Hometown Girls: Reunion

by Tressa Messenger

  Jess jumped up from the chair just as quick as she’d sat down. “Come on, we have a city to explore.”

  They rode up on the elevator in silence, each lost in their own thoughts until the doors opened. Their rooms were on the same floor, but they got to Marissa and Becca’s room first. As soon as they opened the door, Marissa gave the bellhop a generous tip and sent him on his way. They’d wasted enough of his time. The other girls explored the room. Katie threw the heavy curtains back, exposing the brightly lit world outside, and Marissa and Jess stood beside her curiously. The room was facing the Hudson River, which made them feel right at home. They were from an area on the coast. On the far side of the river sat New Jersey, a completely different state. That realization seemed really cool to Katie. Becca came out of the bathroom holding little bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and joined the other girls staring out at the view.

  “It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Katie asked in awe.

  “It really is,” Jess said. “Do you think our room has the same view?”

  Katie pried herself away from the scene outside and looked at Jess. She smiled wide. “I don’t know. Let’s go find out.”

  Katie and Jess’ room was on the opposite side of the hall from Marissa and Becca’s room. They held hands and walked up to the window, each grabbing a side of the heavy curtains with their free hand and whipping them open. On their side of the building was a lively scene of New York City. Tall buildings reached high up into the heavens, different colored lights blazed in the night sky, and cars slowly crept by and blew their horns periodically. It was a scene neither Jess nor Katie had ever seen before, yet one Katie had secretly longed for.

  “I like our view much better,” Jess whispered, and Katie agreed.

  ***

  Once everyone was showered, all four girls, in their fluffy white hotel robes, got ready in Katie and Jess’ room for their first night out in New York City. Make-up and hair products littered every surface in the bathroom and the table under a massive mirror in the main room. Katie dropped her robe, standing in the middle of the room in just her lacy bra and panties, feeling completely free and at ease. She slipped on a silky black dress with a low collar which exposed the tops of her full, round breasts.

  “Wow, Katie, you look amazing,” Becca said.

  Looking at herself in the mirror, Katie smoothed down the sides of her dress. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. You’re a true blue hot County girl. There isn’t much hotter than that.”

  “Thank you,” Katie said, laughing.

  “She’s right,” Marissa said, examining Katie. “Stunning.”

  Katie blushed. It had been a long time since she had felt truly beautiful. She felt like Cinderella going to the ball, and Eduardo was her prince. Even if he didn’t turn out to be exactly what she’d imagined, at that moment it didn’t seem to matter.

  Once everyone was perfectly put together, each with a glamorous dress and beautiful make-up on, they set out for a night they would remember forever. They took the elevator down, but instead of getting off at the lobby, Becca stopped them on the first floor.

  “What are you doing?” Katie asked, confused.

  Becca gave them one of her ever present mischievous smiles. “I say we make a grand departure.”

  Each girl turned from her to look at another, all still confused.

  “Come on, you’ll see in a minute.”

  When they reached the end of the hallway, they saw what Becca had in mind. They walked down the massive grand staircase leading down into the lobby. Its plush red carpet and rich mahogany wood fixtures made them feel like celebrities walking the red carpet for some ritzy movie premiere. They walked with their heads held high, confidence radiating off of them, and people noticed. They’d be blind not to.

  Once they were outside, their confidence broke and they all burst out laughing.

  “That was so much fun,” Katie said, laughing and spinning around in circles, her dress flowing in the slight breeze. “I wish I could feel like this all the time.”

  “Did you see that one guy trip over his suitcase?” Jess asked.

  “One of these days y’all will learn to not question me,” Becca said, sounding impressed with herself.

  “Come on, I’m starved and ready to eat,” Marissa said.

  “I know the perfect restaurant,” Katie said, smiling.

  Chapter Nine

  They stepped out of the taxi cab, the warm city breeze blowing all around them, and walked under the dark green awning leading into the restaurant to get out of the pedestrian walkway. Instead of going into the restaurant, all four girls turned around and faced the street to relish their new environment. There were so many lights from shops, clubs, and restaurants, and a nonstop flow of cars rushing by. In the entirety of Pamlico County there were only two stop lights. The scene in front of them seemed chaotic, but they loved every little second of it.

  Reluctantly, Becca pulled their attention away from everything that was New York City and led the way, as per usual, into the restaurant.

  “Come on, girls, I’m starved.”

  As soon as the door opened, the heavenly scents of all things Italian swirled around the air: garlic, cheese, pasta, marinara. It was one of Marissa’s favorite things about living up North in Pennsylvania and a big part that she was going to miss; there were so many different cultures in Pennsylvania, with authentic restaurants, which was very different from Pamlico County.

  ***

  Katie was the last to walk in. She kept her eyes down on the green carpeted walkway, taking deep calming breaths, trying to muster up the courage she’d felt only minutes ago.

  “Are you okay?” Marissa asked, touching Katie’s arm.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just trying to breathe,” she said, looking up at Marissa and laughing nervously.

