by Claire Adams
“Oh, yeah, man, I was totally coming. I’ve just got this physical therapy thing for my knee and then I was going to come out tomorrow. I’ll probably drive since it’s easier on me. You know, being a big guy, it’s hard to fly and fit in those seats with all this muscle.”
“Do you need me to get you a ticket, Mike?”
Mike had played football for the University of Southern California and then a couple years for the San Diego Chargers. He had made at least $10 million over the course of his career, but now subsisted on small commercials and speaking engagements. He threw a lot of his money away in Vegas; I’d talked to him a few times when he’d literally spent all of his money and couldn’t get back home. But he was my friend, for better or worse, and I’d always help him out if I could.
“Wow, man, that’s cool of you. Could you make it first class? You know, it’s just easier for me to fit into the seats. These big arms don’t sit well in coach.”
The truth was that Mike was primarily fat and not muscle nowadays, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. In the last few years, he seemed more and more out of control with everything he was doing: eating, gambling, drinking, and even some drugs.
“Of course, I’ll have my secretary send you the e-ticket this evening, and I’ll see you back in Texas tomorrow. Bring something nice; I think it’s a formal event.”
“Okay, man. Thanks, man…I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow. Take care of yourself and get some sleep tonight. No staying out all night if you want to be fresh and on your toes for all the girls tomorrow.”
“Hey, good call. I’ll get some sleep. See ya tomorrow.”
It was exhausting talking to Mike. He was like a child who had never really grown up. I attributed it to his head injuries from playing football all his life, but I wasn’t sure he would have ended up much different if he had avoided football.
Giving up control over the day-to-day operations of my company was bittersweet. I’d done it before when I had extended vacations, but even then, I stayed fairly involved in the big decision making. This time, I had chosen to concentrate solely on my father and giving him as much of my time before he passed away. For the first time in my life, I was putting my family ahead of my business.
By morning, I was rested and had moved into my vacation mindset. My company was in good hands, and this time off might be just what I needed to finally step away from all of the day-to-day tasks and reduce the stress of operating the company. I’d be happy to continue on with more time off and more time to do the things I enjoyed in life.
“Mr. Pace, good morning,” my pilot said as he greeted me at the airport.
“Morning, sir. How’s the plane doing?”
“Wonderful. We will have two and a half hours in flight and Rosemary is here to take care of you. I’ve also got a co-pilot who is already onboard checking the gauges.”
“Sounds great. Thank you so much.”
As I boarded the plane, it quickly became apparent that Rosemary was there to take care of me in more ways than just serving me with some drinks and a meal. She was a petite blonde with her fake boobs exploding out of her uniform and the hemline barely covering her ass. It was nice to work with a private jet company that could understand my needs so well, although I wasn’t sure I was going to take Rosemary up on her offer for this flight.
My mind was on my family, and this trip wasn’t going to be fun. This trip would end up being the most heartbreaking of trips home. My father was my hero, the man I had looked up to my entire life. His decline into lung cancer had taken us all by storm. He wasn’t a smoker any longer and hadn’t smoked in more than 20 years, but the disease didn’t discriminate based on the time a person had been free from cigarettes.
My sister and my mother were the ones I worried about the most. Dad handled all the day-to-day business for our small ranch. He did the hiring, the working in the field, even the financial books for the family. My sister and mother ran a small store in town that sold their homemade goodies like jams, jellies, and candies. The ranching business was my Dad’s baby, and I wasn’t even sure my mother and sister wanted to keep running it after he was gone; that was why I had to be there. If they wanted to keep running things, we’d need to set up a new way for them to operate with the two of them in the lead; if they wanted to sell off the ranch, I’d have to help them with that as well.
I’d spent most of my life away from my hometown and opted to fly my family to see me more than I had ever gone home to see them. We did family Christmas at my house; even my parents’ birthdays were usually celebrated at some fun location that I flew them out to. Of the times I had come home, this would be my first time coming home that coordinated with my high school reunion. The only one of my friends who still lived in Rainbow, Texas was Bryce, and he technically lived a little outside of town. If my friends and family were willing to come out and see me, I had no need to visit the tiny town where I was raised.
“Is there anything else you would like?” Rosemary asked as she leaned over my table to show off her perky body.
“That’s it for right now; thank you, though,” I said.
The disappointment flashed across her face for a brief moment before she smiled again and went back to her area of the cabin. I wasn’t in the habit of turning down beautiful women who wanted to sleep with me, but I had too much on my mind for that day.
After calling Mike to confirm he received his ticket, I called Bryce to confirm I’d be arriving in a few hours. He offered to come get me from the airport and take me out to my parents’ house since my mother and sister were still at the hospice facility. It was going to be a shock seeing my father like that after talking to him only a few weeks before.
“Thanks, Bryce; you’re a good friend.”
“Nah, I have ulterior motives. I want to make sure you come to the reunion with me tonight, and it will be easier to get you there if I keep my eyes on you.”
“I’m going to go see my father today; maybe you could just take me over there first? I don’t know how much I’m going to feel like going to the reunion after I’ve visited with my father.”
