by Kait Nolan
What she’d said cut him to the core. She told him that Anna had only invited him to the barbeque as a joke and that she planned on humiliating him at the event. With a sly smile, she had gotten into her little red sports car and driven off.
Rather than subject himself to the embarrassment Anna planned for him, he had just not shown up to get her. She had called him numerous times, but he’d ignored the calls. He’d heard she went to the barbeque without him, so he was sure she had a good time, even though she hadn’t been able to go through with her plan.
He had no idea what she was like now, but driving through his part of town in that expensive car proved she probably hadn’t changed much. That made him sad, because he might have given her a chance to apologize for what had happened so many years ago, but that was no longer an option.
Anna’s mother had always been nice to him, so he didn’t hold any grudge toward her. But he was also careful not to get too familiar with her or anyone else whose gardens he tended. His place was on the other side of town, and that’s where he headed.
~*~
In her room, Anna brushed away her tears, angry at herself for caring what Luke thought of her. He didn’t know her, didn’t understand what she’d been through. He didn’t realize that the car he was so bitter about was the only thing she owned except for her jewelry and clothes.
She thought back to the day he stood her up for the barbeque. She still didn’t know why, and he would never give her an explanation. He wouldn’t even talk to her. Did it have anything to do with why he was so angry at her now? She didn’t understand, but she guessed it didn’t matter. It was water under the bridge. She needed to face the fact that he would never want to be her friend. As her mother had said, they came from two different worlds, anyway.
Anna turned to her closet, taking her mind off Luke by looking for something to wear to the party. She planned on looking her best since she would be rubbing elbows with the social circle she used to run with. She wouldn’t give Shea or anyone else any reason to feel sorry for her. She would be a knockout tonight, and she would have Bill to talk to. And to show off.
Chapter Five
Anna came slowly down the stairs and looked around at all the people gathered in the house. She’d made sure she was a little late so she could make an entrance. Brian had taught her how to do this since he made her do it all the time. But this time, she did it because she wanted to. Because she was going to be confident. Armed with her little evening purse containing only her cell phone and a lipstick, she was ready.
She walked slowly, her garnet red dress swirling around her knees. All eyes looked up at her, and she smiled widely.
“There’s the guest of honor!” exclaimed her mother. “Come on down, dear. You look lovely.”
“That she does,” said the woman standing next to her. Anna thought it was Carly’s mother.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Anna said.
She made the rounds for a while, discreetly looking for the three women she dreaded seeing. She wanted to get it over with, but she was also a little curious. Did they look the same? Act the same? She really hoped they had grown up.
“Anna!” squealed a voice from behind her. She turned, and there she was. Shea Lassiter.
“Shea, how are you?” she asked coolly.
Shea grabbed her and hugged her so tightly she thought the woman would squeeze the life out of her. Carly and Ella weren’t far behind, and soon they were all talking at once. Anna felt that old camaraderie she used to feel when Shea was actually being nice. The other women dragged her out into the garden where they could all sit and chat.
“So, what’s going on with you, Anna?” asked Shea. “I heard you got a divorce. Was it horrible?”
“It wasn’t fun. I found him in our bed with another woman.”
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Carly. “What did you do?”
“Well…I threw up on them.”
Anna thought that would get a good laugh, but they all three stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. Then Shea said, “Really, Anna, that was a little crass.”
Anna blushed. “I was sick. I couldn’t help it.”
They all seemed to withdraw from her a little. Anna suddenly wished she was anywhere but here. These women just weren’t who she wanted to be with. Then her cell phone vibrated.
“I’m sorry, I need to see who this is,” she said.
Anna pulled out her phone and checked the text message.
BILL: Sweetie, I miss you so much. When are you coming back? If I have to wait too long, I might just have to come out there and get you. :)
She smiled.
Shea grabbed the phone and read the message. “Girl, you’ve already got another boyfriend. Awesome!”
Suddenly, it seemed she was interesting to them again. “I didn’t want to sit around pining over Brian. I knew there were other fish in the sea, so I snagged one.”
Carly and Ella fist bumped her, and Anna decided to type a message back. I miss you, too, Bill. I can’t wait to be in your arms again. I’ll see you soon.
Her phone dinged again, and another message came through. I can’t wait to feel your lips on mine. Until then, my love, I’ll be thinking about you.
Anna’s stomach did a somersault, even though she knew this was just pretend. But it didn’t hurt to live in the moment, did it?
“What does he look like?” asked Carly.
“Well, he has dark hair, kind of long, and gray eyes….”
Anna realized, in horror, that she had just described Luke Talbot. She hoped none of the other women made the connection. She couldn’t believe she did that. Was that how she pictured Bill? Or was that what she wanted him to look like?
“Is he gorgeous?” asked Ella.
“Very,” Anna said.
The conversation went on like this, and she felt like she was back in high school. But they weren’t teenagers anymore, were they? Anna felt closed in all of a sudden, and she stood, wanting to step away from the other women. They frowned at her but let her back away a few steps.
