Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance)

by Price, Aneesa

  “No need for that dear,” her grandmother patted her hand. “Granddad knows what we’re doing? It’s funny how things seem to just fall into place this morning. I got dinner done this morning so no need for you to see to it. And then when I was in town earlier, I saw Shelly. I told her of my plans to take Amber out and she said she’d do the same and come and get you. Something about not seeing you often enough lately - I think she misses you. In fact,” Moira nodded towards the tall, beautiful woman walking down the hallway, “looks like she’s here. So, the only thing you have to do is go and enjoy yourself.”

  Bree took a moment to watch Amber skip hand in hand with her grandmother, eagerly chattering away. She walked towards Shelly and gave her a big hug. “I’m a bad friend, Shelly,” Bree said. “I’ve been so caught up in myself lately that I’ve completely neglected you.”

  Shelly shrugged it away, “No worries, hun, as long as you make it up to me today. I’ve got stacks of interesting things planned for us. That’s all I want for my birthday.”

  Bree flinched inwardly. Goodness, she’d been so self-obsessed that she’d completely forgotten her best friend’s birthday. Smiling at Shelly, she swore to herself that she’d make it up to her and fall in with whatever plans she had. “Then let’s go. Your birthday, your party, and your rules.”

  “Music to a girl’s ears,” Shelly smiled back and they walked out to the car arm in arm like they had as teenagers.

  xxx

  “What are we doing here?” Bree asked. They had parked in front of the medical center. “Are you sick?” Bree scanned Shelly worriedly, looking for signs of ill health.

  “Nope,” replied Shelly, “just a check-up. Come with me, it won’t take long.”

  Bree followed Shelly still concerned, but ready to support her friend.

  “Shelly Adams and Bree Tanner Ramsay to see Dr. Dimitrov,” Shelly informed the receptionist.

  “Her last appointment cancelled unexpectedly so she’s ready to see you,” the receptionist stated. “Why don’t you two go on through? It’s the second to the last door on the right.”

  The room they entered was not the usual doctor’s abode. One corner looked like it belonged in a restaurant play area and was set up with loads of toys, a children’s boxing bag, sandpit, and loads of dolls. There was even a kiddies’ table and chairs with crayons and blank paper to draw on. This doctor must love kids, Bree thought. Maybe this was a pediatrician. But why would Shelly need one? There was no need for her to be here - Bree’s eyebrows shot up - unless Shelly was pregnant.

  The other side of the room held an informal lounging area with chairs facing each other. By the window was a traditional desk and chair at which sat a middle-aged woman with a welcoming smile. The woman got up and came around the desk to greet them, “Hi Bree, Shelly, welcome. Pleased to meet you, I’m Doctor Roz.”

  “Hi,” they both replied in unison and sat down at the chairs the doctor waved them towards.

  “So, what brings you here?” Doctor Roz asked.

  “Well, I’m here for my friend, Bree,” Shelly began.

  Bree looked at Shelly in surprise. “I’m not sick,” she said.

  Shelly looked at Bree, guilt written all over her face and took her hands in hers. “I know you’re not sick. Doctor Roz is not a GP, she’s a psychologist.”

  Startled, Bree felt trapped, manipulated, and angry. Shelly stopped the tirade that Bree was about to let out with an indication of her hand. “Wait. Hear me out. Please,” Shelly begged.

  “You’ve been down now for months,” Shelly continued. “You won’t talk about it and in fact, you’ve been avoiding, not only, my company, but everyone’s company for just as long. You’re living in your own world and while I’d be okay with that if it made you happy, you’re not happy. In fact, you’re downright miserable. You’ve never been vain, but you’re even letting yourself go.”

  When Bree opened her mouth to speak, Shelly stopped her again, “For the sake of our friendship and for your own sake, here me out please?”

  “For the sake of our long history together and because I love you, I’ll hear you out before I strangle you,” Bree promised furiously.