“You’re not getting out of this reunion, but yes, I think that’s a good idea to go see him first. Your sister didn’t think he knew when people were there or not, but I bet he will know it’s you. The two of you were so close. He’s probably waiting to let go until he sees you.”
His words pulled at my heart. I really wasn’t ready to let my father go. I probably hadn’t been the best of sons in recent years and felt horrible for always saying I was busy with work when he invited me to come see what he was doing with the ranch. The guilt over brushing him off was eating me alive, and I really did need to see him and talk to him before he passed away.
“Thanks, man,” I said as I felt myself getting choked up. “See you in a bit. Don’t bring Ashley or the kids, though; I hear he’s not doing all that well, and it might frighten them.”
“Just you and me today, bud; I’ve got the whole night to myself.”
“How’d you manage that?” I joked.
“Oh, I did a honey-do list that was a mile long.” He laughed.
“See you soon.”
Chapter Two
Kelsi
“Are you excited for your 15-year class reunion?” Hannah asked as we shoveled hay for the horses.
“Not really. I went to my 10-year reunion, and it wasn’t all that exciting. It was fun to see the teachers that were still there, though. Not many people actually came back for that one. I don’t expect too many will be here for this one either.”
My high school had been filled with people who wanted to take off and leave Rainbow as fast as possible. But I enjoyed our small town. I loved it there, and I couldn’t see why people felt the need to take off and leave right after school. There were a few other people who had stuck close to home, but mostly our class was spread across the country which made it difficult to get them back for reunions.
�
��Maybe they are waiting for the 20-year reunion; that one is probably bigger. Since you are in town, though, you might as well go to this one.”
“Yeah, I didn’t even know we had a 15-year, but I’ve got nothing else to do. Life is a little boring for me compared to everyone else.”
“Kelsi, you’ve got plenty to do, and you’re constantly doing it. I’m glad you’re taking a night off to go to the dance. I’m a little concerned that you’re still shoveling hay and poop though. Don’t you think you should start getting ready?”
“You’re funny. I’m not getting all dolled up. I’ll just shower and brush my hair out. Maybe I’ll add a little mascara. There’s no one who I want to impress at these things. I’ll just go and visit with all the same people who showed up last time and call it a night. I’ll probably be back here before nine.”
“What are you talking about?” Kendall screamed as she stormed into the barn looking mortified. “You’ve got to get ready. You can’t go looking like a farm hand. Tyler is coming.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the mention of Tyler. He certainly hadn’t turned out to be the troll I had hoped he would. Last I heard, he was working in the south at some marketing firm and making tons of money. It was a little grinding for me to think he ended up successful after all he had put me through in high school.
“Who’s Tyler?” Hannah asked.
“No one…” I started to say before Kendall interrupted me.
“He’s Kelsi’s high school boyfriend. A total dream boat. Sexy as hell. Light brown hair and glorious blue eyes that could grab a woman and suck her right into them. He’s muscular and built like a dream; oh, and he happens to be a friggin’ billionaire.”
“Wow, I feel like I should have been informed of this man’s existence a long time ago,” Hannah said as she looked at me with stern eyes.
“Not wow; he’s a self-absorbed jerk who didn’t even stand up for me in high school. Don’t go filling Hannah’s head with ideas that he’s some great guy. He was just like all the other loser high school boys and not worth me getting dressed up for.”
“Oh no? You don’t think so?” Kendall asked as she pulled out her phone and started typing away. “He’s not worth getting dressed up for at all, is he, Hannah?”
“I think I’ll get divorced and come to your reunion as your date.” Hannah laughed.
“No, I don’t think he’s worth the trouble. I have no urge at all to impress Tyler. I probably won’t even talk with him. I doubt he’s actually showing up. Who told you he would be coming?” I asked.
There was a twinge in my stomach, and I did want to know if Tyler was coming, but only so I could prepare myself. I didn’t want to see him. I had no urge at all to be near him or his dreamy eyes and rock-hard body. No matter what he looked like or how he had turned out, I was over him, and the last thing I was worried about was looking cute for the reunion because he was going to be there.
“Bryce and Robert were talking about Tyler flying in this afternoon, and by the way, this is the man, Hannah. I don’t know about you, but I’d be getting dressed up to see this guy if I was Kelsi.”
“Holy hell! You dated him?” Hannah asked.
“Let me see…” I said as I grabbed my sister’s phone. “Kendall, he doesn’t look any different than high school; I don’t know what you’re fussing over,” I lied as I stared at Tyler’s amazing picture.
“You mean he looks better, right? Because he looks damn fine.”
“Kendall, it doesn’t matter. Looks aren’t everything, and he was a jerk,” I said as I tried to defend my disdain for him.
Tyler did look good, though. He looked sexy, and his smile melted me as I looked at the picture on my sister’s phone. I didn’t remember Tyler looking that sexy when we dated, but then again, it had been more than 15 years before and I had a broken heart out of the deal.