She smiled at them and asked, “Are any of you married?”
“Ella is,” said Carly. “But Shea and I are still looking. Our standards are kind of high, you know.”
Anna had to get out of there. “I think we should go back inside. After all, it’s my party, and it’s rude of me to stay out here.”
“Who cares?” Shea said. “It’s just a bunch of old fuddy duddies in there, anyway. Here.”
Shea thrust something toward Anna, and she took it without thinking. She looked down at her hand and saw a joint rolled up to perfection. She dropped it to the ground.
“Watch it, Anna!” Shea said as she picked up the offensive object.
“Shea, I can’t believe you brought marijuana here! Put that away.”
“There’s nobody out here,” she said as she lit the end of the joint.
Anna looked at her incredulously. “You haven’t changed a bit since school.”
Shea looked her up and down. “Apparently, you haven’t, either.”
“Yes, I did. I actually became an adult.”
Shea blew smoke at her, and Anna coughed. She looked at the other woman. “Really?”
Shea just smiled, so Anna turned to go back into the house. Before she got to the door, she turned around to face Carly and Ella. “You two are the same, too. Just sheep following her around, hanging on her every word. Ella, why are you even with her instead of your husband?”
The two women looked over at Shea as if they were seeking an answer. Anna rolled her eyes and said, “Never mind. It doesn’t even matter.”
Anna stalked back into the house, tears stinging her eyes. She felt like she didn’t belong anywhere. She didn’t have any friends. Her mother and father were all she really had. She spotted her parents talking to some other people, and she almost went over to them, but then she changed her mind. Right now, she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anybody.
She went down the
hall into the library and sat down, not bothering to turn on the light. She pulled out her phone and typed out a message. This party isn’t going very well tonight. :(
BILL: What’s wrong? Were my messages not good enough? Should I say something different?
She typed, No, your messages were great. It’s just that my so-called friends aren’t the greatest in the world. I’m just feeling kind of low. I didn’t mean to bother you with it.
BILL: I’m sorry you’re feeling so bad. I wish I could do something to cheer you up.
She thought a moment before she typed, This might sound weird, but just talking to you cheers me up. I know I don’t really know you, but I sort of feel like I do. I guess it’s because we have some things in common. Do you ever feel like you don’t fit in anywhere? Oh, good grief, I sound like a teenager.
BILL: No, I get it. I really do. Sometimes, I think there should be something more to my life. I feel like there’s this big hole where something is missing, but I’m not sure what it is. You know?
MANDY: Maybe you should do something besides sell insurance. Maybe you’re destined for greater things than a boring old office.
~*~
Luke felt guilt rip through his gut at her words. He wasn’t really an insurance salesman, and it was killing him to lie to her. He knew he was technically not a real person, so the made up job wasn’t really his job, it was Bill’s job. He knew this was a pretend thing, but it still didn’t feel right.
MANDY: Are you still there?
He turned his attention back to the screen on his phone. Yeah, I’m still here. Just woolgathering.
MANDY: LOL. Do people really say that?
BILL: Woolgathering? Did that sound corny?
MANDY: No, not at all. I thought it was cute. Kind of old-fashioned.
He typed, I’m an old-fashioned guy.
MANDY: Oops, I gotta run. I hear my mother calling for me. It wouldn’t do for me to be found hiding out in this room. Goodnight!
BILL: Goodnight.
A wave of loneliness washed over him when she said goodnight. He wanted more. The conversations with Mandy were exciting. What was wrong with him? He was an employee of Virtual Match. She was the one who needed a virtual boyfriend. Right?
He went to his bed and lay down across it. This was proving to be more difficult than he thought it would be. He never expected to enjoy the conversations with the client so much. A part of him really wanted to meet her. There were rules against that, of course. And, besides, meeting her would take the mystery away. She might be a fifty-year-old grandma looking for a thrill. No, that wasn’t right. Nothing about the conversations with Mandy hinted at anything like that.
He lay there thinking about what she might look like. Was she short? Tall? He hoped she had dark hair. He liked dark hair. Another dark-haired woman infiltrated his brain, and he tried to push her out, but she kept creeping back in. Concentrate on Mandy, not on Anna. Never on Anna. He sighed. He couldn’t help the way his mind always went back to her and the way he used to feel about her. He had to keep in mind what she had planned to do to him. That was the only thing that kept him thinking straight.
Mandy was nothing like Anna. He could already tell she was sweet and kind, just by the conversations they’d had. Maybe he could meet her someday, after her subscription to Virtual Match ran out. He shook his head at that thought. Pathetic. It was time to put all women out of his mind and go to bed.
Chapter Six
The next morning, Anna’s mother knocked at her bedroom door then came into the room. Anna sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.
“Mother, I was up late last night. Couldn’t you have let me sleep a little while longer?”
At that moment, the housekeeper, and part-time cook, came in with a tray loaded with bacon, eggs, and toast. Anna could feel her stomach rumbling.
