Second Chances by K.L. Phelps

had met, but that was okay. The type of emotions he'd shown were understandable. If you lost the love of your life, you were allowed to show the pain.
    She realized a few things as they drove along. One thing was that she absolutely loathed the woman who'd been this man's wife. Whether or not she was in fact dead, Paige hated her. She did not hate her for dying, if she had died, but she hated her for lying to him. Hated her for stealing her life story and passing it off as her own. How dare that bitch? Why? Why lie to such an obviously sweet and caring man? What could have been so bad in her life that she had felt the need to steal Paige's identity?
    Paige hated her for looking so much like her, because she was certain that Nathan would never be able to look at her without thinking of this other woman. She would be a constant source of pain and so she knew that after today she would likely never see him again. It was crazy to even contemplate the possibility of them forming some type of relationship. Crazy or not, she briefly flirted with the notion of it. But to him, she would forever be a constant reminder not only of what he'd lost, but of the lies he'd been told.
    It was that thought that hurt the most. She wouldn't be seeing him again. The last day had been disturbing, even terrifying at times, but it had also been mesmerizing and exciting. Maybe even a bit magical. What woman hadn't dreamed of a handsome stranger sweeping them off their feet? And wasn't that what Nathan had done to her? Certainly it hadn't been done in the traditional fairy tale way, but wasn't it essentially still the same?
    Well all fairy tales have to end sometime , she thought to herself as the cab began to slow and then stop. She realized that she wasn't just sad to see their ride come to an end, but was also a little scared. Scared of what might become of Nathan when he was finally forced to accept the truth. Scared even more of what would happen if he didn't. Sad and scared. The emotions twisted and battled inside her as she stepped out of the taxi.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

    Antonio's was the name of the restaurant, though there was no actual Antonio. In fact, the place was owned by a man named Clarence O'Neal who as far as he knew had zero Italian blood in his family. And if there was no Italian in his blood, Clarence was quite certain there was even less in Juan's, the restaurant's head chef. Italian or not, Juan was an excellent cook and coupled with the low prices, Antonio's always did a brisk business. Today being a bright sunny day, it was business as usual, which meant nearly a full house even with them being well beyond the lunch crowd and before the dinner rush. All tables inside were crammed to capacity, as well as the dozen on the outside patio which bordered the street. Wait time was nearing thirty minutes. Well worth such a short time the smiling receptionist would happily tell any inquiring potential customers.
    Nathan got out of the cab after Paige and nodded for her to go ahead while he fumbled for his wallet to pay the cabbie. He heard the driver give him an amount and started to turn his attention back to his wallet but then stopped. He watched as Paige walked past those eating out on the patio. He saw that she gave the patrons a passing glance, but never slowed her stride. He also saw a blond woman in a dark red pantsuit begin to smile and rise and then stop and sit back down. The woman opened her mouth but then immediately closed it again.
    The blast from the horn startled Nathan and snapped his attention back to the taxi.
    "Hey pal, I got places to go. You want to zone out that is fine, but can you do it after you pay me?"
    Nathan blinked at the man behind the wheel, almost as if he were seeing him for the first time.
    "Yeah, sorry." He grabbed a couple of bills from his wallet and absently handed them to the driver, his attention turning back to the woman on the patio.
    The driver's eyes went wide as he took the money. The guy