As much as I wanted to stay angry at Tyler, though, I still remembered our time together as one of the best times of my life. We dated throughout high school, and even though it ended badly, he was my partner in crime throughout most of my high school years. Tyler was the man by my side as I tried out for my first school play. In fact, he had been the boy opposite me as I read for the part of Juliet.
I had seen him in the school and knew him from around town, but it was that day on stage that really threw me for a loop. His eyes looked deep into mine as we read our parts, and for that small moment, I felt like the entire world had melted away. We felt meant to be together, and we had been pretty inseparable, until the end of it all.
“Did you see his picture is on Dating the Rich?” Kendall asked as she pulled her phone away and updated the website. “Because he’s a millionaire. The man you dated in high school is a sexy-as-hell millionaire; wait, billionaire, I think he is a billionaire. What’s the difference? It’s a lot of friggin’ money! He’s single, and going to be at your reunion. Now tell me again how you’re not going to get dressed up?”
“Oh, come on, Kendall. It wouldn’t matter if I got dressed up. He’s dating starlets and models. Tyler isn’t going to care what I look like because he’s not going to care that I’m there. A guy like him just comes back to his hometown so he can post some photos on social media and play it off like he’s a regular guy.”
“I’m sorry, have you seen yourself?” Kendall said as she pulled me towards her. “Hannah, isn’t Kelsi the most beautiful redhead you know? Really, one of the most beautiful women in all of Rainbow, besides me of course.”
“Most beautiful woman I know. Hands down, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my boss.”
“That’s nice of you to say, Hannah, but it doesn’t matter how pretty I am, Tyler won’t be interested. Trust me on this one. He’s not coming back to talk to me. He hates me.”
I tried to keep the emotion out of my voice, but I just couldn’t help it. Just thinking about how much I had cared about Tyler and how he let his friends destroy what we had, it had me close to tears. I didn’t think that Tyler purposely wanted to make me feel bad, but he never defended me. He never stood up to his friends and told them to knock it off when his friends made crude jokes about the two of us getting caught together. It was silly to even worry about it now, but at the time, I felt like those jokes had ruined my life.
“Why won’t he be interested? He’s single, you’re single. You two would make one hell of a couple.”
“Don’t mind my sister, Hannah. She’s just sulking from her heartbreak in her high school daze. Kelsi, what you don’t understand is that this is your opportunity to make him crazy with desire. You should be getting dolled up so he is begging to be with you and you can turn him down,” Kendall said in her usual mischievous way. “Or don’t turn him down and instead take him home for a night of primal lovemaking. Make him wish he had stayed with you. Make him hate every woman who comes after you because he’ll be thinking only of you.”
“So, you think I should spend hours getting ready so I can impress a man who I don’t care about? Then I should take him to bed, here at my parents’ house where I live?” I laughed so hard my side actually started to hurt.
It seemed a little juvenile to me. What possible good could come out of me spending hours on my hair and makeup in an effort to get Tyler to notice me? Then after he noticed me and wanted to talk to me, I was supposed to just turn my back on him and ignore him? It wasn’t like me at all.
Plus, I didn’t want to admit to Kendall that I would have liked to have the attention from Tyler. It was a weird place for me to be in. I wanted him to be excited to see me and to talk to me, but I also really wanted an apology for everything that had gone on when we were together.
“I think your sister’s right, Kelsi,” Hannah added. “It doesn’t matter what happened back in high school. One of the best parts of a reunion is looking drop-dead gorgeous and having everyone turn jealous of you. You want to be the center of attention so you don’t end up a wallflower in the corner of the room. I know you; you’l
l just stand there sipping wine and talking to the local people who show up. I think we should get you glammed up like a movie star so everyone’s jaw drops to the ground when they see you.”
“You two are impossible.” I sulked at their idea. “I don’t have anything to wear even if I wanted to get dressed up. Plus, I seriously doubt anyone is going to look at me and be jealous. You two might be good with the makeup, but you’re not that good.”
“I’ve got a dress in my closet,” Kendall said as she ran back to the house without waiting to see if I was going to say yes.
“Hannah, I thought you were on my side. How did you end up on team Kendall?” I joked. “I appreciate you two making the effort, but I don’t know how much help it’s going to be having a pretty dress and makeup on. I’ve been working the ranch for years. This face isn’t meant to have makeup on.”
“Hey, you are strikingly beautiful, and you know it. You could show up to this dance without a stitch of makeup on and still wow them. I think you should go after this guy. Even if it’s just for one night of fun like in the old days. It might be fun to sleep with him again and see if he’s learned any new tricks over the years.”
“I never slept with him in high school,” I admitted.
“What? I thought you two dated?”
“Yes, we did for a couple years. But one night our senior year, we were naked and just about to make love when the police showed up to break up a party at his friend Mike’s house. Mike and Bryce busted in on us and we were fumbling with a condom and didn’t know how to use it. The police ended up letting us go, but Mike and Bryce saw me naked and hounded me about it the rest of the year. They teased me about condoms, too, and Tyler never stood up for me. We ended up breaking up and didn’t talk to each other after high school. His friend Mike was especially brutal, and I couldn’t stand that he wouldn’t say something to them.”