“Okay, I forgive you for waking me up,” Anna said with a grin.
“I thought you might like a nice breakfast in bed,” said Constance. “So, how did you enjoy the party last night?”
Anna accepted the tray and put it across her lap. She took a bite of bacon before saying, “It was okay. I enjoyed seeing how everyone had changed…or hadn’t.”
“Must you talk with your mouth full?”
“Well, you asked me a question, and I was hungry,” she said.
“Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I noticed you disappeared for a while. I was afraid you weren’t feeling well. Was everything all right?” Anna’s mother asked.
“It was fine. I got a little overwhelmed with all the people, so I went to the library for a little while.”
“How did you like the punch? It was to die for, wasn’t it?” Constance asked.
Then her mother was going on and on about all the people who were at the party and all the food that had been served. Anna tried to focus on what her mother was saying, but she found herself tuning her out.
She heard her phone ding, and she automatically looked at the display.
BILL: How was the rest of the party last night?
She typed back, It was okay. It was fun to watch everyone. I love to people watch.
BILL: So do I.
“Sweetheart, it’s a little rude to text while I’m trying to talk to you. Who is that, anyway?”
She smiled and said, “It’s my new boyfriend, Bill.”
Her mother frowned. “New boyfriend? Isn’t it a little too soon for that?”
“Come on, it’s not like my husband died. He cheated on me. There’s no mourning period for that. Besides, you said yourself I might find a husband at the party.”
Constance said, “I did say that, didn’t I? But I was thinking more about someone we know. Who is this Bill? When would you have had time to meet him?”
She hadn’t really thought that through. She had come out here right after the divorce proceedings started. “He’s someone I knew casually before Brian cheated on me. After that happened, I saw him somewhere, and we started talking. It’s nothing serious, at least not yet, but it’s nice to have someone.”
“I suppose you’re right. Just be careful. Your divorce isn’t even final yet, and you’re vulnerable right now.”
Anna smiled at her mother. “I’ll be careful, Mother. Like I said, it’s not serious. I’m not ready for serious yet.”
BILL: Are you alone?
She looked at the message then typed, No, I’m with my mother right now.
BILL: Is she as beautiful as you are?
Anna blushed when she realized her mother was looking at her phone. Yes, she is.
It was her mother’s turn to blush then. “Don’t be silly, Anna.”
Regardless of what she said, she could tell her mother was pleased. This was good. Her mother would approve of this boyfriend.
“I’m going to let you talk to your friend. Don’t be long. I would like for us to go shopping. It will be nice to have you back to do all those things with again.”
After her mother left, Anna sent Bill another text. My mother’s gone now. So what are you up to today?
BILL: I went to an early church service, then I came back home and got ready to work in my garden. I thought I would say hi before I went out there.
She tried to picture him in his gardening clothes, but it was hard when she didn’t really know what he looked like. Luke’s face kept getting in the way, probably because he was the only man she had really had any interaction with lately.
She typed, I hope you enjoy yourself. Our garden looks pretty good right now, so there’s not much to do. But I think I’ll go out there and walk around after I finish my breakfast. No, wait, I have to go shopping with my mother. *groan*
BILL: Don’t you like to shop? I thought all women liked to shop.
MANDY: I used to. But it kind of got old. I just want to do something simple, like walk outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. I want to sit in the garden and smell the roses.
BILL: You have roses? So do I.
MANDY: I guess I should let you g
o so you can get to work. Can I text you later?
BILL: Sure. I look forward to it.
MANDY: Me, too!
BILL: Goodbye, my sweet. *hugs*
She stared at her phone for several minutes. What did he mean by that? He’d called her “my sweet” and gave her a virtual hug. Well, he was a virtual boyfriend. She guessed he wanted her to get her money’s worth. They hadn’t really talked about boundaries or anything like that, only what they would say when other people were around.
Anna finished up her breakfast, took a shower, and looked through her closet for something to wear for her shopping trip with her mother. She pushed away the designer clothes and pulled out a pair of jeans and a light blue casual blouse. She sighed. I really don’t want to go, but it will make my mother happy.
She had been telling the truth when she’d told Bill she would rather be out in the garden. Life had been all about shopping, parties, and impressing people when she was in California. She wondered how many people Brian was impressing now that he was broke. He would probably find some sugar mama to keep him up. He was very good-looking and could be charming when he wanted to be.
She was finished dwelling on that life. It was over, and she was going to make the best of this one. And she would start by telling her mother she wasn’t going to shop all day. She intended to have her time in the garden. She was tired of letting other people dictate what she would do in her life. Maybe I should find something productive to do.
“Ah, there you are,” said her mother as Anna came down the stairs. “Are you ready to go?”
“I am.”
When she and her mother were in the car driving toward the dress shop, Anna said, “Mother, I need to find a job. Do you know of any openings around here?”
Her mother looked at her and said, “Anna, you don’t need to work! Your father and I are glad to provide you with everything you need.”
“Watch the road, Mother. I don’t want to be idle. I want to do something.”