  Shelly nodded and hurried on, not wanting Bree to change her mind. “You hardly eat, so you’ve lost a lot of weight. You dress like a bag lady and when do the last time you did your hair or put make-up on. You’re twenty-five years old, not seventy-five. You only speak when spoken to and you don’t go out. Like I said, I hardly see you and when I do it’s by chance. Your grandparents say that you’re like that at home too. Once Amber’s gone to bed, you go and shut yourself up in your room.”

  “I’ve just moved back to Alaska, Shelly, with a young child in tow,” Bree bit out. “That’s bound to wear anyone out. Why should I be any different?”

  “I’d buy that if you’d been here for just a month or two, but you’ve been here for just over six months. That’s a long enough time to adjust, especially with all the support you have, and because you grew up here so nearly everything is familiar to you.” Shelly took a heartbeat of a moment to catch her breath before she continued making her case. “I realized that you weren’t yourself when I stopped by your grandparent’s house last month and you were sleeping. Amber and your grandparents were sitting in the kitchen eating your gran’s birthday cake. Apparently, you went to bed after dinner with a headache. They were worried about you, but you’d even apparently forgotten about your gran’s birthday. That is so unlike you that I began to worry. The Bree I grew up with always had a plan for anyone’s special day. We even called you Birthday Girl because you were always planning outrageous events to celebrate people’s birthdays. You loved it - it’s why I thought you’d eventually become a party planner. Then, today, you even forgot mine.” Shelly’s eyes filled with tears.

  Feeling like a wretch, Bree leaned over and hugged her friend, “I’m sorry, hun; I didn’t mean to forget your birthday. My head’s just been full of stuff lately.”

  “I know,” sniffed Shelly, “and it’s not the birthday I’m crying about. Stuff the birthday! I’ll have more. I’m worried about you. It broke my heart when you left Devil’s Peak and when you came back, I was super-excited. I had my Bree back. You’re more than just a friend, Bree. I’ve known you since I was five year’s old. To me, you’re the sister I never had. I’m worried about you because I love you and I can’t stand to see you in pain anymore. But, as much as I love you, I also know that you can be an idiot when you get pig-headed about something. So, this is my way of making you do something to get better and give me my Bree back. This is the only birthday present I want. In fact, stay and give Doctor Roz a chance and you never have to give me another present again. I’d much rather have you.”

  Bree looked at Shelly through watery eyes. “My God, I’m a mess. I forgot gran’s birthday, I forgot your birthday and you’re right, I have been avoiding everyone. It’s just so hard, you know, to pretend that everything’s okay.”

  Doctor Roz stepped into the conversation. “What it sounds like to me, Bree, is that you’re experiencing a depressive episode or what people simply call depression. It is a proper medical condition and more common than you realize. I can help you get back up on your feet and feel better. Would you like to stay and talk to me about it? You can try it out today, hear what I have to recommend and then decide if you’ll come back. Does that work for you?”

  Bree cast a glance at Shelly’s hopeful glance, and then looked at Doctor Roz and nodded. “Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Shelly hugged her friend and got up to leave the room. I’ll be waiting outside when you’re done.

  xxx

  “So, how did it go?” Shelly asked as they got back into the car.

  “It went well,” Bree answered though her eyes that were a bit puffy from crying. “Shelly,” Bree said facing her friend, “thank you for what you’ve done. I was mad as hell at first when I realized you’d tricked me, but it was right. I needed t
o see Doctor Roz.”

  “My pleasure,” Shelly beamed at Bree through misty eyes. “What did she say?”

  “She diagnosed me with a clinical episode of depression,” Bree responded. “That doesn’t mean that I’m depressed and need to go on medication for the rest of my life. In fact, I didn’t want to go onto the medication she prescribed for three months, but she explained what happens in the brain when someone is depressed and how the medication helps restore balance to the brain’s chemistry. We think the depression was caused by what happened after I got pregnant.” Bree shrugged, “You know, my parents’ reaction, leaving town, doing it alone and then coming back and the fight with Todd. Apparently all of that causes a shock to the system and enough of it creates a chemical imbalance - hence the depression.”

