SECOND CHANCES (ORIGINAL WORK)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Aaliyah only had one more hour before her shift ended, and the fact that made her practically skip around the diner. The end of the shift meant being able to see Jason, and that always got her in a jolly mood. Since their coupling, they would meet after she got off of work, and even spent their days off together. This evening, however, they planned to head down to Jason's where he would teach her how to shoot a pistol.

As reluctant as she was about learning to use one, Jason had insisted. After learning about Nathan, Jason didn't want to take any chances with her safety in case he wasn't around to protect her.

"So what are you and Jason planning this evening?" Samantha asked as they cleared up the kitchen, their shifts coming to an end.

"Nothing much." Aaliyah shrugged casually. "He wanted to take me to his place and teach me how to shoot. Not really looking forward to that, if I'm being honest. I hate guns."

"I know, but Jason worries about you, Lia. Even more so now that he knows about your psycho ex-husband," Samantha said softly. "He might be all smiles when he's around you, but deep down he's terrified of losing you."

"I know," she said softly, her lips quirking into a sad smile. "It was never my intention to cause him so much worry."

"Then relieve some of that worry from him by learning how to protect yourself. Learn how to shoot a gun."

She nodded, but said nothing as she sprayed down the counter, the bleachy disinfectant stinging her nostrils, and wiped off any stray crumbs from the counter.

"Alright, enough with the heavy. When can I be expecting nieces or nephews?"

Aaliyah stopped cleaning and stared at her friend, wide-eyed.

"I'm on the pill, Sam. Don't expect them any time soon," she said as she continued her work at the counter.

Samantha pouted. "Y'all are not getting any younger, you know?"

Aaliyah pointed a finger at her. "Girl, I'm twenty-six; four years older than you, don't make me smack you."

Samantha threw her head back in laughter, moving out of the way so she could dodge the balled-up tissue paper Aaliyah threw as a missile to her head. Aaliyah pretended to be pissed, frowning at Samantha, but the younger woman's laughter infected her and they were soon doubled over.

Their laughter died down and Samantha opened her mouth to speak, but an older woman stepped up beside them.

"Aaliyah Barnette?" she asked, walking toward the counter and almost looking unsure whether she was speaking to the right person.

"Yes?" Aaliyah replied, a subtle feeling of nervousness washing over her. She looked to Samantha, who shrugged. What could this person want?

"I'm Rachel Mathers. I'm a close friend of the Moore family," she began to speak. "I attended their wedding anniversary last month and was informed you were the one of the few who catered to the event. Is that correct?"

"Yes, is something wrong?" Aaliyah's panic began setting in as her mind ran through all the things that could actually have gone wrong that day.

She laughed. "Oh no, dear. In fact, it's quite the opposite. When I tried your pastries, I was simply blown away. Before then, I don't think I had ever tasted something so exquisite."

"Oh, thank you." Aaliyah smiled, relief washing over her. "I'm glad you enjoyed them."

"I think a bakery with your pastries would be a great thing to have in Port Isabel," she offered, moving closer to the table Samantha and Aaliyah sat.