by J. L. Ryan
After making her rounds at the hospital later that day, Jennifer sought out the Chief of Pediatric Oncology, Jacob Mallory, to discuss her “vacation”. She found him where she expected to find him…on the phone in his office attempting to drum up more money for the department from a donor. He motioned for her to take a seat while he wrapped up the call. Jacob was not just the chief of her department but she also considered him a friend. He was of average height but built like a linebacker. His physique was always displayed at its best in Armani or other designer suits with his dark blonde hair cut short and always clean-shaven. Outside of the hospital environment he could easily be mistaken for one of the bigwigs up on Capitol Hill. He was equally suited to the political life. After all, wining and dining for cash from the elites was his specialty.
Ending his call, he turned his piercing aqua blue eyes on her with a charming grin meant to make her melt but somehow she never felt the impact of his bedroom eyes. They briefly discussed her current case load and results of some tests she was running on a new patient. She hoped the prescribed protocol would work since the cancer seemed to be caught in the early stages. The results were still being validated but Jennifer was optimistic. After a few minutes she got up the courage to voice her request. Looking somewhat shocked, but pleasantly surprised, Jacob reassured her that vacation time was much overdue for the workaholic doctor. However, he added that he would be delighted to go with her. Jennifer knew that was a danger area. She had attended some hospital fundraising functions with Jacob and knew he was attracted to her but she had no desire to complicate their relationship. Declining with the excuse of spending time with old friends, she thanked him as she rose from the uncomfortable office armchair to attend to the remainder of her day.
Later that evening, Jennifer returned to her snug condo with a large brown paper bag filled with several containers from the corner Chinese restaurant. Not realizing until much too late that she had not eaten at all during the day, she was ravenous by the time she headed home. Not even bothering to transfer the food from the take-out containers to a plate, she dove into the combination fried rice first. After satiating her hunger and fixing a cup of jasmine tea, she sat back down in her favorite armchair and pulled her computer onto her lap.
First, she notified Jacy that she would indeed attend the wedding and be her maid of honor. Luckily, Jacy was so laid back that she allowed Jennifer to pick out her own dress, as long as it was lavender in color. “Terrific,” she thought, “purple does nothing for my Irish freckled complexion.” Next, she composed a short message to Lorenzo stating she would attend the wedding and would also appreciate a “no strings” date. They could arrange to meet up once they both got to Cocoa Beach. Before signing off the computer, Jennifer booked her flight, a rental car, and her suite at the resort where Jacy and Ethan would be married.
Following a hot shower and veg’ing out to some reality television show for an hour, Jennifer retired for the night. The wedding had given her something else to think about aside from her young patients awaiting a miracle cure. Jennifer briefly entertained the hope that tonight her sleep would not be interrupted by nightmares. Maybe there would instead be images of warm sands and the sound of relaxing waves and a tall, dark, and handsome man.
Chapter 2
The wedding approached quickly and Jennifer left a muggy Washington, DC over Memorial Day weekend for the hot and humid climate of the Central Atlantic Florida coast. In the last few months she had managed to grow her strawberry-blonde locks out just past her shoulders, and had even gone in for a professional mani-pedi a couple hours before her flight. A friend from the hospital had taken her shopping for a dress suitable for the occasion. Despite the lavender not being her best shade, Jennifer was surprised she was actually happy with the selection. She was not happy with the 2 inch high heels they had selected though. She hadn't worn heels since medical school graduation. However, they were necessary as her dress was long and her legs were short.
After a short plane ride and an even shorter drive from Orlando to Cocoa Beach, Jennifer arrived at The Cocoa Sands Resort and Spa shortly before the wedding rehearsal. If she was lucky, she would have a chance to stroll on the beach before meeting everyone in the ballroom. Luck was not to be had as Jacy spotted her friend in the lobby and rushed over to hug and greet her. Jacy was still the same as in college. Super model gorgeous with long legs and shining long blonde hair. She took charge of the situation and sent the bell hop to the room with Jennifer’s luggage while she dragged the weary traveler to the outdoor bar area where everyone else had already congregated.