  “So, you’ll take the meds?” Shelly inquired, looking at the script in Bree’s hands.

  “I’ll take the meds,” Bree nodded, “but only for three months and then we’ll reassess. I’m going to begin doing other stuff that’ll help speed recovery too and I’ve worked out a program of sorts with Doctor Roz. I’ll ask gran to pick Amber up from school on Fridays so that I can continue therapy with Doctor Roz, I’m going to start exercising and I’m going to go on a healthy eating plan. I’ve got a list of food here that help, which Doctor Roz recommended.”

  “I’m so proud of you,” Shelly beamed at Bree, unclicking her seatbelt to lean over and hug her. “And anything you need, just call. I’m here for you. In fact, I never get to spend time with my niece between Todd and your grandparents, so Friday’s are mine. I’ll pick her up from school and take her to the boutique and when we’re not busy, the manager can run the place and we can do girly things. It’ll be fun.”

  “You’re the best friend anyone could ever ask for,” Bree responded with a watery smile. “Thank you.”

  xxx

  After they’d filled the prescription for her medication, Bree and Shelly strolled arm in arm down the town’s main street.

  “Shelly,” Bree stopped her friend. “Do you think we could go to the hair salon?”

  “Sure,” Shelly nodded, “but first, we need to go in there.” Shelly pointed to the local gym, which to Bree could just as well have been a house of horrors.

  Bree grimaced, “I was thinking of exercise more along the lines of long walks in the woods, swimming in the lake and so on. Besides, I have Amber with me when I get out of school.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Shelly shook her head. “I’m joining too and we are both going to get our asses so tight that no man is going to be able to look straight after we pass them by. And, they’ve got an excellent kiddies’ care facility and kiddies’ exercise program that Amber can join. What’s more, because I’m part of DPC and so is your gran, we both get discounted rates.”

  Bree shrugged, “Okay, I like that Amber can join in and we’ll get to see each other more often. So, yeah, let’s do this.”

  Moments later, gym membership cards in their wallets, and feeling lighter of heart, they stepped into the hair salon. “So, hun,” Shelly prompted, “you asked to come here so go forth and do.”

  “Nope,” Bree grinned back wickedly. “We’ll both go forth and do. You’ve always wanted to be a blonde and I’ve always wanted your black hair, so that’s what we’re doing.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a bit drastic?” Shelly asked.

  “Sure,” Bree shrugged nonchalantly, “but what good is a change without a kick-ass haircut.”

  “Well, you said it,” Shelly caved and they made their way to the waiting chairs of future hair-shocked bliss.

  Chapter 13

  They had their hair done and despite the denied trepidation that they’d felt, they admitted that they looked hot, in the way that close girlfriends did. The black color predictably made Bree’s skin look pale, but it also brought out the pink in her cheeks and blue in her eyes so that the end result was ethereal rather than odd. Tall, bronzed Shelly looked like an Amazon Goddess ready to crack a whip and break hearts while she was at it.

  Hair done and a mountain of shopping bags filled with makeup and clothing, they merrily made their way to the diner for a quick coffee and wild berry pie to end the day off with. After placing their order, Shelly slid an envelope across the table to Bree. “Your grandmother asked me to give this to you. And yes, it was all planned - her taking Amber out, me taking you to Doctor Roz. You’re not mad, are you?”

  “At you all meddling in my life?” Bree asked, and then grinned. “No. I’m not mad. I should be, but I feel better today than I have in months so I can’t be mad at you.”

  Phew! Shelly breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, so open it,” she prompted. “I’ve been carrying that around with me all afternoon and you know how much I hate waiting for surprises like you do.”

  Giggling, Bree slit open the envelope and took out a homemade card and a note. She read the note first and slid the card to Shelly, thinking that Amber had made her a birthday card. The note read:

  “Our dearest Bree, Ever since you came into our lives, you’ve given us nothing but joy. The hardest thing we’ve had to do was watch you suffer as life continued to throw challenges at you. But, we want you to know that you’ve done us proud in the way that you’ve met those challenges head on. You’ve grown from our darling little girl into a fine, strong woman with a beautiful heart. You’ve given us so much and for that, we wanted to, in a small way, say thank you.

