Hometown Girls: Reunion (Hometown Girls Series Book 2)

by Tressa Messenger

  “Maris, I’m...”

  “Please, don’t. What’s done is done and we can’t change it now.”

  “No, but there’s always forgiveness,” he said softly, staring at her.

  “I forgive you, Daniel,” she said blinking away tears.

  “Do you really?”

  She nodded her head “yes”.

  “Good, I’m glad, because I really am sorry. You know what they say, you never know what tomorrow may bring.”

  Marissa nodded her head again, still staring off at the water, picturing that day when they were young and free and in love; when everything was right in her world. “Tomorrow.”

  Seven

  All four girls sat around a table at the trendy night club called Live, in downtown Greenville, with fruity mixed drinks clutched in their hands as they looked around the dark club, taking in the scene. They couldn’t help noticing that they might just be the oldest women there. But the more the drinks flowed, the louder their laughter got and the less they cared.

  “Come on, let’s dance,” Becca said, standing up and pulling on Marissa’s arm.

  “Okay, okay,” Marissa said, letting Becca pull her to her feet. She turned to the other girls and grabbed Katie’s arm. “Come on, let’s dance.”

  Which in turn caused Katie to grab Jess’s arm. All four girls stumbled to the dance floor and giddily danced in the middle surrounded by sweaty bodies, feeling like teenagers again. Despite the amount of people corralled on the dance floor, it didn’t take long for others to notice them. One by one, each girl found a dance partner, making their group of four into eight. And by the time the song got good and going, it became ten when an extra guy found both Marissa and Katie.

  Katie was stunned at first, not knowing what to do, but when she saw the pleasure on Marissa’s face from being sandwiched between two hot guys who appeared to be having just as much fun swaying close to her, she quickly relaxed and danced along with the guys. The man in front of her was tall and lean with muscles rounded under his tight t-shirt. Katie tried not to notice his looks, to keep as detached as possible, but every time she looked up she met his dark eyes. He danced close to her with an arm tight around her back to add to the motion, his hips bumping into her stomach as he did. The man flanked, literally, on her rear breathed heavily in her ear causing chills to run through her. She never got a look at him to see what he looked like, but she didn’t care. Whatever it was he was doing didn’t matter, because they were only dancing. The man behind her kissed her neck and grabbed her hips with both hands and pulled her close to him. She had never been with two guys at one time before in any form or fashion, and at first her instincts told her to walk away, but the more she danced, the more she didn’t want to. It was thrilling and quickly becoming wrong, but it was electrifying. By the time the song ended she was so hot and sweaty she could hardly stand herself. She turned to look for Marissa, but she was nowhere to be found, nor were the guys Marissa was dancing with, so she went back to the table to join Becca and Jess.

  “Where’s Marissa?” Jess asked, looking around as soon as Katie sat down.

  Katie picked up her glass and downed the rest of her cocktail to wash away the memory of what she’d just done. “I don’t know. I’m going to the bar, does anyone want anything?”

  “I’ll take another,” Becca said happily.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Jess asked.

  “No, I’m good,” she said before standing up and making her way to the bar which wasn’t easy since she was already feeling tipsy and there were so many people there in the same shape as her, if not worse.

  As she stood there waiting for the drinks an arm went around her shoulder. She looked at the small feminine hand quizzical then turned to see Marissa draped over her shoulder. “We were looking for you,” Katie said smiling.

  “I was over there making out with those guys,” she said, pointing to the two hunky men she was dancing with a few minutes ago, who were now dancing solo in their own spaces.

  “Both of them?” Katie asked, shocked.

  “Hey, don’t judge. I’m single and ready to mingle,” she said drunkenly.

  Katie blushed, but laughed despite herself. “No judging here, I had two of my own.”

  With that both girls burst out laughing.

  “God, I’ve missed this,” Marissa said, staring at Katie.

  “So have I and I needed this. I didn’t realize how much until just now.”

  Once they got their drinks they walked, or more like danced, back to the table to join their friends to finish their long awaited reunion of the inseparable foursome.

  By one in the morning, the club was in full swing and all pretenses of being lady-like or proper had gone out the window.

  “Do you remember when our lovely Becca here talked us into sneaking into Melissa Marks party?” Marissa asked, laughing.

  “Of course. She was the high and mighty senior everything and we were messy sophomores. She had no clue we were even there for the longest time,” Katie said.

  “She probably would have never even noticed either,” Katie said, looking at Marissa.

  “Oh my god, that was the one that we got kicked out of, when this one right here,” Jess said, pointing a finger at Marissa, “got caught making out with Melissa’s boyfriend.”

  “Well, someone had to knock her down from her throne,” Marissa said smugly.

  Katie burst out laughing, a piggy snort escaping her as she did. She said, when she composed herself enough to speak, “And it worked too.”

  “Damn right it did! See, I always have a method to my madness,” Becca said, laughing.

  “Except for the night you tried to get us arrested,” Jess said, rolling her eyes at Becca.

  “Hey, they shouldn’t have left the keys in the ignition if they didn’t want someone to take that car.”

  “God, those were fun times,” Katie said dreamily.

