Here we are again with Sophie and Ben in The Summer of Second Chances with, I confess, a little creative punctuation. Sophie’s suggestion that they try just having a summer fling has shocked poor old Ben down to his sandals. He’s figuring he’s going to have to be the cautious one here because clearly, Sophie had thrown all caution to the wind… He tries to lighten the sexually charged atmosphere with a weak joke about “friends with benefits,” but Sophie’s not having it…she’s all in… “I’d love to give it a try,” smiling, Sophie rose from the stool and slipped around the end of the bar. “No, don’t.” Holding up…

I was MIA last week. Life got in the way. We’re continuing in The Summer of Second Chances and Ben and Sophie’s first kiss. Where will it lead? His eyes were dark blue and questioning, and he looked exactly how she felt, a little bewildered and wary. But he didn’t move back or take his hands off her—they were both breathless. Sophie closed her eyes, tipping her head back for second, trying hard to get her brain back in gear. Then she met his eyes again; not a single word had passed between them yet. He watched her, his expression full of wonder and so much tenderness that she wanted…

We’re back with a snippet from The Summer of Second Chances and I’m staying in the scene in Sophie’s kitchen for today. You didn’t really think I’d leave you hanging on their first kiss, did you? I’m mean, but I’m not that mean! Remember last week, Ben didn’t think kissing her was a good idea, but here they are after sharing a meal and wine. Sophie’s practically announced that she’s attracted to him, he’s very attracted to her, the kitchen is steamy… He’s dying to kiss her, but he’s still overthinking it… Don’t do it—turn around and go back to your own cottage. He stared into her green eyes. When…

And we’re back with another snippet from The Summer of Second Chances. Last week, Sophie put herself out there and simply asked Ben if he was at all attracted to her. You’ll recall that Ben’s response was less than enthusiastic, so I’m skipping over the part where Sophie backtracks and tells him to forget she asked. Unable to even look at him now, she begins cleaning up the dishes, while he stands in the kitchen feeling like a first-class heel.They’re caught up in a moment of excruciating embarrassment…so Ben goes to the sink to try to fix things, but… He closed his eyes for moment. He was drowning here. You can…