Second Rate Chances by Holly Stephens Page B

about doing last minute Christmas shopping, Lil stopped in for a pick me up. She spent the next hour browsing the stores and buying last minute gifts.
                  Lil loved the holiday season because of the gift giving. It was the only time a year she enjoyed buying for others rather than herself.
                  If Kane and Abe were creatures of habit, Lil knew she’d find them amongst the shoppers. They always spent the last full weekend before Christmas in the U. Kane, being the responsible man he was, usually had his shopping done by Thanksgiving. Abe ordered things online because he hated the crowds. But it never failed; this weekend was the time when they would brave the crowds for a nice shirt for Abe to wear to Kane’s family’s holiday gathering. Flannel wasn’t something a man of taste sported to a Ryker family get together. Besides, Kane always bribed Abe with lunch at The Sushi Sioux.
                  Lil strolled down the path into the next store. Nick’s Knacks was new in the U so she decided to see what kinds of knacks Nick was selling.
                  She browsed antique tea sets and costume jewelry. Nothing unique caught her eye until she spotted a lone rabbit’s foot in a velvet box under the glass counter. She fingered the glass, thinking she knew someone who might appreciate the irony behind this good luck charm. She signaled for one of the salesmen to help her. When he brought the dusty white foot out of the case, she knew she had to get this for Sam. It was perfect for all the wrong reasons. Maybe it would serve as a reminder of her time helping him when his memories resurfaced.
                  With her purchase tucked away in a brown paper bag, Lil was out of the store and on her way to finding Kane and Abe.
                  She passed a men’s upscale boutique and scanned the people inside through the window display. There inside was one of the men she had come looking for.
                  An older gentleman held the door for her as she walked through. With a nod of her head and a thank you from her lips, she walked into the store, and through neatly folded tables of scarves and ties. In the back, fingering through crisply starched shirts, was her old friend Kane. Stealthily, Lil walked behind him, a smile on her face.
                  “Fancy meeting you here,” she said.
                  In slow motion, Kane turned around, his eyes as round as the moon. His hand went to cover his gaping mouth. Lil’s smiled widened.
                  “Are you real?” he asked in barely a whisper.
                  “Every bit of me,” she replied.
                  In the blink of eye, he had her in his arms, crushing her to his chest. He stood almost as tall as Sam did, so that his chin rested on the top of her head. He pulled back and looked at her, his mouth slowly forming a smile.
                  “You look fantastic,” he said.
                  Lil shrugged one shoulder and acted as if those words didn’t mean more than they should. “Eh, like a fine wine I only get better with time.”
                  Again, Kane pulled her to him, his body vibrating with laughter. “My God, Lil. I’ve missed you. So damn much.”
                  “Me too, Kane,” she said into his chest.
                  When they pulled apart, it looked like tears were forming in his eyes. She felt awful. She should have never pushed two of her best friends away from her. She should have accepted any kind of condolences and offerings they had for her.              
                  Seeing Kane look so torn up about seeing her, Lil couldn’t help but feel her own eyes water. Her lips quivered when she said, “I’m so sorry.”
                  “Don’t,” he said in a firm voice. “I