  They fell into a silence, each remembering the fun times they had in their past, each longing to be back there again.

  “Do ya’ll ever feel sad?” Katie asked no one in particular.

  “Sad? What do you mean?” Marissa asked.

  “Like sad,” Katie said. “I feel sad.”

  “Aww, why are you sad?” Jess asked, concern breaking through her drunkenness.

  Katie took another sip of her drink. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just bored. Bored with life and bored with this town. Well not this town, but our town. You know what I mean?”

  Marissa sat back listening, obviously shocked at what Katie was saying. “What are you talking about, Katie? You have it all; the kids, the husband, the cozy house, a stable job. What else could you want?”

  “Eduardo,” she mumbled, before taking another sip of her drink.

  “Who?” all three girls asked at once, their curiosity piqued.

  “He is a friend I met online a while back and he is perfect.” Katie had never intended to tell anyone about Eduardo, maybe it was the immense amount of alcohol she had consumed, or maybe nostalgia from being with her childhood friends, but she couldn’t stop herself and it was freeing.

  “Oh my god, does Daniel know?” Jess asked.

  “Of course not. I never intended for it to go as far as it had, and now I can’t stop it.”

  “Wow, Katie, I’m shocked. Does he live close by?” Jess asked again.

  “Nope, he lives in New York City.” She tipped back her glass and drank the rest of the sweet fiery liquid. “I wish I was in New York too.”

  * * *

  Marissa continued to sit back, quietly listening. She felt a mix of feelings; annoyance that Katie didn’t appreciate all that she had, anger because she gave up everything she wanted all those years ago to give her best friend what she wanted, gladness because that meant she may have a chance of salvaging what she wanted, and guilt for thinking that. She gave Daniel up because she loved him and Katie more than anything and knew that one day, although she thought it would hav
e been much sooner, the universe or fate or cupid or God would be on her side and bring them back together. Maybe the time has finally come.

  “What are you saying, Katie?” Jess asked her.

  “I’m not really sure. I’ve been conflicted for a long time. My marriage has stalled, it has for a long time, and I can’t help but to feel like I am living a life that wasn’t meant for me,” Katie said, turning to look at Marissa.

  Marissa’s eyes grow wider with each word. “What are you saying?”

  Katie pried her eyes off of Marissa’s and fidgeted with her empty glass. “I don’t know. I love my children, they are my world, but I can’t help but to think I made a mistake along the way.” She looked back up at Marissa, her eyes filling up with tears. “I’m so sorry about what I did to you all those years ago. I know it was so hard for you. You were such a great friend for it, but if I could go back I would and I swear things would turn out differently.”

  Marissa blinked rapidly at the tears threatening to come. “I, I don’t know what to say.”

  Katie took a deep breath and sat up straight, seeming to try to compose herself. “There isn’t really anything to say. It happened and at the time it was perfect, but now I feel differently, and now I’m stuck.”

  “Well, that’s just bull shit,” Becca said quickly. Everyone turned to look at her. “What? You know you’re all thinking it too. I’m just the only one who has the balls to say it. There’s no such thing as ‘being stuck’ because it is your life and you are the one who dictates what happens.”

  Everyone stared at Becca stunned before Marissa finally spoke up, “She’s right. I have felt such a huge weight off my shoulders after Stan and I split up and had we stayed together I wouldn’t be here now.”

  “But...”

  Marissa stopped Katie before she could continue. One look at Katie’s face and Marissa knew exactly what the problem was, well the problem right now anyway, who knew what the real issue was. “No, there’s no ‘but’. I’m the one who let Daniel go and no matter how hard it was for me, I forgave you for what happened back then. I just never forgave myself. It’s the reason why I decided to go into Cardiology. I wanted to know the ins and outs of the heart to keep mine from aching, so I should really be thanking you.”

  “Come on, Marissa, I hurt you. I betrayed your trust and your friendship and stole your boyfriend. You were the one he was supposed to marry and have a family with. Be mad. Hate me. Yell at me. Something. I deserve it. I can’t be let off the hook,” Katie said, the tears in her eyes finally falling. “I’ve felt so guilty for so long, and sitting here with you now, Marissa, drunk off our ass, it has all finally boiled over and hit the fan.”

  “I have cancer.”

  * * *

  Everyone whipped their heads around to look at Jess. Jess looked around the table at all of the eyes staring at her and felt a weight lift to finally say it out loud.

  “What did you just say?” Katie asked, obviously hoping it wasn’t what she thought.

  “I have cancer,” she said again, matter of fact.

  “Since when?” Katie asked, looking stunned, her alcohol ridden brain seeming to be sobering up very quickly.

  “I only found out a month ago. I didn’t want to say anything until I got a second opinion.”

  “Oh my god, Jess, I’m so sorry,” Becca said.

  “I said it, now I want y’all to forget about it.”

  “Then why the hell did you blurt it out like that?” Becca said, looking dumbfounded.

  “To shut these two up,” Jess said looking between Marissa and Katie.

  “Fat chance,” Katie blurted out.

  “What type of cancer do you have?” Marissa asked, the doctor in her coming out.

