Page 31 of Serving Second Chances
“I think if she is, Andrew will suddenly discover leadership skills he didn’t know he had.”
Emily grinned.
“You’re thinking something,” I said.
“I’m always thinking something,” she said.
Which meant someone, probably Andrew, was about to learn the true meaning of construction paper hearts and overly emotional playlists.
And that was the magic of this place.
Not just the coffee or the pancakes that made you feel feelings. Not even the off-key espresso machine. It was the way something unexpected always took root here. Something good. Messy. Real.
This was the Lighthouse Diner, after all.
A place of waffles and weird magic. Of second chances. Of people finding their way back to each other, or forward into something new.
Why shouldn’t it happen again?
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She’s a green witch with no art skills. He’s an air elemental afraid to love again. Valentine’s Day has other plans.
A green witch with dirt under her nails and hope hanging by a thread, Fiona is barely scraping by as a waitress at the Lighthouse Diner. After escaping an abusive relationship with a volatile fire mage, she’s landed in Chrysanthemum Cove with nothing but her magic, her stubborn resilience, and a quiet dream of someday starting a flower farm of her own.
When Fiona asks her boss for a raise, she doesn’t get one. Instead, she gets an unexpected challenge: enter the town’s Valentine’s Day Storefront Decoration Contest. The prize money could change everything. There’s just one problem. Fiona has zero artistic talent and a long history of surviving, not shining.
Enter Andrew Rowan.
Andrew is a soft-spoken high school art teacher, an air elemental, and the kind of man who makes Fiona feel safe without asking her to explain why that matters. When he volunteers to help her decorate the diner, their practicalarrangement turns into late nights on ladders, glowing lights strung with care, shared laughter, and touches that linger a second too long.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, the Lighthouse Diner transforms into something magical. So does the space between them. But with money on the line and emotions growing harder to ignore, Fiona must decide if she’s ready to risk her heart again—and Andrew must decide if he’s brave enough to believe that love might finally be meant for him.
In a cozy seaside town where magic is subtle, healing takes time, and everyone is watching, sometimes the most beautiful thing you create is the future you never planned for.
