“Okay, kiddo. You've got your folder and a pen?” Cecily asked as she and Tyler approached the building where the tour for prospective students would start.
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mom. I've got everything, I swear! A snack, clean underwear, the works!”
He was nearly bouncing in place, and Cecily grinned at his enthusiasm. This was their fifth day on the west coast and they'd done some exciting things: visited Disneyland, gone to the beach, seen Hollywood, and toured the USC and Chapman University film schools. However, Tyler had reached a new level of excitement today, and it was pretty clear he was looking forward to experiencing this next adventure without his hovering mother.
“Okay, smarty pants, fine. I can take a hint.” She tousled his hair. “I'll be back in a few hours.”
“No rush, Mom. Seriously!”
She shook her head, smiling as she walked away. Her smile faded just a bit as it struck her how grown up he'd become. In less than six months he would graduate from St. George's Prep, and if things went the way he hoped, soon after that she'd be back on this campus, helping him move boxes into his college dormitory. Where had the time gone?
She reached the northern tip of campus and looked across the street, where a gate marked the entrance to the exclusive neighborhood of Bel Air. She had little interest in seeing it, just a collection of oversized houses filled with snobs—so pretty much what she'd just left behind at home. She turned right, instead, and headed east toward the country club until she came to a neighborhood of tall leafy trees and quaint 1920s bungalows. She looked at the street sign, then touched her fingers to a slip of paper in her pocket.
If she were honest, Cecily would have to admit that she'd looked the house up on the map while still in Connecticut. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to have an image of it in her mind, the house where Rorie lived. She'd even pulled up the street view on the computer and pretended to walk along the sun drenched street in front of Rorie's house while the snow fell outside her own. But she hadn't printed the directions, or made a specific plan for today. She'd simply decided to walk, and see where she ended up.
She might as well have printed the map and made it easier on herself, because here she was, on the street where Rorie lived. Like the theater geek she was, she couldn't help but sing a few lines from that song from the musical My Fair Lady, even if anyone who passed by right now would think she was mad. Rorie would understand. The thought made her sadder than it should. She wouldn't be seeing her today, or ever again.
She'd decided not to call, or tell Rorie she'd be in town. What was the point? Despite what Susan had told her about Rorie's tendency to run from relationships, Cecily knew this was different. Rorie wouldn't give her another chance. It was too late for that, and it would hurt too much to hear Rorie tell her so.
Her gait slowed as she spotted the house on the opposite side of the street. It was white stucco with red Spanish tile on the roof, and an array of flowering bushes in the front. She glanced over casually, not wanting to stare. It was a Friday, and Rorie should be at work. Cecily only meant to walk past the house, take a quick glance, and be on her way.
She saw a movement and her heart skipped a beat as she spotted a head with gleaming black braids bent over a rose bush near the front door. Adrenaline coursed through her body, making her fingertips tingle, as she watched Rorie turn in place to look across the street, like she already knew she was there.
Maybe she did. It wouldn't be the first time Rorie Mulloy had read her mind.
“Cici?” her alto voice called out from across the road. She used one hand to shade her eyes from the sun and the other to motion to her to cross the street. “Come here!”
Cecily's heart was pounding in her ears, her breath shallow and labored. She tried to speak but no words came out. She felt faint and must have looked it too, because Rorie studied at her with concern.
“I think we'd better go around to the back yard and sit down in the shade. Your southern blood got thicker in New England if you can't handle this mild heat.”
Cecily followed her to the back yard, mute and feeling like she was in a dream. This wasn't what she'd planned at all. She sat down in a daze and Rorie told her she'd be back in a minute, then slid the glass patio door open and disappeared into the house. The backyard was lush, impossibly green for winter. It smelled of roses and gardenias, and rosemary in a ceramic planter that had grown to the size of a bush. She felt like she'd landed on another planet.
“Here you go,” Rorie said, returning and setting two frosted glasses of iced tea on a little table between their chairs. She rooted around in her pocket for a moment and produced a dozen sugar packets, setting them, slightly crumpled, beside the glass. “Sugar, and a spoon. Sorry, I never did learn to like sweet tea, so you'll have to do it yourself.”
Cecily tore open the packets all at once, dumping them in the tea and stirring. Her voice still eluded her, and the only sound was the metal spoon clinking between glass and ice. She raised the glass to her lips and took a sip, and was surprised that her hands trembled less than she expected. Rorie was remarkably calm, seeming to be not at all upset by the fact that she'd appeared out of nowhere on her doorstep. Or even surprised. It almost felt as if she'd been expecting her, and for the second time it occurred to Cecily to wonder if Rorie could see inside her head.
“So, why don't you tell me why you're here?” Rorie directed when they'd sat a few minutes in silence.
Another shot of nerves coursed through her. If she can read my mind, I wish she'd do it now. Cecily had arrived without a plan, and had no idea what to say, or even where to begin.
“What would you like to hear about first?” she finally managed to say. “How Tyler and I are having a nice trip? He's on a campus tour right now, actually.” She took a sip of tea. “Or how Chet's moved out and we've filed for divorce? Or maybe I can tell you about that time I announced over the Thanksgiving turkey to two dozen dinner guests that I'm a lesbian.”
