Uncharted

by Nikki Thornton

  Abbey laughed. “Sorry, he couldn’t make it.”

  “Hmm, well doesn’t he have any hot friends he could’ve sent in his place?”

  “There’s always Jeff…”

  “Jeff?” Jen asked.

  “Come on, Abbey, you can’t honestly expect her to remember names?” Kennedy teased.

  “Apparently not. Geez, Jen. Jeff was the guy you hooked up with when we were down here on our road trip.”

  “Ooohhh! Him…”

  “Yeah, him. He was asking about you the other day. Wanted to know if you were coming down.”

  “Sweet. That makes that easier.” Jen smiled.

  “Makes what easier?” Abbey was almost afraid to ask.

  “Finding a guy to…show me around.”

  Kennedy laughed. “Leave it to you Jen, leave it to you.”

  Abbey led them to her car and drove them to her and Tyler’s apartment.

  They spent the night talking about the upcoming wedding, and Abbey filled them in on her new job. It was as though Abbey had been made to live in Santa Fe. Her job was perfect for her, she loved it, and everything with Tyler was going fantastically well.

  Kennedy let Abbey know that Paige told her she had to write an article about the wedding since it was the aftermath of a trip they took for the column.

  “Aftermath?” Abbey questioned the choice of word.

  “You know what I mean. I can’t think of the right word.”

  “Um, how about a result of the road trip?”

  Kennedy smiled, “Yeah, that works too.”

  The next few days were spent traveling around the city. Abbey showed the girls where the wedding was going to be, took them out to dinner at her newly discovered favorite restaurants, and took them to a few local gems they had missed the first time they were there.

  On one of their dinner outings, Jeff just happened to show up. Not long after that, Jen seemed to disappear.

  The rehearsal went well, and Tyler didn’t seem to be getting at all nervous about spending the rest of his life with one woman.

  As maid of honor, Kennedy felt it was her duty to make sure he was truly in it for the long haul.

  “You realize that you’re going to wake up to her face every single morning?” she asked him.

  “Yes,” Tyler replied.

  “Every morning until forever. Just her.”

  “Yes Kennedy, I know.”

  “And she’s the last woman you will ever kiss or do anything else with.”

  “I know. That’s kind of the point,” Tyler teased.

  “You’ll never ever want anyone else?”

  “No.”

  “Not even if Kate Beckinsale came around and wanted you?” After Kennedy said the name, she thought about the conversation she’d had with Emmerick.

  “No, definitely not.”

  Kennedy opened her mouth to speak again.

  “Kennedy, relax. Remember that I chose this. I asked her to marry me.”

  “I know, but she’s my best friend. I just want to make sure you won’t hurt her.”

  “Believe me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make sure she never hurts. For any reason.”

  Kennedy smiled. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

  “You worry about her too much.”

  “Somebody’s got to. She doesn’t have any sisters.”

  Tyler shifted his attention as Abbey approached. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, we’re all meeting at three fifteen.”

  Kennedy checked her watch. “But it’s already a quarter after five.”

  Both Tyler and Abbey laughed.

  “Three Fifteen is a restaurant, Kennedy,” Abbey pointed out.

  “Oh. Well how do you expect me to know that?” She laughed, embarrassed at herself.

  Kennedy rode with the happy couple to the restaurant while Jen rode with Jeff. Everyone expected Jen and Jeff wouldn’t make it very far, so they were surprised to see them walk through the door.

  Tyler was the first one to tease. “Wow! You made it.”

  Jeff looked confused.

  “Yeah, Jen. I’m shocked. You’re losing your edge,” Kennedy added.

  “Oh, ha, ha,” Jen said dryly.

  Halfway through dinner, Jeff stood up to give a toast. He wasn’t quite skilled at tapping the water glass for everyone’s attention, so he ended up having to yell for it.

  Once everyone was looking at him, he cleared his throat. “I’ve known Tyler here for, oh, I don’t know, twenty years or so. And in all that time, he has never managed to bring home a girl with as much class as Abbey.”

  An “awe” swept through the crowd.

  “I remember the first time I met Abbey. Tyler was trying to hit on her, and she wasn’t having it.” He paused and everyone laughed. “Instead, her friend took the bait, and I was the one lucky enough to distract the friend. But enough about me. Back then, Abbey was only here for a few weeks, and they spent as much time together as possible. When she left, they agreed to keep in touch, and Tyler was devastated as he saw the car pull away.”

  Tyler interrupted, “Hey now…”

  “Well man, you were. Anyway, their agreement only lasted about a week before they decided she would be moving down here. He visited her in Ann Arbor a few months after that, proposed, and batta bing, batta boom, she moved down here. Long story short, you guys were incredibly lucky to find each other. I’m so happy for you, and I love you both.”

  Tyler raised his glass and everyone followed suit.

  After everyone was finished eating, Abbey introduced Kennedy to the groomsmen. Tyler’s brother, Ronnie, was quick to hit on her.

