attitude ruin his vibe. He glances back at his paperwork, showing his hard work so far.

  He starts to wonder if he should invite Hailey to grab dinner after work, and instead decides to bring her a home-cooked meal as a peace offering.

  He finishes just in time and hands his loan applications in. Hailey doesn’t glance away from her computer, as he says, “Glad we are going to be working together.”

  Hailey doesn’t turn to look at him, but takes the papers and scans them. “Too sloppy. You have to make your numbers extremely clear so there are no potential errors. You’ll have to rewrite these tomorrow.”

  “Sorry about that.” He takes them back, his head hanging with embarrassed. He places the stack on his desk for the morning and shuts off the lamp on his desk. He walks out feeling like he lost for the day. With his competitive history, he tends to think of everything as a win or a loss.

  He calls his mom. “What are you making for dinner?” He requests an extra plate and goes home to change into something that accentuates his firm physique. He chooses an old superhero shirt, which he hopes will put a smile on Hailey’s face since superheroes were their thing.

  He looks at himself in the mirror and smiles, but feels she might like something a bit more mature, so he goes with a grey t-shirt. He exits his room and heads for the top of the stairs, but then stops and turns around. This shirt would show sweat marks, if they end up hanging out. He grabs a white shirt and khaki shorts instead.

  He grabs the plate of food his mom cooked and covers it with plastic wrap. When he glances across the street, he sees Hailey’s car in the driveway. He realizes there may be a significant other, but walks over anyway, feeling optimistic.

  He knocks on the door, his heart pounding in his chest. Hailey opens the door, and right away he notices a bag of Chinese takeout on the kitchen counter. He smiles sheepishly and says, “Wanted to welcome you back to the neighborhood with a home-cooked meal.”

  Hailey crosses her arms, clearly not impressed with his attempt to assuage his guilt for ruining her life. “Yeah, I’m an adult and can feed myself, thanks.”

  ***

  She grabs the door to close it, and Jimmy backs up. “I know you’re an adult.” The door closes in his face and Hailey scowls. On the other side, Jimmy smiles knowing he’s not going to give up that easily.

  Hailey opens the back door of the house, gazing out at the overgrown bushes and weeds. The tangled mess in the yard is exactly how she feels inside. Hailey shoves her chopsticks into her Lo Mein and takes a big bite, sitting down on the stoop. She listens to the sounds of the bugs in the woods as she chews.

  The symphony of the insects brings her back to the many nights she spent across the street in the treehouse. She remembers poking her head out of the window to watch the fireflies and announcing them as foreign invaders. She recalls the excitement of digging into the candy stash and reading comic books for hours.

  She grabs the old mug next to her, filled with rose wine. She takes a big swig and scrunches her face as she swallows. When she stands, she looks back into her house from the doorway. She remembers her mother sitting on the couch in a tiny sequin dress with her nose running from her cold as she demanded that Hailey drive and get her more alcohol. The image turns her stomach and she darts over to the sink and pours the rest of the wine down the drain.

  ***

  Jimmy walks back to his house listening to the noise of the nightly bug serenade. He remembers flicking his light to signal Hailey to meet him in the treehouse and suddenly realizes he needs to rebuild it. When Hailey destroyed it years ago, it was her way of saying he had destroyed their friendship. He knows that he will have to put his blood, sweat, and tears into repairing both the friendship and the very place their friendship was built.

  He plans to make it better with modern fixtures and superhero art. He wants to show Hailey that he has matured, but his feelings are still there… just like they were growing up. Even if he didn’t realize it in time.

  Jimmy places the food on the front porch, hopping in his car to buy wood and supplies to rebuild the treehouse. Jimmy walks into the store, knowing this is something he wants to spend his money on. He checks his account balance on his phone and decides to get as much as he can to make the treehouse special for Hailey.

  He finds a wood that is smooth, very unlike the plywood that gave them splinters growing up. He also finds bolts that he can secure the steps to climb up with. He touches this leg as he squats down to count out bolts, remembering when he slipped on a twisted step and fell out of the tree. He also remembers how Hailey made sure he wasn’t embarrassed in front of his friends.

  He glances up and sees someone walk by the end of the aisle. It looked like Hailey. He walks to the end of the aisle and peeks around it. He sees Hailey in the paint section, standing next to a shopping cart with lamps and a rug.

  Clearly, she’s trying to make her home a little more pleasant. He tells himself he will offer to help if she wants, but decides to leave her alone for now, as she seemed quite agitated at seeing him at her front door.

  He takes his supplies home and starts sawing the wood in the garage with the door open, so Hailey can see him if she glances this way. He stays up until midnight, working with a spotlight out in the old tree. He decides to work more the next day so he has enough energy to work at the office. He crawls into bed, exhausted but hopeful that his idea will pay off.

  ***

  Hailey spends the night dragging her old carpet out to the street and pulling down the old curtains. She bought new items that don’t have the dingy stigma of her childhood.

  She drops the old lamps on the curb and stretches a slipcover over the couch with new pillows. She examines her new living room, realizing she never cared about what the house looked like before. Now she feels a sense of pride that she has the money to pay for these things. She’s relieved she doesn’t have her mother
there to create a mess.

  Hailey drops onto the couch, turning on House of Cards. It’s been helpful, giving her ideas for revenge. She has watched many of the revenge-themed movies over the last few years, as it’s been her mission to make sure she gets back at the people who hurt her.

  She hears a loud saw outside and wishes she didn’t have to live across the street from Jimmy. She shakes her head thinking about the chances of Jimmy being sent to work for her after all these years of plotting. She wanted to keep her career separate from her plan to destroy her enemies’ lives.

  But she decides to go all-in with humiliating Jimmy. She glanced at the crappy desk in the corner of the living room with one leg that doesn’t stand up straight. It’s low enough that it will cramp Jimmy’s legs, and it wobbles on the verge of falling over. Hailey grabs it along with a cheap, rusty folding chair and puts in the back of her car. She closes the car door with a smile. This will be her next move to make Jimmy miserable.

  ***

  Jimmy wakes up the next morning and jumps out of bed, wanting to look his best for his second day of work with Hailey. He pulls on a pink collared shirt and black dress pants. After he combs his hair back, he looks in the mirror and gives himself a pep talk. He can win Hailey over. He sprays some cologne and even trims his nails.

  He’s looking his best when he runs out the door to pick up another tray of coffees. He’s decided to show up ten minutes early and stay late to show he is committed. He stands in line for coffee and thinks about how everyone Hailey knew growing up failed her. He feels a pang of guilt in his chest for being the one person she had let inside her walls before failing her.

  Lost in thought he hears someone saying, “Sir.” The young male clerk smiles. “Whatever lady has got you daydreaming that hard must be something else.”

  Jimmy grins. “She is.”

  The clerk laughs. “What can I get you?”

  “One decaf, one latte, one Americano, and a coffee.” Jimmy smiles and adds quietly, “I don’t know what she’ll want, so I want to give her options, you know?”