That Second Chance (Getting Lucky #1)(52)

“Reid.”

“Reid?” She scrunches her nose. “Really? I’m surprised. I thought you would have said Rogan.”

“I’m closest with Rogan, but Reid has always made me laugh and knows how to make things interesting. He’s a big dreamer with an even bigger heart. I love Rogan, of course. He’s the guy I talk to the most, but he’s an asshole most of the time too. Carries a chip on his shoulder and refuses to brush it off. And Brig, well, whenever he gets a chance to annoy me, he does.”

“The youngest-child syndrome, right? My friend out in California was the youngest of three, and she made it her mission to always annoy her two older sisters. The fights they would get into scared me sometimes. I was afraid there was going to be some serious hair pulling, and I wasn’t going to be able to break them up.”

“There’s definitely something to that. It’s like they’re predisposed to be irritants and instigators.”

“Very true. So Reid, huh? Does he know?”

I shake my head. “Hell no. That would be like seriously telling your children who your favorite is. If I ever let out that information, I would never hear the end of it, especially from Rogan.”

“Understandable. So if I were to accidentally say something, what would you do?” She slyly grins at me.

My brow lifts. “Playing with fire, are we? If you were to tell them our little secret—yes, it’s our little secret now—I would march my ass over to your house and take a sledgehammer to your Adirondack chairs.”

She gasps and clutches her chest dramatically. “You wouldn’t.”

I slowly nod, a smirk playing at my lips. “I so would.”

“Oh, Griffin Knightly, you don’t play fair.”

I tip my drink toward her. “Never said I did.”



The crowd has died down, and the few people left are all sitting around the dimming fire.

Not Ren and me.

Instead, we’re sitting in the bucket seats of Brig’s 1965 Mustang convertible, our heads tilted back, the dull hum of people talking mixing with a light instrumental beat that plays in the background.

The stars above us shine brightly against the midnight sky while crickets chirp around us, lightning bugs blinking in the far-off distance. It’s a typical summer night in Maine, but because I’m spending it beside Ren, it seems more magical than normal.

“What’s one thing you wish you already checked off your bucket list?” I ask, hands in my lap.

She turns toward me, curling her legs up, her cheek resting on the back of the chair. She’s so petite that she snuggles in perfectly to the leather of the chair.

“Hmm, that’s a tough one—it’s a long list.”

“True, but if you had to choose one.”

She doesn’t answer right away, taking her time instead. I like that she puts thought into my questions, like she truly wants to give me a good answer. It’s like she’s giving me her true self, and I really like that. I’m learning all about the real Ren, digging in deep, not just hitting the surface.

“This is going to sound so lame, I’m sure, and superficial.”

“I won’t judge you.” I speak sincerely, turning my head to look her in the eyes. “If it’s on your bucket list, then it means something to you. Who am I to judge what you want to accomplish in your life?”

Her eyes meet mine, her lashes fluttering a few times. “You’re a special kind of man, Griffin, do you know that?” Unsure of what to say, I swallow hard, her words hitting me right in the chest. “As you know, I grew up in Los Angeles. Movies have always been a huge part of my life, not just because basically all of my friends wanted to be actors, but because the city lives and breathes entertainment. The Oscars were a huge deal growing up. We were invited to at least five viewing parties every year, and when it wasn’t award season, we were always running into some kind of film production.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“It was. Still is. Even at twenty-eight, I get excited about the possibility of running into a film set.”

“We’ve never had that kind of excitement around here.”

“Which is surprising. This town was made for movies.” She leans farther into the chair. “It’s silly, but I’ve always wanted to be an extra in a movie, to make it to the big screen in a small way. I put it on my bucket list, thinking I’d get the chance in California, but it never happened. Now that goal seems almost impossible.”

“Hey, you never know. There have been film scouts here before.”

“Really?” She perks up. “That’s really exciting. Why wasn’t Port Snow ever picked?”

“Not sure.” I shrug. “But they do come in and out. Maybe one day a production company will be smart enough to film here. It’s also one of the reasons why we keep everything so impeccable; landing a movie set for the town would be huge.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that’s something you guys even thought about.”

“Trust me, we’ve thought of everything when it comes to revenue.” I curl my finger around the steering wheel and lightly move it back and forth. “What held you back from becoming an extra in LA? There must have been a lot of opportunities.”

“School and work. I was dead set on making sure I aced every single test and got a good student-teacher job.”