Seeing some familiar faces and some not-so familiar faces, Jennifer was handed a drink while making introductions and greeting old friends. Not all of the old gang was here, it seemed. She would have to ask Jacy about that later since she was being reprimanded for being the last to arrive by Jacy’s mom. Through the crowd, at the other end of the bar, sat a very familiar handsome face – Lorenzo. The groom immediately piped up that he was just glad his buddy’s date had finally shown up because it was a shame for such a man to be all alone. “Oh no!” Jennifer thought. She had heard this line of discussion before quite a number of times during college. Anytime Lorenzo had been girlfriend-free for more than five minutes, Ethan and Jacy had pushed them to get together. Maybe agreeing to this wedding date was a mistake.
There wasn’t a lot of time for conversation as the wedding planner came out to the bar to escort the wedding party into the ballroom for rehearsal. Jennifer could tell this lady ran a tight ship and thrived on the stress of producing the perfect wedding for her clients. Considering how laid back Jacy and Ethan were about such thing, they had waited several years to tie the knot officially after all, Jennifer was surprised in their pick for a wedding planner. Guess it was better for someone else to stress about the wedding because the bride and groom weren’t going to do so. As they were walking back into the hotel, Jennifer felt a soft touch on her elbow. Turning around she gazed up at her incredibly tall, incredibly attractive, wedding date. Lorenzo always had the most amazing smile and it was in full force as he linked their arms together to usher her into the ballroom. The warmth from his touch was reassuring and familiar as he had escorted her to a dozen or more functions in college. “Yes,” she thought, “This was a good idea.” Wordlessly they entered the ballroom with the rest of the party and took their respective places.
The rehearsal, thankfully, was short and sweet. Jennifer was ravenous since once again she had forgotten to eat that day. A full seven course meal awaited everyone in the main banquet hall of the resort. The tables were littered with place cards with centerpieces of fragrant candles and rose petals. She was looking forward to the meal and getting reacquainted with Lorenzo, as well as other long lost friends from the good ole days. Engaged in conversation with Janice, another former college friend who had always been known as the “mother” of the group, Jennifer felt someone staring at her. Looking around she discovered two of the darkest, most gorgeous chocolate brown eyes gazing at her from across the room. Lorenzo had already found their designated places and had her chair pulled out for her. Mumbling an excuse to Janice, Jennifer began to walk over to him realizing she was being way too self-conscious about herself as she neared him, with her head slightly bowed but looking up through her lush brown eye lashes shielding brilliant emerald green eyes. “Why am I so nervous?” she thought with some frustration.
The dinner was superb and the conversation flowed easily around the table full of college pals. Janice was married with a passel of kids, all under the age of eight which were at home in Pennsylvania with her husband. Kyle had his own architectural firm in Dallas and had just become engaged to his assistant Sarah. He assured everyone that they were invited to the nuptials next winter. Candace was a divorced nurse and single mom but was hoping her boyfriend of the last three years would finally pop the question. He responded with a flamboyant roll of his eyes. Everyone was in good health and good spirits. It truly was fantastic
to be back with her group of friends. Until now Jennifer had not realized just how much she had missed them. Her world now consisted of work, work, and more work. No friends really outside of the hospital and definitely no boyfriend.
Lorenzo, however, remained quiet as everyone else discussed their lives since college and plans for the future. Jennifer didn’t remember him being the quiet one. He was always the jovial, fun all the time, type of guy. He would offer a small smile or laugh as appropriate, but seemed to be staying outside the conversation instead of a part of it. His silence unnerved her but she didn’t wish to ask unwanted questions but made a mental note to ask Jacy about the alteration in Lorenzo later.