  “We don’t have to do this. We can take it slower.”

  Katie shook her head. “No, we’ve come all this way, and we don’t have a lot of time. I can do this.”

  “Right this way, ladies,” the maître d’ said.

  “Come on, let’s go eat a fabulous dinner and drink some ripe wine. If you don’t want to speak to him, you don’t have to,” Marissa said with a reassuring smile.

  They followed the old maître d’ with his stiff black penguin suit down an aisle with full tables of fancy people, most of whom were couples, lining the way until they came to a stop at the end of the aisle close to the kitchen. Becca was beginning to feel disheartened with the table’s location. It seemed so far away from the action, but then she realized it was a window seat so she could stare out at the bustling city.

  Once seated, Katie began to look around the restaurant nervously, wondering if Ed were there and if he were, would she recognize him in person? She watched the wait staff as they bustled around, until she saw something promising. On the opposite side of the room was the bar, where an olive-skinned man with black hair and dark eyes stood. He rested his hands on the counter and leaned over the bar to hear what the patron was saying to him. A wide genuine smile played across his lips, as if the patron said something funny. She liked his smile. His lips were full and a light plum color. The man nodded at the patron before turning his back to him to make whatever concoction he’d requested. Katie moved her head from side to side and strained her neck, trying to see past people’s heads so she could see the bartender again.

  “What are you doing?” Becca asked, staring at her curiously.

  Katie jerked her head back around and caught the stares of all three girls. “Nothing, I was just looking around.”

  “No, you weren’t,” Becca said. “What were you looking at?” she demanded and began looking around the restaurant for something that would catch her eye too.

  Katie turned back toward the bar and spotted the bartender pouring a glass of wine. “Don’t look all at once, but do you see that guy at the bar, the one with the dark hair?”

  The girls casually looked around the ba
r, shooting glances at the bartender.

  “I think that’s Ed,” she whispered.

  “You think?” Marissa asked.

  “Well, I’ve only seen him in pictures. He has the same smile.”

  “Well, I think he’s hot. Ed or no Ed, you could always talk to him,” Becca said, smiling.

  “Yeah, go talk to him,” Jess agreed, smiling too.

  “What do I even say?” Katie looked from the bartender and back to the hopeful faces of all three women. She swallowed hard, and took a deep breath.

  “Just be yourself,” Jess said.

  “Come on, Katie, this is why we’re here, remember?” Marissa said.

  With that, Katie stood up and smoothed down her dress. She made her way through the maze of tables to the bar, where there were only a few other people seated so she had her choice of stools. She decided to sit at the far end, which was empty, and so that she could see her girlfriends at their table.

  “Hello, bella, what can I get for you?” the bartender asked.

  Katie looked at the alcohol selection lining the wall behind the bar, but decided to play it safe. “Can I get a glass of Merlot, please?”

  “Of course,” the bartender said, pulling down a red wine glass from the rack. He popped the cork and put the bottle to his nose and inhaled deeply, his face relaxed. He closed his eyes before pouring the glass full of the delicious dark wine.

  “Thank you,” Katie said. She lifted the glass and swirled the liquid around, eventually raising it to her nose to take in the strong scent of cherry and spices before tasting it.

  He watched her as she put the glass to her lips and sipped the wine. Her red-painted lips parted ever so slightly as she did.

  “Good?”

  She licked her lips and smiled. “Very.”

  “Great to hear. I’m always looking for the best wines.”

  “Well, you certainly found it in this Merlot. What vineyard is it?” she asked him curiously.

  He leaned over the bar toward her, so close she could smell his manly cologne. Armani, maybe GIO, she thought. It’s an exotic smell that could make her toes curl with pleasure. He smiled as he looked at her causing her heart to race. She studied his face, which was narrow with high cheek bones and absolutely flawless. His chocolate brown eyes were set under thick black eye brows. She stared at his full lips and imagined how warm and moist they would taste and what it would be like to feel them against hers.

  “It’s a secret, but I guess I could tell you, mi’ bella.”

  His words caused her heart to flutter and her cheeks to blush.

  “You see this name right here?” he asked, pointing at the label on the bottle.

  Katie pried her eyes off of his lips to look at the bottle of wine and shook her head.

  “That’s my family’s vineyard.”

  She looked back up at him, “Really?” She swirled the wine around in her glass again. “It really is marvelous. Is the vineyard local?”

  “Oh no, it is back home in Italy, where wine is supposed to be from. My name is Eduardo, by the way.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. She stared at him speechless for what seemed like forever, even though she had already guessed it was him, but hearing him confirm it made her head spin. “It is very nice to meet you, Eduardo. My name is Katie.”

  He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “It is a pleasure to meet you too, Katie.” Still holding her hand he squinted and stared at her. “Have we met before?”

  “Oh.” She gasped. “Umm, no, I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, well, maybe you’ve come here before.”

  She smiled, “Nope, I’m not from around here. Some friends and I are here on vacation.”

  “Hmm…interesting. You know, if you ever want a tour guide while you’re in town, come right here. I could show you my city. There is so much to see.”

