The Billionaire’s Second Chance

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Licia

A deep baritone behind me cut through the hospital's usual hum. "Hello, nurse. Good afternoon. I am here to see Dr. Shepherd."

I turned with a rehearsed smile, expecting just another patient. But the voice was hauntingly familiar. My blood ran cold. My heart pounded painfully in my chest.

I stood transfixed at the spot, barely able to move a limb. A mixture of confusion and shock replaced my cheerful visage. This was certainly a dream of some sort.

It couldn’t be. Not here. Not now.

Standing before me was Kevin Brown, the love of my life who vanished twelve years ago. His shock mirrored mine, confirming my worst fears.

I was overcome with emotions and a myriad of questions that before now, I thought I had buried away. But, I wasn’t going to give in to any of them—certainly not now. Why was he with a walking cane though and what brought him to the hospital?

I would have cared a few years back, but it was none of my business right now. Thank God, it wasn’t an emergency. I just needed to do my job.

"Licia?" He called softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

I gripped the chart in my hands tighter, fighting to keep my composure. "Dr. Shepherd's office is down the hallway, the third door on the right," I said, my voice strained.

Kevin took a step closer, leaning on a walking cane. "Licia, I—"

I cut him off, my tone ice-cold. "I have patients to attend to. Please excuse me." I turned on my heel and walked away, my hands trembling.

I could feel his gaze burning through me, as I dropped the chart at the nurses' station, resisting the urge to turn back. I just needed to pretend long enough for him to leave. I could pull that off at least.

Melony was one of the few nurses in the hospital that came close to being my friend. She had insight about anything and everything happening in the hospital and didn’t waste a second in jumping at any juicy Intel.

My ever-curious colleague, Melony approached me as I reached the nurses' station. "Who was that? He's still staring at you," stretching her head in Kevin’s direction.

"Just a patient here to see Dr. Shepherd," I replied, not meeting her gaze,

to indulge her further.

I could tell she wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure? He’s still staring at you, though.” She giggled, “and oh my Gosh, he’s so good looking.” She chirped exuberantly.

I wasn’t in the mood for Melony’s incessant twitter, so I had to rebuff her. Now wasn’t the time! “Melony, he’s a patient for crying out loud. Get back to work or should I share some of my patients with you? Looks like you’ve got a lot of spare time for jamboree.”

She shook her head furiously, “no, no. Please don’t. I have a lot on my plate already.”

I laughed besides myself. “I thought as much.”

After a while, Melony seemed to finally remember his face after scrutinizing him for who knows how long. “Wait, Licia. Is that who I think it is?” She nudged me.

Her eyes widened. "That's Kevin Brown, the retired billionaire football player from Half Moon Bay!"

Of course, I knew who he was. How could I forget the boy who shattered my heart?

"Let's get back to work," I said, ending the conversation. I couldn't afford any more distractions. Not today.

I had made plans with Joey, my best friend, to go grocery shopping after work, but I just didn’t feel like it anymore. I couldn't wait to just climb into my bed and maybe cry myself to sleep one last time.

After a grueling day, I headed to the locker room, emotionally drained, grateful that this was my last shift for the week. So, why didn't Kevin wait one more day before coming here?

As luck would have it, Kevin emerged from Dr. Shepherd's office just as I passed by. Our eyes locked. His plea was evident, but I refused to acknowledge it.

I prayed the ground would just open up and let me in to avoid this awkward moment, but it didn’t happen. We were still standing like gentry.

Why did he have to be so gorgeous?

I found myself checking him out. Squared shoulders, well-trimmed beard, with some of his curly hair lying prettily around the corner of his face, giving him that boyish cuteness. I guess the years did justice to his features.

But, I quickly pulled myself out of my reverie. I wasn’t going to be swayed by his stunning looks. I was no longer that teenage girl twelve years ago who fell head over heels with the stunning football team captain.

I saw something like a plea in his eyes as he walked towards me, leaning more into his cane, but I mustered the courage and traipsed past him. He tried holding me back but I growled at him.

“Don’t you dare!” Rage and hurt burned in my eyes.

His hands were off immediately in surrender, and he dejectedly walked by with a heaviness that was palpable. There was no point in causing a scene.

Luckily, no one was in the locker room when I ran inside. I curled up with my head in between my knees, sobbing on the cold floor. I wanted to scream, break things, and vent somehow, but I couldn’t do it here.

I had barely managed to go through the shift with my sanity intact. Why did I have to run into him again? The very last thin thread that had managed to hold me together until now just snapped without warning as he reached for me. Kevin Brown reached for me…

I quickly sprung up when I heard someone turn the lock. I hurriedly wiped my eyes with the back of my palms and began changing up. It was a waste of time crying over spilt milk.

***

When I got home, Joey was waiting, her usual cheerful self.

"Hey, you're back!"

She was watching our favorite TV soap opera with a bowl of popcorn on her lap. She had access to my keys, so trust her to always invite herself in anytime.

That’s what friends were for, right? To invade even your most sacred space, without an apology. And apparently, lovers were for breaking your heart and disappearing for over a decade, only to show up unannounced at your workplace.

“Nope, I guess I left my body at the hospital, and my ghost is here.” I chuckled, slumping into the double sofa with her and dipping into the popcorn.

She tried moving the bowl away, “go fix yourself a bowl. This one’s mine.”

“In my own house?” She couldn’t be serious.

“Don’t forget I was the one that got you the house. Without me, you might still be roaming the streets of Half Moon Bay.” She bragged. She wouldn’t let me hear the last of it.

She beat the other house agents to find me a place when I was ready to move out of the place I had called home for twenty-one years.

“Might be the operative word. But, please, do tell me Joey. Did you also pay for the house? Haven’t I thanked you enough for doing your job as a realtor or do you want me to get down on my knees?”

“Oh shut up. Your sarcastic remarks aren’t going to make me stop being a meddlesome friend.”

“It’s nothing.” I snapped. “I just had a rough day, okay?”

“Licia, you don’t have to keep everything to yourself. Sometimes, it helps to talk about it.” Joey’s voice was softer now, filled with genuine concern.

I managed a small smile, feeling a bit of relief in the comfort of her presence. As I tried to push the turmoil of the day to the back of my mind, if only for a while.

We then decided to go grocery shopping.

“So, what fun thing happened at work today? How many new patients tried to make advances at the prettiest nurse in Halfmoon Bay today? A ton, I guess.” She pried, hoping to milk something out of it.

It would have been funny, but it only reminded me of Kevin’s visit at the hospital, souring my mood.

“Nothing and no one, Joey. Trust me, the last thing I want to talk about now is work. Let’s just get what we came for and head back home, please.”

Joey observed the switch in my countenance for a little while, before focusing on the road again. She had insisted on driving… not that I was eager to anyway.

“Must have really been terrible for you.” She commented.

“You can’t begin to imagine.”

"You're paying for the drinks, right?" I teased Joey as we drove to the mall.

"Fine, but only because you begged me," she replied with a playful glare.

At the mall, Joey tried to pry about my day, but I shut her down. I wasn't ready to talk about Kevin. Not yet. As we shopped, I resolved to keep him in the past where he belonged. But deep down, I knew it wouldn't be that easy.