With dinner over, the wedding party moved back to the outdoor bar area where they could enjoy the cool ocean breeze and their drinks. Not realizing just how tired she was, and there wasn’t nearly enough food in her stomach to combat much more alcohol, Jennifer chose a lounge chair by the pool to relax in. At least she could kick off her strappy high heel sandals she had been in all day. Her feet were going to really hurt tomorrow. Jennifer had worn nothing but sneakers and crocs since graduating medical school. She was not cut out for heels, despite the need for added height, as she barely topped out at 5’2”. Everyone else gathered around the pool deck, sipping mai tai’s and other fruity umbrella drinks. Ethan started the group on something he called zombie brain shots. She didn’t know what was in it but it looked disgusting. Jennifer declined. With that the party was in full swing. Good thing the wedding ceremony wasn’t until late afternoon tomorrow as this particular group was going to need some hangover recovery time in the morning.
The party lasted well into the evening but most began to file away to their respective rooms shortly after midnight. Jennifer had nearly fallen asleep in her lounge chair. It wasn’t until the last of the chattering died away that she noticed she was alone except for Lorenzo who had taken up a perch along the side of the pool, splashing his feet around. Throughout the after-dinner party, he had still remained quiet. This was not the man she remembered from college. The larger-than-life sexy, fun-loving Casanova. This made her sad and want to find out what was bothering her friend. Yes, they had been out of touch for many years. However, she found that she still cared about his well-being and had missed his presence in her life all this time. She got up from her lounge chair and walked over to the pool to sit down beside him. For several moments, they just sat there without saying a word.
Lorenzo was the first to break the awkward silence between them by remarking about being proud she had realized her dream of being a prominent pediatric doctor in a renowned hospital. It was a vague attempt at small talk. She thanked him and then they sat in silence for a while longer until Jennifer couldn’t bare it anymore. Turning to him and looking up into his eyes, she saw sorrow reflected in their dark pools. There was an overwhelming desire to just hug him tightly as if he needed a shoulder to cry on. The urge was so strong that she did timidly reach up to stroke his cheek, which was prickly from a day or two old growth of beard. Instead of withdrawing from her as she feared, he placed his hand over hers and held it for what seemed many moments with his eyes closed. “La mia bella amica,” he uttered softly.
After sitting a few more moments in silence, Lorenzo turned to Jennifer with that old familiar smile she was accustomed to seeing. “I’m so sorry for being such a poor date. It wasn’t what I planned at all. I thought the wedding would be a good distraction for me and instead I’ve only been sad since arriving here. That’s no way to treat such a beautiful lady,” he said with sincerity. She could tell he was sad but didn’t understand why.
Jennifer gazed up into his eyes and said softly, “I’ll forgive you but you have to tell me why you are so sad. I was expecting this larger than life happy-go-lucky dude from my youth. Seeing you this way makes me sad and worried. This ‘date’ as you call it can only get better but you have to be straight with me.”
With that he sighed and let the tale spill out. He had married several years ago to a wonderful woman, Lisa. They were happy and even happier when they became a family with the birth of their son Raphael. A spirited five year old that was a miniature version of himself with his wife’s quirky sense of humor. Their happiness was cut short a couple years back when Lisa was killed in a horrific accident on I-66 coming home from work one day. She wasn’t even supposed to be on the roads but had offered to deliver company documents to the Senate sub-planning committee chairman since he and his business partner were overwhelmed completing a project for another client.
Lorenzo continued his story about how he was struggling as a single dad. Business was fine but he worried about his son growing up without his mom. If he had to admit it, he was also lonely and missed his wife very much. He thought he’d brave it out for Ethan and Jacy by coming to the wedding but it was taking more of a toll on him than he had imagined. That was why he had sent her the Facebook message. He knew if anyone could see him through this weekend, it would be Jennifer. “Guess I should’ve been more upfront and explained all that beforehand. Quite frankly I never thought you’d say yes. Figured you had some hot shot doctor boyfriend to escort you here.” With that last statement he actually conjured up a small teasing half-smile.