  Katie blushed. “I’d like that.”

  “Anytime,” he said, and turned to walk away.

  “Well then, how about tomorrow?” she asked, hopeful.

  “It’s a date.” He stared into her eyes, his expression soft and comfortable. “I’m glad you found me.”

  “I am too,” Katie said, breathless.

  Katie spent the rest of the evening speaking to Eduardo at the bar while her friends watched in awe. Even when he had to serve a drink, he always returned to her.

  By the time they got back to the hotel, it was late and they were all exhausted. Well, everyone but Katie. She lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling, going over everything that had happened that day. She couldn’t help but smile.

  She turned her head and looked at Jess, who was lying on her back with her eyes closed, “Hey, Jess, are you awake?”

  “How could I sleep with your mind working so hard? And for the love of God, turn off that smile,” Jess said, opening her eyes and smiling at Katie.

  Katie put a hand over her mouth to hide her girlish smile. “Sorry, I can’t help it.”

  “I know,” Jess said, rolling on her side to face Katie. “What’s going on?”

  “Just thinking about tonight and anxious about tomorrow.”

  “Ah, Ed, how was it to finally meet him?”

  Katie rolled over on her side to face Jess as well, “It was amazing, but I’d rather call him Eduardo now. Ed was the stranger I met online. He was so much more than what I thought. I’m really excited to spend time with him tomorrow.”

  “I know you’re excited. This is all so new, but please be careful.”

  Katie’s smile faded as she became serious . “Do you think I’m crazy for doing this? I mean, God, I don’t even know him. And I’m married for Christ sakes!”

  “No, I don’t think you’re crazy. I would never think that. I love Daniel. I think he is a great guy, but you’re unhappy with him and no one should have to live like that. Marriage isn’t supposed to be a death sentence. I just want you to keep an open mind and not get caught up in the moment because it’s new and exciting. You have to remember, though, he was supposed to be in a kind of cyber relationship with the fake you. This could be considered cheating, couldn’t it?”

  Katie squinted. “So he’s cheating on me with me?”

  “Maybe you could test him or something, or the fake you can.”

  “Test him, how?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know, but that being said, I think you are very brave and have great instincts. I’m sure you will know what type of person he is by the end of the day tomorrow and be able to make your decision about him.”

  “You think?” Katie asked.

  “I know. Remember, I’ve known you my whole life. You are so open-minded, and you have an uncanny ability to know a person right away.”

  “Thank you.” Katie rolled back on her back and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about Eduardo again.

  “You’re welcome. I look forward to hearing all about it.

  Chapter Ten

  Eduardo got to the hotel the next morning at ten on the dot. When Katie emerged from the elevator, she found Eduardo waiting for her in the lobby close to the elevators, sitting on the royal red furniture. She felt guilty for making him wait so long, but she’d had no clue what to wear on their outing. Katie had gone through everything she brought, as well as what her friends had brought, trying on different outfits until she settled on the one she had on now: a pair of white shorts with a red cotton shirt, the front cut so low her cleavage popped out. Becca let her borrow a pair of white sandals, and Marissa tied her long brown hair up in a French twist and did her make-up. She looked gorgeous but simple, even though she was so eye-catching she could hardly recognize herself. When she walked up to Eduardo, he stood up and smiled, his eyes gleaming as he stared at her.

  “Good morning. You look beautiful,” he said, leaning over and kissing both of her cheeks.

  “Thank you. You do too,” she said, blushing.

  “We are going to be walking a lot. Are you all right walking in those shoes?” he asked, looki
ng down at her feet.

  “Of course. I’m from the south, remember? I’ve spent most of my life barefoot. County girls are pretty tough like that.”

  “What’s a County girl? Is that like a southern country girl?”

  Katie smiled. He had no clue what she was talking about, but if they were in her hometown he would catch on. “Pretty much, but a County girl is so much more. She is a sweet southern belle from my home county in North Carolina. We were raised with manners, saying ma’am and sir and please and thank you, but hurt one of our kin and all manners go out the window. We are simple, loyal people who live free and play hard. I spent most of my life hanging out with friends around a bonfire, and hunting, fishing, and swimming in the creek down the road from my house, and mudding with my four-wheeler. But come Sunday we are southern belles all over again. It’s really more a way of life, rather than a culture.”

  Eduardo laughed. “That would be impressive to see.”

  “Well, come to my county sometime and I’ll give you the County experience.”

  “That sounds like a deal. Are you ready then?” he asked, laughing.

  She nodded.

  They walked silently for a few blocks before Katie spoke. “It’s so beautiful here.”

  “It really is. I’ve traveled all over, but nothing has ever compared to New York City. There are so many different cultures bunched into one little part of the world.”

  “I can see that,” Katie, said looking around at all the buildings lining the street and the bustling sidewalks with people milling all around. “It’s nothing like where I’m from. The biggest building we have close to our town is the one-story mall, and there are no sidewalks for people to walk on unless you go to the old downtown area.”