Danielle Steel - Second Chance

When two people couldn't be more different …

the fun begins!

SECOND

CHANCE

PRAISE FOR

DANIELLE STEEL “Steel pulls out all the emotional stops … She delivers.” —Publishers Weekly “Steel is one of the best!” —Los Angeles Times “The world's most popular author tells a good, well-paced story and explores some important issues … Steel affirm[s] life while admitting its turbulence, melodramas, and misfiring passions.” —Booklist “Danielle Steel writes boldly and with practiced vividness about tragedy—both national and personal … with insight and power.” —Nashville Banner “There is a smooth reading style to her writings which makes it easy to forget the time and to keep flipping the pages.” —Pittsburgh Press “One of the things that keep Danielle Steel fresh is her bent for timely storylines … the combination of Steel's comprehensive research and her skill at creating credible characters makes for a gripping read.” —Newark Star-Ledger “What counts for the reader is the ring of authenticity.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Steel knows how to wring the emotion out of the briefest scene.” —People “Ms. Steel excels at pacing her narrative, which races forward, mirroring the frenetic lives chronicled; men and women swept up in bewildering change, seeking solutions to problems never before faced.” —Nashville Banner “Danielle Steel has again uplifted her readers while skillfully communicating some of life's bittersweet verities. Who could ask for a finer gift than that?” —Philadelphia Inquirer

PRAISE FOR THE RECENT NOVELS OF

DANIELLE STEEL SECOND CHANCE “Vintage Steel.” —St. Paul Pioneer Press “Gazillions of readers around the globe worship Steel's books.” —New York Post ECHOES “Romance and risk mark the latest adventure from the prolific Steel, as a young woman must survive the Nazi regime if she is to be reunited with her family.” —Sacramento Bee “Get out your hankies … Steel put her all into this one.” —Kirkus Reviews “Courage of conviction, strength of character and love of family that transcends loss are the traits that echo through three generations of women … a moving story that is Steel at her finest.” —Chattanooga Times Free Press RANSOM “This suspense novel has automatic appeal for Steel fans.” —Booklist “A surefire best seller.” —Daily News SAFE HARBOUR “Danielle Steel offers readers a poignant tale of friendship, family, and hope. The relationships are full, and the unforgettable spirit with which the characters struggle to renew their love for life marks this book a treasure.” —Oklahoman “Her page-turning plot and charming depiction of loving relationships will endear Ms. Steel to her fans.” —Library Journal JOHNNY ANGEL “Call us sentimental, but sometimes we prefer the classic authors. Make it a point of pride to read Johnny Angel.” —Chicago Sun-Times A MAIN SELECTION OF

THE LITERARY GUILD

AND THE DOUBLEDAY BOOK CLUB

Also by Danielle Steel

IMPOSSIBLE VANISHED ECHOES MIXED BLESSINGS RANSOM JEWELS SAFE HARBOUR NO GREATER LOVE JOHNNY ANGEL HEARTBEAT DATING GAME MESSAGE FROM NAM ANSWERED PRAYERS DADDY SUNSET IN ST. TROPEZ STAR THE COTTAGE ZOYA THE KISS KALEIDOSCOPE LEAP OF FAITH FINE THINGS LONE EAGLE WANDERLUST JOURNEY SECRETS THE HOUSE ON HOPE STREET FAMILY ALBUM THE WEDDING FULL CIRCLE IRRESISTIBLE FORCES CHANGES GRANNY DAN THURSTON HOUSE BITTERSWEET CROSSINGS MIRROR IMAGE ONCE IN A LIFETIME HIS BRIGHT LIGHT: A PERFECT STRANGER THE STORY OF NICK TRAINA REMEMBRANCE THE KLONE AND I PALOMINO THE LONG ROAD HOME LOVE: POEMS THE GHOST THE RING SPECIAL DELIVERY LOVING THE RANCH TO LOVE AGAIN SILENT HONOR SUMMER's END MALICE SEASON OF PASSION FIVE DAYS IN PARIS THE PROMISE LIGHTNING NOW AND FOREVER WINGS PASSION's PROMISE THE GIFT GOING HOME ACCIDENT a cognizant original v5 release october 15 2010

To the lucky few who get a second chance,

and make it work.

And to my wonderful, wonderful children,

Beatrix, Trevor, Todd, Nick, Samantha,

Victoria, Vanessa, Maxx, and Zara,

who are my reason for living,

and the joy in my life,

with all my love,

d.s.

We are all seeking that special person who is right for us. But if you've been through enough relationships, you begin to suspect there's no right person, just different flavors of wrong.Why is this? Because you yourself are wrong in some way, and you seek out partners who are wrong in some complementary way. But it takes a lot of living to grow fully into your own wrongness. It isn't until you finally run up against your deepest demons— your unsolvable problems—the ones that make you who you truly are—that you're ready to find a lifelong mate. Only then do you finally know what you are looking for.You are looking for the wrong person. But not just any wrong person: the “right” wrong person—some-one you lovingly gaze upon and think, “This is the problem I want to have.”I will find that special person who is wrong for me in just the right way.—Andrew Boyd

Daily Afflictions

Chapter 1

The air-conditioning had just stopped working in the offices of Chic magazine on a blisteringly hot June day in New York. It was their second brownout of the day, and Fiona Monaghan looked as if she were ready to kill someone as she strode into her office after being trapped in the elevator for twenty minutes. The same thing had happened to her the day before. Just getting out of the cab on the way back from lunch at the Four Seasons made her feel as though the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She was leaving for Paris in two weeks—if she lived that long. Days like this were enough to make anyone hate New York, but in spite of the heat and the aggravation, Fiona loved everything about living there. The people, the atmosphere, the restaurants, the theater, the avalanche of culture and excitement everywhere—even the brownstone on East Seventy-fourth Street that she had nearly bankrupted herself to buy ten years ago. She had spent every penny she had on remodeling it. It was stylish and exquisite, a symbol of everything she was and had become.

At forty-two, she had spent a lifetime becoming Fiona Monaghan, a woman men admired and women envied, and came to love when they knew her well and she was their friend. If pressed, she could be a fearsome opponent. But even those who disliked her had to admit they respected her. She was a woman of power, passion, and integrity, and she would fight to the death for a cause she believed in, or a person she had promised to support. She never broke a promise, and when she gave her word, you knew you could count on her. She looked like Katharine Hepburn with a little dash of Rita Hayworth, she was tall and lean with bright red hair and big green eyes that flashed with either delight or rage. Those who met Fiona Monaghan never forgot her, and in her fiefdom she was all knowing, all seeing, all powerful, and all caring. She loved her job above all else, and had fought hard to get it. She had never married, never wanted to, and although she loved children, she never wanted any of her own. She had enough on her plate as it was. She had been the editor-in-chief of Chic magazine for six years, and as such she was an icon in the fashion world.