Jennifer continued to hold his hand and listen for hours as he told stories about his wife and his son. He took out his iPhone to show her a picture and the boy was indeed a copy of his handsome dad. Their conversation flowed to other topics such as her career and lack of a personal life, what they had been up to since college, and reminiscing about their time together in school. Before they realized it the sun was coming up over the ocean horizon and they were still seated on the pool deck with their feet dangling in the water.
Chapter 3
As the hotel staff was starting about their day, Lorenzo and Jennifer went to their own rooms for much needed rest. Despite no sleep since the day before, her head was spinning with everything he had told her. After getting through all the sadness, they had reconnected during the course of the night. Felt like she had her friend back and with that thought she was able to close her eyes and sleep.
A few hours later a loud banging awoke her. She had overslept. It was Jacy with the brilliant smile of a happy bride. The two women exchanged stories as Jennifer jumped in the shower and got ready for the day. Thankfully, the wedding planner had arranged for someone to do their make-up and hair. All she had to do was make herself presentable. While waiting on her friend, Jacy took pleasure teasing Jennifer about her late night sojourn with Lorenzo. Jacy had always hoped the two would end up together, ever since their freshman days. They had thwarted every attempt by herself and Ethan to make the transition from friends to lovers. Secretly, Jacy wished that her wedding might light a fire in their direction but she kept that information to herself.
A few hours later, after a quick brunch, getting dolled up by the resort’s spa staff, and getting the bride squeezed into her lacy, halter-top styled wedding gown, it was time. Jacy didn’t seem nervous at all. She and Ethan had been together so long the wedding was just a formality. Jennifer, on the other hand, felt shaky as she proceeded down the carpeted aisle from the pool area to a spot on the beach where the groom and his handsome best man awaited. Traversing the terrain in high heels had been a bad idea after all. She nervously glanced up as she approached them and saw Lorenzo smiling at her with a gleam in his eyes. She gave him a quick wink and stepped aside for the bride’s arrival, trying her best not to trip.
The wedding was short and simple. No frills but still sweet and romantic. Within minutes Jacy and Ethan were pronounced husband and wife, kissed, and everyone cheered. Jennifer glanced over to see how Lorenzo was handling the situation. She needn’t have worried. He was all smiles and staring straight at her. Her stomach experienced an unfamiliar butterfly sensation, but she dismissed it in her mind as needing to eat something. “It couldn’t be more than that,” she thought.
The reception was held in the ballroom with French doors th
at opened out to the beach area. During dinner Lorenzo gave a sincere, yet hilarious toast to the bride and groom as he regaled the wedding guests with the story of how the two had met, had instantly despised each other, but within a week were caught making out in the chem lab. Everyone laughed, except Jacy’s parents. It was her turn. Jennifer had forgotten she needed to make a toast so she tried to wing it. After stumbling around for the right words, she went with the traditional congratulatory message to the groom with best wishes for the bride. Then reversed herself saying “Knowing Jacy as well as I do, maybe the best wishes part belongs to the groom. Hope you have a big enough closet for all her shoes and that you don’t live near an animal shelter since Jacy will bring home every single dog, cat, bird, mouse, whatever.”
Music began shortly afterwards and the dance party ensued. Jacy and Ethan had always been big dancers and had dragged Jennifer and Lorenzo to all the clubs around campus. Jennifer was never comfortable in that environment, but Lorenzo always seemed to make it okay. Just like old times, he stayed by her side the entire night and didn’t pull her out onto the dance floor until a Frank Sinatra ballad began to play. He didn’t even ask. Just took her arm and led her out to dance. She recognized the strains of “The Way You Look Tonight”. Lorenzo was the only person who understood her preference for Frank Sinatra over Nirvana. It had been a running joke that Jennifer had arrived at campus in a time capsule from the 1950s because she never liked the typical “alternative” music most co-eds did.
They danced closely. For some reason Jennifer couldn’t find the courage to look up into his eyes. All she could focus on was the feel of his hand stroking the small of her back through the flimsy dress material as they danced and listening to the beat of his heart as she laid her head on his chest. If they were back in school they would be bantering back and forth about who was the better dancer or just joking around in general.