Second Chance Kisses

Madison Worthington

This was not happening.

Not in a hundred years.

I stared at the schedule on the computer screen in front me. The caller on the other end of the phone line forgotten.

The least of my problems.

I forgot to breathe. Or maybe I just couldn’t get any air.

How many Kade Johnsons were there?

How many Kade Samuel Johnsons?

How many Kade Samuel Johnsons who were pilots?

“Hello?”

Right. I was scheduling a flight for Markus Peters. One of Skye Travel’s best customers.

Shit.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Peters. There was a glitch in the phone line.” There was actually a glitch in my brain.

It had been eight years since I’d seen Kade Johnson.

Eight years.

And not a day in those eight years had passed that I hadn’t had at least a fleeting thought of Kade Johnson in one way or another.

I put Mr. Peters on speaker and keyed in his information. He now had a flight to Florida with his family scheduled for Friday.

With Kade Johnson in the pilot’s seat.

My little brother, Quinn, was going to hear about this. Had Quinn lost his mind?

"Thank you, Mr. Peters, for flying Skye Travels. We'll see you Friday."

I clicked off the phone and looked toward the conference room.

Fortunately for Quinn, he was tied up in a meeting for the next… I glanced at my watch… hour or so.

And by then, I’d be heading out.

It was only my first day on the job—sort of, but I’d been doing this work on and off, since I was a senior in high school.

A questionable perk of being the boss’s daughter.

My father, Noah Worthington, believed his children should work like everyone else.

He didn’t want us growing up soft, living off his money. And all five of his children had careers.

The only questionable one, though, was my little brother Quinn.

He’d gotten his business degree, then somehow slid right into the company as vice-president.

He claimed to be following in our father’s footsteps, but I seemed to be the only one who noticed that Quinn had never flown an airplane.

Our father, however, was a well-known and respected pilot and had formed his company, Skye Travels, based on that reputation.

I could see the tarmac from here. Close enough that the office carried the comforting scent of jet fuel. But right now even that wasn’t enough to calm my nerves.

I had to get through the next hour. Then I could figure out what to do about this Kade Johnson thing.

I straightened up what was going to be my workspace for the next three months and checked my phone messages.

I had one text from my best friend Emily.

EMILY: Are you off yet?

ME: Not yet. One hour left.

EMILY: Drinks at the Skyhouse?

She completely read my mind. I’d only been back in town a few days and hadn’t seen my best friend yet.

ME: OMG. Yes.

EMILY: See you there.

My fingers hovered over the keys. But I set my phone down. I wasn’t ready to tell her about Kade. I was still processing it myself and I didn’t need Emily’s opinion tossed into my brain just yet. 

Quinn stuck his head out of the conference room across the hall.

“Madison? Would you make some copies for us?”

“Of course.” I put a big fake smile on my face for the benefit of the two men who were meeting with Quinn as I took the envelope from him.

The men were from a big marketing firm and Quinn was meeting them to set up a contract. I had to give Quinn credit. He was good at schmoozing.

But seriously. Quinn was taking advantage of me. 

I should have a nameplate made for the receptionist desk.

Dr. Madison Worthington.

I squared my shoulders. I'd done it to myself. I was the one who’d volunteered to help out until he could hire someone for the summer. And then I’d be the one to train the new person. 

The receptionist they’d had for years had retired last week. I had trained her myself during the summer before I left for graduate school. I seriously think she waited until she knew I was coming in for the summer before she announced it.

I didn’t blame her. This way I was the one doing the training.

My father’s work ethic was firmly cemented in my psyche.

I didn’t begrudge it. That work ethic was what had gotten me through undergrad in three years. Then graduate school.

After getting my license to practice psychology, I’d done some teaching at Houston Community College and discovered that I liked it. Okay. Loved it.

At first, I couldn’t believe they were paying me to do something that was so much fun.

It hadn’t taken me long to land a full-time teaching job.

In Denver.

I had three months before I had to show up for new faculty orientation.

Since I already had my apartment secured, I had some time on my hands.

The copy room was at the other end of the office suite. Past the elevator.

Just as I stepped past the elevator, it dinged.

Skye Travels was known for not only its efficiency, but also its Houston hospitality.

I turned, holding the brown envelope Quinn had handed me against my chest and prepared to greet whoever stepped off the elevator.

But also, Quinn was waiting.

I took a step backwards.

The elevator doors opened.

And I froze.

Kade Samuel Johnson stepped off the elevator.

I was having that breathing problem again.

Maybe I should see a doctor about that.

But I already knew it was full-fledged anxiety.

And I knew how to treat it. I was a psychologist after all.

Take a deep breath.

Kade stepped out of the elevator. Stopped and looked right at me.

It was almost like he’d known I was standing there.

He wouldn't have known, of course.

Couldn’t have known.

He looked at me blankly.

He didn’t even recognize me.

We’d been together for three years and he didn’t even recognize me.

I clamped down every thought that came to my head.

Kade worked here now.

My stupid, inconsiderate, clueless brother had hired him.

So I just turned around.

I turned around and continued to the copy room.

I wasn’t about to let Kade Johnson know that I’d thought about him every day when he couldn’t even have the decency to recognize me.

Sure. It had been eight years.

Sure. Instead of actually breaking up, we’d drifted apart.

But still.

I stepped into the copy room and opened the envelope.

My hands were shaking too much for me to do the simple task of pulling the papers out of the envelope and my eyes wouldn’t focus.

Damn it.

This was not going to get the best of me.

I yelped as the envelope sliced across my right index finger giving me a paper cut.

I dropped the envelope onto the copier and stuck my bleeding finger in my mouth.

When I’d gotten up this morning, I’d had no idea that this would be the day I’d see Kade Johnson again.

And all the psychological training in the world was useless.