Rorie had raised her own glass of tea to her mouth as Cecily started to speak, and she gagged at this point, her cheeks puffed out and iced tea dribbling from the corner of her lips. When she was able to speak, she replied between gales of laughter, “Why don't we start with Thanksgiving, if you don't mind.”
Cecily smirked. “I thought you might say that.” She launched into the story of Thanksgiving, and filled her in on the rest besides, about Tyler's film school applications, and the audition she had at a recording studio in Long Beach the following day. “So it looks like I may be moving out this way, or at least coming for an extended stay. You asked why I was here, so that's the reason.”
Rorie's brow wrinkled. “That's the only reason?”
Cecily sighed. “I didn't expect you'd be home today, if that's what you mean. And I wasn't planning to call. I know you don't want to see me, and I really don't blame you. The truth is, you were right. I was scared. I didn't want anyone to know about us, not in college or at home. I didn't want to have to face whatever people would think and say.”
“I'm glad you're being honest about it now.”
“I am too. I'm sorry it was too late for us, but you don't have to worry. I'm not here to ask for another chance. That wouldn't be fair.”
Rorie tilted her head to one side and looked at her with those piercing blue eyes that made her tremble.
“Well, I wasn't expecting you to say that.”
Cecily looked at her in surprise. “You weren't? What were you expecting? And while we're at it, why are you home today? It's like you knew I was coming.” Cecily narrowed her eyes. “Unless you're psychic.” She was only half joking.
Rorie chuckled. “No, silly. I got a call from my friend at UCLA a few days ago to tell me Tyler was signed up for a tour. I wrote his letter of recommendation, remember? They thought I might want to come and say hello. So I took the day off. I'll admit I was hoping you might come by or call.”
“But why would you want to see me?”
Rorie l
ooked at her with confusion. “It's like I said in my note.”
“What note?” Cecily felt equally confused.
“The one I left on the pillow the morning I flew back to LA. Next to the watch, which you obviously found because I see you're wearing it.”
Cecily touched the watch on her wrist. “There wasn't a note. Just this. The message was pretty clear that I'd run out of time.”
Rorie's eyes widened. “But that's not … I did leave … Wait. You figured you had nothing to gain from it, but you're divorcing Chet and you came out to your family—why?”
Cecily shrugged. “Because it was what I needed to do.”
Rorie's eyes glistened. “I am so unbelievably proud of you right now.”
“Thanks, I … Wait.” Something Rorie had said before echoed in her mind. “You left a note?”
Rorie grinned. “Yes! Of course I did. I could never just leave you like that.”
“But Susan said—never mind. It doesn't matter. What did the note say?”
Rorie gave her a coy look. “Uh uh. I'm not going to tell you yet. First, I want you to tell me why I should give you another chance. If I were inclined to, that is.”
Cecily raised her eyebrows, feeling a surge of hope. “Are you inclined to?”
Rorie shrugged, grinning. “Maybe. But I might need convincing. You're getting a divorce and you've come out to your family, so that's a good start. Plus, you're thinking of moving west, which I'll admit is very convenient for me. But how do I know you won't cave the next time you come across some mean girl bullies, and go right back to the way you were? Because this is Hollywood, Cici. People like Polly Schroeder are everywhere here.”
At the mention of Polly's name, Cecily burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh, God, Rorie. Do I have a story for you …”
Rorie arched an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Yes, but I'm not going to tell you yet.”
Rorie smirked. “Oh, is that right?”
“Yes. I'll only tell you if you agree to have dinner with me tonight.”
Rorie nodded. “I guess that's fair.” She glanced down at her wrist, and wrinkled her brow to find it bare. “Wait, what time is it?”
Cecily glanced at her own wrist. “Almost three.” She studied the watch for a minute, biting her lip, then slipped it off and handed it to Rorie. “Here. Maybe you should hold onto this.”
Rorie took the watch and slipped it onto her wrist, then looked into Cecily's eyes. “Thanks. I really missed it. Among other things.” She stood and stretched. “So, they're expecting me over at the film school campus to meet with some prospective student, name's Tyler Parker, I think. I hear he's very talented. You wanna walk over with me?”
“Funny,” Cecily said. “I was just heading that way. So, you meet with a lot of prospective students?”
“Nah, but I hear his mom's this really hot actress. I couldn't pass up the chance to see her.”
Cecily laughed. “So, you gonna tell me what was in the note you left?”
“Nope.” Rorie walked toward the gate to the front yard.
Cecily followed. “You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
“Nothing worthwhile is easy,” Rorie replied. “Besides, this way is much more fun.”
THE END
* * *
Don't miss what happens next!
Cecily and Rorie's story continues in Your Name In Lights, coming June 28, 2016.
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About the Author
Dear Reader,
If you enjoyed Cecily and Rorie's story, I'm happy to tell you that this isn't the end! There will be two more books in this series, coming in June and September of 2016.
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A Road Through Mountains (Love's Encore Book 1) Page 23