  “Cervical. My doctor did a pap smear and when it came back abnormal he ran more tests. The ultrasound showed substantial shadows on my cervix.” She looked around the table, “Seriously, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m trying to stay positive until I get a second opinion and talking about it only makes it real.”

  “When will that be?” Katie asked through the lump that had developed in her throat.

  “In a month, so until then mum is the word.”

  “Okay, Jess,” Marissa said staring at her. She was a cardiac doctor, give her a heart and she could tell you anything you needed to know. Cancer, on the other hand, went to the Oncologists, a field she knew very little about.

  “That’s it; we are going on a trip!” Becca, who had been silently listening to the conversation, said loudly.

  “A trip? What kind of a trip?” Jess asked curiously.

  “How about to New York?” Becca said, looking at Katie.

  Katie coughed, chocking on air. “New York?”

  “Yep, life is proving to be too short to be unhappy. Who knows, maybe there is another life that is meant for you. You’ll never know unless you look.”

  “But I can’t,” Katie said quickly, looking down at her glass as if wishing it weren’t empty.

  “Give me one good reason why you can’t,” Becca challenged.

  “Daniel,” Katie said holding up a finger.

  “You’re unhappy with Daniel. Give me another one.”

  “My kids,” she said, holding up two fingers.

  “Daniel can watch them and your parents live next door, plus they are old enough to take care of themselves.”

  Katie put up a third finger. “My job.”

  “Daniel can handle the business for a little while too, besides it’s not like he’ll fire you. You got anything else?”

  “Daniel!” Her voice screeched as she said his name.

  “I know he is your husband, but why would you stay with someone you don’t want to be with? Y’all got in to it so early that you never had a chance to live life and experience different things. You never had a chance to see if there was another life out there that was meant for you. Don’t be sad and settle like that, married or not.”

  Katie stared at Becca, the look on her face said she was thinking hard about a comeback, but it was obvious she couldn’t think of anything else to come back with.

  “What if he isn’t real?” Katie asked. It looked like the words made her sick to her stomach, but it was a logical thought and everyone would be dense if they didn’t think so too.

  “What do you mean?” Jess asked.

  Katie shrugged her shoulders. “What if he is only pretending to be the Eduardo I know?” She looked around the table. “I’ve been doing it this whole time. Who’s to say he isn’t too? He’s probably old, fat and bald with a wife and kids.”

  “Well, you never know until you find out,” Becca said simply.

  * * *

  Katie turned to Jess, her best friend for as long as she could remember. Jess may have a deadly cancer, yet she was worried about small insignificant things in her life; things she had the power to change. “Do you want to go on this trip?” she asked Jess pointedly.

  It didn’t take Jess long to answer. “Yes, I would. As long as we all go together.”

  Katie sighed and looked around the table. “Well, are you girls in?”

  They each looked at each other and all inevitably agreed.

  “That settles it. Girls, get your affairs in order, because Monday morning we are leaving on our journey,” Becca said, holding her glass up to the others.

  Eight

  Monday morning all four girls met at Katie’s house to begin their journey, figuring Katie’s SUV would be the biggest of the four to fit them all, plus their bags.

  “So, when are y’all coming back?” Daniel asked, staring at all four women curiously.

  “We’re figuring in about a week,” Marissa said to him.

  “Or longer,” Becca said snickering.

  Katie looked at her, her eyes wide.

  “With you in tow, I may never see any of you again,” Daniel said to Becca, shaking his head.

  “You know how we roll. We’ll call you if we need bail money,” she s
aid back to him sarcastically.

  “Great, thanks.”

  “Okay, we better get going. We have a long ride ahead of us,” Marissa said, looking antsy.

  Becca and Marissa got in the back seats of the SUV and let Jess sit in the front seat as they waited for Katie to say her good-byes. Of course this moment was hard for Katie. She may come back from this trip a completely different person, it scared and thrilled her at the same time.

  Marissa couldn’t help but to watch the intimate moment in the corner of her eye. Her heart sank slightly as she watched Daniel and Katie hug, his strong arms wrapped around her, then her heart sank a little more when he bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. She finally looked away, not wanting to see anymore. She hadn’t felt like that since she moved away, but being back here, watching it all over again, was proving to be difficult just like she thought it would.

  “All right girls, are we ready?” Katie asked, getting into the SUV.

  They all buckled their seatbelts and waved good-bye to Daniel as they pulled away, everyone except for Marissa that is, not that anyone noticed.

  They made it to New York City right at ten hours into the drive, thankfully traffic was fairly light and uneventful. As they exited the massive Holland Tunnel, leaving New Jersey and entering New York, the whole skyline seemed to light up with the bright lights from the busy city and traffic slowed down drastically. The girls stared out of their windows watching the scenes around them as if transfixed.

  “Okay, ladies, it’s only six o’clock and according to the GPS the hotel is right up the road. Let’s go to the hotel first and freshen up then go out for dinner and explore. How does that sound?” Katie said, keeping her eyes on the hectic road.

  “Sounds like a plan, Stan,” Becca said then quickly turned to look at Marissa. “Sorry.”

  Marissa laughed. “For what? It was funny!”