  Kennedy rolled her eyes. “You’re kidding me right? How old are you, sixteen?”

  “Seventeen actually,” Ronnie corrected her.

  “Yeah, that’s called illegal. And besides that, with Abbey marrying your brother that makes you my brother.”

  Ronnie’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Abbey doesn’t have any sisters.”

  “Not by blood, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t sisters.”

  “That’s a load of crap.”

  “Believe what you want. It doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t date.”

  Kennedy looked around the room. She found Abbey, but she was busy talking to what looked like Tyler’s parents, so Kennedy looked for Jen to bail her out of the awkward conversation, but she was nowhere in sight.

  “Why not?”

  “I just don’t. Sorry Ronnie.” Kennedy frowned at him and walked away. She didn’t want to be in that conversation anymore, but she felt bad for ending it so rudely. She tried to reason herself out of feeling bad. What business is it of his why I don’t date? I just don’t.

  Kennedy finally found Jen and stuck to her side for the rest of the night. When everyone was done socializing, the girls headed back to the apartment and Tyler went with Jeff.

  When they got there, the apartment became their own personal spa. They gave each other facials, manicures, and pedicures. Jen insisted on doing a bit of drinking and staying up late, and they all felt it the next day. None of them wanted to get out of bed in the morning, but there were hair appointments to be kept.

  Kennedy was impressed with how calm Abbey managed to stay. Kennedy had always heard that the hours leading up to the wedding were the most stressful, but Abbey took it all in stride. She was the perfect bride. Kennedy decided to use that as the title of her article. The Perfect Bride. It fit.

  When watching Jen walk down the aisle on Ronnie’s arm, Kennedy felt incredibly grateful that Tyler had made Jeff the best man and not his brother. She didn’t even want to think about the fantasies that kid might have about it.

  The wedding was over faster than Kennedy thought it would be. The bride and groom managed to get their vows out clearly, though both had glassy eyes.

  The reception was a blast. Jen and Jeff danced practically the whole time. Even Kennedy went on the dance floor a few times at the request of a few ag
e appropriate men. Abbey was absolutely glowing, and Tyler couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off his face. They disappeared to the hotel a little before midnight.

  When Kennedy had booked the flights, she made sure to give her and Jen plenty of time to sleep in the day after the wedding. It ended up being a good idea as neither of them woke up until late in the afternoon, and they both slept more on the plane.

  Mitch dropped Jen off before taking Kennedy home. She checked her mailbox on the way to her apartment. There was only one envelope in there. She opened it as she rode the elevator.

  The Reunion

  Kennedy was wearing a black strapless dress with a heart shaped top. The bottom of the dress had soft, slightly curved folds and gathered along the side seams. The back scooped down to just below her shoulder blades, and the bottom ended midway down her thighs.

  She walked into the room holding her breath. She had always told herself she would never go to her high school reunion. She knew all too well how things changed.

  She glanced around the room in search of a friendly face. She didn’t maintain much contact with her old friends from school, mostly just the occasional birthday and holiday cards.

  She checked the bar. Surely there would be a familiar face there. She was shocked with the one she found; it was a face she never thought she would see again.

  Trying to ignore what she just saw, she continued scanning the room until her eyes found Adriana. Hoping Adriana wouldn’t have any bitterness about the lack of contact over the years, Kennedy walked toward her.

  Adriana saw her coming and smiled. Thank God! Of course Adriana wouldn’t be bitter; it’s not in her character.

  “Hey!” Adriana pulled Kennedy into a hug instantly.

  “Hey Adriana, how’ve you been?”

  “Great! Ben and I are married now. Thinking about kids soon!”

  “That’s great!” Kennedy was only half paying attention; she was busy looking at the person at the bar. “Is that Julie talking to the bartender?”

  “You call that talking? Looks more like obnoxious flirting if you ask me.” Adriana chuckled. “Better not interrupt her though. Rumor has it she already hates you.”

  “Yeah, I know, I just don’t know why.”

  “From what I’ve heard, it’s because her boyfriend left her for you.”

  “What?!” Kennedy was in shock.

  “Yeah, I guess he was going to propose, but he found out that you liked him back in high school and she dug her nails in before you had a chance.”

  Kennedy couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s beyond hilarious. Let’s go see if I can’t make her hate me a little more.” She winked at Adriana, who just laughed and wished her luck.

  Kennedy approached the bar. This time she would steal the chance away from Julie, though she doubted Julie had any real chance with the bartender.

  The bartender watched as Kennedy approached, ignoring Julie’s shameless flirting.

  “Bartender, can I have a shot of whiskey please?”

  He smiled at her and poured her a shot of Crown. “On the house,” he said as he slid it toward her.

  “Thanks.” Kennedy smiled and took the shot then handed him a five dollar bill.

