Star Spangled Second Chance by Christie Logan

Star Spangled Second Chance by Christie Logan They were best friends before he left town without a word. Now he's back. Will her heart be broken again? Good girl Portia Phillips always followed the rules, colored inside the lines and walked the straight and narrow. Only her best friend Raymond Alessio could ever get her to quit being "perfect Portia" for a minute and take a risk. Portia fell in love with Raymond way back in fourth grade. That love only grew stronger as years passed, but she kept it hidden, until one Fourth of July when she finally had the courage to share her feelings. That was the night he broke her heart. Since then she's kept it safe, under lock and key. Now, eight years later, he's back in town with his young daughter. His life's a mess, but his love for Portia never changed. Can Raymond convince her to give him another chance? Will Portia find the courage to risk her heart a second time?

   

EXCERPT

A sharp cry followed by a high-pitched wail jerked Portia out of her reverie. Underneath the monkey bars, Serena was helping the blonde child up from the ground. The little girl cried loudly as Serena propped her up with an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, no." Portia rushed over to them. The little blonde's face was bright red, her face streaked with tears. "Sweetie, are you all right?"

"Her name's Lily. I know her from the afterschool program." Serena looked stricken. "We were just playing, and she fell."

"It's not your fault, Serena." Portia looked the other child up and down and saw no blood. "Did you hurt yourself, Lily?"

"I want my dad!" The child wailed. "Where's my daddy?"

"Okay, honey. We'll find him." Portia quickly scanned the area. Her gaze flew past the faces of a few adults who had stopped to stare at the spectacle, but no one came forward.

Suddenly a man's voice sounded behind her. "Lily!"

Portia turned toward the sound and froze. Her heartbeat thudded to a crawl and her tongue glued itself to the roof of her mouth as the man raced toward them.

For an instant, his eyes connected with Portia's as he swept by her to comfort the little girl. His child.

Suddenly everything around Portia went blurry, as though she were seeing the world through a smear of gel. What kind of crazy hand had fate dealt her, bringing her face to face with Raymond Alessio, after all this time? Here, where she first fell in love with him—and where he later broke her heart.

Praise for Star Spangled Second Chance
This sweet, clean, contemporary romance is well written. I love the way the author used flashbacks to fill in the history of the couples previous relationship and things that happened to it. The characters are so likable. I look forward to reading the rest of the Holidays in Applewood series.
Wow, what a second chance story!
If you love this genre this is a must read

 
Author Christie Logan
Christie Logan writes sweet romance straight from the heart. She lives in upstate New York with too many pets, too many dust bunnies lurking under the bed, and too many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head. She thinks everyone deserves a happy ending and in her books, everyone gets one.
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