  We’ve made arrangements at that fancy place, The Lodge, for Shelly and you to spend the night. They’ll treat you to a dinner and give you loads of those fancy spa things. Then, you girls can go and gossip away in a room there for the night like you used to when you had sleepovers. Tomorrow morning you’ll have a huge breakfast because you’re getting a bit too skinny and we’re worried about that and we’ll see you later for the town’s picnic.

  I know it sounds like we’re managing and if we’re honest, we’d admit that we are. But, we’ll use a grandparent’s prerogative here and ask you to indulge us instead. Let us say thank you and show you our love.

  All our love and kisses,

  Gran and Granddad

  Both tearful, Bree and Shelly looked up at each other, smiled tentatively, and swapped letters. The card that Amber drew was beautiful, kind, and heart-breaking.

  “Mom, Get better soon. See you tomorrow. Love, Amber”

  “I’ve already made up my mind to get better, Shelly,” Bree said to her friend while they both touched tissues to the corners of their eyes. “But, if I ever needed motivation to get my butt into gear and get over myself, then Amber’s card was it.”

  Chapter 14

  Hot heels, make-up, and killer dresses on, Bree and Shelly stepped into the local bar cum night club, ready to celebrate Shelly’s birthday and Bree’s metamorphosis, as they were referring to it. Since the influx of tourists, the bar had turned, seeing a gap in the market, transformed into a night club on Friday and Saturday nights during the in-season. The change had become so popular with locals that the bar now permanently functioned, on those two nights, as a place where locals could eat, have a drink and socialize or dance to their heart’s content.

  As it was just before summer vacation, tourists had begun to flock to the wild of Alaska. The place was packed. Moving through the hordes of bodies standing around tables, sitting at the bar and picking at baskets of fried delights, they made their way to a table in the corner.

  Hyped up in the hotel and buzzing after an emotional roller-coaster of a day, the two of them decided to call a bunch of friends of high school to meet them there.

  “Now I know what took you so long,” Kristine drawled, “you both look sensational. Happy birthday, Shelly.” Kristine had been in the cheerleading squad with them, along with Alice, Megan and Kelly. They excitement was palpable. When they got together a good time was guaranteed - just like in high school. Since then four out of the group of friends had gotten married and had children, so a girls’ night out was a
rare occurrence. It took very little convincing from Bree and Shelly to get them out of their homes and into the night club.

  After rounds of hugs and a few rounds of drinks - Bree remembered her one and only drunken night and stuck to soft drinks - the group of girls made their way to the dance floor, merrily oblivious to the admiring glances they were getting from other patrons. Shelly had bribed the DJ to play a few tracks from their senior year and the women let it rip, dancing their old moves, and not caring what anyone thought. They felt the sense of freedom that only dancing without a care can give.

  Before sitting back at the table with the others, Bree offered to go fill their drinks; the bar was so packed that they were having to wait at least a half an hour before a waitress could come and take their order. She found a gap at the bar counter and squeezed herself into it. Tapping her fingers against the bar counter, she waited for her turn to give her order.

  “Excuse me ma’am,” a familiar voice said to the back of her head as he reached for the beer offered to him by the barman.

  “Todd,” she turned around and faced him.

  She had the satisfaction of seeing Todd do a double-take, give her a once-over (seemingly enjoying it) then look back at her in shock. “Bree?” he asked.

  “The one and the same,” she replied.

  “Definitely Bree,” he said, his eyes automatically exploring the curves hidden beneath the flaming hot, midnight blue dress that made her eyes pop. “But not the same,” he added. “You dyed your hair,” he stated the obvious.

  “Yes,” she said, twirling her hair around her fingers.

  “Looks good on you,” he said sounding less friendly and more forcibly polite, the shock of the change wearing off and reality setting back into place. “Look, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow when I pick Amber up for the picnic.”