SECOND CHANCE: November 1

Karin leaned back against the driver seat of her blue Ford Taurus as she sat in front of 712 Oak street, a four unit apartment building that she was responsible for managing. She took a deep breath. It had been a stressful morning and the day had barely begun. She scanned her clipboard as Mindy Vasper chattered into her headset.

“So, how much of the rent will you have on Friday?” Karin asked when Mindy finally stopped talking long enough to take a breath. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard and looked up and down the street. The appointment was late. She hated waiting for people. She checked her schedule again and decided to give them another five minutes before leaving for her next appointment.

“Well, see, I don’t know cause it depends on Robbie and if he pays up on his back child support or not. He’s like one of those deadbeat dads sometimes, and I tried to get the court to make him pay more because then I could actually afford to live. You know, I’m trying to get by with only like forty dollars a week in spending money.” Karin let Mindy’s voice kind of trail off for a minute as she looked out the window and thought she saw someone she recognized. Then, she had to refocus. Somewhere in this woman’s ramblings, Karin hoped would be an answer to her question.

“When did you say you would have the rent?” Karin asked, but she was talking over the top of Mindy’s ramblings and Mindy didn’t hear her, or if she did, she didn’t give any indication that she’d heard and just kept on talking.

“…he says he can’t find work, but I know he’s working because I saw him driving one of those rent to own trucks, you know and his best friend owns that place and so I think he’s paying him under the table, but the judge says I have to have proof…” Karin watched as a couple came down the sidewalk and approached the house she was waiting at.

They must be my eleven o’clock, she thought. But, it couldn’t be. Not him.

Karin grabbed her keys from the ignition and stepped out of the Taurus, with her clipboard in hand and the headset still filled with Mindy’s voice. She wasn’t really listening anymore to the tenant’s list of reasons why she didn’t or wouldn’t have the rent money anytime soon. Mindy’s voice had become an irritating hum in the background of Karin’s own thoughts as she walked toward the man standing on the sidewalk.

Jacob Palmer, Jay to his friends, at least that was his nickname the last she knew. He was older, more mature looking than she remembered him, but it was definitely him and he hadn’t really changed much at all. His eyes twinkled just a little too mischeviously as he grinned at her from the front of the house. The same heart melting smile that had caught her off guard and mesmerized her throughout high school was still there. For a brief moment, the voice in her ear and the cars rushing past became silent. She was eighteen years old and she was his. Suddenly, Karin felt a breeze off the lake and realized that her face was hot.

“Mrs. Anderson?” said a voice in Karin’s ear. The shock nearly knocked Karin off balance. She quickly regained her composure.

“Yes, I’m still here,” Karin held up one finger to the couple standing in front of her, and her mind was back to business. “I can give you until Monday, but then you have to pay or be out. Let me know when you decide.” She ended the call and turned her attention to the woman who was standing with Jay. She double checked her clipboard.

“You must be Samantha…” her voice caught in her throat for a second as she saw the last name. “…Palmer?”

“Yes,” the woman nodded.

“I’m Karin Anderson.” She held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Jay, it’s nice to see you,” she said holding out her hand to him. When he took her hand to shake it, he held it a little too long, or maybe she held on too long, she wasn’t sure. But, for a moment, they didn’t let go and their eyes met and Karin knew immediately that Samantha was staring at her.

“We have an appointment to see an apartment,” Samantha said.

“Yes, of course,” Karin stood a little taller and silently chastised herself for being so unprofessional. What was it about this guy? She didn’t normally behave this way and obviously here he was with his wife. Karin led the couple to the door and unlocked the unit.

“There are four apartments in this building; two upstairs and two down. This is the downstairs front which is available now. The upstairs back will be available on the first and has access to the driveway off the alley, and being away from the road, it’s a little bit quieter.”

“What’s that smell?” Samantha asked as she walked into the front room of the apartment.

“Fresh paint,” Karin answered trying to sound cheerful. “It does have a distinct smell, but we’ll open up the windows and have it aired out in no time.” Karin smiled at the woman, who didn’t return the gesture or seem convinced by Karin’s suggestion.

“Feel free to look around,” Karin said. “And, let me know if you have any questions.” She turned toward the wall and started to open up some of the windows. Samantha headed toward the kitchen.

“Oh, I hate it when they paint the windows shut,” Karin whispered to herself as she struggled to get one of the windows open.

“Let me help you with that,” Jay said from behind her. The sound of his voice in her ear sent chills up and down her spine. She could feel his breath on her neck as he put his arms around her and pushed up on the window frame. It opened easily.

“Wow. You’re really…” Karin turned around to find Jay’s face just inches from hers. “…strong.” His hand brushed her arm as he took a step back. A bolt of electricity fled from the nerve endings throughout her body. She shivered. It was nothing near unpleasant though. Exhilarating even.

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged. “Must be all those hay bales.” He looked at her with that mischevious grin she was so powerless against.  “You are more beautiful than I remember,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” she whispered back. The hairs all over her body were standing on end, as if they were reaching out to be touched by him again.

“Could we see the upstairs unit?” Samantha’s voice broke the spell that Jay had over Karin.

“Yes, absolutely,” Karin said. “There are tenants currently living there and I’ll need to give them twenty-four hour notice. Would you like to come by tomorrow?”

Samantha looked at Karin and then Jay, then back to Karin again and then shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” She grabbed Jay by the arm and led him toward the door. “This place is not for us.”

Karin was tempted to follow them out the door to eavesdrop on their conversation, but she didn’t. Instead, she closed the front door and walked around the apartment to see if there was anything else that needed to be done there. The walls were freshly painted, the floors all scrubbed and the carpets cleaned. Except for the paint smell, which she had to admit was pretty strong when they first walked in, everything looked great. She opened a few more windows, especially the west facing ones to allow the breeze off Lake Michigan to make its way through the apartment. She took one last walk around the apartment and then returned to her car. She looked up and down the street, but the couple was gone.

Karin crossed Palmer off her list of appointments. “This place is not for us,” she said imitating the woman’s snarky remark. Then, taking a deep breath, she thought about Jay being dragged along by her. He was not the same man that she had fallen in love with ten years earlier when they were just teenagers. Her Jay was a strong and confident man who didn’t get pushed around, at least that was the way she was going to remember him.

“That’s right lady, this place is not for you, and he is not the man for me.” She started the car. “I’ll keep what I’ve got and you can keep what you’ve got.” She put the car in drive and put Jacob Palmer out of her mind forever. Well, sort of.

Find out what happens next at Second Chance: November 2
Then read Second Chance: November 3