Chapters (51)
- Cover
- Praise for A Season for Second Chances
- Also by Jenny Bayliss
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Discussion Guide
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
They laughed, clinking their cocktail glasses together, and the years fell away like no time had passed at all.
Six
The bell rang for dinner, and the group made their way through a door disguised as a bookcase into an opulent dining room with a table that could easily seat twenty. Flowers ran down the center of the table, punctuated by glittering candelabras set at just the right points so that no one’s view of the person opposite was blocked. There were place cards beside each setting, and as Nory began to look for hers, Pippa leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I’ve got you covered,” before gliding off to take her own seat. Nory found her place—at the other end of the table from Guy and his wife. She leaned forward and mouthed thank you to Pippa, seated opposite, who winked in return. To her right was Dev and to her left, with a place made up, was an empty space and a place card that read Tristan. Next to the space, at the head of the table, sat Jenna. She caught Nory’s eye and gave her a wistful smile.
Pippa stood and clinked her soup spoon to her glass. The table quieted.
“When I started planning the seating arrangements, you can imagine how horrified I was to discover that we were an odd number.”
Everyone laughed.
“Ever the control freak!” heckled Charles.
Pippa nodded her agreement. “But then I realized we weren’t really an odd number at all. Because one of us isn’t here, one of us who should be here.”
All eyes fell upon the empty place beside Nory.
“But he is here in our hearts. And we will never forget him.” Pippa raised her glass, and the rest of the table stood and raised their glasses with her. “To Tristan, wherever you are, know that you are loved and that we miss you.”
“To Tristan!” came the chorus.
Everyone resumed their seats. Nory looked at Jenna, who was doing her best to smile, but her eyes were glassy with tears. Nory reached out and laid her hand palm up on Tristan’s place setting, and Jenna laid her own palm on top of Nory’s and squeezed.