  Julie looked confused. “He said on the house. Why are you giving him money?”

  Kennedy laughed and it made the bartender smile. “It’s called a tip. You should always tip your bartenders well if you want good service.” Kennedy didn’t take her eyes off the bartender while saying this.

  He was still smiling. “Smart woman.”

  Julie realized that the bartender was losing interest. She shot daggers at Kennedy, but Kennedy ignored her. This was too priceless.

  “Come here often?” the bartender asked.

  “No, just passing through. Reunion, you know.” Her hands motioned toward the sign proclaiming it.

  “Oh, is that right? Come to remind everyone that you were the prom queen then and you’re still beautiful now? That’s a little mean.”

  Kennedy laughed. “Ha! Prom queen. Yeah right.” She sat on the stool next to Julie. She could almost feel the hate seething from her.

  “No? Hmm. These people must have been crazy back in the day.” He grinned at her. “So, what do you do?”

  “I’m a travel journalist.”

  “Is that right? How’d that happen?”

  “I went on a road trip a couple of years ago.” She smiled at the memory. “It changed my life. I decided to write about it and tried submitting it to a local paper. They loved it.” She took a drink of the water he set in front of her while she was talking. “So now that’s what I do, and I love it.”

  “A road trip, huh? How does a road trip change your life?”

  “Well, it’s kind of personal, but I met someone on the road. Let’s just say he flipped my world upside down.”

  The bartender laughed.

  “Can I get my check?” Julie asked.

  Kennedy looked over at Julie. She had almost forgotten she was there. “Oh, Julie! Hey! You’re still here?” She said it with the thickest sarcasm she could manage.

  Julie only glared at her in response.

  The bartender handed Julie her check and she threw down barely enough money to cover it before stalking off.

  “Wow, what’s her deal?” The bartender seemed surprised. He hadn’t realized how heavily Julie had been flirting with him.

  “Well, not only did we go to high school together, but we used to work together too. She hates me. I never knew why until tonight though.”

  “I can’t imagine anyone hating you. What was her reason?”

  “Apparently her boyfriend left her for me. He discovered the scandal that brought them together and decided he would rather have me.” Kennedy laughed a little at the memory of her relationship with him then added, “It didn’t work out though.”

  “Is that right? That poor bastard.”

  There was a prolonged moment of silence. Kennedy was the first to break it. “Well, I should go catch up with some old friends. Can I get a tea for the road?”

  “Sure.” He started mixing her drink. “Come say bye to me before you leave.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a laugh, “will do.” Then she took her Long Island and went back to Adriana.

  “Wow, he’s cute. You sure were over there for a while. I thought Julie was going to kill you.”

  Kennedy laughed. “He’s ok. A little arrogant, I think.”

  “I think I could deal with a little arrogance for that.”

  “For what?” Ben walked up behind Adriana.

  “Oh, nothing. Girl talk. Look who I found.” She motioned toward Kennedy.

  Ben didn’t recognize her. Kennedy wasn’t surprised. Ben didn’t exactly run in the same crowd as the two girls.

  Picking up on Ben’s lost look, Adriana reminded him who she was.

  “Oh, wow. You sure look different.”

  “Uh, thanks, I guess,” Kennedy said as Ben took her in for an awkward hug. Awkward because they were never friends. “So, how did this happen?” she asked while pulling out of his embrace and pointing between the two of them.

  As Adriana proceeded to tell the story of how they ended up at the same college, Kennedy’s eyes wandered to the bartender. He was watching her with a smirk on his face.

  Kennedy blushed and turned her attention back to the happy couple. Ben was just finishing the story of his proposal. “Wow, that’s great.”

  Just then, one of Ben’s old buddies signaled him over and he excused himself and Adriana.

  Kennedy started wandering aimlessly about the room. Eventually she saw a small group of people she used to talk to in high school. She forced a smile on her face and started in their direction.

  When one of them saw Kennedy coming, she nudged the girl standing next to her. She saw Kennedy as well, and then they both turned away quickly and went looking for someone else to talk to.

  Kennedy’s face dropped. Apparently they were bitter about the lack
of communication over the years. As she scanned the room for a more friendly face, her glance passed the bartender.

  He looked as though he was doing everything in his power not to laugh.

  She turned away from him and came into view of one of the few boys she used to know. He had a drink in his hand and a wide smile across his face as he saw her. He raised his glass to her and she took it as an invite to approach.

  Kennedy greeted him with a hug. It was out of character for her, but she was so happy to see someone happy to see her that she couldn’t help herself.

  “Wow.”

  Kennedy pulled out of the slightly awkward embrace. “What?”

  A smirk crossed his face and he shook his head in memory. “I would have given anything in high school for that.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Really? You didn’t know?”

  “Know what?” She was genuinely confused.

  “I had the hugest crush on you.”

  Kennedy smiled. “You did?” As she thought about it more, she could see it. “Why didn’t you say anything?”