Second Chances Southern Comfort Series Book 1

Sleep eluded her again as it had every night for the past week. Abby lay in the dark, her piercing blue eyes fixated on the shadowy image of the spinning ceiling fan. She hoped staring at each rotating blade would help her doze off as counting sheep did—but it didn’t. Remy was in her thoughts and the pit of her stomach. Even after all he’d done, he still had a firm grip on her heart.

“I hate you… I hate you… I love you. Where are you, and why did you do this to me?”

Tears dampened the satin pillowcase under the unruly coils of black hair she had worn since she was a toddler. Anger and heartache had begun to feel the same to her. She tossed the lightweight blanket to the side of her bed and rose. In the darkened room, she felt for her robe at the foot of the bed and slipped it on. The balcony’s sliding doors were only steps away, where she’d find fresh air, where she could sit and think. The sound of crashing waves in the distance used to soothe her but not anymore. The only calm she found came from a bottle of anti-anxiety pills in the medicine cabinet.

Chimes sounded from an antique grandfather clock in the foyer. She counted the strikes in her head—six o’clock and the sun would soon rise. The automatic brew setting on the coffeemaker would have four cups of steaming Colombian roast waiting for her when she went downstairs.

She opened the double doors to the walk-in closet, accustomed to dressing nicely for Remy—something instilled in her by her mother—then reminded herself he was gone. A pair of shorts, a T-shirt, and flip-flops were all she needed anymore. With a cup of coffee in hand and twenty minutes before sunrise, she walked out with a beach towel slung over her shoulder and locked the door behind her. A path carved through the dense canopy would end at the sugar sand beach, where she could sit, watch the sunrise, and cry.

The sky lightened gradually until a burst of brilliance hit the horizon and began its ascent. The glowing orange ball cast rays upward and outward, illuminating the Caribbean, and making the water dance and shimmer. Black-headed laughing gulls scurried about on the beach, looking for an early morning delectable morsel. She was sure by the sound of their call, that they were indeed laughing at her foolishness, for putting her trust in someone like Remy Bellavance.